Working papers your accountant can download
At year end or quarter end, your accountant needs the same set of reports every time. Working papers put the trial balance, balance sheet, profit and loss, general ledger and related reports for a period into one Excel file, and a share link lets them download it themselves.
Working papers in SeroPOS
One file, every report
Trial balance, balance sheet, profit and loss, general ledger and related reports in a single Excel workbook.
Any period
Choose the period, such as the financial year or a quarter, and every report covers the same dates.
Named for filing
The file is named by client and period, so it sorts properly in your accountant's folders.
Share by link
Create a share link your accountant opens to download the working papers, with no login needed.
Links expire
Share links expire on their own, so old links do not stay open forever.
Revoke any time
Revoke a link straight away if it was sent to the wrong person or is no longer needed.
What working papers are
Working papers are the set of reports an accountant uses to prepare your financial statements and tax returns: the trial balance, balance sheet, income statement and general ledger detail, plus supporting schedules. Most accountants ask for them in a spreadsheet so they can add adjustments and notes. It usually takes several separate exports.
Pulling each report separately, exporting it and making sure they all cover the same dates takes time and invites mistakes. Working papers in the Accounting add-on do it in one step. The pack covers one period, so every report agrees with the others. You pick the period, and SeroPOS assembles the rest for you.
Exporting the pack
Open Accounting in the back office and go to Reports, then Working papers. Choose the period. SeroPOS builds one Excel workbook with the trial balance, balance sheet, profit and loss, general ledger and related reports for that period, each on its own sheet. Each sheet covers exactly the same dates.
The file name includes the client and the period, so a folder of working papers from several years stays in order. Download it yourself and email it, or share it by link. Sending the file yourself works just as well when your accountant prefers attachments to links. Keep a copy for your own records too.
- Trial balance
- Balance sheet
- Profit and loss
- General ledger
- Related supporting reports
Sharing with your accountant
Instead of attaching a file, create a share link. Your accountant opens it and downloads the working papers directly, without a login to your back office. They get the reports and nothing else: no access to your sales screens, settings or customer details. It is a tidy way to hand over a year's figures.
Share links expire, so a link sent last year cannot be used to pull this year's figures. You can also revoke a link at any time. If you sent it to the wrong address or your accountant has changed, revoke it and the link stops working. Send a fresh link for each new period.
Getting the books ready first
Working papers are only as good as the books behind them. Before exporting, make sure sales and purchase payments are mapped in accounting settings, adjusting journals from your accountant are posted, and transfers between accounts are recorded. A few minutes of checking saves a round of questions from your accountant later.
Run the trial balance and balance sheet on screen first and check they look right. Once you are happy, export the working papers. If your accountant needs to work in your books directly, Invite Accountant gives them access with a one-time code. Working papers are part of the Accounting add-on module.
Frequently asked questions
What is included in the working papers?
One Excel workbook with the trial balance, balance sheet, profit and loss, general ledger and related reports for the period you choose. The file is named by client and period. Every sheet covers the same period, so the figures agree with each other.
Does my accountant need a login to download them?
No. Create a share link and send it to your accountant. They open it and download the working papers. The link gives access to that download only, not to your back office. Nothing else in your back office is exposed through the link.
How long does a share link last?
Share links expire after a set time, so old links stop working on their own. You can also revoke a link at any time if it was sent to the wrong person or is no longer needed. Make a fresh link each time you send a new pack.
Can I export working papers for a quarter?
Yes. Choose the period when you create the working papers. Use a quarter, a month or the full financial year, and every report in the pack covers the same dates. Run a quarter-end pack to keep your accountant up to date through the year.
Which plan includes working papers?
Working papers are part of the Accounting add-on module, which adds double-entry books and financial reports to the back office. Ask us about adding it to your plan. The pack comes from the same ledger as every other accounting report.