Onboarding a Bookkeeper in Geelong: What to Have Ready

Why a Good Handover Matters

Every quarter we onboard businesses across Geelong, the Bellarine and the Surf Coast who are switching from an in-house spreadsheet, a departing employee, or another bookkeeping firm. The businesses that get up and running fastest are the ones who show up to the first meeting with their records organised. The ones that struggle usually have gaps in bank reconciliations, missing payroll history, or no idea who has admin access to their own Xero file.

A messy handover isn't just inconvenient — it can create real compliance risk. If BAS lodgement dates slip through the cracks during a transition, the ATO can apply Failure to Lodge (FTL) penalties, and if superannuation guarantee payments are missed, the Superannuation Guarantee (Administration) Act 1992 requires you to lodge a Superannuation Guarantee Charge statement and pay the shortfall plus interest. Getting your documents in order before day one avoids all of this.

Business and Entity Details

Before your new bookkeeper touches a single transaction, they need to understand the legal structure of your business. Have the following ready:

• ABN and ACN (if you're a company), plus your entity type — sole trader, partnership, trust or company.
• GST registration status and reporting cycle — monthly, quarterly or annually. Most small businesses in Geelong report quarterly, but if your turnover is approaching $75,000, check whether you're required to register.
• PAYG withholding registration details, if you have employees or contractors under a labour hire arrangement.
• A copy of your Xero organisation details or, if you're on MYOB or QuickBooks, your file access credentials and subscription owner details.
• Your accountant's contact details — a good bookkeeper coordinates with your tax agent rather than working in isolation.

Software and System Access

This is where most delays happen. If you're on Xero (which we strongly recommend for Geelong small businesses given its bank feed reliability and integrations), add your new bookkeeper as a user directly in the platform rather than sharing your personal login. This keeps a proper audit trail and means you can revoke access instantly if the relationship ever ends.

• Xero organisation invite (Standard or Adviser user level)
• Bank feed connections — confirm which accounts are already linked and which need re-authorising
• Access to any point-of-sale, invoicing or job management software that integrates with your books (Stripe, Square, ServiceM8, Deputy, etc.)
• Payroll software access if run separately from your accounting file
• Any existing chart of accounts customisations or tracking categories

If you're not yet on Xero, this is also the ideal moment to migrate. A clean Xero setup from the outset avoids inheriting years of miscoded transactions from a legacy system.

Financial Records and History

Under Section 262A of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1936, businesses must keep records that explain all transactions for five years. When switching bookkeepers, gather:

• The last two to four BAS lodgement confirmations from the ATO Business Portal, so your new bookkeeper can verify what's already been reported
• Bank and credit card statements for at least the current financial year
• Any outstanding invoices or unreconciled transactions your previous bookkeeper flagged
• Prior year financial statements or a trial balance from your accountant
• Asset registers, loan schedules and any hire purchase agreements

If there's a backlog of unreconciled bank transactions, be upfront about it. It's far easier for us to quote and plan a "catch-up" project than to discover the gap three weeks into ongoing work.

Payroll and Employee Details

Payroll handovers carry the highest compliance risk, so this section deserves extra attention. Have ready:

• Current employee details — full name, TFN declaration, super fund choice, employment type and award classification under the relevant Modern Award (check current rates and conditions at fairwork.gov.au)
• Pay run history for the current financial year, including any leave balances
• Superannuation guarantee payment history — confirm nothing is outstanding under the Superannuation Guarantee (Administration) Act 1992
• Single Touch Payroll (STP) reporting status and software ID
• Any workplace agreements, individual flexibility arrangements, or enterprise bargaining agreements in place

If you employ trades apprentices or casual staff across multiple sites in the Geelong region, make sure your new bookkeeper understands your rostering and timesheet system before the first pay run under their management.

Compliance and Authorisations

Before your new bookkeeper can lodge anything on your behalf, formal authorisations need to be in place. Under the Tax Agent Services Act 2009 (TASA), only a registered BAS agent can prepare and lodge BAS statements for a fee — you can verify registration on the Tax Practitioners Board register at tpb.gov.au.

• A signed engagement letter outlining scope of services and fees
• ATO Business Portal or Online Services for Business authorisation, linked via myGovID
• A written declaration of who is the authorised contact for ATO correspondence
• Confirmation of your previous bookkeeper's sign-off date, so there's no overlap or gap in reporting responsibility

This paperwork feels tedious, but it's what protects you if the ATO ever queries a lodgement — you'll have a clear record of who was responsible for what, and when.

What Happens in the First Month

Once we have the above, a typical onboarding with True Tally looks like this:

• Week 1: Xero access granted, bank feeds reconnected, prior BAS lodgements reviewed
• Week 2: Chart of accounts reviewed and tidied, outstanding reconciliations identified and quoted if a catch-up is needed
• Week 3–4: First full monthly close completed, payroll transitioned, and a short review call to confirm reporting preferences going forward

For most Geelong small businesses with reasonably current records, this whole process takes two to three weeks from first contact to steady-state monthly bookkeeping.

The bottom line: the smoother your onboarding, the sooner your bookkeeper can start adding real value instead of untangling gaps. Pull together your entity details, software access and recent BAS history before your first meeting, and a switch that could take a month can be done properly in two weeks.