Assessing the records before quoting
Repeated imports or opening balances that disagree with earlier accounts need investigation before a backlog can be resolved. Andrew reviews the affected periods and available records, taking account of approaching deadlines. The assessment establishes the work needed and whether the evidence can support the intended accounts.
Source coverage and opening balances
The review checks which accounts and trading sources belong in the reconstruction and whether the documents cover the required periods. Exports may omit activity or duplicate another report. The working records these limits and the versions used.
Opening balances are traced to earlier accounts and supporting schedules. Bank and supplier statements can help explain a balance without establishing its accounting treatment. Unsupported figures remain identified, including their effect on later periods.
Investigating differences and recording corrections
Andrew traces differences through source records and existing entries. Each supported correction has a working paper explaining the change and reconciling the revised balance to the evidence. The original entries remain traceable.
Missing documents or unconfirmed management information may leave questions unresolved. These limits are recorded; unexplained balancing entries are not used to force agreement.
Scroll across the table to read every column.
| Difference found | Evidence and resulting treatment |
|---|---|
| A £480 platform fee appears twice | The settlement, invoice and ledger entries identify the same charge. Reverse the duplicate, retaining the original cost and correction reference. |
| A £240 bank payment has no supporting invoice | Payment is confirmed; its purpose is unexplained. Obtain the document and assess the treatment. The question stays open. |
The accounts and supporting schedules
You receive the commissioned accounts and supporting schedules, with corrections and unresolved questions recorded. Company accounts and tax filings can be included. The scope names the periods and filings Andrew is responsible for, and who approves submission. This is not an independent audit.
The ecommerce case study follows an investigation of opening balances and marketplace records through to supported corrections and completed company accounts. It also records the remaining evidence questions.
Read the anonymised ecommerce accounts reconstruction case study
Keeping subsequent periods current
Keeping later periods current requires an agreed routine for supplying documents and maintaining reconciliations. Recurring accounting or reporting work is scoped and priced separately.