Most kiwi businesses find November and December busy months, with the focus on completing projects and delivering sales and revenue before the calendar year ends. This is the final push before Christmas and New Year, when staff take extended leave, offices close, and business activity slows right down until mid to late January (often early February in New Zealand).
But while many businesses may switch off, bookkeeping, payroll, and compliance obligations do not. That is where proactive planning can make all the difference.
Why Bookkeeping Cover Over The Holidays Matters
Businesses are often so focused on meeting deadlines and delivering to customers that planning for back-office processes gets overlooked.
Adding to this, 2 unique months, December and January, bring their own challenges: statutory holidays, reduced staff, and key authorisation staff away on annual leave.
With key people away, invoices, payroll, and GST deadlines can easily slip through the cracks. Even short disruptions can snowball, leading to missed debtor follow-ups, delayed supplier payments, and cashflow pressure that carries into the new year.
By the time the New Year arrives, many advisors find themselves helping clients recover from the fallout. Late payroll runs, unreconciled accounts, and compliance delays are common, and the cause is almost always the same: Adequate bookkeeping cover was not in place when it mattered most.
Continuity For Your Clients Bookkeeping
At ClockworX, we work closely with our clients to ensure their books are well-prepared before the Christmas shutdown and extended summer break. Working with each client to plan December Month End and December and January payrolls, etc, including comprehensive continuity planning to keep bookkeeping, payroll, and reconciliations on track.
Our approach gives both advisors and their clients confidence that financial processes remain consistent, accurate, and compliant, even when internal staff are away.
The Holiday Bookkeeping & Payroll Continuity Checklist
Here is a simple checklist we work through with our clients to help them prepare before the break:
- December and January Cashflow Planning: Review cashflow forecasts to include payroll, subscriptions, operating expenses, and monthly costs. Allow for delayed payments, which are unfortunately common over the holiday period, and review any annual subscriptions or insurances that renew in the new calendar year.
- Payroll: Confirm pay dates and annual leave calculations are accurate and processed before the office closes. December and January payrolls often need extra time for review and approvals.
- Invoicing: Encourage clients to send final invoices ahead of their shutdown and have a plan to manage reconciliations and debtor follow-ups during the break.
- Supplier Payments: Schedule or automate payments due over the shutdown period to avoid late fees.
- GST and Tax Deadlines: Check due dates for January and February to ensure filings stay on track.
- System Access & Authorisation: Ensure key personnel have secure access to Xero, payroll systems, and bank accounts if needed and key personnel for authorisations are available when needed.
Helping You Support Your Clients
December is the perfect time to check that your clients have adequate bookkeeping support in place. A small investment in planning now can prevent significant headaches later.
If you would like to discuss how other CA & vCFO firms are managing their clients’ bookkeeping and payroll over the holiday season, we’re happy to share what’s working well, contact us today.
ClockworX partners with advisors to deliver scalable, reliable bookkeeping services, keeping your clients’ books running like clockwork while you and your team enjoy a well-earned break.
