Your CPA does not want a shoebox in January. A good year end handoff to your CPA is a short, labeled package that lands in their inbox well before Monday, February 1, 2027, when W-2 and 1099-NEC work comes due.
Last updated November 9, 2026. Reviewed by Aryan Patel, founder of Senvora Group, a bookkeeping firm that supports CPA firms and business owners in the US and Canada. Our team uses this list when we prepare a year end package for a client’s CPA. This post is about the package you send, not the cleanup before it. For the cleanup, see our QuickBooks Online cleanup checklist before year end. Senvora does not prepare or file tax returns. Your CPA does that. Our job is to hand them books they can trust.
Key takeaways
- Your books feed your return. The IRS says good records help you prepare financial statements and returns and support what you report.
- Send reports, bank and loan statements, reconciliations, asset records, payroll reports, 1099 information, inventory counts and a one page notes letter.
- In QuickBooks Online you can invite your accountant as a user, and you can set a closing date so old months stay put once the CPA starts work.
- Where the IRS or Intuit pages do not say what a CPA wants, ask your CPA. Every firm has its own list.
- Send it early. W-2 and Form 1099-NEC deadlines hit on February 1, 2027, and your CPA has other clients too.
Want us to check your books? Book a free 30 minute file review. We send a clear quote before any work starts.
Why the package matters more than the checklist
A year end checklist gets your books ready. A handoff package gets them understood. Those are two different jobs.
Behind on your books before tax season? We review your file for free and give you a fixed quote. Get your books CPA ready before January.
The IRS makes the link plain. IRS Publication 583 says good records help you prepare financial statements, identify receipt sources, track deductible expenses and prepare your tax returns. It also says that if you do not record an expense when it happens, you may forget it when you prepare the return.
It does not matter which return you file. A sole proprietor reports business profit or loss on About Schedule C (Form 1040). An S corporation files Form 1120-S, as described on About Form 1120-S. A partnership files Form 1065, as described on About Form 1065. Different forms, same idea. Your books are the starting point. We will not go deeper into returns here. Ask your CPA what they need for your entity type.
The handoff package: what to send
Here is the full list in one table. Use it as a cover sheet. Check each row off before you hit send.
| Item | What to include | Why your CPA wants it |
|---|---|---|
| Core reports | Profit and loss, balance sheet, trial balance and general ledger for the full year | Shows the year in summary and in detail |
| Bank and card statements | December statements for every account, plus any account opened or closed this year | Lets your CPA tie the books to an outside source |
| Reconciliations | Reconciliation reports for each bank and card account through December 31 | Proves the balances match the statements |
| Loans and leases | Year end loan statements, new loan papers, lease agreements | Interest, principal and new debt need to be right |
| Fixed assets | Purchase invoices and sale or disposal details for equipment, vehicles and improvements | Asset records feed depreciation, which your CPA decides |
| Payroll | Payroll summary, quarterly filings, tax deposits and draft W-2s | Wages and taxes should tie to what was filed |
| 1099 information | Contractor list, W-9 forms and total paid to each | Form 1099-NEC is due February 1, 2027 |
| Inventory | Year end counts and what you paid for stock | Only if you hold inventory |
| Owner activity | Draws, contributions, distributions and personal items paid from the business | Owner items are easy to code wrong |
| Notes letter | One page on anything unusual | Saves a week of email questions |
Now let us walk through each one.
1. The core reports
Start with the four reports your CPA will open first.
- Profit and loss for January 1 to December 31.
- Balance sheet as of December 31.
- Trial balance as of December 31. Intuit says QuickBooks Online has one, and it shows the ending balance in each account. You can find it under “For my accountant” on the Standard tab, per the Intuit community answer on the Trial Balance report.
- General ledger for the year. The Intuit help page on the General Ledger report walks through running it and adding debit and credit columns.
Export them as PDFs and as spreadsheets if you can. Ask your CPA which format they prefer. The Intuit pages we read do not say.
