From bank feed to finished close, every night.
One client at a time, the same six steps run on every file. The routine work is automated. Anything uncertain is held for a person with the reason written down.
The six steps
Bank feeds.
Bank and card transactions arrive in QuickBooks through its own feeds. Accounts without a feed come in from statements.
Clearing.
Every new row is categorized from the client’s own history and your rules. Unsure items are held with a reason. Nothing is guessed.
Reconcile.
Each connected bank and card account is reconciled to its statement. A break is traced to the transaction that caused it.
Close packet.
The month’s checks in one place: reconciliations, uncategorized balances, aged A/R and A/P, and anything still open.
Client questions.
Only what the client alone can answer, batched and in plain words. Answers are booked and read back.
Reports.
Financial statements with month-over-month notes, ready for your review before they go to the client.
What runs while your team is offline
| Time (Eastern) | Step | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 12:30 AM | Feed pull | New bank and card rows for every client |
| 3:00 AM | Clearing | Categorize, match, hold the unsure |
| 4:15 AM | Close packet | Month-to-date checks refreshed |
| 4:40 AM | Reconcile | Statements matched as they arrive |
| 5:40 AM | Close check | A second pass that flags anything off |
By the time your team logs in, the queue is short. A morning summary lists what was booked, what was held and why, and which questions are waiting on a client. These are the times the chain runs today. They are set per firm.
Where your team reviews
Held items.
Anything structural, or above a dollar floor you set, waits for a person with the evidence and a suggested answer beside it.
Client email.
Questions to clients are drafted for approval. You decide which routine kinds can go out on their own.
Month-end sign-off.
Your reviewer reads the close packet and the statements and marks the month done.
Your approval rules.
Written down at setup: what may post, reclass or match without a person. They change whenever you say.
Every change is written with a before-image and read back, so any entry can be traced to who made it and why.
Getting started
| When | What |
|---|---|
| Day 1 | Daily clearing of the bank and card feeds starts, so the books stay current while we set up. |
| Week 1 | Team-member login, your firm’s own fleet, your approval rules written down, and twelve months of each client’s history learned. |
| First close | One full month-end, with your reviewer signing off. |
| After | More clients join in batches. |
The first-close date depends on how quickly we receive access, statements and anything else we ask for.
What we need from you
A team-member login in your accountant portal, with MFA that reaches us.
Your client list, and which clients start first.
Your rules and your comfort line: what posts on its own and what waits.
A mailbox or portal for client questions.
Payroll reports from the provider your clients use.
Statements for accounts without a feed.
A reviewer for sign-off before anything goes out.
See it on one of your clients.
Bring one client file to a call, ideally one that takes your team the most time. We’ll walk through how the fleet would run it.