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Monthly Processing Workflows

The core of any bookkeeping practice is the monthly processing cycle. AtlasOS provides structured task templates, calendar views, and progress tracking to help you manage recurring bookkeeping packs across your entire client base.

The standard bookkeeping cycle​

A typical monthly processing cycle follows six stages:

1. Collect source documents​

The cycle begins with gathering source documents from the client: bank statements, invoices, receipts, petty cash records, and payroll reports. AtlasOS supports this through:

  • Client portal requests -- Send automated document requests with checklists of required items
  • Smart Inbox capture -- Documents emailed to your practice are automatically routed to the correct entity
  • Automated reminders -- Clients who have not uploaded by a configured date receive follow-up emails

2. Capture transactions​

Once source documents are received, transactions are captured into the client's accounting system. The task checklist tracks:

  • Sales and purchase invoices captured
  • Bank transactions imported or manually entered
  • Petty cash vouchers processed
  • Journal entries posted

3. Reconcile bank accounts​

Bank reconciliation confirms that captured transactions match the bank statement. The task checklist ensures:

  • All bank accounts are reconciled for the period
  • Unmatched items are investigated and resolved
  • Reconciliation reports are saved to the entity's document store

4. Prepare management accounts​

With transactions captured and reconciled, management accounts are prepared:

  • Trial balance review
  • Income statement and balance sheet preparation
  • Variance analysis against prior periods or budgets
  • Management commentary where required by the client

5. Review​

A senior team member or partner reviews the completed bookkeeping pack:

  • Check reconciliation accuracy
  • Review management account presentation
  • Verify compliance obligation data (VAT output/input totals, payroll figures)
  • Flag any queries for client follow-up

6. Deliver to client​

The final management account pack is delivered to the client via the client portal or email. The task is marked as complete, and the cycle resets for the next month.

Setting up task templates​

Task templates standardise the monthly cycle across your client base. To create a template:

  1. Navigate to Settings > Task Templates
  2. Create a new template with a descriptive name (e.g., "Monthly Bookkeeping Pack -- Standard")
  3. Add checklist items for each stage of the cycle
  4. Mark items as mandatory or optional
  5. Set the template as recurring with a monthly frequency

Templates can be customised per client if certain clients require additional steps (e.g., management commentary, board pack preparation, or cost centre reporting).

Calendar view​

The calendar view provides a month-at-a-glance overview of processing status across all clients:

  • Colour-coded status -- See at a glance which clients are on track, in progress, or overdue
  • Drill-down -- Click on any client to see their task detail and checklist progress
  • Filtering -- Filter by assigned team member, entity type, or processing status

Tracking progress across the client base​

The task board provides aggregate views for practice management:

  • Completion rate -- Percentage of clients with completed bookkeeping packs for the current month
  • Bottleneck analysis -- Identify which stage (document collection, capture, reconciliation) is causing delays
  • Team workload -- See how many active packs each team member is managing
  • Overdue alerts -- Automatic notifications when a client's processing cycle falls behind schedule

Next steps​