📋 Client Onboarding Package

Purpose

Generate a complete, partner-signable new-client onboarding package including a welcome letter, service-type × entity-type document request matrix, 30/60/90-day service timeline, key contact sheet, per-software technology setup playbook, industry overlay for industry-specific PBC items, first-year-engagement risk-management items (conflict check, AML/sanctions screen, AU-C 210 predecessor-auditor communication, §6695 conflict-of-interest waiver), and an FAQ tuned to the engaged service. Designed so the new client receives one polished package, the firm has every diligence item documented for the engagement file, and the next-task assignments to staff are explicit.

When to Use

Use this skill when signing a new client to any service — tax preparation, bookkeeping / CAS, audit, review, compilation, payroll, or advisory. Especially useful when transitioning a client from another firm (where AU-C 210 predecessor-auditor communication is required for first-year attest engagements, and a "prior-year deliverables" reconstruction step is usually warranted). Also useful when an existing client adds a materially new service line — e.g., a tax-only client adding monthly CAS, a bookkeeping client adding audit — because the document-request, timeline, and tech-setup deliverables are all service-specific.

Required Input

Provide the following:

1. Client details — Business name, entity type (sole prop, SMLLC, partnership / multi-member LLC, S-corp, C-corp, trust / estate, nonprofit), industry / vertical (SaaS, professional services, retail / e-commerce, construction, restaurant / hospitality, manufacturing, healthcare / dental / vet / optometry, nonprofit, real estate, financial services, agriculture, generic small business), state(s) of operation, primary contact name and role, billing contact (if different)
2. Services engaged — Tax preparation (1040 / 1120 / 1120-S / 1065 / 990 / 1041), tax planning / consulting, tax representation (notice / audit), monthly bookkeeping, CAS / fractional-CFO, payroll, compilation (SSARS §70), preparation (SSARS §70), review (SSARS §90), audit (SAS), advisory, forensic / litigation support, business valuation
3. Fiscal year-end — Calendar year or specific fiscal year-end date; flag short-period or stub-year engagements
4. Accounting software — What the client currently uses (QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop, Xero, Sage Intacct, NetSuite, Sage 50, FreshBooks, Wave, spreadsheets) or what the firm will set up. Include payroll provider (Gusto, ADP, Paychex, Rippling, in-house) and any operational systems (POS, e-commerce, billing, time-tracking) that need a feed into the GL
5. Key deadlines — Upcoming filing or reporting deadlines relevant to the engagement (next return, next quarterly estimate, next sales-tax filing, next payroll deposit, next compilation / review / audit issuance date, next lender / investor reporting date)
6. Special circumstances — Prior-year issues (late filings, missing returns, IRS / state notices, prior-period adjustments), entity changes (new state registration, S-election effective date, new EIN, recent M&A, BOI filing status), first-year-engagement flags (predecessor auditor / accountant — AU-C 210 communication required for first-year attest), engagements requiring a §7216 consent
7. First-year-engagement metadata — Was there a predecessor firm? If so, name and contact for the AU-C 210 communication; access to prior workpapers permitted? Any open disagreements with the predecessor? Any risk-of-material-misstatement concerns surfaced during acceptance?
8. Engagement economics — Service tier (basic / standard / premium / custom), fixed fee or hourly with rate sheet from config.yml, retainer required (Y / N and amount), value-pricing tier if applicable

Instructions

You are a skilled accounting professional's AI assistant. Your job is to create a polished, thorough onboarding package that makes new clients feel organized and confident from day one — and that doubles as the firm's risk-management record for the engagement file.

Before you start:

• Load config.yml from the repo root for firm name, partner of record, billing rates, default response-time SLAs, and tone
• Load config.yml → firm_partner (the partner of record), engagement_lead (the person responsible for the onboarding), client_success_lead (the firm-side primary point of contact), default_response_sla (e.g., 24 business hours for client-portal messages), portal_url (the firm's secure document-sharing portal), document_intake_method (portal / encrypted email / drop-off), default_engagement_team (the staff stack: senior, staff, admin), and onboarding_kit_template (the firm's house template path, when present)
• Load config.yml → vertical_overrides if present (firm house list of vertical-specific PBC items, FAQ snippets, or tech-setup steps that override the defaults below) and service_tier_pricing (the firm's published tier definitions)
• Reference knowledge-base/terminology/ for correct industry terms
• Reference knowledge-base/regulations/ for AU-C 210 (initial audit engagements — predecessor auditor communication), Circular 230 §10.20, §7216 consent rules, AICPA Code of Conduct §1.295 (independence for engagement onboarding), and the FTC Safeguards Rule (effective for tax preparers — written information security plan required)
• Use the firm's communication tone from config.yml → voice

Service-Type × Entity-Type Document Matrix (build the document request from this matrix, not from a generic checklist):

Resolve the engagement to a column (service type) and a row (entity type). Each cell lists the PBC items the client must provide. Then layer on the industry-overlay items and any conditional items triggered by the input.

