In this article, you’re going to learn about what an accounting workflow is, the purpose your workflows serve in your firm with 11 key workflows that you can optimize in your accounting firms.
Let’s go!
Table of Contents
- What is a Workflow?
- What are the Benefits of a Workflow?
- Accounting Workflows You Should Have in Your Firm
What is a Workflow?
Your organization has a variety of critical tasks that need to be completed on an ongoing basis.
A workflow is therefore the sequence of steps required to move a task from beginning to end in order to complete it.
As an example, if you complete a tax return, in the same way, every time, then you likely have a workflow in place.
What are the Benefits of a Workflow?
Here are the key benefits of implementing workflows:
- Faster, easier growth: When you have documented workflows (or standard operating procedures), your team could produce the same quality results whether you’re involved or not. That’s how you grow without becoming the bottleneck.
- Consistency of outcome: Clients want the same good experience every time they work with you. Workflows allow your team to deliver that.
- Easier delegation: Right now, you’re probably doing work that someone else could handle. The only reason you haven’t delegated it? You haven’t documented the “how.” Once you write down the steps, delegation becomes possible.
- Faster training: Workflows give new team members a clear roadmap instead of hoping they’ll “figure it out.” Less hand-holding for you, faster confidence for them.
- Learn what’s not working: When you document a process, you’ll catch yourself saying “Wait, why do we do it that way?” Workflows expose inefficiencies that have been hiding in plain sight.
- Scalable growth and processes: Firms that can run without the owner are the ones that have the most capacity for growth. Workflows are what make that autopilot possible.
Accounting Workflows You Should Have in Your Firm
I’ve compiled a list of 9 workflow solutions designed specifically for accounting firms so that you can have a better understanding of how they might be used in your accounting firm.
1. Client Onboarding
Nothing kills momentum like a messy onboarding process. I’ve seen firms waste a lot of time before the work even starts because of endless back-and-forth emails asking for “just one more document.”
You need a client onboarding workflow that gets you everything you need upfront — bank statements, prior year returns, access credentials, signed agreements — before you commence client work.
A solid client onboarding process improves client satisfaction and helps enhance client service right from the start.
Tip: Create a simple checklist that covers every document and piece of information you need. Send it with the signed proposal and don’t start any work until it’s 100% complete. This protects your capacity and trains clients to be responsive from day one.
2. Service Delivery
Every service you offer needs a step-by-step process that outlines how you’ll complete that specific deliverable from start to finish every time.
When you have documented service delivery workflows, junior team members can handle work that used to require your direct involvement.
Quality stays consistent, deadlines get met, and you’re not the bottleneck for every client deliverable.
Without these workflows, you’re basically hoping each team member remembers to do things the “right way.”
This kind of consistency is especially useful when preparing financial statements, managing important client documents, or just about any accounting process.
Tip: Once you have your general service workflows down, create client-specific variations that still follow the same core template. This way, even though Client A might need weekly reporting while Client B needs monthly, any team member can jump in and handle either client.
3. Recurring Task Management
Monthly closes, quarterly filings, annual reviews, etc. — these aren’t one-off projects.
They are recurring tasks that happen like clockwork, which means your accounting workflow process for each one should be set up like clockwork too.
You need to have these setup in a centralized workflow accounting software where you can assign tasks that all team members can easily see.
These tools allow accounting teams to organize multiple tasks and automate repetitive tasks, so nothing slips through the cracks.
Tip: Set up your accounting workflow processes in a piece of accounting workflow software so that any recurring and critical tasks happen on time.
4. Document Management
A big part of staying efficient is keeping your files in order.
If your documents are scattered or hard to find, your team wastes time and risks making mistakes. A solid document management system keeps things neat.
With the right system, it’s easy to store and find client data, like tax files or signed agreements, when you need it.
This also helps your accounting firm workflow stay on track and reduces back-and-forth with clients.
For example, in Financial Cents (affiliate link), you can access all the records of your client in one place, tasks, emails, and documents.
Many accounting firms build document steps right into their standardized process to keep ongoing projects running smoothly and on time.
Tip: Use a document management tool or a practice management software to keep your firm organized. If you’re looking for the best options, check out this blog post.
5. Client Communication
Clear communication with clients makes everything smoother. When messages are missed or unclear, tasks get delayed and relationships suffer.
