Do I need every item ticked before automating?

No, but the bank and ledger section should be complete and the coding guide should exist. Those two decide whether the proposals are usable. Master data and access can be tidied in the first weeks of automation, because the exception queue will surface the duplicates and the gaps for you. A file with an unreconciled backlog or no coding standard should be fixed first.

How long does a file clean-up take?

It depends on the state of the file, which is why the checklist exists. A file that has been reconciled monthly with a consistent chart of accounts might need an hour to confirm and lock. A file with a year of unreconciled lines, a large suspense balance and duplicated suppliers can take days. Run the checklist across the client base first, then schedule the clean-ups from cleanest to messiest so automation can start on the good files while the rest are fixed.

What if the client will not agree to a standard chart of accounts?

Use their chart, but document it. The point of the coding guide is consistency within the file, not conformity across clients. A client-specific chart that is used consistently automates well. What does not automate well is a chart where the same expense lands in a different account depending on who coded it. If the client wants to keep unusual accounts, write down when each one is used.

How does payroll fit into a file health check?

Payroll transactions are a large share of the bank lines in many client files, and they need to match what was reported through Single Touch Payroll to the ATO. If the payroll module and the ledger disagree, the reconciliation carries a permanent difference and the automation keeps flagging it. Confirm the payroll clearing account clears each pay run and that superannuation liabilities match the payments made.

Should I lock the period before or after the clean-up?

After. Locking a period stops changes, which is what you want once the period is correct and lodged. If the clean-up needs to recode history in a lodged period, talk to the accountant first, because changing lodged figures can require an amendment. In most cases the history is recoded within the current year and the lock is set at the last lodged BAS.

Is my progress stored anywhere?

Only in your own browser, so the ticks are there when you come back. Nothing is transmitted. The checklist asks about the state of a file, not its contents, and no client name, figure or transaction should be entered into this or any similar web tool.

Is This Client File Ready to Automate?

AI learns coding, GST treatment and supplier behaviour from the file it is given. A clean file teaches it well. A file with a suspense balance, three versions of the same supplier and an unlocked prior year teaches it the mess. Run this check on each client file before switching automation on, and fix what it finds first.

Work through it one client file at a time. Progress saves in this browser, so reset between files or keep a note of which file you are on.

Client File Health Checklist

One client file at a time. Reset between files.

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Your ticks are saved in this browser, so you can work through the list over several sessions.

01Bank and ledger

0/6

The foundation. Complete this section before switching anything on.

Bank feeds connected for every bank and card accountAny account without a feed is being keyed or imported by hand and will fall behind.
All accounts reconciled to the latest statement dateUnreconciled lines older than a month need a decision before automation adds more.
Reconciled balance agrees to the bank statementAgreeing to the feed is not enough; feed gaps and duplicates only show against the statement.
Suspense and unallocated accounts cleared to nilEvery line in suspense is a coding decision nobody made. Make it now.
Undeposited funds and clearing accounts reconciledPayment gateway and till clearing accounts should return to nil each cycle.
Feed gaps and duplicate imports investigatedA missing week or a doubled import distorts every balance downstream.

02Coding and GST

0/6

What the automation learns from. Consistency matters more than the chart itself.

Chart of accounts reviewed and unused accounts archivedFewer live accounts means fewer places for the same expense to land.
Coding rules documented on one page for this clientAccount, GST treatment, tracking category and the exceptions, written down.
Historical coding checked against the rules and correctedInconsistent history produces inconsistent proposals.
GST treatment confirmed on every active accountDefault tax rates on accounts drive most of the GST coding.
GST treatment confirmed for suppliers with mixed or GST-free suppliesBank fees, insurance, overseas subscriptions and food suppliers are the usual traps.
GST control account reconciled to the last lodged BASA difference here carries forward into every quarter until it is found.

03Master data and recurring items

0/6

One record per supplier, one rule per recurring transaction.

Duplicate suppliers merged into one record eachThree records for one supplier means three coding histories and a double-payment risk.
Duplicate customers merged and inactive contacts archivedDuplicates break debtor reminders and aged receivables.
ABN and bank details confirmed on active suppliersBank details should only ever change with a verified request from the supplier.
Default account and tax rate set on supplier recordsDefaults on the contact are the first thing coding proposals draw on.
Recurring transactions set up rather than re-keyed each periodRent, loan repayments, subscriptions and standing journals should post themselves for review.
Tracking categories or jobs agreed with the client and applied consistentlyHalf-applied tracking is worse than none because the reports mislead.

04Payroll, periods and access

0/6

The control layer. Quick to check, expensive to skip.

