Clinch

Free template · 16 questions

Bookkeeper client questionnaire

A new-client onboarding questionnaire for bookkeepers: entities, software, accounts and deadlines, so month one is not spent chasing logins.

When to send it: Right after the engagement letter is signed.

The business

  1. 1.Legal name, entity type and tax ID.
  2. 2.Financial year end, and VAT/sales tax registration status.
  3. 3.Number of employees and contractors, and how payroll is run.

Systems

  1. 4.Accounting software in use (QuickBooks, Xero, other) and who has access.
  2. 5.Bank accounts, credit cards and payment processors to reconcile.
  3. 6.How you invoice customers and receive bills.
  4. 7.Where receipts are stored today.

Scope

  1. 8.Are the books up to date? If not, from which month do we start?
  2. 9.Reports you need and how often (P&L, cash flow, aged receivables).
  3. 10.Who is your accountant or tax advisor, and should I liaise with them?
  4. 11.Upcoming deadlines: tax filings, loan applications, audits.

Budget, timing and decisions

  1. 12.What budget range have you set aside for this?
  2. 13.Is there a hard deadline, and what happens if it moves?
  3. 14.Who else needs to approve the work or the contract?
  4. 15.How would you prefer we communicate (email, calls, messaging), and how often?
  5. 16.How did you hear about me?

Send it, and get the answers back

Stop copying answers out of email threads. With Clinch the questionnaire goes out with your proposal or contract, your client fills it in from their phone, and the deposit is paid when they sign.

Send this questionnaire free

Questions about client questionnaires

When should a bookkeeper send a client questionnaire?

Right after the engagement letter is signed.

Can I edit these questions?

Yes. Copy them, remove what does not apply and add your own. Shorter questionnaires get answered faster: keep only the questions whose answers change your price, your plan or your contract.

Should the questionnaire come before or after the contract?

Questions that affect price and scope belong before the proposal; the detailed ones (names, timelines, access) work best right after signing, when the client is committed and expects them.

How do I send it with Clinch?

Create a free Clinch account, paste the questions, and send them with your proposal or contract. Your client answers from their phone without an account, and the answers are saved on the client's record.