The second quarter closes in June, and every CPA who works with small-business clients knows the pressure: incomplete transaction records, missing sales tax calculations, clients who stored receipts in a shoebox or a chaotic email folder, and the clock ticking toward the filing deadline. You need a clear Q2 accounting checklist to ensure nothing falls through the cracks—not because your firm is disorganized, but because your clients often are. A structured approach to data reconciliation, sales tax compliance, and quarterly review saves your firm time, reduces client friction, and protects your reputation. The following checklist walks you through the essentials: what to ask for, what to verify, how to organize transaction data for review, and how to guide your clients through Florida sales tax filing before the next deadline hits.
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Does this apply to your business in Florida?
If your firm serves small-business clients in Florida—contractors, service providers, product resellers, or mixed-revenue businesses—yes. Florida’s sales tax regime is strict: tangible personal property is taxable unless specifically exempt, and services are generally not taxable unless listed in Florida’s Department of Revenue statute. Mistakes in categorizing revenue, missing surtax calculations, or failing to file the DR-15 return on time expose your clients to penalties and exposure. This checklist helps you catch those errors before they compound.
Q2 accounting checklist: six core steps
1. Verify transaction data is complete and categorized
Start by asking your client to provide all transaction records for April, May, and June—bank statements, credit card transactions, invoices, and any miscellaneous payments. Don’t assume they’ve organized this. Review the data for missing dates, duplicate entries, or transactions that haven’t been categorized at all. Sort transactions by type: services rendered, tangible goods sold, purchases, payroll, contractor payments, and tax payments. Florida’s sales tax rule hinges on this categorization. Services do not trigger sales tax unless they appear in the Department of Revenue’s specific list; tangible goods do. If your client conflates the two, their sales tax base will be wrong.
2. Reconcile client bank and credit card accounts
Confirm that every transaction in the client’s records matches their actual bank and credit card statements. Look for pending deposits, uncleared checks, or payments that appear in the accounting records but haven’t cleared. If your client uses an automated transaction categorization platform, verify that the system has matched transactions correctly and flagged any discrepancies. Reconciliation isn’t glamorous, but it’s the foundation of accurate quarterly reporting. Missing or mismatched items now will create problems when you file the DR-15 return or when you need to support your client during a Department of Revenue inquiry.
3. Calculate sales tax liability for the quarter
Using the categorized transaction data, calculate which revenue streams are subject to Florida sales tax. Start with the state base rate of 6 percent, then add the applicable county surtax for your client’s location. The combined rate varies by county—do not guess or use a rate from memory. Direct your client to floridarevenue.com to confirm the combined rate for their county, or use the Department of Revenue’s sales tax rate calculator. Once you have the correct combined rate, apply it only to taxable sales. Many small-business owners mistakenly apply sales tax to service revenue or to transactions that qualify for an exemption. Verify that your client has not claimed exemptions they’re not entitled to—contractors working for residential customers, for example, cannot exempt their labor, and cleaning companies cannot exempt cleaning supplies unless they’ve collected the proper resale certificate from their client.
4. Review exemption certificates and resale documents
If your client sells tangible goods and has claimed exemptions, pull the supporting resale certificates or exemption documentation. Florida requires businesses to maintain a signed resale certificate for each exempt transaction over a certain threshold. If your client has not collected these or has applied exemptions without documentation, flag this immediately. The Department of Revenue can impose penalties if exemptions are claimed without proper support. This is especially critical for businesses that sell to other businesses or to tax-exempt organizations. Do not let your client claim an exemption “because they always do”—verify the paper trail.
5. Check for common Q2 deduction and classification errors
Review the client’s expense categorization for common errors. Contractors often misclassify vehicle expenses, equipment purchases, or subcontractor payments. Service businesses sometimes fail to separate product sales (taxable) from labor (generally not taxable in Florida). If your client has paid independent contractors or employees, verify that the payments are documented and that the correct tax forms (1099, W-2, or payroll records) are on file. Payroll tax withholding errors in Q2 can cascade into compliance problems for Q3 and Q4, so catching them early is worth the effort.
