Resources · Checklists

Free accounting & QuickBooks checklists.

Practical, free checklists from Certified ProAdvisors — the exact steps for monthly close, year-end, setup, and compliance. Six in all, the same steps we run on client files, in plain English. Free to use, no email wall. Independent firm — not Intuit.

Get the free file review Book the discovery call

Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor team · Independent · not Intuit · Free to use · no email wall

§In short

Six free checklists, the exact steps.

These are the practical, free checklists our Certified ProAdvisors actually use — the exact steps for monthly close, year-end, QuickBooks setup, business startup, 1099s, and sales tax. There are six checklists in all, grouped by what you’re trying to get done: keeping the books current, starting a file or a business right, and staying on top of compliance. They’re free to use — no email wall, no sign-up, no catch — because a checklist that’s genuinely useful is worth more to us than your email address. We’re an independent Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor firm — not Intuit. If you’d rather we run these steps on your real file, a free file review is the place to start.

§Routine bookkeeping

Keep the books current.

The recurring rhythm that keeps your file accurate and CPA-ready.

Monthly bookkeeping checklist

The exact steps for a clean monthly close — categorize transactions, reconcile every account, review AR and AP, and check the P&L before the month is locked.

Monthly close checklist →

Year-end checklist

Everything that has to be true before the year is closed — reconciliations, 1099 prep, fixed assets, owner accounts, and the handoff package your CPA or EA needs to file.

Year-end checklist →

§Setup & launch

Start the file right.

Get the foundation correct so cleanup never becomes inevitable.

QuickBooks setup checklist

How to stand up a new QuickBooks Online file the right way — chart of accounts, bank connections, products & services, sales tax, and the settings that decide whether reports work later.

QuickBooks setup checklist →

Business startup checklist

The financial steps every new business should take — entity and EIN, business bank account, bookkeeping system, recordkeeping habits, and the compliance basics that are easy to miss.

Business startup checklist →

§Compliance

Stay on the right side of filings.

The deadlines and steps that keep you out of penalty territory.

1099 checklist

Who needs a 1099, how to collect W-9s, the box-by-box basics, and the filing deadlines — so contractor reporting is done right and on time, not in a January scramble.

1099 checklist →

Sales tax checklist

How to figure out where you have nexus, register, collect at the right rates, and file on time — the steps that keep sales-tax automation honest and the returns accurate.

Sales tax checklist →

Looking for more than checklists? Browse the full resources library for everything we publish, or dig into the in-depth guides when you want the why behind the steps, not just the steps. When you’re ready for hands-on help, a free file review shows exactly where these checklists apply to your own books.

§FAQ

Checklist questions.

Are the checklists free?

Yes — completely free, and yours to use however helps. Download them, print them, share them with your team, adapt them to your business. There’s no catch and nothing to buy. We’re an independent Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor firm and these checklists are how we share what we’d do for a client — if you want a hand running them, that’s what we’re here for, but the checklists themselves cost nothing.

Do I need to give my email?

No. There’s no email wall, no sign-up form, and no gate of any kind. Everything on these pages is readable and usable right now, without handing over your contact details. We’d rather the checklists be genuinely useful than trade them for an email address.

Who made these checklists?

The Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor team at TechBrot — an independent accounting firm, not Intuit and not Intuit’s official software support. They’re built from the same monthly-close, year-end, setup, and compliance steps we actually run on client files, written in plain English. Reviewed by our team and kept current as rules and QuickBooks change.

Can you do these for me?

Yes. If you’d rather not run the checklists yourself, we can — we keep the books current, handle the monthly close and year-end, and set QuickBooks up correctly so it stays clean. The easiest first step is a free QuickBooks file review: we look at your real file and show you exactly where these steps need attention. No pitch, no obligation.

Are you affiliated with Intuit?

No. TechBrot is an independent accounting firm and Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor — we are not Intuit, not Intuit’s official software support, and not affiliated with Intuit Inc. QuickBooks and Intuit are registered trademarks of Intuit Inc. We explain QuickBooks accurately and work inside your own file.

How often should I actually run these?

It depends on the checklist: the monthly bookkeeping checklist runs every month, the year-end checklist once a year (with 1099s due by January 31), the setup and startup checklists once at the beginning, and the sales tax checklist on your filing frequency (monthly, quarterly, or annually by state). The monthly one is the habit that prevents most cleanup.

Rather we ran them?

We'll run these checklists on your real file.

Get a free QuickBooks file review or book a discovery call. We'll look at how your books and your QBO file are set up against the steps in these checklists, and show you exactly where attention is needed. No pitch. Independent firm — not Intuit.

Get the free file review Book the discovery call

TechBrot is an independent accounting firm and Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor. We are not Intuit. QuickBooks and Intuit are registered trademarks of Intuit Inc.