new-client-onboardinglisted

# New Client Onboarding ## When to use this Use this skill once a client has signed the engagement letter (or accepted the proposal) and the firm needs to: - Send the welcome email that sets the tone for the relationship. - Request the initial information and access needed to start work. - Set expectations for communication, response times, and meeting cadence. Not for: prospects who have not signed (that is proposal territory), chasing items already requested, or the annual re-engagement of an existing client. ## What to gather first Ask the user; never assume. You need: 1. Client name, entity type (sole proprietor or sole trader, partnership, LLC, S-corp, C-corp, company, trust), and the main contact. 2. Services engaged: bookkeeping, tax, payroll, advisory, or a combination. The checklist depends entirely on this. 3. Country (US, AU, NZ, UK, CA). It changes terminology (EIN vs ABN/ACN vs company number, sales tax vs GST/BAS/VAT, IRS vs ATO, IRD, HMRC, CRA) and which documents exist at all. Ask if not stated. 4. Start date and the first deliverable: first month of books, an upcoming filing, the first payroll run. 5. Accounting software in play: QuickBooks Online, Xero, MYOB, desktop software, spreadsheets, or nothing yet. 6. What the firm already holds from the sales process, such as a prior-year return or financials seen during scoping. Never re-request what the firm already has; nothing reads worse on day one. 7. Who at the firm owns this client (partner plus day-t