6. Prepare the DR-15 return for filing by June 30th
The DR-15 is Florida’s sales and use tax return, filed monthly or quarterly depending on the client’s filing frequency. If your client is on a quarterly schedule, Q2 closes on June 30th, and the return must be filed by the 20th of the following month (July 20th). Verify that you have the correct combined tax rate for the county, that all taxable sales are included, that exempt sales are properly documented, and that the return is signed and dated correctly. If your client files electronically through the Department of Revenue, confirm the filing deadline. Some businesses can pay under a different schedule if they’ve applied for a sales tax deferral or special payment arrangement—verify whether your client qualifies.
Three common mistakes that expose your clients to risk
Mistake 1: Confusing service revenue with product revenue. A cleaning company that also sells cleaning supplies, or a contractor who sells materials in addition to labor, often lumps the entire invoice together and fails to separate the taxable portion (goods) from the non-taxable portion (service). The Department of Revenue expects the invoice to show the taxable and non-taxable components separately, or to be supported by a detailed breakdown. If your client bundles everything into one charge, the entire revenue stream may be considered taxable—or the Department may disallow the service exemption if they cannot verify the split. The fix: require your client to itemize invoices clearly, showing taxable goods and non-taxable services on separate lines.
Mistake 2: Missing or incorrect surtax calculations. Many CPAs and bookkeepers apply only the 6 percent state rate and forget the county surtax. The combined rate is never just 6 percent. If your client is in a county with a surtax and you’ve filed a return using only the state rate, the return is incomplete. The Department of Revenue will either deny the return or assess a deficiency. The fix: before you file a Q2 return, confirm the combined rate on floridarevenue.com. Do not proceed from memory or from a rate card you wrote down last year—rates change, and the source of truth is the Department of Revenue.
Mistake 3: Filing late or not filing at all. Many small-business owners, especially those who are not yet familiar with the DR-15 process, miss the filing deadline because they assume the return is optional or because they think their accountant will file it for them. A missed filing deadline can result in penalties and compounding liability. The fix: put the filing deadline on your calendar three weeks before it’s due (by June 30 for Q2), and confirm with your client in writing that you expect their transaction data by June 15. Build this into your quarterly workflow. If you use an outsourcing partner to organize and prepare transaction data, establish a turnaround time that gets the data to you with enough time to review and file without rushing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if my client doesn’t have complete transaction records for Q2? Ask them to provide whatever they have—bank statements, invoices, receipts—and reconstruct the quarter to the best of your ability. Gaps in records may trigger a Department of Revenue inquiry if the client is ever audited, so be transparent about what’s missing. Document your efforts to obtain complete records in your file, and consider advising your client to implement a better record-keeping system for future quarters.
Can I file the DR-15 return on my client’s behalf, or must they sign and file it themselves? A CPA or accounting professional can prepare the return and file it electronically as a third-party representative, but you’ll need proper authorization (usually a power of attorney). Check the current Florida Department of Revenue guidance on representative filing to confirm current requirements. Many firms prepare the return for client review and signature before electronic filing to ensure the client understands what they’re reporting.
How do I handle a client who claims they didn’t make any sales in Q2? If a client had zero revenue, zero tax liability, or both, they may still be required to file a “zero return” depending on their registration status and filing frequency. File a blank or zero DR-15 return rather than skipping the filing deadline entirely. A zero return is compliant; a missed return is not.
What documentation do I need to keep to support exempt sales? For each exempt sale, maintain a signed resale certificate or exemption certificate (depending on the type of exemption), the customer’s business name and address, the date of the transaction, and a description of what was sold. The Department of Revenue audits these certificates, so incomplete or missing documentation is a serious vulnerability.
Should I file the DR-15 monthly or quarterly for my client? Filing frequency depends on the client’s registration status and historical sales. If your client is required to file quarterly, Q2 runs April–June and is due by July 20. If they file monthly, each month is due by the 20th of the following month. Confirm the requirement with the Department of Revenue or by reviewing the client’s Florida sales tax registration.
This article is for general educational purposes and isn’t a substitute for advice from a licensed CPA or tax attorney. Rules vary by jurisdiction and change over time—always confirm current requirements with the Florida Department of Revenue or your advisor.
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