Working papers and review notes
Around 5 hours a week back in season. Each year-end file lands on the preparer with the lead schedules built and the obvious questions already listed.
Hours back
5
hours a week back, typically
How it runs
What we build, step by step.
This is the usual shape. Yours gets built around how your team actually does the job.
- 01
Trial balance pulled from the books
Closing balances for the year come straight from the client's ledger, mapped to your file structure.
- 02
Lead schedules drafted
Each balance gets its schedule in your firm's template, rolled forward from last year's file.
- 03
Balances tied to the evidence
Bank, loan and supplier statements in the client folder are matched to the ledger. Anything that doesn't tie is listed with the difference.
- 04
Movements explained or flagged
Big swings against last year get a note from the transactions behind them, or a question if the records don't explain it.
- 05
First-pass review points
The checks your reviewers always make are run first, so the manager starts from a short list instead of a blank page.
Shown with software we see a lot. If your team uses something else, we build it into that instead.
Built for your business
Same job, different business. We build yours.
Two firms in the same trade rarely run a job the same way. Different software, different steps, different people signing off. We build it for your business, around how your team actually does the job.
Your steps
Built around the order your team already works in, odd exceptions included.
Your software
Runs inside the tools you already pay for, set up the way you use them.
Your rules
Your wording, your limits, your sign-offs. Nothing generic goes out in your name.
You sign off
Your team keeps the final say.
A qualified accountant reviews every schedule and signs off the file. The build drafts and flags. It never posts a journal or clears a review point.
What it's worth
What those hours add up to.
5 hours a week, over 46 working weeks, is 230 hours a year. At $50 an hour, that’s
$11,500
back in the business, every year.
Typical, not promised.
Before and after
The job, before and after.
How it runs today
A preparer exports the trial balance, rebuilds the same lead schedules as last year, ties each balance to a statement or invoice, and writes up the file. Then a manager reads it and types review notes that mostly say the same things every year: missing support, an unexplained movement, a balance that doesn't tie.
What we build
- Trial balance pulled from the books
- Lead schedules drafted
- Balances tied to the evidence
- Movements explained or flagged
- First-pass review points
A month in
Files reach review in better shape, managers spend their time on judgement calls instead of ticking, and the same review note stops being written for the fifth year running.
FAQ
Does it post adjustments to the client's books?
No. Working paper drafts suggest journals with the reason and the evidence, and a person decides and posts them.
We use our own working paper software. Does that matter?
No. We check what your working paper software can connect to before we propose anything. If it can't connect, the drafts land in Sheets or Excel in your template, ready to drop in.
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Thirty minutes on working papers and review notes. We build its elf with you, live, and you keep it.