Kempt
In short
Give each client one folder, then a folder per year and per period (month or quarter), split into purchases, sales, bank and payroll.Name every file date first, then issuer, type and amount: “2026-09-14 Swisscom Invoice 89.00 CHF.pdf”. Keep one intake folder per client for what hasn’t been checked, write the rule on one page for staff and clients, and keep records for the legal period: ten years in Switzerland and France, six in Spain. Kempt writes date-first names from each document’s content on a Mac.
Without any app
One folder per client, then year and period
Client › 2026 › 09 (or Q3) › Purchases, Sales, Bank, Payroll. A fixed tree means anyone in the firm finds a document without asking who filed it.
Name every file date first
Year-month-day, then issuer, document type and amount: “2026-09-14 Swisscom Invoice 89.00 CHF.pdf”. Files then sort by date in every folder, and a search for the supplier or the amount finds them. Write months with two digits.
Keep an intake folder
Each client gets an “Inbox” folder for what arrived but isn’t checked. Nothing is filed straight from Downloads or an email attachment, so nothing is filed twice or lost.
Write the rule down
One page: the folder tree, the naming pattern with three examples, and what clients should send each month. Share it with staff and clients; it saves more time than any tool.
Keep what the law asks
Switzerland: ten years for books and accounting records (CO art. 958f), electronic copies allowed. France: ten years (Code de commerce L123-22). Spain: six years (Código de Comercio art. 30). Keep e-invoices in their original format.
| As received | Named | Why |
|---|---|---|
| scan0001.pdf | 2026-09-14 Swisscom Invoice 89.00 CHF.pdf | Date, supplier and amount findable |
| IMG_4471.jpg | 2026-09-03 Migros Receipt 42.60 CHF.pdf | A photo becomes a dated PDF |
| Invoice (3).pdf | 2026-08-31 Sunrise Invoice 64.90 CHF.pdf | No more copies numbered by the browser |
| statement.pdf | 2026-09-30 UBS Bank Statement September.pdf | Period in the name |
Avoid “/”, “:” and leading spaces; keep accents only if every tool your firm uses handles them.
With Kempt
- 1
Names from the content, date first
On a Mac, Kempt reads each PDF, scan or photo and names it “2026-09 Invoice Swisscom” (or “Invoice Swisscom September 2026”). Names are written in English. Select files in Finder and choose Rename with Kempt, or let it name what arrives in Downloads.
- 2
Found by what it says
Ask your files finds “Swisscom invoice September” or “UBS statement” from the text inside, with the source page.
- 3
Honest limit
Kempt keeps one person’s or company’s papers per Mac and doesn’t keep client folders apart: you keep the client tree, Kempt names what goes in it. Its monthly pack suits a client running Kempt on their own Mac.
$27 once, 14 days freeRuns on every Apple silicon MacA question? Ask a person
Questions people ask
What is a good naming convention for accounting documents?
Date first (YYYY-MM-DD), then issuer, document type and amount: “2026-09-14 Swisscom Invoice 89.00 CHF.pdf”. Files sort by date and the supplier or amount is searchable.
How should an accounting firm organize client files?
One folder per client, then per year and period, split into purchases, sales, bank and payroll, with an intake folder for what isn’t checked yet.
Should file names include the amount?
It helps: you can match a bank line to its document without opening it. Use a dot or comma consistently and add the currency.
Can accounting records be kept only as scans?
In Switzerland, yes for most records, if they stay complete and readable (CO art. 958f). In France, a reliable electronic copy is accepted under conditions. Check your firm’s rules for originals that must stay on paper.