Your step-by-step operating playbook.
Proposed client-review workflow, not approved internal policy, for staying on top of transactions, invoices and financial administration. Maintain accurate records, flag discrepancies and prepare financial reports for review; client or accountant retains payments, filings and professional accounting decisions.
The complete SOP is visible below—no download or extra click required. Tailor the selected duties, training, tools and approval limits with your team before work starts.
Complete task & responsibility scope.
Maintain accurate records and report discrepancies. Client or accountant approves payments, filings and professional accounting decisions.
Maintain accurate, organized financial records and support the client or accountant's review. Compliance, filings and financial decisions remain with the responsible professional.
Select the duties relevant to your business at kickoff. Extended duties require suitable training, supervisor approval and scoped access; this list does not automatically authorize clinical, legal, licensed or financial decisions.
- Record and categorize transactions
- Prepare invoices and track payments
- Reconcile accounts and flag discrepancies
- Prepare financial reports for review
- Record and categorize daily financial transactions using approved categories.
- Reconcile bank and credit card accounts; flag unresolved differences.
- Prepare accounts payable and receivable records for authorized review.
- Prepare and send client invoices using approved details.
- Track and follow up on overdue payments within the agreed policy.
- Assist with payroll preparation; the authorized owner approves release.
- Prepare financial reports and statements for accountant or client review.
- Maintain organized financial records and supporting documentation.
- Assemble tax preparation documentation; do not provide tax advice or submit filings without authorization.
- Monitor cash flow and agreed financial metrics; report exceptions.
01 / Deliverables, ownership & kickoff
What you receive
- Transaction register with source references and unresolved categories
- Reviewed invoice drafts and payment-status tracker
- Account reconciliation worksheet with explained differences
- Financial report review pack with period and status labels
- Exception log showing owners, approvals and follow-up dates
Who owns what
Assistant
- Record supported transactions using approved categories and permissions.
- Prepare invoices, track documented payments and reconcile assigned accounts.
- Maintain evidence trails and submit reports and exceptions for review.
Client owner
- Provide complete records, approved categories, invoice terms and review contacts.
- Authorize invoice release and corrections; decide budgets, purchases and payments.
- Review reports and route filings or accounting judgments to the accountant.
VSI coordinator or agreed Team Lead
- Confirm assignments, access boundaries and agreed review checkpoints.
- Check process completeness without approving financial judgments or payments.
- Coordinate blockers and workload with the client without overriding authorization.
Confirm before work starts
- Identify entity, reporting periods, timezone and assigned accounts.
- Agree transaction categories and accountant-approved treatment references.
- Supply opening balances, statements and outstanding invoice records.
- Document invoice numbering, terms, templates and release authority.
- Provide individual access with entry, viewing and editing limits.
- Agree source-document location, naming and evidence retention instructions.
- Name reviewers, escalation contacts, deadlines and measurable review targets.
Role-specific readiness checklist
- Confirm the chart of accounts, reporting period and client/accountant approver.
- Obtain individual, least-privilege accounting and document access.
- Collect source documents and compare entries with supporting evidence.
- Review reconciliations, duplicates, overdue balances and missing receipts.
- Send a summary of completed work, discrepancies and approval requests.
02 / Skills, systems & approved access
Skills and qualifications
- Bookkeeping fundamentals
- Spreadsheet accuracy
- Attention to financial controls
- Knowledge of bookkeeping principles and practices
- Experience with accounting software
- Strong attention to detail and accuracy
- Understanding of basic financial statements
- Confidential handling of financial information
- Organizational skills for document management
- Problem-solving for discrepancy resolution
- Time management for financial deadlines
Verify the capability—not just the résumé
- Bookkeeping fundamentals
- Categorize sample transactions using the approved chart; explain uncertain entries.
- Invoice and receipt matching
- Match sample receipts, including partial payments, without overstating settled balances.
- Account reconciliation
- Identify duplicate, missing and timing items in a sample reconciliation.
- Spreadsheet accuracy
- Check sample formulas, totals and dates against source records.
- Attention to financial controls
- Detect an unsupported correction and route it rather than force agreement.
- Financial report preparation
- Produce a sample review pack with period labels and unresolved differences.
Tools and systems
Use client-approved tools and individual role-based accounts. Examples are options, not claims that an integration or subscription is included. Never share credentials in chat.
- QuickBooks, Xero or FreshBooks
- Secure document storage
- Client-approved accounting access
- Accounting software: QuickBooks, Xero or FreshBooks
- Expense tracking tools
- Invoice management systems
- Bank reconciliation platforms
- Financial reporting tools
- Secure document storage for financial records
- Payment processing systems with explicitly delegated access
How access supports the procedure
QuickBooks, Xero or FreshBooks
Use: Client-selected bookkeeping platform for entries, invoices, reconciliation and reports.
Access: Individual delegated permissions; payment, filing and administrative authority excluded.
Secure document storage
Use: Store approved source documents, review packs and approval evidence.
Access: Assigned folders only; follow client sharing and retention instructions.
Client-approved accounting access
Use: View authorized statements and transaction records for matching and reconciliation.
Access: Read-only where sufficient; no transfers or automatically enabled connections.
03 / Record and categorize transactions
Start when: An assigned transaction batch and supporting documents are available.
