E · Workflow, deadlines & operations
Accounting Practice Setup Checklist (Free Download)
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Quick answer
A complete setup checklist covers four phases: confirming your right to practise, registering for AML and data protection, putting client-facing documents and tools in place, and choosing your technology stack. Working through each phase in order avoids gaps that surface later, such as taking on a client before AML checks are in place.
Key takeaways
- Work through phases in order: eligibility, registrations, client-ready documents, then technology.
- AML supervision and PI insurance must be in place before you take on your first client.
- Engagement letters and onboarding checks should be standardised before, not after, growth.
- A software stack chosen early saves painful migration later.
- Revisit the checklist annually as regulations (e.g. tax adviser registration) evolve.
Phase 1: Am I eligible and correctly set up to practise?
Confirm your qualification status, whether you need a practising certificate, and your business structure before registering for anything else.
| Phase | Focus | Typical timing |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Eligibility | Qualification, professional body, practising certificate | Before launch |
| 2. Registrations | AML supervision, HMRC tax adviser registration, ICO | Before first client |
| 3. Protection | PI insurance, business structure, bank account | Before first client |
| 4. Documents | Engagement letters, terms of business, privacy notice | Before first client |
| 5. Systems | Practice management, ledger, tax and payroll software | First month |
| 6. Growth | Pricing, website, Google Business Profile, referrals | Ongoing |
- Confirm whether 'accountant' being unprotected affects your marketing claims.
- Check your professional body's rules on public practice and practising certificates.
- Apply for a practising certificate if required by your body.
- Decide sole trader, partnership or limited company structure.
- Register the business with Companies House if forming a limited company.
- Choose and check availability of your practice name.
Phase 2: Which registrations do I need before taking clients?
AML supervision, professional indemnity insurance and ICO registration are all required before you can lawfully take on your first client.
- Confirm your AML supervisor (professional body or HMRC) and register.
- Complete a firm-wide AML risk assessment.
- Arrange professional indemnity insurance meeting your body's minimum cover.
- Register with the ICO for data protection.
- Register as an ACSP with Companies House if you will verify identities or file for clients.
- Register for HMRC tax adviser registration if providing tax advice, in line with Finance Act 2026 windows.
- Set up an Agent Services Account with HMRC.
Phase 3: What client-facing documents and processes do I need?
Standardise your engagement letter, onboarding checklist, ID checks and pricing before your first enquiry, so nothing is improvised under time pressure.
- Draft an engagement letter template with schedules for each service.
- Draft a client onboarding checklist covering ID/AML checks and data collection.
- Prepare a professional clearance letter template for clients switching accountants.
- Decide your fee structure: fixed fee, hourly or value-based.
- Prepare a simple proposal template.
- Set up a privacy notice for clients under GDPR.
Phase 4: What technology should be in place before launch?
Practice management/CRM, bookkeeping and tax software, e-signature, and a way to collect documents securely from clients should all be chosen before you start onboarding.
- Choose practice management/CRM software for client records, tasks and deadlines.
- Choose bookkeeping software to recommend or use for clients.
- Choose tax and accounts production software.
- Set up a secure client portal for document collection.
- Set up direct debit collection for recurring fees if offering monthly billing.
- Set up a professional email domain and basic website.
What should I review after launch?
Review your AML risk assessment, insurance cover and deadline calendar at least annually, and whenever your services or client base change materially.
- Review firm-wide AML risk assessment annually.
- Confirm PI insurance renewal and cover levels reflect current turnover and services.
- Update your deadline calendar for the new tax year.
- Review engagement letter templates for regulatory or service changes.
- Check for AML supervisor transition updates as FCA supervision phases in.
How Remindoo helps
Once you have worked through the registration and documentation phases of this checklist, Remindoo helps you operationalise them: standardised onboarding requests and checks for every new client, recurring task templates so nothing on this list becomes a one-off effort that is forgotten next year, and a 60-day free trial to test the platform against your own checklist before committing. Setting up your client records, task templates and onboarding flow in the same system you will use day to day means the checklist becomes part of how the practice runs, not a document that sits unused after launch.
Frequently asked questions
What is the first thing I should register for?
Confirm your practising certificate or AML supervision route first, since you cannot lawfully take on clients without AML supervision in place.
Do I need a website before my first client?
Not strictly, but a simple website helps with credibility and is useful for Google Business Profile and directory listings when marketing.
How long does the full setup checklist take?
For someone already qualified, working through registrations and documents typically takes a few weeks; technology setup can run in parallel.
Is a client portal essential from day one?
It is not legally required, but it reduces GDPR and security risk compared with emailing sensitive documents, so it is worth setting up early.
Should I set up direct debit collection before or after my first client?
Before, if you plan to offer monthly fixed fees, since retrofitting a collection method later disrupts existing client billing.
Can I download this checklist?
The full 60-point checklist above is designed to be worked through phase by phase; save or print this page to track progress.
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Sources
Last updated 23 September 2026. General guidance, not legal or regulatory advice. Check with your professional body.
