NEW CLIENTS! Get in Touch Today for a FREE Business Assessment!

Learning Center
We keep you up to date on the latest tax changes and news in the industry.

Evaluate Your Bookkeeping: A Quick 5-Step Audit

Take a moment to examine the health of your bookkeeping with this straightforward checklist.

Grab a pen. Take a moment to reflect. Evaluate your bookkeeping prowess with these five insightful questions.

Five. That's all it takes.

Before you shrug it off thinking, “I know my numbers like the back of my hand,” read on. Even the most adept businesses find opportunities for improvement through this exercise.

Image 1

This brief analysis can uncover critical insights beneath the surface—unmanaged cash flow, pricing discrepancies, untapped tax benefits, and growth restrictions... The kind of issues that surprise you when they result in financial strain.

Ready to dive in? Let's get started.

Understanding Your Score

Assign yourself 0-5 points for each question.

  • 0 = Rarely to Never

  • 5 = Consistently, Every Month

Cumulative score: 0–25 points.

No judgment—just clarity.

Question 1: Are Your Total Accounts Closed Accurately Each Month?

Consider monthly reconciliation like the fundamental hygiene of business finances. Miss it once? Understandable. Skip it again? Then you're navigating on intuition instead of data.

  • Accurate financials

  • Trustworthy reports

  • Eliminated guesswork

  • Proactive problem detection

If you're behind the curve—playing catch-up or treating bookkeeping as a puzzle—score lower here.

Evaluate: 0–5.

Question 2: Do You Know Your Gross Profit Margin?

If revenue sustains the company, your gross margin is your paycheck.

Image 3

Being unaware of your margin is akin to conducting business with blinders on. Pricing missteps, staffing inefficiencies, and process improvements remain obscured if you don’t know if each revenue dollar truly benefits you.

Successful businesses monitor and enhance their margins regularly.

Assess: 0–5.

Question 3: Do You Determine Your Breakeven Point and Cash Coverage?

This serves as both a reality and stress check; it differentiates restful nights from restless ones.

  • Identify necessary sales to break even

  • Understand cash availability for survival

  • Assess readiness for slow months or unforeseen expenses

Speak To An Expert
Speak to an expert today on how we can help your business
Get Started

If your numbers falter here, it's a sign of potential financial vulnerability.

Score: 0–5.

Question 4: Does Your Financial Reporting Convey Trends and KPIs?

Reports that merely list expenditures can be informative, but reports that reveal patterns, provide insights, and spotlight trends are transformative.

  • Trendlines visualise progress.

  • KPIs reflect organizational health.

In combination, they equip you with the tools to direct your business with accuracy.

If your reports lack analytical depth—just recounting, not evaluating—consider your score carefully.

Image 2

Rating: 0–5.

Question 5: Do You Maintain a Budget or Cashflow Projection?

Forecasting transforms your financial data from a retrospective tool into a future-facing guide.

A budget dictates financial directions.
A cashflow forecast assures you're adequately funded.

Without these, business management becomes reactive rather than strategic.

Rate: 0–5.

Interpreting Your Total Score
0–10 points: Reactive Management

While managing, you're not performing optimally. Challenges arise from a lack of foresight, threatening peace of mind.

Positive side: substantial improvements can occur quickly from this state.

11–17 points: Stable, Yet Reactive

Your business isn’t at risk, but potential is not fully realized. Opportunities exist in margin optimization, cash management, and reporting.

18–22 points: Healthier, Yet With Room for Improvement

Strong foundational elements exist. Structural integrity is present with room for minor enhancements to unlock better profitability and efficiency.

23–25 points: Disciplined Financial Management

Your business operates with precision.

Reaching this level is commendable—but be vigilant. This foundation supports scalability.

Eager to Increase Your Score? We're Here to Support You.

Most entrepreneurs need not more information, but clarity and insight to guide decisions. Improved systems. Refined routines. A financial ally who clarifies figures.

If you're seeking to refine your bookkeeping, optimize reports, build financial projections, or create an insightful dashboard, we're available to assist.

Transform your books into an engine for growth—not guessing. Let’s ensure they serve you effectively.

Speak To An Expert
Speak to an expert today on how we can help your business
Get Started
Share this article...

Want tax & accounting tips and insights?

Sign up for our newsletter.

I confirm this is a service inquiry and not an advertising message or solicitation. By clicking “Submit”, I acknowledge and agree to the creation of an account and to the and .
Clarity Tax + Accounting Hello! How can we help?
Welcome to ClarityBot--your smart assistant for clarifying payroll, bookkeeping and tax!
Please fill out the form and our team will get back to you shortly The form was sent successfully