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Hand your accountant tidy records at year end
Get a personalised checklist of what to gather for your accountant, plus a summary of your records and the questions to ask them.
When to use it
A month before your accounts or tax return are due
Step by step
Describe your business
Write down your business type (sole trader, partnership or limited company), what you sell, whether you're VAT registered, and which bookkeeping app or spreadsheet you use.
Get a checklist
Paste this into your AI assistant.
Prompt to copyI run a [business type] in [country] selling [what you do]. I'm [VAT registered / not VAT registered] and keep records in [app or spreadsheet]. My year end is [date]. Create a checklist of the records and documents an accountant would typically ask for at year end, grouped by: income, expenses, bank and loans, assets and equipment, staff (if any), home or vehicle use, and other. For each item, say why it's needed in one line. Finish with 8 questions I should ask my accountant. This is to help me organise, not tax advice.Gather into one folder
Create a shared Google Drive or OneDrive folder for the year and work through the checklist, ticking items off as you add them.
Summarise your figures
Optionally, paste your income and expense totals by category and ask for a one-page summary showing anything that looks different from last year, so you're ready to explain it.
Send it with your questions
Share the folder and your questions with your accountant. They will tell you what's actually allowable and what you owe.
What you get
Income: sales invoices and platform payout reports (to confirm turnover). Expenses: receipts, phone and broadband bills (to split business use)... Questions: 'Can I claim for part of my home as an office?' 'Should I register for VAT next year?'
Tips
- Your accountant has the final say on what's allowable. Use AI to organise, not to decide tax treatment.
- Share files through a secure folder link rather than as email attachments.