Client onboarding checklist for Philippines bookkeeping support

State the processes included, frequency, expected outputs, systems, working hours, required experience, excluded decisions, reviewer, and escalation route. A Philippines bookkeeper can work confidently when the assignment is observable and bounded.

List bank statements, invoices, payroll reports, receipts, processor reports, contracts, and prior reconciliations. Include the owner, delivery method, cutoff, format, and definition of “complete” for each source.

Grant only the permissions needed for the first batch and use named accounts. Payment release, bank changes, user administration, and final reporting should remain with the business.

Use a complete normal packet, several exception cases, and one item that must be escalated to show how the client wants evidence named, questions routed, and stop conditions handled. Redacted examples let the bookkeeper reproduce the expected packet and escalation without receiving live credentials or transaction authority beyond the approved role.

For a new retail client, say “reconcile the operating account for July, attach the statement, list three unmatched transactions, and route coding questions to the finance lead,” not simply “bank reconciliation.” Accept the item when the balance agrees, the files open, and each exception has an owner. Similar tests can cover vendor bills, payroll journals, and sales deposits without transferring policy decisions.

If the client has not decided whether software belongs to one department or whether a contractor requires special documentation, put the question in an assumption log with a decision owner and due date. Use provisional coding only where policy permits; do not hide uncertainty in a generic account. Review the log alongside sample work so scope and approval boundaries are explicit.

Compare entries, notes, evidence, and questions in the first batch. Capture unclear instructions and fix the process before adding more accounts or volume.

Agree on daily questions, weekly status, close deadlines, exception aging, and reviewer turnaround. Onboarding is complete when the handoff has a repeatable rhythm, not merely when access is granted.