What documents do I need to give my bookkeeper when I start?

At minimum you'll need your ABN and business registration details, last lodged BAS or tax return, prior year financial statements if available, 12 months of bank statements, current payroll and superannuation records if you employ staff, and any outstanding invoices or bills. A registered BAS agent will also ask for your ATO Client-to-Agent linking authorisation before lodging anything on your behalf.

Do I need to give my bookkeeper access to my business bank account?

Not direct online banking access. Most bookkeepers work through a read-only bank feed connected inside Xero, so transactions flow through for reconciliation without the bookkeeper ever seeing your login credentials. This is standard practice and keeps your accounts secure while still giving full visibility over cash flow.

How long does it take to set up a new client with a bookkeeper?

A straightforward setup with clean prior records typically takes one to two weeks from first meeting to fully reconciled books. Businesses with backlog bookkeeping, multiple bank accounts or messy historical data can take four to six weeks, particularly if a catch-up reconciliation is required before ongoing monthly work begins.

What is TASA 2009 and why does it matter for choosing a bookkeeper?

The Tax Agent Services Act 2009 (TASA 2009) governs who is legally permitted to provide BAS services for a fee in Australia. Under TASA 2009, only a Registered BAS Agent or Tax Agent can lodge Business Activity Statements, provide GST advice or handle certain payroll compliance matters. Always check a bookkeeper's registration number on the TPB register before engaging them.

Can a bookkeeper lodge my BAS without being a registered BAS agent?

No. Under TASA 2009, providing BAS services for a fee — including preparing or lodging a Business Activity Statement — requires registration with the Tax Practitioners Board. True Tally Bookkeeping operates under Registered BAS Agent No. 26360186, so all BAS work is compliant and covered by professional indemnity insurance.

Setting Up With a Bookkeeper on the Mornington Peninsula: What to Provide

Published 11 September 2026By True Tally Bookkeeping7 min read

Switching to a bookkeeper — or engaging one for the first time — is one of the highest-leverage moves a small business on the Mornington Peninsula can make. But the speed and accuracy of that setup depends almost entirely on what you hand over in the first fortnight. Give your bookkeeper the right documents up front, and you'll be reconciled and compliant within days. Give them a shoebox of receipts and a vague login, and you'll be paying for cleanup work you didn't need.

This guide walks through exactly what to prepare, whether you're a sole trader in Mount Martha, a trades business in Hastings, or a hospitality operator in Rye gearing up for peak season.

Why Good Onboarding Matters

A rushed handover creates two problems. First, your bookkeeper has to chase you for information mid-month, which delays reconciliation and BAS preparation. Second — and more costly — gaps in your records can mean missed GST credits, incorrect superannuation guarantee calculations, or a BAS lodged on estimates rather than actuals. Under TASA 2009, a Registered BAS Agent has a professional obligation to lodge accurately, which means incomplete records slow everything down.

A clean handover typically saves 5–10 hours of back-and-forth in the first month alone, time that's better spent on your business rather than digging through old folders.

Business & Registration Details

Before any bookkeeping work can start, your bookkeeper needs the foundational details of your business:

ABN and business structure — sole trader, partnership, company or trust
GST registration status and current reporting cycle (monthly, quarterly or annual)
PAYG withholding registration if you employ staff
ATO Client-to-Agent linking — from November 2023 the ATO requires businesses to authorise a new agent through Online Services for Business before that agent can access your account or lodge on your behalf
Prior accountant or bookkeeper contact details so records can be requested during transition

If you're unsure of your GST cycle or PAYG status, your bookkeeper can pull this directly from the ATO once the agent link is approved — you don't need to dig through old paperwork to find it.

Financial Records to Hand Over

This is the section most people underestimate. At minimum, prepare:

12 months of bank and credit card statements for every business account
The last two lodged BAS statements (or income tax return if you're not GST registered)
Prior year financial statements — profit & loss and balance sheet, if you've had an accountant
Outstanding invoices and unpaid bills — accounts receivable and payable as they currently stand
Asset register — vehicles, tools, equipment purchased for the business, with purchase dates and costs
Loan or finance agreements tied to the business, including interest schedules

Under ITAA 1997, businesses are required to retain records substantiating income and deductions for five years, so most of this should already exist somewhere — even if it's scattered across email and paper files.

Not sure what counts as a "record"?

We'll tell you exactly what's missing in a free 20-minute call, no obligation. Most Mornington Peninsula businesses are surprised by how little they actually need to dig up.

Book a Free 20-Minute Call

Xero and Software Access

If you're already on Xero, add your bookkeeper as a user with the appropriate permission level — usually "Standard" or "Adviser" depending on the scope of work agreed. If you're not yet on Xero, part of setup will involve migrating your existing data (from MYOB, spreadsheets, or paper records) into a properly configured Xero file, including:

Chart of accounts tailored to your industry
Bank feeds connected via secure, read-only API — never shared login credentials
Invoicing templates and payment terms
Inventory or job tracking if relevant (trades, hospitality, retail)

You should never be asked to share your online banking password directly. A properly set-up Xero bank feed gives your bookkeeper everything needed for reconciliation without ever touching your login.

Payroll and Employee Records

If you employ staff on the Peninsula — common in hospitality, retail and trades — payroll setup needs its own set of documents:

Employee details — TFN declarations, super fund choice forms, bank details
Award or agreement classification under the Fair Work Act 2009 — check current rates at fairwork.gov.au
Current pay rates and any loadings, allowances or penalty rate arrangements
Superannuation Guarantee history — confirm contributions are up to date under the SGA Act 1992, currently 12% of ordinary time earnings
Single Touch Payroll (STP) reporting status with the ATO

Getting payroll wrong isn't just a paperwork issue — SGA Act non-compliance can trigger the Superannuation Guarantee Charge, which is not tax-deductible and includes interest and administration fees. It's worth getting this right from day one.

Setting Expectations and Timelines

Once documents and access are provided, expect:

Week 1: Xero setup or review, bank feeds connected, chart of accounts confirmed
Week 2: Historical reconciliation (if backlog exists), opening balances confirmed
Week 3–4: First monthly reconciliation cycle, BAS preparation begins in line with your reporting period

Agree upfront on communication channels — email, Xero notes, or a shared drive — and how often you'll receive reports. Most Mornington Peninsula clients settle on monthly management reports plus a quick call before each BAS lodgement.

What Happens After Handover

Once the initial setup is complete, your role shifts from "data provider" to "reviewer." You'll typically need to:

Approve or query invoices and bills flagged for review
Confirm cash coding for ambiguous transactions
Sign off on BAS figures before lodgement
Flag any new asset purchases, loans, or changes to employee arrangements as they happen

Ongoing, the workload on your end drops dramatically — most of our Mornington Peninsula clients spend under 30 minutes a month once the system is running.

True Tally Bookkeeping — Mornington Peninsula

We handle the entire onboarding process for you — document checklist, Xero setup, ATO agent linking and payroll configuration — so you're compliant and reconciled within weeks, not months.

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If you're preparing to onboard a bookkeeper, start by gathering your ABN details, twelve months of bank statements, your last BAS, and payroll records if you employ staff. Everything else — chart of accounts, bank feeds, reporting cadence — can be worked out together in the first meeting. The businesses that get the most value from bookkeeping are the ones that treat handover as a partnership from day one, not a one-off admin task.