New Bookkeeping Intake Form

The advantages of having a client intake form for new bookkeeping clients go way beyond simply streamlining the onboarding process. A well-designed client intake form gathers all of the necessary information about your new client and their business in one spot so you can forget about digging through file folders to find a client's direct phone number, business structure, or accounting methods.

Implementing a questionnaire to your client intake process allows you to identify their unique accounting requirements, so you may plan how to meet them, such as by meeting tax deadlines, completing periods on schedule, and making sure nothing in their accounting process is overlooked. The first time you interact with a client matters in business, so gathering this information upfront will help leave a positive, long-lasting impression on potential accounting clients.

To help you create your new bookkeeping intake form, we will go over some of the main elements you must cover and some example questions to get you on the right track.

Note: Need a quick and easy way to create your new client intake form? Bonsai's form builder is your best bet! With fully customizable fields, branding and website integration, you can save time without compromising quality. Claim your 14-day free trial today.

Essential Elements to Include in Your Bookkeeping Client Intake Form

When creating your own bookkeeping/accounting client intake form, the purpose is not only to gather contact details. The form should help you further understand their accounting needs, provide a guideline in order to provide tailored assistance, and (without going overboard) showcase your skills and experience to new clients.

Let's go over some of the main aspects you should focus on so you can create a comprehensive yet simple document to kick things off.

Contact Information

To begin your client intake form, gather the client's basic contact details. This includes their full name, email address, phone and fax number, billing address/physical address, and preferred means of communication. Add your own questions if your accounting firm requires more details in order to stay in contact with the client during the contract.

Business Information

Next, ask some straightforward questions regarding the client's business so you can get things started by gathering some fundamental logistic and financial details. Depending on the specific accounting services you provide, the inquiries here will be different, but here are some basic questions that can help you gather enough company information.

- What sort of company do you run and what can you tell us about it?

- Please briefly describe the kind of goods and/or services your company provides.

- Please include your company's headquarters' complete address.

- Which category of legal entity does your company fall under? (Sole proprietorship, LLC, etc..)

- What plans do you have to increase back operations?

- What aspect of your company are you most proud of?

- What does commercial success mean to you?

- Which bank handles the majority of your business transactions?

- Are your tax returns current and do you report sales tax?

Bookkeeping Requirements

In order to provide impeccable bookkeeping services, it's crucial for you to understand the client's current situation and what their accounting requirements will be. Gathering this important accounting information also helps you identify any pain points and shows clients you're serious about working with them and fully understanding their needs.

Here are some questions you can include in this section.

- How many bank accounts do you currently have?

- How many credit cards do you have at the moment?

- Do you employ payroll software? If so, which one?

- Do you use an inventory management system?

- Do you use Stripe, PayPal, Square, or any other merchant service?

- Do you have inventory? If so, how much?

- Do you count inventory as an asset or an expense?

- What is the debt-to-equity ratio in your current situation?

- Are there any regulatory difficulties that you're facing?

- How many invoices do you generate on a monthly basis?

- What type of accounting software do you now employ?

- Do you pay contractors with 1099s?

- How are financial records and receipts organized?

Expectations

Last but not least, you'll want to learn about their previous experiences with other bookkeepers/accountants and how they expect you to help. These questions can help you discover any misconceptions they may have about your services and collect information that is vital for you to meet their expectations.

Use the following questions to further understand their reasons for seeking your bookkeeping services.

- Please give a brief description of the kind of bookkeeping services you need from us.

- Have you ever used accounting or bookkeeping services before?

- What were some of the advantages and disadvantages your previous bookkeeping/accounting firm had?

- Which one of your company's problems would you like to see resolved the quickest?

- What is the monthly price range you are looking for?

- How do you think our services can add value to your business?

Create the Perfect Client Intake Form With Bonsai

Are you ready to draft your own bookkeeping client intake form? Do it like a pro, with Bonsai's lightweight client form builder. Our software allows you to create professional and branded forms which you can fully customize by adding as many questions as you need and choosing the answer format that best fits your needs. Add your own branding elements to the finished form and share it with your clients via email or URL link to streamline the intake process.

You can also create a client intake form template and have it embedded into your business website if you want to collect more leads and make the process a lot easier for both you and the potential client. If you need more help, Bonsai has many other excellent tools to help with your onboarding process, invoicing, payments, taxes, and much more. Plus you can get your own business bank account to have easy access to your money and keep your finances under control.

Check out these and more benefits Bonsai has to offer with your 14-day free trial. We help you save time and grow your business with end-to-end administrative solutions.