How we work · the review
The review before delivery, as a checklist.
Six steps run in the same order on every engagement before anything reaches you. Each step lists the checks it is made of, so you or your CPA can ask for the evidence behind any of them.
The six steps
What each step checks, in order.
This is the checklist itself, not a sample: the steps and checks are the ones the review runs. What they find differs from file to file, and anything unresolved goes to you in writing.
Working template — fill in your own figures. Not client data.
1 · Source reconciliation
Every bank, card and loan account in scope is reconciled to its own statement for each period, and the reconciliation report is saved with the work.
- Each account's ending balance agrees with its statement
- No adjustment was posted just to force a difference to zero
- Reconciled items are marked and the report is saved per account, per month
2 · Exception review
Transactions that don't fit the pattern are pulled out and looked at one by one rather than accepted because a bank feed posted them.
- Uncategorized, suspense and "ask my accountant" balances are empty or explained
- Possible duplicates are checked against the statement
- Unusual amounts and one-off payees have a reason on file
3 · Balance-sheet support
Each balance-sheet account has a statement or schedule that explains its number, not only the bank and card accounts.
- Loans agree with the lender's statement, split into principal and interest
- Payroll liabilities and sales tax payable agree with remittances and returns
- Undeposited funds, fixed assets and equity each have supporting detail
4 · Statement tie-out
The profit and loss, balance sheet and cash movement are read against each other, so the three reports tell the same story.
- Net income for the period flows into equity
- Cash and cash equivalents tie to the reconciled cash-account ledger balances. Credit-card liabilities tie separately to the reconciled card-account balances, with reconciling items documented.
- Month-to-month swings have an operating reason or a note
5 · Written open items
Anything unresolved is written down and given to the client rather than parked in a suspense account.
- Questions that need the client's answer are listed
- Missing statements or records are named, with the period they affect
- Figures that couldn't be supported are flagged, not estimated silently
6 · Delivery check
A final pass before anything is sent: the work matches the written scope and the finished period is protected.
- The deliverables match what the written scope lists
- The period is locked with a closing date once it is final
- The open-items list goes out with the reports
Using it
How to use the checklist with any bookkeeper.
Ask for the evidence behind a step, not a yes or no. A saved reconciliation report per account and month answers step one; a schedule for each loan or liability answers step three; a written open-items list answers step five. If a provider can't show those, the review hasn't happened in a form you can check.
The review is bookkeeping work, not an audit: it doesn't give an opinion on the statements, and tax decisions stay with your CPA. Our disclaimer sets out that boundary.
See it on your books
Find out what the review would find in your file.
A free books review looks at where your books stand and closes with a written scope and one fixed fee.