Make the year-end handoff easier to follow.

Establish the last completed period.

Confirm the final month that has been reconciled for each account. A year-end report can still contain incomplete monthly work, so distinguish a report that has been generated from a period that has been reviewed.

• Collect missing bank, card, loan, and processor statements.
• Identify unresolved transactions and unreconciled accounts.
• Review customer and supplier balances that need explanation.
• Document corrections made after an earlier report was shared.

Explain the balances and major changes.

Create a short change summary alongside the reports. The person reviewing the year should not have to infer a major purchase, a new loan, or an ownership change from a single ledger entry.

• Provide supporting records for equipment purchases and disposals.
• Identify new, refinanced, or repaid loans and retain the statements.
• Separate owner contributions, withdrawals, and other owner transactions for review.
• Note changes in business activities, locations, systems, or ownership.

Agree who owns the next step.

List the reports and schedules that will go to the tax preparer, then assign someone to answer remaining questions. Include the version date so later corrections do not create two competing sets of numbers.

Confirm the tax-preparation scope separately from the bookkeeping close. Ask who will address notices, missing documents, filing authorizations, and any work outside the engagement. This checklist organizes the discussion; it does not establish a filing deadline or determine a tax position.