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For accounting firms

Review support

Short answer

Review support gives US accounting firms a second set of eyes on files their own staff already prepared: trial balances tied to workpapers, reconciliations checked for open variances and a documented list of questions, delivered before a file reaches the partner for sign-off.

Engagement tracker

Illustrative client · August 2026

USD

  1. Client file access set up under your firm's nameDone
  2. Monthly books prepared to your review standardDone
  3. Review notes cleared and loggedIn progress
  4. Reports sent to your partner for sign-offNext
  5. Year-end workpapers staged for your preparerNext

Illustrative. An example of the document, not a client's figures.

A check before the partner check

Most review bottlenecks in a US firm happen at the top, where a partner's time is the scarcest resource. Review support sits one step earlier, catching ties that do not foot, unresolved reconciling items and missing documentation before a file lands on the partner's desk, so partner review time goes to judgment calls rather than arithmetic.

What gets checked

We tie the trial balance to its supporting workpapers, confirm every reconciliation is complete with no stale unresolved items, and cross-check the file against whatever review checklist your firm already uses. Where something does not tie or a supporting document is missing, it goes on a written list of open items rather than getting flagged verbally or lost in an email thread.

Fitting your existing calendar

Turnaround windows are agreed to fit your firm's own review calendar, whether that is a faster turnaround agreed in writing for busy weeks or a standing weekly batch the rest of the year. We do not set the pace; your review process does.

What review support is not

This does not replace your partner's sign-off, and it is not an audit or attest engagement of any kind, which stays out of scope everywhere we work. It is a documented pass that makes the partner's own review faster and catches the kind of error that is expensive to find after a return has already gone out.

Where it fits alongside other services

Firms often pair review support with busy-season tax prep support during filing season, and with white-label bookkeeping the rest of the year, so files are checked at the same standard whether the volume spike is a tax deadline or a wave of new monthly clients.

Questions

Frequently asked questions: Review support

Does review support replace our partner's final sign-off?

No. It happens before partner review, catching ties and open items so the partner's own sign-off goes faster, not instead of it.

Can you follow our firm's existing review checklist?

Yes. We work to whatever checklist or standard your firm already applies rather than substituting our own.

Is this an audit or attest service?

No. Audit and attest work stays out of scope everywhere. This is a documented review pass on files your own staff prepared.

What does review support actually include, month to month?

Review support covers trial balances tied to supporting workpapers before partner review, along with reconciliations checked for completeness and unresolved variances. The work runs inside QuickBooks Online, Xero, Karbon or Canopy, the file stays under your own subscription, and a senior principal reviews the output before it reaches you each period.

What access do you need to start review support?

View or edit access to QuickBooks Online, Xero, Karbon or Canopy is enough to begin; nothing about your existing subscription or login changes on our side. Any additional access needed for a specific deliverable, such as a bank portal or receipt inbox, is agreed with you first, and the scope is set out in your engagement letter.

Does this replace our partner's sign-off?

No. We check the file ahead of partner review; your partner remains the one who signs off.

Can you follow our own review checklist?

Yes. We work to whatever checklist or standard your firm already applies to file review.

What if our records for review support are not up to date?

If your records are behind, we scope a catch-up first so review support starts from a clean, reconciled base. That catch-up is priced and timed separately from the ongoing engagement, so you always know what each part costs.

Who reviews the work before it reaches us?

Every deliverable under review support is reviewed by a senior principal before it reaches you. You keep access to the underlying file at every stage, so nothing about the work happens somewhere you cannot see it.

Next step

Talk to the team that would run your books

A short call covers your setup, your software and what a first month would look like. You get a written scope and price after it.