A new client is at their most motivated in the first few days. That is the moment to collect everything you will need - not in three months, when you discover a missing contract during the first quarterly filing. A structured onboarding list makes the start faster for both sides.
Split the list in two
Onboarding documents are requested once. Monthly documents are requested every period. Mixing them confuses clients (“do I need to send the company registration every month?”). Keep two separate lists and say clearly which is which.
One-off documents for onboarding
- Company registration extract and tax identification numbers
- VAT registration, if applicable
- Identification of the owners or directors, as required by your local anti-money-laundering rules
- Signed engagement letter or service agreement
- Authorisation to act with the tax office, if you file on the client's behalf
- List of all bank accounts, cards and payment providers used by the business
- Last filed annual accounts and tax returns, or contact details of the previous accountant
- Open balances: unpaid customer invoices and unpaid supplier invoices at the start date
- Employment contracts and payroll details, if the client has employees
- Lease, loan and leasing contracts
Agree on the monthly list on day one
Use the onboarding conversation to set up the recurring checklist: which bank accounts, which invoice sources, whether receipts are expected, whether there is payroll. Agree on the due date for each month and how the client will be reminded. Clients who know the routine from the start rarely need chasing later.
Ask the previous accountant early
If the client is switching firms, ask for permission to contact the previous accountant in the first week. Opening balances, ledgers and filed returns are much easier to obtain while the handover is fresh.
Give the client a short welcome note
- What you need now (the onboarding list) and by when
- What you will need every month (the recurring list)
- Where to upload and who to contact with questions
- When they will hear from you next
Close onboarding explicitly
When every onboarding item is received, tell the client: “Onboarding is complete - from now on, you will receive a short monthly list.” This clear transition separates the one-off effort from the routine and makes the routine feel lighter.
In MonthDocs you can invite a new client with one click, give them their monthly checklist from the first period, and keep onboarding documents in the same secure place.
