How to prepare a documentary checklist to validate with your professional advisor

01

What a documentary checklist is and what it's for

A documentary checklist is the ordered list of books and records a business must keep, with the minimum features required for each. Preparing it before meeting the professional advisor makes it possible to quickly check what exists, what is missing and what needs correcting, reducing review time and record-keeping errors.

02

Who must keep which documents

A business owner carrying out commercial activity must keep the journal book and the inventory book, along with other records required by the nature and size of the business; this obligation does not apply to small business owners. Limited liability companies must also keep the book of members' decisions, the book of directors' decisions and, if appointed, the book of the board of statutory auditors' decisions.

03

How to build the checklist step by step

Steps

1. List the books required for your legal form: journal book, inventory book, and corporate books if it is a limited liability company.
2. Note for each book the minimum required content, for example day-by-day entries in the journal book.
3. Check the additional records required by the nature or size of the business, including invoices, letters and telegrams received or sent.
4. Check the record-keeping method chosen, paper or digital, and the related consultation conditions.
5. Bring the checklist to the professional advisor to validate completeness, retention and any missing signatures.

04

A hypothetical example

Hypothetical example: a limited liability company preparing for its annual review builds a checklist with the journal book, inventory book, book of members' decisions and book of directors' decisions. For each it notes whether entries are up to date, whether the inventory was signed within three months of the deadline for filing the income tax return, and whether meeting minutes record the date, participants and voting results.

05

Minimum items to include in the checklist

• Journal book: day-by-day recording of the business's operations.
• Inventory book: drawn up at the start of the activity and every year, with assets and liabilities; signed within three months of the deadline for filing the income tax return.
• Additional records required by the nature or size of the business, with originals and copies of letters, telegrams and invoices.
• For limited liability companies: book of members' decisions, directors' decisions and, if appointed, the board of statutory auditors' decisions.
• Meeting minutes with date, identity of participants, capital represented and voting results.
• Retention period: ten years from the last entry for records, invoices, letters and telegrams.
• If record-keeping is digital: continuous accessibility and time-stamping with digital signature at least once a year.

06

How a software system can support the checklist

A business can configure, with its software partner, an information register: list of mandatory books, responsible role for each (director, auditor, business owner), date of last revise and signature status. This is a suggested operational choice, not a legal requirement, useful for keeping track and facilitating review with the professional advisor.

A periodic verification step can also be planned, where a designated person checks that each checklist item is consistent with the required minimum content, before sharing it with the external advisor.

07

Frequently asked questions about the checklist

The checklist does not replace professional advice, but organizes information before the meeting.

Small business owners are not subject to the journal book and inventory book obligations required for commercial activity.

The ten-year retention applies to records, invoices, letters and telegrams, both received and sent.

08

Next step

Build your checklist starting from the books required for your legal form and share it with the professional advisor before your next annual review.