At Wingman, we believe in clearing the airspace so you can fly the plane. But before we can deliver those sparkling clean monthly management reports and help you plan your next business moves with clarity, we need to complete a few vital pre-flight checks together. Think of this checklist as your monthly “flight-deck sweep.” By checking off these operational tasks on your side, you ensure your books are completely ready for your Wingman team to take over the controls for a smooth month-end landing.
1. Ground Control: Document & Receipt Collection
Before we can reconcile your accounts, we need to clear the paperwork buildup that is blocking the runway.
- Send all receipts to Dext: Snap, email, or upload every single slip, invoice, and receipt from the month directly to Dext.
- Submit employee expense claims: Ensure your team has submitted all their out-of-pocket travel and business expense claims so they are accounted for in the correct month.
- Match statements to supplier invoices: Check that you have matching tax invoices for any large or unusual supplier payments made during the month.
- Upload bank statements (if needed): If any of your bank accounts or credit cards don't have active automated feeds into Xero, download the PDF/CSV statements and upload them.
- Identify personal expenses: If you accidentally used your business card for a personal "coffee run" or grocery trip, flag it on Dext or drop a quick note to your accountant.
2. In-Flight Operations: Sales & Invoicing
Because Wingman doesn’t handle your daily billing, getting your sales ledger locked down is key to measuring your true monthly altitude.
- Finalise and send all client invoices: Ensure all work completed during the month has been officially invoiced out of Xero.
- Log customer deposits & payments: Make sure any manual payments or deposits received are correctly matched against their respective Xero invoices.
- Issue necessary credit notes: Process any agreed-upon discounts or returns so your sales figures are completely accurate.
- Review your Accounts Receivable: Take a quick glance at your outstanding debtors and send friendly automated reminders in Xero to anyone currently lagging behind.
3. Fuel & Engine Check: Suppliers & Payments
Keep the engines humming by getting your supplier payments organised and loaded.
- Log all supplier invoices: Ensure any supplier invoices received via email are pushed into Xero (via Dext) and scheduled for payment.
- Process batch payments: If you use Paysoft Flow, ensure your supplier and staff payment batches are compiled, reviewed, and ready for loading.
- Check for recurring debit orders: Confirm that all regular monthly debit orders (rent, software, insurance) have cleared and that we have the corresponding invoices.
- Identify missing invoices: Check your Xero dashboard for any spent transactions that are currently missing supporting documents.
4. Crew Cabin: Payroll & Staff Updates
Your crew is the heartbeat of the flight. Let’s make sure payroll is 100% accurate before payday.
- Submit payroll variations: Send through any changes, including new hires, resignations, salary adjustments, or bonuses.
- Collate overtime and commission data: Pull together all approved commission spreadsheets or overtime logs and upload them.
- Log unpaid or sick leave: Double-check that all employee leave for the month has been captured on your payroll system (like SimplePay).
- Review draft payslips: Once we send over your draft payroll run, give it a quick pilot's approval so we can release the final slips and SARS returns on time.
Ready to Hand Over the Controls?
Doing your part of the month-end close doesn’t need to feel like navigating a storm. When we fly in tight formation as wingmen, your business gets the ultimate operational support and absolute compliance stability. If your current bookkeeping setup still feels like a messy, manual drag, or if your previous accountant left you in a tailspin, let’s get you back on course. Book a 15-Minute Flight Check with us today. Just a friendly, human chat with our founder, Adriaan Basson, to see how we can generate some fresh lift under your wings.
