The Weekly Close is the Successful Bookkeeper's weekly note. This is issue 2, from Thursday 15 October 2026.
In this issue: why small practices get found and two habits that close the door, this week's listen with Craig Taylor, small firms as easy marks, the ATO's card deadline moving to June 2027, and the end date for QuickBooks Online Accountant. About four minutes.
From Michael
The thread this week is security. On Tuesday's episode Craig Taylor called bookkeeping "the purse strings of the companies you're supporting", which makes you, in his words, "a prime target". Scott Carr made the other half of the point in CPA Practice Advisor: attackers don't pick you because you're big. Their scanners find you because a door is open.
Think about what sits behind your logins: clients' bank accounts, payroll and tax IDs. That makes a two-person practice a better target than it thinks. Being small doesn't keep you safe. Often it just means fewer locks.
I'm not telling you this to scare you. The point is that this is part of the job now, and clients will start asking. When one of them says "how do you keep my payroll login safe?", I'd like you to have a short, confident answer ready.
Two habits get you most of the way. First, turn on multifactor on every login that touches client money. Second, when anyone asks to change bank details, do what Craig does: call back on a number you already had, never the one in the message. Neither costs anything, and both close the doors those scanners look for.
On the podcast
This week's listen: Craig Taylor on why bookkeepers are prime targets (EP553).
In the industry
Small firms are easy marks, not too small to notice
Scott Carr argues that automated scanning, not firm size, decides who gets attacked, and that even a small practice holds Social Security numbers, bank details and full returns for hundreds of clients. He cites Verizon's 2025 breach report, where ransomware appeared in 88% of breaches at small and mid-sized businesses against 39% at large ones, and reminds US tax and accounting firms that the FTC Safeguards Rule calls for a written security plan and multifactor authentication.
What it means for you: If you don't have a written security plan yet, start with one page listing your logins, who can reach them, and where multifactor is switched on.
Source: CPA Practice Advisor.
Australia: the ATO keeps taking credit cards until 30 June 2027
The ATO had planned to stop accepting credit card payments after 30 November 2026. On 9 October it pushed that back to 30 June 2027, after transitional funding from the government. After that, anyone who still wants to pay tax by card will have to go through a third-party payment provider, with its own fees.
What it means for you: No need to rush before November. Note which of your Australian clients pay the ATO by card, payment plans especially, and plan to move them before 30 June 2027. Warn them now that third-party card services charge fees.
Source: Australian Taxation Office.
QuickBooks Online Accountant closes on 31 December
Intuit is discontinuing QuickBooks Online Accountant on 31 December 2026 and moving firms to Intuit Accountant Suite. The Core tier stays free; Accelerate and the Books Close add-on are paid, and a firm moves onto them only if its admin opts in.
What it means for you: Block an hour before year end to log in, see what your firm will land on, and decide on paid tiers yourself before anyone on the team opts in.
Source: CPA Practice Advisor.
Happening at TSB
- Thu 22 Oct, 12pm ET: How to Price Cleanup Projects Without Losing Money, a free 30-minute session with Christina Springstead, sponsored by Dext.
- Tue 27 Oct, 4pm ET: The Successful Bookkeeper Builds, free with Lisa Campbell: one real piece of a bookkeeping business built live.
- 4 to 5 Nov: The Successful Bookkeeper Summit, North America. Own Your Authority, and live access is free.
Try this week
Take 20 minutes to list every login that touches client money: bank access, payroll, tax portals and the email those accounts reset to. Turn on multifactor on each one that doesn't have it yet, and note any that can't do it.
One question
Has a client ever asked you how you keep their data safe, and what did you tell them? Subscribers can reply to any issue of The Weekly Close, and the best answers run in the next one.
Michael
Sources this week
The Successful Bookkeeper podcast (EP553, Craig Taylor), CPA Practice Advisor (5 October, Scott Carr; and 9 February), and the Australian Taxation Office.
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