What Should I Give My Accountant at the End of the Financial Year?

At minimum, your accountant needs a complete, reconciled set of financial records for the year — income, expenses, assets, and any significant one-off transactions — plus context on anything unusual that happened. The more organised and complete this is, the less time (and cost) is spent on your accountant chasing missing pieces instead of actually preparing your return.

• Reconciled accounting records or software access. If you use accounting software, ensure your accountant has access and that the bank account is reconciled through to year-end.

• Bank and loan statements. For every business account and any business loans or finance facilities.

• Sales and income records. A complete summary of income for the year, including anything not run through normal invoicing — cash sales, for example.

• Expense records and receipts. Particularly for anything large, unusual, or not obviously categorised in your software.

• Asset purchases and disposals. Details of anything bought or sold during the year — equipment, vehicles, property — including dates and amounts.

• Payroll summaries. If you have employees, your STP finalisation data and superannuation payment records for the year.

• Stocktake figures, if relevant. The value of stock on hand at year-end, if your business holds inventory.

• Anything unusual that happened during the year — a large one-off expense, a change in business structure, a significant new contract or customer, a period of reduced trading.

• Any personal expenses paid through the business account, and vice versa, that need correcting.

• Changes to how you're using business assets — a vehicle or home office that's shifted between business and personal use.

• Plans for the year ahead, if relevant — sometimes this shapes advice given as part of the return, not just the return itself.

A tax return prepared from clean, complete, reconciled records is a fundamentally different job from one prepared by chasing down missing information piece by piece. The latter takes considerably longer — and since most accounting fees are time-based, disorganised records don't just delay the return, they cost more to prepare, for the same underlying result.

• Bank accounts reconciled through to 30 June.

• All income for the year accounted for, including anything outside normal invoicing.

• Receipts and invoices for significant expenses gathered, not just assumed to be “in the software somewhere.”

• Asset purchases and disposals listed with dates and amounts.

• A short written note of anything unusual that happened during the year.

• Is my bank account genuinely reconciled through to year-end, or am I assuming it is?

• Have I gathered records for anything unusual — a big purchase, a change in the business — not just routine transactions?

• Am I sending my accountant everything at once, or in scattered pieces over several weeks?

• Have I flagged anything I'm genuinely unsure how to categorise, rather than guessing?

• your records feel disorganised and you want help getting them into year-end-ready shape;

• you're not sure what counts as “significant” or “unusual” enough to flag to your accountant;

• you want a standing, repeatable EOFY checklist set up so this is easier every year; or

• this is your first year-end as a business owner and you want to understand the process properly.

→ How Can I Make Year-End Tax and Financial Statement Preparation Less Painful?

→ What Accounting Records Do I Need to Keep — and for How Long?

→ My Bookkeeping Is Months Behind — Where Do I Start?

SKC Accounting | Knowledge Centre | Knowledge Guide 072

Last reviewed: August 2026

General information only. This guide does not take into account your individual circumstances and is not a substitute for professional accounting, taxation, legal or financial advice.