Bookkeeping Client Intake Form Template
Size a bookkeeping engagement in one pass: entity type, software, transaction volume, how far behind the books are, and payroll reality.
Messy books are our day job, so expect facts and no judgment. Answer roughly where exact numbers are hard, and we'll firm things up together.
Bookkeeping gets priced on three numbers most prospects have never been asked out loud: transaction volume, months behind, and payroll headcount shape. This intake collects all three without a meeting, plus the two context facts, entity type and current software, that decide which bookkeeper on the team should even look at it.
A form built to remove shame. The intro says it plainly: messy books are the day job. The "how far behind" select runs all the way to "more than a year" without flinching, and "a drawer of receipts" counts as a legitimate software answer. That wording is not decoration, because prospects with the messiest books are the highest-value engagements and the likeliest to abandon a form that feels like a judgment. Every option label here is calibrated so the worst-case client can answer without embarrassment and keep going.
Volume bands set the price. Under 50 transactions a month is a different product than 500-plus, and the bands let a firm quote monthly work from the form alone in most cases. Entity type routes complexity, from nonprofit fund accounting to partnership allocations. Payroll shape flags compliance scope, and the services multi-select separates the recurring engagement from the one-time cleanup, which often means two quotes and two teams.
The optional statement upload. A year-end statement or trial balance, when it exists, turns the quote from a banded estimate into a firm number. The upload stays optional and framed with "if handy", because requiring documents at the intake stage kills completions. Uploads accept a PDF or a phone photo, capped at 10MB, and land attached to the response.
Custody starts with what you never ask. Bank logins, accounting-software credentials, tax IDs, and voided checks stay off the form. No credential belongs in a form, and access flows through the accounting platform's own invite system after engagement. Saying so in your follow-up email marks you as a firm that takes custody seriously.
Who clones it, and how to bend it. Solo bookkeepers gate their calendar with it. Firms put it behind the pricing page's "get a quote" button. Fractional CFOs read the behind-and-volume answers to decide whether to bring in a cleanup subcontractor. Tax practices clone it each January and let the close rules shut intake when capacity is reached, with a closed message that points overflow to a waitlist. To fit your practice, rename the software options to what you support, and add a Logic rule that reveals cleanup-specific questions, like which years and which prior bookkeeper, only when the books are more than a year behind. Enable email notifications so intakes reach you same-day, and export the volume and behind columns quarterly, because together they are your demand forecast.
Frequently asked questions
Is it safe for clients to upload financial statements?
Uploads are validated by file type, capped at 10MB, and visible only to the form owner. Never ask for credentials or bank logins in any form field.
Can we ask extra questions only for big cleanups?
A Logic rule can reveal cleanup questions only when "more than a year" is selected, keeping the form short for up-to-date clients.
How does the intake reach our practice management tool?
Configure the webhook to post each submission as signed JSON, or export responses to CSV and import them, since both include every answer and upload reference.
Can we shut off intake during tax season crunch?
Set a close date or response cap in Settings with a custom closed message. Reopening later is one toggle, and the link never changes.