2. Bank and card statements
Send the last statement for every business account. If you opened or closed an account during the year, say so. If you paid business bills from a personal card, flag that too.
IRS Publication 583 says that without a canceled check you may be able to prove payment with certain financial account statements, and that those statements must be highly legible. It also warns that proof of payment alone does not prove you are entitled to a deduction. Keep the invoice too.
3. Reconciliation reports
Every bank and card account should be reconciled through December 31. IRS Publication 583 says you should reconcile your checking account each month. The Intuit help page on reconciliation reports says you can print or export past reconciliation reports. In that help page, you go to Reconcile in Settings and pick History by account.
This is where messy files fall apart. In the QuickBooks files we review, unreconciled history showed up in a lot of them. If yours is behind, our retroactive bookkeeping guide shows how to fix it before you send anything.
4. Loans and leases
Send the December statement for each loan. Add the original loan paper for any new loan this year. Include lease agreements for equipment, vehicles or space.
Your CPA needs to see what you borrowed, what you paid back and what you still owe. Your balance sheet should match the lender statement. If it does not, note it.
5. Fixed asset purchases and disposals
IRS Publication 583 says asset records should show when and how you got each asset, the purchase price, any improvements, depreciation and Section 179 deductions taken, and how and when you got rid of it. Useful papers include purchase and sales invoices, closing statements and canceled checks.
So send a simple list of what you bought or sold this year, with dates and amounts, plus the paperwork. Do not decide how to depreciate anything. That is a call for your CPA. Just give them clean facts.
6. Payroll reports
Send your year end payroll summary, your quarterly payroll filings and proof of your tax deposits. Your books should show the same wages and taxes your returns do. Our year end payroll checklist covers the data checks.
The IRS General Instructions for Forms W-2 and W-3 say the 2026 Forms W-2 and W-3 are due to the SSA on February 1, 2027, and that employee copies must generally be furnished by that date. The IRS employment tax due dates page lists January 31 for these forms and says a due date on a weekend or legal holiday moves to the next business day. January 31, 2027 is a Sunday, so the next business day is Monday, February 1.
Employment tax records have their own rule. The IRS recordkeeping page says to keep them for at least four years.
7. 1099 information
List every contractor you paid, with name, address, taxpayer ID and total paid. Attach the W-9 for each one. If you are missing some, our W-9 collection checklist helps. Our 1099 filing deadline guide covers the rules and penalties.
The IRS employment tax due dates page lists January 31 for Form 1099-NEC and applies the same weekend rule, which puts the 2027 date on February 1. The IRS instruction page for Form 1099-NEC that we checked covered the 2025 tax year, so it did not state the 2027 date. Confirm the date with your CPA.
8. Inventory
If you sell products, send your year end count and the cost of what is on the shelf. IRS Publication 583 says your supporting documents should show the amount paid and that it was for inventory, and that these records help you value inventory at year end. If you carry no inventory, skip this row.
9. Owner activity
List every draw, contribution or distribution. List personal expenses that ran through the business account. Say which account they came from.
A personal charge coded as an office expense makes your profit look smaller than it is. How owner money should be treated depends on your entity type, so ask your CPA.
10. The one page notes letter
This is the most useful page in the package. It is also the one most owners skip.
Write it in plain English. Keep it to one page. Cover things like these:
- Big one time income or expenses and what they were.
- New bank accounts, loans, partners or locations.
- Anything you changed in the books and why.
- Items you are unsure about, with a short question for each.
- A named person your CPA can call, with a phone number.
Your CPA reads this first. It turns a stack of reports into a story.
Give your CPA access in QuickBooks Online
Sending PDFs works. Giving access works better. The Intuit help page on inviting accountant users says that a primary or company admin can go to Settings, then Manage users, then the Accounting Firms tab, and select Invite firm. You enter your accountant’s email address or their firm’s user ID, and save. The page says accountants invited this way do not count toward your user limit.
