Kanban for accountants and bookkeepers: chasing client records before tax season
Ask any accountant or bookkeeper what makes tax season painful and you will hear the same answer: clients. Not the work itself, but the waiting. Waiting for bank statements, receipts, payroll reports, signed returns and answers to "what was this payment?". The work arrives in a rush at the end because the inputs arrived late.
A small practice can make that waiting visible long before the deadline.
One row per client
Each client, or each client engagement, is a row: "Patel Ltd year-end", "Garcia self-assessment", "Bloom Café monthly bookkeeping". For a busy practice, that may be more rows than fit on one screen; group by deadline month if needed.
Columns that match the work
- Mine: work you owe: prepare draft accounts, reconcile bank, review VAT return
- Other: what you are waiting on, each with the client's name: bank statements, receipts for Q3, signed engagement letter, approval of draft
- Next Steps: upcoming stages: file return, payment reminder, next quarter's bookkeeping
- Done: finished
The Other column is your chase list. It shows at a glance which clients are holding up their own returns.
Chase early, on a rhythm
Records requested in October are much easier to chase than records requested in January. In Axtio, anything in Other shows how many days it has been waiting and turns red after a week, gathering under a "to chase" button. Use a simple cadence: a reminder at one week, a firmer note at two, a call at three. See a follow-up cadence that gets replies.
Make requests specific
Vague requests ("send us your paperwork") get vague results. List exactly what you need: "October to December statements for the business current account". Specific requests come back faster.
Separate deadlines from the flow
Filing deadlines are non-negotiable and should live in your practice software or calendar with proper reminders. In the US, the IRS publishes its tax calendars for businesses; in the UK, HMRC sets the self-assessment and company deadlines. The board is for the work flowing towards those dates, not the dates themselves.
Client data stays private
Client financial data is sensitive. Keep board notes to client names and next actions, not account numbers or tax figures. Axtio's free version stores data locally in your browser with no account, so nothing goes to a server. See offline-first productivity.
The weekly look
Every week, sort mentally by deadline and ask:
- Which clients due next month are still missing records?
- Which drafts are waiting on client approval?
- Which clients need a nudge today?
That one look, done weekly from October, is what makes January manageable. See what needs attention now.