What you need
- Dated transactions and source documents
- Approved categories and posting permissions
- Existing register and reporting period
How to complete the work
- Confirm entity, account, period and batch completeness; flag missing documents before entry.
- Compare identifiers, amounts and dates with existing records to detect duplicates.
- Prepare category assignments from approved references; queue ambiguous treatment for client or accountant approval.
- Record supported entries within delegated permissions; hold uncertain items rather than guess.
- Cross-check batch totals and source links; document correction requests before authorized edits.
- Save the register and exception log; identify reviewer, unresolved items and next follow-up.
Supported entries tie to batch totals; held items have owners and review dates.
If something is missing or outside scope: Missing evidence, duplicates or unfamiliar treatment go to client or accountant; affected entries remain pending.
04 / Prepare invoices and track payments
Start when: Client requests invoicing or supplies new payment evidence.
What you need
- Approved billing details and terms
- Invoice template and open-invoice register
- Receipt evidence and release instructions
How to complete the work
- Verify customer, billing period, amounts, terms and source authorization; flag missing details.
- Check invoice numbering and prior billing to prevent duplicates; calculate draft totals.
- Prepare invoice drafts and submit for client approval; do not invent charges or terms.
- After documented approval, finalize or release only as explicitly delegated; otherwise hand off to client.
- Match documented receipts to invoices; record partial, full or unmatched amounts without moving money.
- Update balances, approval references and payment dates; send aging exceptions for client review, not collections.
Approved invoices are traceable; payment statuses agree with evidence and unresolved receipts are flagged.
If something is missing or outside scope: Disputed charges, credits, refunds or unexplained receipts require client decisions; do not alter balances speculatively.
05 / Reconcile accounts and prepare review reports
Start when: Statements arrive or the agreed reporting checkpoint is reached.
What you need
- Complete statements and prior reconciliation
- Ledger and invoice/payment register
- Approved reporting period and report list
How to complete the work
- Confirm statement coverage, account identity, opening balances and report cutoff; note missing periods.
- Match ledger transactions to statements by reference, date and amount; distinguish timing differences.
- List unmatched entries, duplicates and balance differences with supporting evidence; never create balancing entries.
- Request client or accountant decisions on corrections; apply only documented authorized changes and recheck totals.
- Prepare requested financial reports from reconciled records; label drafts and disclose unresolved differences.
- Save reconciliation and report versions; obtain reviewer acknowledgment and record remaining actions and owners.
Balances reconcile or differences are explicitly documented; reports show period, review status and evidence.
If something is missing or outside scope: Unexplained differences or treatment questions remain open with the accountant; reports are not represented as final.
06 / Daily rhythm, quality & reporting
Daily routine for this role
- Check assigned batches and reviewer responses.
- Record supported transactions and preserve references.
- Update invoice and documented payment statuses.
- Review pending exceptions and send a concise handoff.
Weekly review
- Review aging balances and unmatched receipts with client.
- Check reconciliation progress and missing statements.
- Review report readiness and agreed quality targets.
Quality checks and measures
Agree review standards with the client. Example measures are not guaranteed service levels.
Entry support
Review standard: Agree target source-reference coverage at kickoff.
Evidence: Sampled entries and source links.
Invoice accuracy
Review standard: Agree acceptable error count per reviewed batch.
Evidence: Draft checks and correction log.
Reconciliation completeness
Review standard: Agree account coverage and outstanding-difference targets.
Evidence: Account checklist and exception aging.
Report readiness
Review standard: Agree review dates and required report completeness; no guaranteed turnaround.
Evidence: Versioned packs and reviewer responses.
Reporting and handoff
Cadence: Daily handoff and weekly review; financial packs follow client-agreed periods.
- Reporting period
- Batches recorded
- Invoices awaiting approval
- Recorded receipts and open balances
- Reconciled accounts and differences
- Missing evidence and blockers
- Decisions needed, owners and dates
07 / Approval limits & escalation
Decisions that need approval
- Preparation does not authorize payments, purchases, budgets or filings.
- Accounting judgments and final approvals remain with client or accountant.
- Use approved tools only; integrations require separate client authorization.
- Never share credentials or place financial records in unapproved channels.
- Preserve correction history; never delete evidence to conceal discrepancies.
Role-specific control requirements
- Do not initiate financial transfers, change bank details, approve payroll or release payments without explicit documented authorization and agreed controls.
- Escalate unexplained variances, suspected fraud and missing documents to the client or accountant.
- Review accuracy, reconciliation completion and deadlines weekly; agree measures at kickoff.
What to do when work cannot proceed
Missing or contradictory source evidence
Action: Hold affected entry and request clarification with references.
Owner: Client owner
Unclear category or unexplained reconciliation difference
Action: Submit evidence and proposed options without choosing professional treatment.
Owner: Client accountant
Payment, filing, refund or budget request
Action: Stop at preparation and route for authorized decision and execution.
Owner: Client owner or authorized professional
Access failure or review backlog
Action: Log affected work and coordinate revised priorities with client.
Owner: VSI coordinator or agreed Team Lead
Name the owner and backup, agree response windows and permissions, and record client sign-off at kickoff. Revisit the SOP whenever scope or access changes.