It also says the invitation lets them use accountant specific tools to review your books and help with issues. The Intuit help page on accountant tools lists tools such as Prep for taxes, Workpapers, Reclassify transactions and Reporting tools. That page is Intuit’s Australian version, so check with your CPA on what is available to them in the US.
Lock the year once you are done
Once the year is final, set a closing date. The Intuit help page on locking your books says a primary or company admin can open Account and settings, go to the Advanced tab, edit the Accounting section, turn on Close the books, enter a closing date, choose a security option and save.
The security options are a warning, or a warning plus a password. After that, anyone who tries to change a transaction on or before the closing date sees the prompt you chose. The page recommends you review and reconcile your accounts before you lock the books.
Tell your CPA the books are locked. If they need to post an adjusting entry later, they will know to ask you. Intuit’s page does not explain how the password is created, so ask your CPA how they want to handle it.
Retention: how long to keep all this
IRS Publication 583 says to keep records that support income or deductions until the period of limitations for that return runs out. Its table lists 3 years in the general case, 6 years if you leave out more than 25 percent of the gross income shown on the return, and 7 years for claims involving worthless securities or bad debt. It lists no limit for a fraudulent return or when no return is filed. Your own situation may differ, so ask your CPA how long to hold on to your files.
A simple timeline
- Early December: ask your CPA what format and what extras they want.
- Mid December: confirm every account is reconciled through November.
- First week of January: reconcile December and run the core reports.
- Second week of January: write the notes letter and gather loan, lease and asset papers.
- Before February 1, 2027: send the package and set the closing date.
Prefer to skip the scramble? A bookkeeper can build this package as part of the monthly close, so December is not a fire drill.
Frequently asked questions
What does my CPA need from my books at year end?
Reports, bank and card statements, reconciliations, loan and lease papers, asset records, payroll reports, 1099 information, inventory counts, owner activity and a short notes letter. Ask your CPA for their exact list, because each firm differs.
Which QuickBooks reports should I send my accountant?
At least the profit and loss, balance sheet, trial balance and general ledger for the year, plus reconciliation reports. Ask your CPA whether they want PDFs, spreadsheets or both.
How do I give my accountant access in QuickBooks Online?
An admin goes to Settings, then Manage users, then the Accounting Firms tab, and selects Invite firm. Enter the accountant’s email or firm user ID and save. Intuit says accountants invited this way do not count toward your user limit.
Should I close the books before sending them to my CPA?
You can set a closing date in QuickBooks Online so old transactions are protected. Intuit recommends you review and reconcile first. Ask your CPA when they want the lock added, in case they need to post entries.
When are W-2 and 1099-NEC forms due in 2027?
The IRS W-2 instructions say February 1, 2027 for 2026 Forms W-2 and W-3. The IRS employment tax page lists January 31 for Form 1099-NEC and moves weekend dates to the next business day, which makes it Monday, February 1, 2027. Confirm with your CPA.
How long should I keep business records?
The IRS says to keep records until the period of limitations for the return runs out, which is 3 years in the general case and longer in some situations. Employment tax records should be kept at least four years. Ask your CPA what applies to you.
Sources
- IRS Publication 583 (irs.gov)
- IRS recordkeeping page (irs.gov)
- IRS employment tax due dates page (irs.gov)
- IRS General Instructions for Forms W-2 and W-3 (irs.gov)
- About Schedule C (Form 1040), About Form 1120-S and About Form 1065 (irs.gov)
- Intuit help page on inviting accountant users, Intuit help page on accountant tools, Intuit help page on locking your books, Intuit help page on the General Ledger report, Intuit community answer on the Trial Balance report and Intuit help page on reconciliation reports (Intuit)
Want help building your year end package?
Senvora Group handles monthly outsourced bookkeeping and CPA firm support, so your CPA receives reconciled books and a clear package. We do not prepare or file tax returns. See our outsourced bookkeeping pricing breakdown for how pricing works, or DM Aryan. What is the one item in this list you are most worried about sending?
