Key takeaways
What this article covers, in order:
- The phone call nobody enjoys
- The year-end handover checklist
- 1 and 2: reconciled bank, every account
- 3 and 4: debtors and creditors that are real
- 5 and 6: assets and loans
- 8 and 9: suspense and personal spending
Your accountant wants books that are reconciled to the last day of the year, with debtors and creditors that are real, every unusual item explained, and the supporting paperwork in one place. Hand that over and they can spend their time on advice rather than detective work. Treat this post as a year end accounts checklist UK accountants would recognise, covering the handover only. What they then prepare and file is their job.
The phone call nobody enjoys
It's mid-Jan 2027. Your accountant rings. "Quick question about a £4,000 payment in May 2026." You can't remember. You search your email. You find nothing. They ring again a week later with eleven more questions.
Every one of those calls costs you time, and quite often money, because accountants usually price their work on how long it takes. The cleaner the books when they arrive, the fewer the calls and, often, the smaller the bill.
So what does "clean" actually mean to an accountant? Here's the list we hear again and again.
The year-end handover checklist
Use this a few weeks before your year end, then again just after it.
| # | Item | Why they want it |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Every bank, savings and card account reconciled to the year-end date | Proves the cash figure is right |
| 2 | Year-end statements for each account | So they can check your reconciliation |
| 3 | Aged debtors at year end, with notes on doubtful ones | To confirm what's really owed to you |
| 4 | Aged creditors at year end | To confirm what you really owe |
| 5 | List of assets bought or sold in the year, with invoices | Fixed assets are treated differently from day-to-day costs |
| 6 | Loan statements showing year-end balances | Splits capital from interest correctly |
| 7 | Stock count at year end (if you hold stock) | Directly affects your profit |
| 8 | Suspense account cleared, or a list of what's left | Unknowns need a decision |
| 9 | Personal spending and owner's money identified | Drawings or director's loan, not business costs |
| 10 | A short notes file | Answers their questions before they ask |
Let's go through the ones that cause the most trouble.
1 and 2: reconciled bank, every account
This is the big one. If the bank isn't reconciled, nothing else can be relied on.
Reconcile every account to the exact last day of your financial year, not the nearest statement date. If your year ends on 31 Mar 2026 and your card statement runs to the 18th of each month, you still need the card balance at 31 Mar 2026.
Don't forget the accounts people overlook: the savings account you rarely touch, the old business card that's still technically open, the petty cash tin, and any balance sitting with a payment provider at year end.
Once each account reconciles, export the reconciliation report showing the opening balance, cleared items, outstanding items and closing balance. That single document answers most of your accountant's bank questions in one go.
3 and 4: debtors and creditors that are real
Run the aged debtors report as at the year-end date. Then go through it line by line:
- Already paid but showing unpaid? The payment hasn't been matched to the invoice. Match it.
- Duplicate invoices? Void one. Don't just delete.
- Very old and almost certainly never coming? Make a note. Your accountant will decide whether to provide for it or write it off.
- Disputed? Note what the dispute is about.
Do the same with aged creditors. A supplier showing £3,200 owed that you know you paid in full is almost always a payment that wasn't matched to its bill.
Dev, who runs an electrical contracting firm in Coventry, found £6,850 of "unpaid" invoices on his debtors list that had in fact been paid months earlier. The customers had paid by bank transfer without references, and the receipts had been posted straight to sales. Sales was overstated by £6,850 and debtors by the same. Ten minutes of matching fixed it. Left alone, it would have been a long phone call.
5 and 6: assets and loans
Accountants treat equipment, vehicles and other long-lasting items differently from everyday costs. So they need to know about anything substantial you bought or sold in the year.
Give them a simple list:
| Date | Item | Supplier | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 Jun 2026 | Laptop | Electronics retailer | £1,420 | For the business owner |
| 2 Aug 2026 | Van (used) | Van dealer | £14,500 | Part-financed, see loan |
| 30 Sep 2026 | Old van sold | Private buyer | £3,200 received | Bought 2022 |
Attach the invoices. Don't worry about deciding what counts as an asset. List anything over a few hundred pounds that you'd expect to last more than a year, and let your accountant decide.
For loans, a year-end statement from the lender showing the balance owed on that date is all they need. It lets them check that repayments were split correctly between capital and interest.
8 and 9: suspense and personal spending
An unexplained suspense balance is a red flag for any accountant. Clear it if you can. If a few small items genuinely can't be identified, give them a list with what you've tried.
Personal spending through the business account needs to be flagged clearly. For a sole trader it usually goes to drawings; for a limited company, usually the director's loan account. What happens next is for your accountant. Your job is just to make sure it's not hiding in "Office costs" or "Sundries".
10: the notes file
This is the one that saves the most phone calls. A one-page document, written in plain English, covering anything unusual in the year. For example:
- "Took on a part-time assistant from Jul 2026."
- "Received a one-off £5,000 grant in Feb 2026, letter attached."
- "Customer X disputed invoice 2041 (£1,800); still unresolved."
- "Moved to a new unit in Sep 2026; deposit of £2,400 paid, refundable."
- "Personal laptop used for work all year; not bought by the business."
You know these things. Your accountant doesn't, unless you tell them.
Should you give them access or send files?
Both work, but access is usually better. If your accountant can log into the same books, they can check things directly, see the history behind a number and fix small mistakes themselves rather than emailing you. Send files only if they ask for them.
Whichever you choose, send everything in one go. Drip-feeding documents across six weeks is how simple year ends turn into expensive ones.
When to start
Not at year end. A few weeks before.
| When | What |
|---|---|
| 4 to 6 weeks before year end | Clear the review list, chase old debtors, empty suspense |
| Last week of the year | Count stock if you hold it, note any big purchases |
| First week after year end | Reconcile every account to the year-end date, run aged reports |
| Within a month of year end | Send everything, with the notes file |
That's it. Clean books make tax time easier for everyone; your accountant handles the filing.
How HelloBooks helps
You can invite your accountant or bookkeeper into the same books, so they see everything directly instead of waiting for exports. The bank reconciliation screen produces a reconciliation report (opening balance, cleared items, outstanding items, closing balance) that exports as PDF or CSV, and reconciled periods can be locked, with any reopening logged.
Aged debtors and creditors, the P&L, balance sheet and cash flow report are all on the Free plan. Pro adds Excel export and unlimited users with roles, which helps if your accountant's team needs separate logins. See bookkeeping features for the full list and the UK pricing page for plans.
FAQs
When should I start preparing for year end?
Four to six weeks before. That gives you time to chase old debtors, empty suspense and catch up on categorising before the deadline pressure starts.
Do I need to work out depreciation myself?
No. Give your accountant a list of assets bought and sold with the invoices. They'll handle depreciation and any related adjustments.
What's the single most useful thing I can give my accountant?
A reconciliation report for every bank and card account at the year-end date. It proves the cash figure and answers most bank questions in advance.
Should I give my accountant login access?
Usually yes. Direct access means fewer emails, faster answers and less chance of documents going astray.
Will clean books lower my accountant's fee?
Often, since many accountants price on the time a job takes. It depends on how your accountant charges, so ask them.
Book an hour in your diary for six weeks before your year end, and make the first item on it "reconcile the bank".
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