A monthly admin checklist for a small consultancy

Start with work delivered during the month. Check whether each agreed milestone has been invoiced, then compare outstanding invoices with payments received. Keep an unpaid invoice on the follow-up list until you can match the payment; a client's message saying it has been sent is useful context, but is not the transaction itself.

Use one simple list with the client, invoice reference, amount, due date and next action. Where a client needs a purchase order or a particular billing contact, record that alongside the invoice so the same obstacle does not reappear next month.

• Invoice completed work according to the terms agreed with the client.
• Match received payments to the right invoice and investigate partial payments.
• Prepare a short, factual follow-up for anything overdue or unclear.

Further reading: GOV.UK: invoicing and taking payment

Download statements and receipts from the services you use. Put missing documents on a short exception list rather than relying on your memory at year end. Keep source documents with enough context to understand what the purchase was for.

Record-keeping requirements depend on your business structure. GOV.UK has separate guidance for self-employed businesses and limited companies. Use the guidance that applies to you and agree the accounting treatment with your accountant.

• Save the month's invoices, statements and receipts in a consistent location.
• Flag unfamiliar transactions, duplicates and refunds for investigation.
• Note any records you still need from a supplier or client.

Further reading: GOV.UK: business records if you are self-employed

A subscription can outlast the project that justified it. Review the tools and services due to renew, who uses them and what would happen if they stopped. The cheapest option is not always the useful one; compare the cost with the work the service actually supports.

Before cancelling, check whether the service stores files, sends client emails, hosts a website or holds records you need to retain. Export what you need and identify a replacement before removing something another process depends on.

• List upcoming renewals and the notice period for changes.
• Assign an owner to each service, even when that owner is you.
• Record decisions to keep, downgrade or investigate rather than making hurried changes.

Review expected client work, planned purchases and known bills for the next month. Keep confirmed commitments separate from opportunities that have not been agreed. This makes it easier to see where a late payment or an extra project would change your plans.

Ask your accountant which tax dates and amounts to plan for. Do not use a generic percentage from a checklist as a calculation of your own tax liability.

• Note confirmed work and invoices expected to fall due.
• List known spending and deadlines.
• Set a reminder for any decision that needs time or another person's input.

End the review with a dated note of what remains open. Give every action a next step and a date. A concise record is more useful than a long report you will not read again.

Next month, start with that note. Over time, recurring exceptions reveal what needs changing: a supplier who never provides receipts, a billing process that misses purchase orders or a subscription whose purpose is no longer clear.

• Money to collect: invoice, contact and next follow-up date.
• Records to find: missing item and who can supply it.
• Decisions to make: options, owner and deadline.