My Future Firm team and I usually keep our emails short and clear.
The reason is most of us (not just clients) stop reading when we see blocks of text, which makes reading the message feels like a chore.
You need to make it as simple and understandable, like this example below.
Building a simple system for client communication can help your team stay organized. It also helps manage client tasks better, since everyone knows what to expect and when.
Tip: Set up a shared inbox or client portal so all communication happens in one place and nothing falls through the cracks.
6. Sales
Every accounting firm should have a sales process.
Why?
Because everything you do in your firm is sales.
Having a documented sales workflow means every prospect gets the same professional experience, whether you handle the call or someone on your team does.
It also means you can identify exactly where prospects drop off and fix those leaks.
Tip: Build practice into your sales workflow. Before discovery calls, spend five minutes reviewing your ideal client profile, and common objections. Make sure to get familiar with these discovery call mistakes you should avoid.
7. Marketing
Many firm owners only do marketing when they feel like it or when the business gets slow.
But for the firm to grow, it should run like any other important business function: systematically and consistently.
Whether you’re writing blog posts, posting on LinkedIn, or sending newsletters, each activity needs a documented process.
For example, if you write blog posts, your workflow might include: keyword research, outline creation, writing, editing, and publishing.
Without that structure, marketing becomes random and ineffective.
Tip: Map out your entire marketing funnel — from how prospects first hear about you to how they become clients. Then create recurring tasks for each stage so marketing happens consistently, not just when you remember to do it.
8. Invoicing and Billing
Cash flow problems usually aren’t revenue problems — they’re billing workflow problems.
And yes, this is also an important part of accounting workflow management.
If you’re chasing invoices, sending payment reminders, or dealing with late payments regularly, your billing workflow needs fixing.
You need to collect payment before work starts or have it automated so completely that clients don’t forget.
I had nearly $0 accounts receivable at my firm because payment was automated and happened upfront.
Tip: Set up recurring billing with ACH or credit card payments wherever possible. Collect retainers or deposits before starting work.
9. Employee Recruitment
A solid recruitment workflow ensures you evaluate every candidate the same way and don’t skip steps when you need to fill a role.
For me personally, it includes:
- Posting a job
- Screening candidates
- Interviewing candidates
- Skill-testing candidates
- Submitting an offer
And with each of those steps, there are several sub-steps that will form your recruitment workflow.
Tip: While this workflow seems to have a large number of steps, with the right workflow software, you can automate portions of it, such as the screening process.
10. Employee Onboarding
A bad onboarding experience sets the tone for everything that follows.
New hires who feel lost or unprepared in their first weeks often struggle for months (or leave entirely).
Your onboarding workflow should get new team members productive as quickly as possible while making them feel confident about their role.
This means having their equipment ready, access credentials set up, and a clear training schedule that gets them familiarized with all relevant accounting processes.
The firms with the best retention have onboarding that feels organized and intentional, not thrown together at the last minute.
Tip: Create a pre-start checklist covering everything from equipment setup to system access. Then build a structured 2-week training schedule so new hires know exactly what they’ll be learning each day. You can also set this up in your accounting workflow management software.
11. Client Termination
Sometimes, you have to let go of clients.
Whether they’re not paying, constantly demanding rush work, or just a poor fit, keeping bad clients hurts your team and your other relationships.
But you have to do this professionally to protect your reputation and to ensure you don’t leave loose ends that could come back to bite you.
A proper termination workflow covers completing outstanding work, transferring files, and documenting everything properly.
The goal is to part ways cleanly so there’s no confusion about what was delivered and what the client needs to handle going forward.
Tip: Complete all outstanding deliverables before officially ending the relationship. Create a handover document listing what’s been completed, what’s pending, and what they’ll need to provide their next accountant.
Time to Build Effective Workflows in Your Firm
There you have it!
The key workflows every accounting firm needs to run smoothly and grow without you being the bottleneck.
Don’t try to tackle all of these at once. Pick the workflow that’s causing you the most headaches right now — maybe it’s client onboarding or document management — and start there.
The firms that take time to build solid business processes are the ones that can grow without burning out their owners.
Now, I’d like to hear from you.
What workflow is your biggest pain point right now? Which one are you going to tackle first?
Let me know in the comments below!
