SignAndGoE-signing for New Zealand accounting practices.
An accounting practice sends the same kinds of documents to clients every year, often in a rush around balance date. Getting them signed on time is mostly about removing friction for the client and keeping track of who still owes you a signature.
The documents that come round every year
- Engagement letters at the start of a client relationship and when the scope changes.
- Annual financial statements for directors or trustees to approve.
- Director and shareholder resolutions that go with the year-end accounts.
- Authority forms that let you act with Inland Revenue on a client's behalf.
- Trust minutes and trustee resolutions for family trust clients.
Engagement letters as templates
Build your engagement letter once as a template, with roles for the client and for the partner who countersigns. Each time you onboard a client, choose the template, fill in their name and email, and send. If the partner reviews every letter first, add them as an approver at the start of the template so nothing reaches a client unchecked.
Year-end sign-off with several directors or trustees
A company with two directors, or a trust with three trustees, means one document and several signatures. Put the financial statements and the resolutions in one envelope and decide whether the signers go in order or all at once. All at once is usually quicker when the signers are in different towns; in order suits a chair who likes to sign last.
The envelope's status shows exactly who has signed, so the end-of-year chase becomes a short list rather than a guess.
Help clients who find accounts heavy going
Write a short covering message with each envelope, saying what the document is and what you need back. The built-in help with writing the message can turn a few rough notes into a clear paragraph, which you then check and send.
Many clients approve statements they do not fully follow. If you switch on document summaries, a signer can read a plain-language overview before they sign. It does not replace your covering note, but it helps a client ask a better question.
A client who is not ready to sign can decline with a reason, which tells you what to fix rather than leaving the file stalled.
Keeping the practice's own records tidy
If your practice runs on Xero, connect it and turn on automatic filing so signed letters and statements are filed when they complete. Each envelope also keeps an audit trail and completion certificate, and every signed document carries a verification ID that the client or their bank can check online.
Common questions
- Can each partner have their own templates?
- Yes. Templates are shared with the workspace by default, and any template can be kept private instead.
- Do clients need to download anything?
- No. They open the link in a browser on any device and sign there.
- Can staff send on behalf of a partner?
- Staff in your workspace can send envelopes, and an approver step lets the partner check the document first.