Creations · South Africa
Accounting services for South African businesses
Move from transaction records to a financial picture you can use. Monthly accounting, management reporting and year-end support, with the scope agreed around your business.
What the work covers
Use this scope to identify what you need. Your proposal will confirm the services, records, reporting frequency and fees for your business.
- Bank, debtor, creditor and control-account reconciliations
- Trial balance review and supported adjustment journals
- Management accounts at the agreed reporting frequency
- Explanations of material movements and unresolved items
- Year-end working papers and financial-statement preparation where agreed
- Schedules for assets, loans, tax and other material balances
What to prepare
Tell us which records are available and where there are gaps. We can then distinguish ongoing work from any initial catch-up.
- Latest financial statements and current trial balance, if available
- Bank statements, sales invoices and expense records
- Details of your accounting system, entities and reporting deadlines
- A list of outstanding returns, queries or reconciliations
Timing and responsibility
Timing depends on the records, approvals and work required. Tell us about any deadline at the start. The engagement should identify the person handling your work, the review responsibilities and any external specialist needed.
A report should lead to a decision
A profit figure on its own cannot explain whether the business has cash to pay suppliers. Read the income statement alongside the balance sheet, bank reconciliation and debtor ageing. Together, they help distinguish trading performance from the timing of receipts and payments.
Agree which decisions the reporting should support: collecting overdue accounts, evaluating a product margin, planning payroll or preparing a funding request. The useful reporting pack is the one your team can explain and act on.
- Confirm which periods and entities are included
- Compare material changes with the prior period or budget
- Keep unresolved balances visible until they are cleared
Separate ongoing accounting from catch-up work
Missing bank reconciliations, unsupported opening balances or an incomplete asset register can affect every later report. An initial review should identify those gaps and the work needed to resolve them.
A monthly engagement can then start from an agreed position. Preparation of accounts, an independent review and a statutory audit are different assignments; confirm which service you need and who is responsible for it.
How the work progresses
- 01
Review the requirement
Discuss the records, systems, deadlines and decisions the work needs to support.
- 02
Agree the scope
Confirm the deliverables, fees, responsibilities and any initial catch-up work.
- 03
Prepare and resolve
Work through the records, raise queries and obtain the required approvals.
- 04
Review and hand over
Provide the agreed outputs and identify outstanding matters and next steps.
Questions before you start
How is accounting different from bookkeeping?
Bookkeeping records and reconciles transactions. Accounting reviews those records, prepares reports and supports financial decisions. The engagement should make clear which tasks are included so work is neither missed nor duplicated.
Can you work alongside an internal finance team?
Yes. The scope can cover selected reconciliations, month-end preparation, reporting or year-end work. Agree which tasks stay with your team, who approves adjustments and who reviews the final outputs.
Does preparation of financial statements include an audit?
No. Financial-statement preparation does not provide an audit opinion or independent assurance. If assurance is required, it must be separately scoped with an appropriately qualified provider.
What determines the fee?
The number of entities, transaction volume, quality of records, reporting frequency and complexity of the work. Payroll, tax submissions, historical cleanup and assurance should be identified separately in the proposal.
Practical guides
Evaluate an accounting firm in South Africa by process, controls, reporting, continuity, and commercial fit before you appoint them.
Build a month-end close process with clear steps, ownership, review timing, and reporting outputs for South African SMEs.
Learn what management accounts should include, how often they should be reviewed, and how South African SMEs can use them better.
Let’s define the next step.
Tell us what you need, what is outstanding and when it matters.