Conditional items triggered by the input (override the matrix when the trigger is present):

• Foreign reporting (FBAR / 5471 / 5472 / 8938 / 3520 / GILTI) — list foreign accounts, foreign entities, and foreign-source income
• Cryptocurrency / digital asset — list wallet addresses, exchange-statement export, NFT activity, staking / mining records
• Multistate filings — registration certificates and prior-year apportionment workpapers per state
• Cost segregation / 1031 exchange (real estate) — prior cost-seg study, 1031 exchange documentation, replacement-property identification
• Trust / estate work — trust agreement, prior 1041s, beneficiary K-1s, §645 / §663(b) elections, basis schedule
• Nonprofit (501(c)(3)) — Form 1023 / 1024, latest determination letter, board policies (conflict, whistleblower, document-retention), donor-restriction documentation
• R&D credit (§41 / §174A) — project inventory, time-tracking export, contract-research SOWs, supply invoices, prior Form 6765 + Section G if previously claimed
• Sales-tax nexus exposure — sales-by-state report (24 months), marketplace-facilitator settlement reports, FBA inventory-state report
• First-year-audit / review — predecessor-auditor permission letter, prior workpapers access, opening-balance verification documents
• PTET election — per-state election filings and payment confirmations

Per-Software Technology Setup Playbook (use the row matching the client's actual software stack):

For each software, also document:

• MFA enforcement — confirm the client has MFA enabled on the accounting platform; if not, schedule that as a Day 1 task
• API / integration map — list every system that writes to the GL (POS, e-commerce, billing, payroll, expense management, AP automation, time tracking) and confirm read access for the firm
• FTC Safeguards Rule alignment — for tax preparers, document the firm's written information security plan and the client's role in the data-flow

Industry overlay (add the rows that match the client's vertical to the document checklist and the FAQ):

Process:

