Part of our guide: Offshore bookkeeping for US small businesses
Most late closes aren't the bookkeeper's fault; they're waiting on something only you have. This list is part of our offshore bookkeeping guide.
What documents does a bookkeeper need every month?
- Statements for any account without a live bank feed (some loans, brokerage, foreign accounts).
- Receipts for card spend above your receipt threshold, ideally captured in a tool such as Dext or the accounting app's mobile receipt capture.
- Sales reports from systems that don't sync: POS, marketplaces, invoicing tools.
- Payroll reports if payroll runs outside the accounting system.
- New contracts or loans signed this month.
Which questions will they ask?
Expect a short list of uncategorized transactions: "What was this $X payment to Y?" Answer in one batch, ideally in a shared sheet or the accounting app's comments, not scattered across email.
When should you send everything?
Agree a cut-off, such as the third business day of the month. The bookkeeper sends reminders two days before. Late items roll into next month's close with a note.
How do you make it faster each month?
- Turn on bank feeds wherever possible.
- Forward receipts the day you get them.
- Create rules for recurring vendors so they categorize automatically.
- Keep a single shared folder per month.
What do you get back?
A close pack: reconciliations, a profit-and-loss and balance sheet, open questions and anything that needs your decision. Our month-end close checklist shows the full sequence, and the weekly bookkeeping routine keeps month-end small.
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