Small business
A shared board for a small business owner and their bookkeeper
Updated · by the Simpleban team
In short
A bookkeeper's job is mostly waiting for the owner: the missing receipt, the unexplained transaction, the signature. Simpleban is a free shared kanban board for exactly two people where those become cards handed to the owner — visible as “waiting on you” and emailed at 8am while they wait — and the month-end routine is a set of repeating cards that come back on the 1st. Filing deadlines are due dates; the calendar feed puts them in both calendars.
The month-end cards
| Card | Repeats | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| Send bank statements | Monthly, 1st | Owner |
| Upload receipts | Weekly, Friday | Owner |
| Reconcile accounts | Monthly | Bookkeeper |
| Questions on unexplained transactions | As needed → hand to owner | Bookkeeper |
| Run payroll | Monthly, 25th | Bookkeeper |
| VAT / sales tax return | Quarterly | Bookkeeper → hand to owner to approve |
| Year-end pack | Yearly | Either of us |
How it works
- Every card has an owner: you, the bookkeeper, or either of you — so “who is on this?” is answered before anyone asks.
- Hand a card to the bookkeeper and it moves to the top of their board under “waiting on you”. If they're not on the app, Simpleban emails them a few minutes later, and the next morning's 8am email mentions it once if it's still waiting — never every day. You never press a “remind” button.
- When the bookkeeper is done, they hand it back and it reappears at the top of the owner's board.
- Repeating cards come back on their own schedule — daily, weekly, chosen weekdays, every N days, monthly — and can alternate between the two of you.
- Due dates with a calm Today / This week filter, a private calendar feed for Google, Apple or Outlook, and a countdown on the board for the date that matters.
- Notes, checklists and comments live inside each card, so the context travels with the task.
- The bookkeeper joins from your invite link with a name and an email — no password, nothing to pay. Both of you have the full app on your own phone; it installs like an app and works offline for reading.
What it is not
Not accounting software — the numbers live in your ledger. Simpleban is the task layer between the two of you, and it holds tasks and notes, not financial data. Two people only; an accounting firm with a client list needs a practice tool.
Templates to start from
Questions, answered
- Does it connect to my accounting software?
- No. It's the list of what's waiting on whom, next to whatever you use for the books.
- Can filing deadlines go in my calendar?
- Yes — every card with a due date appears in a private calendar feed you can add to Google, Apple or Outlook.
- Does the bookkeeper pay?
- Simpleban is free forever for two: you and the one person you invite get every feature, unlimited boards and cards, no trial and no credit card. The promise is written into the Terms: nothing that is free today will ever move behind a paywall, and your +1 never pays. If you need more people or want to share boards beyond your +1, we'll soon introduce subscription tiers — a flat rate, never per seat.
- Can I use it with more than two people?
- Simpleban is built for two people, and for two it stays free forever. If you need more people or want to share boards with someone new, we'll soon introduce subscription tiers — a flat rate, never per seat. Until then, read-only share links let anyone else follow a board without editing.
Month-end without the chasing
Start from the Monthly retainer template and invite your bookkeeper.
Your board starts as “Monthly retainer” — columns and example cards you can change or delete.
Try the live demo board first