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Checklist · Internal
Year End Practice Review Checklist for Accountants
Reflect, analyse, and set your course for a more profitable and balanced year.
Built by a practising Chartered Accountant · Unlimited users · 60-day free trial · Last updated 23 September 2026
Quick answer
An annual review is the strategic heart of your practice. Analyse your financial health, client satisfaction, staff performance, and operational efficiency over the past year. Use these insights to set clear, actionable goals for the next 12 months.
How do you conduct an annual practice review?
Start with a high-level review of your firm’s financials: revenue, profit margins, and overheads. Then evaluate your client list: who are your top performers, and which clients drain your resources?
Finally, look internally. Are your processes efficient? Do you have the right tech? How is your team’s engagement and wellbeing?
How do you translate review to strategy?
Create a list of 3-5 major goals for the new year. Be specific (e.g., 'increase recurring revenue by 10%' or 'migrate to a new portal') and break them into quarterly projects.
Don't overwhelm yourself. If you try to change everything, you will change nothing. Focus on the few high-impact initiatives that matter most.
Checklist preview
0/4 done · showing 4 of 8 itemsThe full 8-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.
What are the common mistakes?
- Only reviewing the 'what' and not the 'why'
- Forgetting to talk to the team about the results
- Setting too many, vague goals
- Ignoring client feedback
- Failing to take actual time off to do the review
“Companies House integration onboards clients in minutes; AML scoring keeps us compliant.”
Frequently asked questions
Who should I involve?
Involve your leadership team. If you are a sole practitioner, consider working with a peer mentor or business coach.
What if I have bad results?
Don't panic. Acknowledge the data, identify the root cause, and formulate a clear plan to turn it around.
Do I need fancy software?
No, a simple spreadsheet with your key metrics is often enough. Clarity is more important than complexity.
How often should I review the annual plan?
Quarterly reviews ensure you are staying on track and allow for adjustments if business conditions change.
What should I do about 'problem clients'?
Have a plan. Either increase their fees to match the work, re-scope their service, or politely offboard them.
How do I measure success?
Set measurable KPIs, like profit margin per client or total hours of recurring work delivered.
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See Remindoo with your own clients, or start free for 60 days with unlimited users.
Sources
Last updated 23 September 2026. General guidance, not regulatory advice.
Why recording every task matters in an accountancy practice
Accounting firms run on deadlines: VAT returns, payroll, confirmation statements, accounts and Self Assessment. Recording every job as a task, with an owner and a date, is the simplest way to make sure nothing is missed.
Avoid penalties
HMRC and Companies House charge penalties for late filing. A task for every deadline, with an internal date before it, gives the team a buffer.
Nothing depends on memory
Recorded tasks mean work continues when someone is off sick, on leave or has left the firm.
Consistent quality
Subtask checklists make every job follow the same steps and reviews, whoever does the work.
Visibility for managers
Filters by owner, status and deadline show at a glance what is late, what is due and who needs help.
Practical tips from UK practice
- Set an internal deadline two to four weeks before every statutory deadline.
- Use recurring tasks for repeat work such as VAT, payroll and bookkeeping.
- Break larger jobs into subtasks, including a review step.
- Comment on the task instead of by email, so the history stays with the work.
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.”
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“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.”