Payroll aligned to Single Touch Payroll reportingPay runs in the ledger should match what has been reported to the ATO.
Payroll clearing account returns to nil after each pay runA growing balance means net pays or PAYG are not matching to the bank.
Superannuation liability agrees to payments madeAccrued super should clear when the contribution is paid.
Prior period locked at the last lodged BAS or financial yearA lock date stops a new draft landing in a period already reported.
User access reviewed and former staff or advisers removedAccess should match who works on the file today.
Approval rights held by the person accountable for the fileAI prepares, a named person approves. That person needs the right role in the ledger.

Get help cleaning up my client files

A general checklist requiring adaptation to each client. Businesses with inventory, foreign currency, multiple entities or industry-specific requirements need additional items. This is a process template, not accounting, tax or compliance advice.

Why File Health Comes First

Automation multiplies whatever it finds. On a clean file that is consistency. On a messy file it is the same errors, faster.

The history is the training data

Coding proposals for a new transaction come from how similar transactions were coded in that file before. If the history is inconsistent, the proposals will be too, and the reviewer will spend the time they hoped to save correcting them. Fixing the history once is cheaper than correcting every proposal.

Suspense and duplicates hide decisions

A suspense balance is a list of transactions nobody decided about. Duplicate suppliers are the same decision made three different ways. Both stop AI from learning a rule, because there is no rule to learn. Clear them and the file starts to make sense to a person and a system alike.

Locks and access are the control layer

Automation posts drafts into the file. A locked prior period stops a draft landing in a lodged quarter, and reviewed user access stops the wrong person approving it. Neither takes long to check and both are the first thing an auditor or a new accountant asks about.

The Four Areas Checked

Twenty-two items across the four areas that decide whether automation on this file will help or hurt.

1

Bank and ledger

Feeds connected, reconciled to date, suspense cleared and balances agreed. The foundation everything else sits on.

2

Coding and GST

A chart of accounts the client uses consistently, documented coding rules, and GST treatments confirmed per account and per supplier.

3

Master data and recurring items

Supplier and customer lists without duplicates, recurring transactions set up rather than re-keyed, and tracking categories agreed.

4

Payroll, periods and access

Payroll aligned to Single Touch Payroll reporting, prior periods locked, and user access reviewed so the approval step means something.

The Fixes That Matter Most

Four clean-up jobs that give the largest improvement in automation accuracy on a typical Australian client file.

Reconcile to today and keep it there

A file that is months behind on reconciliation has a backlog of unmatched lines and no reliable balance. Automation on top of that backlog produces proposals with nothing to match against. Reconcile the file to date first, then set a weekly rhythm so the automation always has a current picture to work from.

Reconcile every bank and card account to the latest statement
Investigate any feed gap rather than importing around it
Agree the reconciled balance to the bank statement, not just to the feed
Set a weekly reconciliation day so the file never falls behind again

Write the coding rules down

Every experienced bookkeeper has rules in their head for a client: fuel goes here, this supplier is always split, that subscription is a director’s loan. Automation cannot read heads. A one-page coding guide per client, with the account, the GST treatment and the exceptions, gives the reviewer and the system the same reference.

One page per client: account, GST treatment, tracking category, exceptions
Recode the history where it contradicts the guide
Note the suppliers that need a split or a manual decision every time
Review the guide when the client’s business changes

Merge and clean the contact lists

Three supplier records for one supplier means three coding histories, three sets of bank details and a duplicate payment risk. Merging them gives one history to learn from and one record to control. The same applies to customers, where duplicates break debtor reminders and aged receivables.

Merge duplicate suppliers and customers into one record each
Confirm ABN and bank details on active suppliers
Archive contacts with no activity in the last two years
Set default accounts and GST treatments on the supplier record

Lock the past and review who can post

A lodged BAS quarter or a finalised financial year should not accept a new draft. A lock date stops it. User access should match who does the work now, not who did it three years ago, and the approval role should sit with the person who is accountable. These are five-minute checks with real consequences.

Lock date set at the end of the last lodged period
Remove former staff and former advisers from the file
Approval rights held by the person accountable for the file
Bank feed and payment authority reviewed with the client

Next Steps

AI for Xero

What automation does inside a Xero file once it is clean.

See Xero automation →

AI for MYOB

The same process for MYOB Business files.

See MYOB automation →

AI Bank Reconciliation

How matching and exception handling work once feeds are current.

Read about reconciliation →

Frequently Asked Questions

Found a File That Needs Work?

Tell us how many client files you have and which items are failing most often. We will tell you which files to automate first and what the clean-up on the rest involves.

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