Free Bookkeeping Templates & Checklists for UK Accountants

Template

Bank Reconciliation Worksheet

Use this worksheet to reconcile your bank statement balance to your accounting records. Complete one per bank account, per period. Fill in the amounts in the right column.

Tip: print this page for a clean worksheet with blank fields to fill in by hand.

Account Details

Section A: Bank Statement Balance

Section B: Add Outstanding Deposits (in books, not yet on statement)

Date	Description / Reference	Amount (£)
Total outstanding deposits

Section C: Less Unpresented Cheques / Payments (in books, not yet on statement)

Date	Cheque No. / Payee	Amount (£)
Total unpresented cheques / payments

Section D: Adjustments (errors, bank charges not yet booked, etc.)

Date	Description / Reason	Amount (£)
Total adjustments (+/-)

Section E: Reconciliation

Checklist

Month-End Close Checklist

A comprehensive checklist for closing the books each month. Adapt the order and items to suit your client's complexity. Tick items off as you complete them.

• Bank & Cash
• Reconcile all bank accounts to bank statements
• Reconcile petty cash (count float, match to records)
• Reconcile credit card accounts
• Reconcile PayPal, Stripe, and merchant accounts
• Clear any unreconciled items older than 30 days
• Accounts Receivable
• Review AR aging report — chase overdue invoices
• Post any credit notes or write-offs
• Reconcile sales ledger control account to subledger
• Review bad debt provisions and adjust if needed
• Accounts Payable
• Review AP aging report — flag overdue supplier invoices
• Ensure all purchase invoices received are posted
• Reconcile purchase ledger control account to subledger
• Journals & Adjustments
• Post depreciation and amortisation journals
• Review and post prepayments (release current month's portion)
• Review and post accruals (accrue for unpaid expenses)
• Post payroll journals (gross pay, PAYE, NI, pension)
• Review intercompany balances and post any recharges
• Post any deferred income / revenue recognition journals
• Post loan interest accruals
• VAT (if VAT-registered)
• Reconcile VAT control account
• Review VAT return figures against ledger totals
• Check for any misposted exempt or zero-rated items
• Review & Reporting
• Generate trial balance — review for unusual balances
• Compare P&L against budget — investigate material variances
• Review balance sheet for any negative asset or liability balances
• Run suspense account report — clear all items
• Back up the accounting file (or confirm cloud backup)
• Lock the period in accounting software to prevent backdated entries

Checklist

VAT Return Checklist (UK, MTD-Compliant)

Use this checklist before submitting each VAT return under Making Tax Digital. Covers standard, flat rate, and partial exemption scenarios.

• Preparation
• Confirm VAT period dates (start and end)
• Ensure all sales invoices for the period are posted
• Ensure all purchase invoices for the period are posted
• Post any late invoices received after period end (if applicable under chosen method)
• Reconcile bank accounts for the VAT period
• Sales VAT (Output Tax)
• Review all sales transactions for correct VAT codes
• Check exempt supplies are correctly coded (no VAT charged)
• Check zero-rated supplies (exports, certain food, children's clothing)
• Review credit notes — ensure VAT adjustments are correct
• Check for any EC/NI protocol sales requiring special treatment
• Purchase VAT (Input Tax)
• Review purchase invoices — valid VAT invoices held for all claims?
• Check reverse charge entries (construction industry, imported services)
• Verify EC acquisitions are correctly double-posted (Box 2 + Box 4)
• Review fuel scale charges (if applicable)
• Check entertainment — block input VAT on business entertainment
• Review capital goods scheme items (if applicable)
• Special Cases
• Check bad debt relief — debts outstanding > 6 months and written off
• Review partial exemption calculation (if exempt supplies made)
• Check flat rate percentage applied correctly (if on FRS)
• Review any imports — postponed VAT accounting entries correct?
• Reconciliation & Submission
• Run VAT return report in accounting software
• Reconcile Box 1 (output VAT) to sales ledger VAT totals
• Reconcile Box 4 (input VAT) to purchase ledger VAT totals
• Reconcile Box 6 (net sales) and Box 7 (net purchases)
• Cross-check VAT control account balance matches Box 3 minus Box 4
• Submit via MTD-compatible software (bridging software or native integration)
• Save confirmation receipt from HMRC
• Post VAT payment or refund to accounts
• File supporting documentation (invoices, calculations, reconciliation)

Template

Chart of Accounts Template (UK Small Business)

A starter chart of accounts suitable for UK sole traders, partnerships, and limited companies. Nominal codes follow standard UK conventions compatible with Sage, Xero, and QuickBooks. Adjust, add, or remove accounts to suit the specific business.