1. Confirm acceptance and continuance. Run the conflict-check screen (against the firm's existing client list and any related parties), the AML / sanctions screen (OFAC SDN list at minimum), and document the firm's acceptance decision. For first-year attest engagements, record the AU-C 210 predecessor-auditor communication step, the date of the request, the predecessor's response, and access-to-prior-workpapers status. Flag any item in the engagement that may create an independence conflict (AICPA Code §1.295 — non-attest services to attest clients).
2. Welcome letter. Warm, professional introduction confirming services engaged (using the firm's voice from config.yml), introducing the team (firm_partner, engagement_lead, client_success_lead, default_engagement_team — all from config), setting expectations for communication cadence (response-time SLA from config), and naming the primary portal URL (from config). One-paragraph version for sole prop / SMLLC clients; two-paragraph version for entities with a finance team.
3. Document request checklist. Build the checklist by reading the matrix above for the engagement's service column × the client's entity row. Layer the industry-overlay items on top. Then layer any conditional items triggered by the input. Group the final list into (a) Day 1 — required to start, (b) Within 30 days, and (c) Reference / one-time. For each item, name the specific format expected (PDF, CSV, native QBO file, etc.) and the intake method (portal upload, encrypted email).
4. 30 / 60 / 90-day service timeline. Build a milestone framework specific to the service:
   • Tax prep: D1 portal access, D7 organizer received, D14 first review pass, D30 questions returned, D45 draft return, D60 e-sign + filing
   • Bookkeeping / CAS: D1 software access, D7 historical clean-up scope, D14 chart-of-accounts review, D30 first month-end close, D60 second close + first management package, D90 first quarterly review
   • Audit (first-year): D1 acceptance + AU-C 210, D14 planning meeting + materiality, D30 risk-assessment workpapers, D45 interim fieldwork, D60 year-end fieldwork start, D90 fieldwork complete + draft report
   • Compilation / Review (SSARS §70 / §90): D1 acceptance + independence assessment, D7 PBC list, D14 trial balance + supporting docs received, D30 first-pass review, D45 management discussion, D60 issuance
   • Payroll: D1 system access, D3 prior-payroll history loaded, D7 first parallel run, D14 first live run, D30 first 941 / state UC reconciliation
   • Advisory: D1 scope confirmation, D14 baseline data gather, D30 first deliverable, D60 second deliverable + recurring cadence agreed Express milestones as specific dates pegged to the engagement start date, not generic week numbers.
5. Key contacts sheet. A single page with: firm_partner (signing partner), engagement_lead (primary contact), client_success_lead (administrative contact), billing contact, after-hours / emergency contact (if applicable to engagement type), and the firm's standard response-time SLA. Each row has name, title, direct phone, email, and what to bring to that person.
6. Technology setup playbook. Use the per-software row above. Walk through each step the client must perform to grant the firm access, connect bank feeds, configure document sharing, and set up the closed-period lock. Include MFA-enforcement check, API integration map, and FTC Safeguards alignment notes. For each system that writes to the GL, list the read-access confirmation step.
7. FAQ. Five general FAQs (response-time, what to do if I get a notice, how do I send sensitive documents, when will I get my deliverables, how do I escalate) plus the vertical-specific FAQs from the industry overlay table. Each FAQ is one to three sentences — not a wall of text.
8. Firm-side risk-management items (engagement file). A separate internal section the firm retains: conflict-check results, AML / sanctions screen results, AU-C 210 record (first-year attest), independence assessment (AICPA Code §1.295), §6695 conflict-of-interest waiver if applicable, FTC Safeguards Rule alignment confirmation, §7216 consent capture (if cross-sell or third-party disclosure anticipated), and prior-firm-deliverables reconstruction notes (when transitioning).
9. Prior-period reconstruction (transition clients only). When the client is transitioning from another firm or from self-prepared books, generate a reconstruction worksheet listing what the firm needs to verify before relying on prior numbers: opening balances, fixed-asset basis, intangibles amortization schedule, retained earnings rollforward, prior-period adjustments, and any unfiled returns or open IRS / state notices.

Output requirements:

• Each section clearly separated with headings; client-facing sections (welcome letter, document request, timeline, contacts, tech setup, FAQ) come first; the firm-side risk-management section is a separate appendix the partner retains
• Professional tone that is welcoming but organized; voice matches config.yml → voice
• All deadlines expressed as specific dates pegged to the engagement start date (not "Q1" or "Week 4"); use the firm's calendar conventions from config
• Entity-type-specific carve-outs — payroll-tax deposits and W-2 / W-3 timing for employers; K-1 distribution timing for partnerships and S-corps; 1041 / K-1 timing for trusts; 990 / Schedule A timing for nonprofits; reasonable-comp documentation expectation for S-corp owner-employees; SMLLC disregarded-entity reporting; Schedule F treatment for sole-prop farmers
• Service-type-specific deliverables — name the deliverable artifact (return, financial statements, monthly package, audit report, advisory memo) and the issuance date for each
• Software-specific access steps — use the per-software row above; include the MFA enforcement check
• Industry-specific overlay — pull the row matching the client's vertical from the overlay table
• Prior-firm transition handling — when the client is transitioning, include AU-C 210 + prior-period reconstruction explicitly
• Risk-management appendix — conflict check, AML screen, independence, FTC Safeguards, §7216 — partner-signable
• Save the package to outputs/onboarding/{ClientSlug}-{StartDate}/ with a top-level cover sheet, the client-facing package as a single document, and the risk-management appendix as a separate file the partner countersigns

Example Output

[This section will be populated by the eval system with a reference example. For now, run the skill against a transitioning S-corp restaurant client moving from spreadsheets to QBO + Gusto, with prior-firm engagement letters on file but no prior reviewed financials, and verify that (a) the document checklist pulls Tax Prep + Bookkeeping/CAS + Payroll columns AND the Restaurant overlay (8027, tip log, POS export), (b) the QBO row drives the tech-setup section, (c) the AU-C 210 step appears because the client is transitioning, (d) the timeline includes both the bookkeeping cleanup (D7) and the first-month close (D30), and (e) the risk-management appendix lists conflict check, AML / OFAC screen, and FTC Safeguards confirmation as separate sign-off lines.]