Questions · General Small Business

What documents does my bookkeeper need from me each month?

People expect this to be a long list. Once your accounts are connected, it's usually a short one — here's what actually matters.

Short answerIf your bank and credit card accounts are connected, almost nothing every month — the transactions come in automatically. What I actually need from you: a heads-up on anything unusual (a large purchase, a new loan, an owner contribution), and access to any account that isn't already connected. Payroll reports and W-9s for new contractors come up occasionally, not monthly.

This is one of the most common questions from a new client, and it usually comes with some dread — people picture a folder of receipts they're supposed to hand over every month. The real answer is smaller than that. Once your accounts are connected to QuickBooks Online, the transaction data comes in on its own. What I actually need from you is a lot shorter than most people expect.

What I need every month, honestly

A heads-up on anything unusual — a large one-off purchase, an owner contribution or draw, a new loan or line of credit
Context on a transaction if I ask about one I can't identify from the description alone
That's genuinely most of it, if your accounts are already connected

What comes up occasionally, not monthly

A W-9 from any new contractor before you pay them, so 1099s aren't a scramble in January
Loan documents when you take out new financing, so the payments get booked correctly — principal vs. interest, not just "expense"
Payroll reports each pay period, if you run payroll and it's not already integrated with your books
Access to any bank, card, or loan account that isn't already connected to the feed

What you don't need to send

Receipts for every single transaction, a manual list of what you spent, or a monthly export of your bank statement — the feed already gives me that. The one exception: a receipt is genuinely useful for a large or ambiguous purchase, where the bank description alone doesn't tell me what it actually was or whether it's a repair versus a capital improvement.

If your accounts are connected, the monthly list is short. That's the point.

Why it works this way

The whole reason for connecting your accounts up front, during onboarding, is so you're not gathering documents every month for the rest of the relationship. I do the reconciling, categorizing, and reading through the feed — you tell me what's unusual, I ask when something's unclear, and the books close by the 15th without you spending your own time compiling anything. If you're a rental property owner, the same idea applies with one addition: property manager statements, so I can reconcile those against what actually hit your bank — see why that reconciliation matters. For the full monthly, quarterly, and year-end rhythm, see the small business bookkeeping checklist.

Find out where your books really stand

Free 30-minute call. Bring your last bank statement or don't — either way you'll leave knowing what's actually going on.

Book a call with Elbert