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Checklist · Staff
New Employee Onboarding Checklist for Accounting Firms
From offer accepted to fully productive, with the compliance steps a practice cannot skip.
Built by a practising Chartered Accountant · Unlimited users · 60-day free trial · Last updated 27 September 2026
Quick answer
A new employee onboarding checklist for an accounting firm covers contracts and right-to-work checks, system access by role, AML and data protection training, client introductions and structured reviews in the first three months. Remindoo tracks each step with owners and dates so induction does not depend on one manager remembering.
What must happen before the first day?
Contract signed, right-to-work checked, payroll set up, equipment ready and system access requested at the correct permission level.
The commonest failure is access. A new senior spends their first week unable to see the clients they were hired to run. Request access by role before the start date, not on it.
What compliance training is needed?
AML awareness appropriate to the role, data protection, confidentiality, and your firm's own policies — all recorded with dates.
Training records are inspected. Keep the date, the content and the person's acknowledgement on file for every starter, including part-time and support staff.
How do you structure the first three months?
Weekly check-ins for the first month, a thirty-day review, a ninety-day review, and a clear list of clients and jobs they own.
New staff leave when nobody tells them whether they are doing well. Book the reviews before they start so they actually happen.
Checklist preview
0/8 done · showing 8 of 28 itemsThe full 28-item checklist is in the download below. Enter your name and email to get it as a Word or PDF file.
This is a standard checklist. Each firm's requirements may vary, so please cross-check everything against current GOV.UK, Companies House and professional body guidance before relying on it.
See it working with your own clients
A 30-minute walkthrough using your services, deadlines and templates.
Turn this into a task and subtask template in Remindoo
Save each group as a task with subtasks, attach it to the right service and let recurring tasks create it for every client, every period. Each item gets an owner and a deadline, and nothing depends on someone remembering to print the list. See task and subtask templates.
Advanced employee roles (Growth plan)
Give employees role-based access suited to their responsibilities.
See featureRoles and permissions
Control who sees and edits client data.
See featureTeams and team leads
Group people around pods, offices or specialisms.
See featureTask and subtask templates
Checklists that make every job consistent.
See featureRecurring tasks
Repeat work is created automatically on schedule.
See featureWhat are the common mistakes?
- System access requested on day one rather than before
- AML training given but not recorded
- No named buddy
- Reviews left unbooked
- Client ownership never formally handed over
“Companies House integration onboards clients in minutes; AML scoring keeps us compliant.”
Frequently asked questions
Does AML training apply to support staff?
Training should be relevant to the role, and firms are generally expected to cover all staff exposed to client work. Check your supervisor's guidance.
How do I control what a new starter can see?
Use role-based permissions so access matches the job rather than sharing a general login.
Do extra staff cost more in Remindoo?
No. Pricing is per active client with unlimited users, so adding team members does not increase the price.
What should be recorded for right to work?
Follow the current Home Office guidance on documents and record keeping; keep dated evidence on the personnel file.
How do I hand over client ownership?
Reassign the jobs in bulk to the new owner and note the change on each client record.
Can induction be standardised?
Yes. Build it once as a template with sub-tasks and owners, then reuse it for every starter.
Ready to run a calmer practice?
See Remindoo with your own clients, or start free for 60 days with unlimited users.
Sources
Last updated 27 September 2026. General guidance, not regulatory advice.
Why knowing what each employee is working on matters
In a growing practice, the partner can no longer hold every job in their head. Clear ownership and visible workload are what stop deadlines slipping when someone is on leave, busy or new.
Clear ownership
Every client and task has a named person, so nothing sits unassigned and clients get consistent answers.
Balanced workload
Seeing tasks per person helps managers move work before one person is overloaded and another is waiting.
Cover for absence
When work, notes and history live in one system, a colleague can pick up a job without starting from scratch.
Controlled access
Roles and permissions keep sensitive client and AML data visible only to people who need it.
Practical tips from UK practice
- Group people into teams around services or client portfolios, and name a Team Lead for each.
- Review the employee task breakdown weekly, not only when a deadline is missed.
- Give new starters a limited role first, then widen access as they are trained.
- Use bulk reassignment when someone leaves or goes on holiday, rather than moving tasks one by one.
Related Remindoo features
Written and reviewed by Waqas Sagar ACA FCCA FMAAT, Chartered Accountant with 18+ years in practice. Founder and MD of Accotax, an ICAEW, ACCA and AAT regulated London practice that has served over 5,000 clients, and founder of Remindoo. Guidance is general; check current GOV.UK and professional body guidance for your firm.
What UK practices say about Remindoo
Read all reviews on Trustpilot“With Remindoo, everything from the first enquiry to onboarding and ongoing client management is tracked in one place… It saves us hours and gives me, as a practice owner, complete visibility of where the firm stands.”
“The biggest benefit is having clients, tasks, deadlines, workflows, proposals and communication all organised in one place.”
“During my trial, the team were absolutely amazing. They helped onboard my clients, set up my settings and made sure everything was ready for me to use… they made the whole process completely stress-free.”
“It brings client information, tasks, recurring deadlines, workflows and reminders together in one place, giving us much better visibility across the team.”
