Client onboarding checklist for accounting and bookkeeping firms

The first two weeks of a new client relationship set the tone for every year after. If onboarding is a string of emails asking for one more document, the client learns that working with you is slow. If it is one link and a short form, they learn the opposite.

This checklist covers what an accounting or bookkeeping firm in New Zealand typically needs from a new client, grouped in the order it is most useful to collect it.

Stage 1: The engagement is signed

Nothing else should start until the scope, fees and terms are agreed in writing. Starting work on a handshake is how firms end up doing a year of unbilled scope creep with no letter to point to.

• Proposal accepted, with scope, exclusions and fees per service.
• Engagement terms signed, ideally in the same action as the proposal. See what an engagement letter should include.
• Signed copy sent to the client and stored against their record.

Stage 2: Who the client is

• Legal name of each entity you are engaged for, and the entity type: individual, company, partnership, trust or limited partnership.
• IRD number for each entity, and GST number where registered.
• NZ Business Number (NZBN) and Companies Office number for companies.
• Balance date and GST filing frequency.
• Directors, shareholders, partners, trustees and beneficiaries as relevant to the entity type.
• The main contact, and who else is authorised to give you instructions.

Stage 3: Identity verification and AML/CFT

Accountants are designated non-financial businesses or professions under the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act 2009. Whether your firm is a reporting entity depends on the services you provide, and the Department of Internal Affairs guidance for accountants sets out which activities are captured. Since 1 July 2026, DIA has been the sole AML/CFT supervisor in New Zealand.

If your firm is captured, customer due diligence forms part of onboarding. In broad terms that means:

• Identifying the client and verifying their identity using reliable, independent documents.
• For companies, trusts and other entities, identifying the beneficial owners and the people acting on the client's behalf, and verifying them.
• Understanding the nature and purpose of the relationship.
• Recording a risk rating for the client and reviewing it as part of ongoing due diligence.

Stage 4: Access to systems

• Access to the accounting file, at the user level you actually need.
• Bank feeds connected, or statements provided if feeds are not available.
• Payroll system access, if you are doing payroll.
• Tax agent linking with Inland Revenue, so you can act for the client.
• Any other systems in scope: point of sale, inventory, expense apps.

Stage 5: The handover from the previous accountant

• Name and contact details of the previous accountant or bookkeeper.
• The client's authority for you to contact them.
• Last filed financial statements and tax returns.
• Fixed asset register, loan schedules and any open tax matters.
• Anything outstanding: unfiled returns, overdue balances, open reviews. These are often catch-up work and should be quoted separately.

Stage 6: The first-period kick-off

1. 1Confirm the first deliverable and its date, in writing.
2. 2Confirm what you need from the client before that date.
3. 3Set up the recurring rhythm: monthly close, GST periods, annual deadlines.
4. 4Tell the client who to contact and how quickly to expect a reply.

How to collect all of this without chasing

Most onboarding delays come from asking for things one at a time. A better pattern is to collect everything in Stages 2, 4 and 5 through one form, sent as part of the same flow as the signed engagement, while the client is still engaged with the decision they just made.

• Send the onboarding form immediately after the engagement is signed, not days later.
• Make the form specific to the entity type, so a sole trader is not asked about trustees.
• Use one reminder with a clear subject line rather than several vague ones.
• Keep the answers with the client record, not scattered across inboxes.

How Proffa handles this

In Proffa, an onboarding form can be attached to the engagement, so the client signs the proposal and answers your onboarding questions in the same flow, with no account to create. Answers are captured against the deal and the client record. If a form is still outstanding, you send a reminder from the deal and every email is logged. See how this works for accounting firms and bookkeepers, or start a 14-day free trial with no credit card required.