Collection decides how the rest of the job goes. A complete, readable set of statements converts and ties out in an afternoon. An incomplete set turns into weeks of small emails, and the gaps surface at year end when they cost the most. The checklist below is built to get everything in one pass.
What to ask for
- Every account, not just the main one. Checking, savings, business credit cards, personal cards used for business, payment-processor and merchant accounts, loans and lines of credit, plus anything closed during the period.
- Every month plus the one before. The extra statement shows the balance your books should already hold.
- All pages. Page 1 carries the summary box with the opening and closing balances that every check depends on.
- Which account is which. Bank, last four digits and whether it is business or personal.
Formats, best to worst
| Format | Usefulness | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| PDF downloaded from online banking | Best | Ask for this first; the text is exact |
| Paper scanned flat at 300 dpi | Good | Needs a balance check; see the scan guide |
| Phone photo, one page per image | Workable | Flat, even light, all four edges; expect review |
| CSV export from online banking | Supplement | Often no opening or closing balance |
| Screenshot of online banking | Poor | Partial pages, no summary, cut-off rows |
| Password-protected PDF | Needs one step | Save an unlocked copy before converting |
Password-protected PDFs
Some banks and card issuers lock downloaded statements with a password the client chose or was given. Ask the client for the password through a different channel than the file. Open the PDF with it, choose Print, and save to a new PDF under a new name: Save as PDF on a Mac, Microsoft Print to PDF on Windows. The copy typically has no password. Confirm that the text is still selectable; if it is not, the copy has become an image and will be handled as a scan. Store the unlocked copy where you keep client records.
Photos or scans
A scan from a flatbed or sheet-fed scanner at 300 dpi beats a photo every time, and the document-scan feature in a phone’s notes or files app usually beats the plain camera. If a photo is all there is, ask for one page per image, portrait orientation, flat on a table, in even light with no flash glare, all four edges visible.
A request you can send
Hi [Name], to finish [year] I need these for every account used in the business, including any closed during the year:
1. Monthly statements from [month before start] to [end month], all pages, as PDFs downloaded from online banking.
2. Statements for every card used for business purchases.
3. Loan or line-of-credit statements.
4. For paper-only statements, a 300 dpi scan, or one flat photo per page in good light.
5. If a PDF needs a password, send an unlocked copy or the password in a separate message.
Please tell me about any account opened or closed this year. Could you send everything by [date]?Step by step: run the collection
- List the accounts. Build the list from last year’s return, the client’s chart of accounts and a direct question. Include cards, loans, payment processors and accounts closed in the period.
- Set the period. Ask for every month in scope plus the month before, so the opening balance and the start of the chain can be proved.
- Send one request. Use a single message with the account list, the period, the formats you accept and a date. Several small requests get several partial answers.
- Name and file on arrival. Rename each file with a client code, the account’s last four digits and the period end date, such as ACME_1234_2026-03-31.pdf.
- Open every file. Check the page count, that page 1 is present, the account number and the period. Unlock any protected PDF now.
- Check the chain. For each account, every closing balance must equal the next opening balance. A break means a missing or wrong statement.
- Chase the gaps in one message. Send a single list of what is missing, naming the account and month for each item.
What can go wrong
- The wrong account or period. A personal statement arrives in place of the business one, or a quarter is repeated. Check the account number and dates on every file.
- Pages missing. Without the summary page there are no opening and closing balances to tie out. Compare the page count with “page 1 of N”.
- Annual summaries instead of statements. A year-end summary has totals but no transactions. Ask for the monthly statements.
- The password in the same email. Send it separately, and do not keep it in the client file next to the document.
- Forgotten accounts. An account closed mid-year still has transactions. Ask about accounts opened or closed, then check transfers for accounts you have not seen.
- Estimating a missing month. Filling the gap from the next statement or the bank feed hides it. Log it and chase the document.
Where SheetParser fits
SheetParser converts the PDFs, scans and photos you collect into one row per transaction and checks each statement’s opening-to-closing balance, so a bad file shows up on day one rather than at year end. Scans and photos work but expect more flagged rows. Try the scanned statement tool; 1 file a day is free up to 10 pages, and paid plans open files up to 150 pages. Once the files are in, the catch-up workflow shows how to sequence the work.