Checklist: What Your Outsourced Bookkeeping Partner Should Deliver Every Month

If you’ve taken the step to outsource your bookkeeping or are seriously considering it, you’re likely doing so to improve efficiency, save time, and get accurate financials without the hassle of micromanagement.

But what exactly should your bookkeeping outsourcing partner be delivering every month?

Many accounting firm owners find themselves guessing, unsure whether their outsourcing partner is ticking all the right boxes. So, here’s a straightforward checklist of monthly deliverables and KPIs you should expect – no fluff, just the essentials that keep your books clean and your clients happy.

1. Bank Reconciliations

This one’s non-negotiable. Every single bank, credit card, and loan account should be reconciled each month, with supporting documentation in place. Expect full reconciliation reports, ideally with closing balances matched against source statements.

What to check for:

• Completed bank recs for all accounts
• Any unreconciled items flagged clearly
• Timely delivery (ideally within 5–7 working days after month-end)

2. Accurate Coding of Transactions

Your online bookkeeping provider must accurately categorise each transaction using the correct nominal codes. Misclassifications lead to incorrect VAT returns, messy management reports, and time lost in rework.

What to check for:

• Correct use of nominal codes
• VAT treatment correctly applied
• Review of any suspicious or unclear transactions with your team

3. Purchase Ledger and Sales Ledger Maintenance

Your outsourcing partner should maintain clean ledgers by allocating payments properly, removing duplicates, and flagging long-outstanding items.

What to check for:

• Aged payables and receivables reports updated monthly
• All client payments and supplier invoices processed and matched
• Debtors and creditors reviewed for old balances or missing data

4. VAT Returns (if applicable)

If your firm handles VAT submissions, your virtual bookkeeping partner must support timely and accurate prep for VAT filings, especially critical with MTD compliance.

What to check for:

• VAT returns drafted and ready for review well ahead of deadline
• Supporting documentation maintained and accessible
• Any anomalies or adjustments clearly highlighted

5. Monthly Management Reports

Even if you’re not preparing full management accounts, basic monthly reports should be ready: Profit & Loss Statement, Balance Sheet, and possibly a Cash Flow Statement.

What to check for:

• P&L and Balance Sheet reviewed and shared in a standard format
• Commentary or flagging of any unusual entries or trends
• Customised reports if your clients need specific KPIs

6. Client Queries and Information Requests

Your partner should proactively reach out for missing documents, unclear transactions, or client-specific information rather than sit back and wait.

What to check for:

• Queries documented and tracked
• Clear audit trail of communications
• Prompt follow-ups to keep the books moving

7. Task Completion and Workflow Updates

With remote bookkeeping support, you need visibility. Whether you’re using a practice management system or spreadsheets, your outsourcing partner should update job progress in real time.

What to check for:

• All assigned tasks marked complete with a timestamp
• Bottlenecks or delays flagged early
• Regular communication (weekly or fortnightly check-ins)

8. Data Accuracy and Review Checks

A good partner double-checks their own work. This includes spot-checking reconciliations, ensuring no duplicate entries, and flagging anomalies.

What to check for:

• Internal quality control before files reach you
• Correct opening balances and prior month adjustments
• Final review sign-off before handing work over to your team

9. Secure Data Handling

Your bookkeeping outsourcing partner should handle all data exchange through secure portals or FTP systems, with access controls in place. Emailing Excel sheets won’t cut it anymore.

What to check for:

• GDPR and UK data protection standards followed
• Secure data transfer platforms used
• Backup and retention policies clearly defined

10. Month-End Checklist Summary

Finally, you should receive a brief summary at the end of each month confirming what’s been completed, what’s pending, and any red flags you need to act on.

What to check for:

• Month-end checklist signed off
• Any outstanding actions listed
• Summary delivered consistently, every month

Summing Up

Outsourcing your bookkeeping isn’t about offloading and forgetting. It’s about partnership, accountability, and results. With the right processes in place, your outsourcing partner should feel like an extension of your own team, delivering accurate, timely, and tidy books month after month.

Use this checklist not just as a monitoring tool, but as a benchmark when choosing a partner, setting expectations, or reviewing current performance.

If you’re not receiving these deliverables consistently, it might be time to revisit your outsourcing arrangement. After all, you’re paying for peace of mind and clean books. Make sure you’re getting both.

Accurate Bookkeeping with QX Accounting Services

QX Accounting Services is a market-leading provider of outsourced bookkeeping services for accounting firms with over two decades of industry experience. We specialise in end-to-end bookkeeping and accounting solutions tailored to your firm’s exact needs.

With a team of 1,200+ accountants and bookkeepers, we arm you with the right talent and capacity to meet deadlines, deliver consistent quality, and sign up new clients. Our experts tick all boxes on the checklist to ensure a hassle-free experience for our clients.

Curious to explore how we can support your firm for scale? Our experts will be happy to guide you or set up a no-obligation trial. Call us at +44 208 146 0808 or simply submit the form below to get a callback from our team.