Your month has finished. Customers have paid, bills have gone out and there are probably a few receipts sitting in your inbox—or your pocket.

What should you send your bookkeeper and accountant?

Start with a simple question: could someone understand your business transactions from the documents you have provided?

If the answer is “not quite”, use this checklist to fill the gaps. You do not need perfectly arranged folders before you begin. Send the records you have, explain anything unusual and flag what is missing.

Work through your monthly checklist

1. Start with your bank accounts

Send statements covering the full month for every account used by your business. Include business credit cards, savings accounts and payment accounts such as PayPal.

Already have a bank feed connected to your accounting software? Your bookkeeper may still need statements to check for missing transactions and confirm the closing balance.

Quick check: Did you open a new account or use a different card this month? Let your bookkeeper know.

2. Gather your sales records

Provide sales invoices, credit notes, refunds and details of cash sales. Mention any invoices you cancelled so they do not remain recorded as money customers owe you.

If you sell online, include your sales reports and payment platform breakdowns.

For example, a customer pays £100, but only £97 reaches your bank after a £3 processing fee. Your bookkeeper needs the breakdown to record both the sale and the fee correctly.

Your turn: Can you explain the difference between your sales total and the payments arriving in your bank?

3. Collect purchase invoices and receipts

Send the documents supporting your business purchases, including materials, subscriptions, equipment and travel costs.

A payment on your bank statement tells us money went out. It does not always tell us what you bought or why the purchase relates to your business.

Add a short explanation where needed. “Materials for the Smith project” is more useful than leaving an unfamiliar supplier payment unexplained.

Missing a receipt? Ask the supplier for a copy and tell your bookkeeper what is missing. You can send the rest of your records while you wait.

4. Check what you paid personally

Did you buy something for the business using your own card? Send the receipt and explain that you paid personally.

Did a personal purchase go through the business account? Identify it too, so it can be recorded appropriately.

Take a minute: Look through your personal payments for business purchases you may have forgotten to include.

5. Add cash transactions and business mileage

Cash transactions can easily slip through the gaps because they do not appear in a bank feed.

Provide a record of cash received and spent, showing the date, amount and purpose. Where relevant, include your business mileage log with journey dates, destinations, business purposes and miles travelled.

Try this habit: Record the transaction or journey on the day it happens. Reconstructing three months of activity from memory takes much longer.

6. Send payroll changes before the deadline

If you employ staff, provide hours worked, overtime, bonuses, new starter details, leavers and other changes affecting pay.

Payroll may need to be processed before your monthly bookkeeping is complete. Agree a separate deadline and send changes in time.

Check now: Has anyone’s pay, working pattern or employment status changed this month?

7. Explain new loans and larger purchases

Tell your bookkeeper or accountant about new borrowing, finance agreements and equipment purchases. Include the invoice, agreement and repayment details.

A repayment may include both capital and interest. Providing the agreement helps them record the different parts correctly.

Before you send: Have you included the paperwork as well as the bank payment?

8. Forward important letters promptly

Send relevant correspondence from HMRC and Companies House, particularly notices with a response deadline.

Also mention changes such as VAT registration, taking on employees, opening a new bank account or starting a different business activity.

Do not leave a deadline letter in your monthly receipts folder. Forward it when it arrives.

Who should receive the documents?

If your bookkeeper and accountant are different people, agree who receives what.

Your bookkeeper will usually need the monthly transaction records. Your accountant may use the completed bookkeeping and request further information for accounts, tax returns or advice.

Ask whether both can access the same accounting system or document folder. Uploading records once can save time, provided everyone knows where to find them and who is responsible for reviewing them.

Give your records a final two-minute check

Before sending your monthly documents, ask yourself:

• Have I included every account used by the business?
• Are sales, refunds and cash transactions covered?
• Have I provided invoices and receipts for purchases?
• Have I explained personal payments and unusual transactions?
• Have I flagged missing documents, business changes and upcoming deadlines?

HMRC requires sole traders to keep records of business income and expenses. Limited companies also need accounting records covering money received and spent, assets and debts. This checklist helps you organise those records, although the details you need will depend on your business.

Make next month easier

Choose a regular date with your bookkeeper and use one agreed upload method. Save receipts as you receive them and answer queries while you still remember the transactions.

Then put your updated records to work. Check which customers still owe you, what bills are due and how much cash you have available before making your next business decision.

Need help setting up a routine that works for you? Contact LAbooks Limited for bookkeeping, accounting and tax filing support. We can help you understand what to provide and keep your records up to date throughout the year.