What this file should establish
List the benefit, recipient, entity, payment date and reporting already performed. Preserve the plan or policy and ask the preparer to review eligibility and reporting. Do not infer the result from the payment's ledger account alone.
Separate retainers, media spend, project fees and pass-through transactions in the operating file.
A situation to work through
An agency's revenue report includes client media budgets handled through its accounts.
For this situation, start with client retainers. Identify the period and legal owner before combining it with the other records. Keep the original source and explain any adjustments in a separate reconciliation.
Review point
Identify pass-through and earned revenue questions before setting targets or tax assumptions.
Benefit payments appear in payroll and expenses without reconciliation.
Question for the reviewer
Who determines the appropriate benefit treatment and who updates payroll?
Expected handoff
A recipient-by-benefit record with unresolved reporting questions.
Separate facts supported by documents from estimates and unresolved assumptions. Assign each missing item to a responsible person and a date. Send the reconciliation alongside the source references so the reviewer can trace each conclusion.