Code	Account Name	Type
Fixed Assets (0001–0999)
0010	Freehold Property	Fixed Asset
0020	Plant and Machinery	Fixed Asset
0030	Office Equipment and IT	Fixed Asset
0040	Fixtures and Fittings	Fixed Asset
0050	Motor Vehicles	Fixed Asset
0060	Accumulated Depreciation – Plant & Machinery	Fixed Asset
0061	Accumulated Depreciation – Office Equipment	Fixed Asset
0062	Accumulated Depreciation – Fixtures	Fixed Asset
0063	Accumulated Depreciation – Motor Vehicles	Fixed Asset
Current Assets (1000–1999)
1001	Stock / Inventory	Current Asset
1100	Trade Debtors (Accounts Receivable)	Current Asset
1101	Other Debtors	Current Asset
1102	Prepayments	Current Asset
1200	Current Account	Bank
1210	Savings Account	Bank
1220	Petty Cash	Bank
1230	PayPal / Stripe Account	Bank
Current Liabilities (2000–2499)
2100	Trade Creditors (Accounts Payable)	Current Liability
2101	Other Creditors	Current Liability
2102	Accruals	Current Liability
2109	Credit Card	Current Liability
2200	VAT Liability (Control Account)	Current Liability
2210	PAYE Liability	Current Liability
2211	National Insurance Liability	Current Liability
2220	Pension Liability	Current Liability
2230	Corporation Tax Liability	Current Liability
Long-Term Liabilities (2500–2999)
2500	Bank Loan	Long-Term Liability
2510	Director's Loan Account	Long-Term Liability
2520	Hire Purchase Liability	Long-Term Liability
Equity (3000–3999)
3000	Share Capital / Capital Introduced	Equity
3100	Retained Earnings	Equity
3200	Dividends Paid	Equity
3260	Drawings (Sole Trader / Partnership)	Equity
Sales / Revenue (4000–4999)
4000	Sales – Standard Rated	Revenue
4001	Sales – Zero Rated	Revenue
4002	Sales – Exempt	Revenue
4010	Other Income	Revenue
4020	Interest Received	Revenue
4900	Credit Notes Issued	Revenue
Cost of Sales (5000–5999)
5000	Cost of Goods Sold	Direct Cost
5001	Materials / Raw Materials	Direct Cost
5010	Subcontractor Costs	Direct Cost
5020	Direct Labour Costs	Direct Cost
5030	Carriage / Shipping Costs	Direct Cost
Overheads / Operating Expenses (6000–7999)
6000	Rent	Overhead
6010	Business Rates	Overhead
6020	Electricity	Overhead
6021	Gas	Overhead
6022	Water	Overhead
6030	Telephone & Internet	Overhead
6040	Office Supplies & Stationery	Overhead
6050	Postage & Couriers	Overhead
6100	Insurance	Overhead
6200	Accountancy Fees	Overhead
6201	Legal Fees	Overhead
6202	Consultancy Fees	Overhead
6300	Advertising & Marketing	Overhead
6310	Website & Software Subscriptions	Overhead
6400	Travel & Accommodation	Overhead
6410	Subsistence (Meals)	Overhead
6420	Motor Vehicle Expenses (Fuel)	Overhead
6421	Motor Vehicle Expenses (Repairs & Insurance)	Overhead
6422	Mileage Claims	Overhead
6500	Staff Training & CPD	Overhead
6600	Repairs & Maintenance	Overhead
6700	Bank Charges & Interest Paid	Overhead
6710	Payment Processing Fees (Stripe / PayPal)	Overhead
6800	Depreciation	Overhead
6900	Sundry Expenses	Overhead
7000	Wages & Salaries	Overhead
7010	Employer’s NI Contributions	Overhead
7020	Employer’s Pension Contributions	Overhead
7100	Director’s Remuneration	Overhead
7900	Corporation Tax	Overhead
Suspense & Control (9000–9999)
9998	Suspense Account	Control
9999	Mispostings Account	Control

For a more detailed guide on setting up and customising your chart of accounts, see Chart of Accounts Template: Setup Guide for QuickBooks, Xero & Sage.

Checklist

New Client Onboarding Checklist

For accountants and bookkeepers taking on a new bookkeeping client. Covers everything from initial data gathering to the first completed reconciliation.

• Client Information & Agreements
• Signed engagement letter / letter of engagement received
• Anti-money laundering (AML) checks completed
• Proof of identity and address collected (ID verification)
• Agent authorisation submitted to HMRC (64-8 form or online)
• Companies House authorisation set up (if applicable)
• Confirm business type: sole trader, partnership, or limited company
• Confirm financial year end date
• Confirm VAT registration status and scheme (standard, flat rate, cash accounting)
• Accounting Software & Access
• Obtain login credentials for accounting software (Xero, Sage, QBO, Pandle, etc.)
• Set up practice access / advisor role in the platform
• Review existing chart of accounts — clean up or set up from template above
• Configure VAT settings and rates in the software
• Set up bank feeds (connect bank accounts via Open Banking)
• Verify bank feed is pulling transactions correctly
• Historical Data
• Obtain previous accountant’s handover pack (if applicable)
• Download historical general ledger export (last 12 months minimum)
• Download or obtain last filed accounts and tax returns
• Download last VAT return and reconciliation
• Review opening trial balance / balances brought forward
• Enter opening balances into the new accounting period
• Bank & Payment Setup
• Collect bank statements for all active accounts
• Identify all bank accounts, credit cards, PayPal, and merchant accounts
• Set up all bank accounts in accounting software
• Perform initial bank reconciliation — clear historical backlog
• Ongoing Process Setup
• Agree bookkeeping frequency (weekly, monthly, quarterly)
• Set up invoice template and numbering sequence
• Configure payroll integration (if managing payroll)
• Set up receipt capture / document collection process
• Create standard recurring journals (rent, loan repayments, etc.)
• Schedule first review meeting date
• Document any industry-specific posting rules or account mapping