Such a great overview of a bookkeeper’s “busy season”!
Non-accounting acquaintances every January: “????, ???????? ???????????? ???? ???????????? ???? ????????, ???????????” Me, smiling through the chaos in my brain: “??????, ???? ?????????????? ?????????????? 1.” But seriously, what does “busy season” even mean for bookkeepers? It means we’re cramming a mountain of work into just 31 days. Here's what we’re tackling: ? ??????????-?????? ?????????????????????????????? – Because yes, we still have to keep up with our regular monthly cadence. ? ???????????? ?????????????????????????????? ?????? ?????????????? – Adding those yearly journal entries, truing up accounts, and triple-checking everything (especially the balance sheet). ??????????????????? ??????????-?????? - Because this particular monthly meeting is the exciting one for our clients. It's the whole story. It's full of the data points they'll use as comparisons for years to come. ? ?????????????? ?????? ??????????????????/???????????????????? – Quarterly tasks, but with an extra layer of “don’t-mess-this-up” energy. ? ??-??/??-?? ????????, ????????????, ?????? ???????????????????? – Because nothing says “new year” like payroll deadlines. ? ???????? ????????, ????????????, ?????? ???????????????????? – (hopefully not) tracking contractors, confirming payments, and racing to meet the IRS’s January deadline. ? ???????????????????? ?????????? ??&?? ?????????????? – Monthly and quarterly, because why not? ? ?????????? ??&?? ?????????????? (??????????, ??????????????) – Just to keep it interesting. ? ?????? ???????? ???????????????????????? – Making tax preparers our BFFs and ensuring they have everything they need to file returns for our mutual clients. ? ???????????? ???????????? ?????????????? ?????? ???????????????????????? – Helping clients set their financial game plan for the year ahead. So next time you ask a bookkeeper how their January’s going and they just slightly smile, sigh, and say, “Oh yes, it’s busy,” now you know why. Shoutout to all my fellow bookkeepers climbing mountains this month—you’re doing amazing work! ??