Free new treasurer checklist for PTAs, PTOs and booster clubs
The new treasurer checklist: your first 30 days, one day at a time.
You volunteered to help kids, not to become a banking expert. This guide tells you what to do each day: who to call, what to sign and what to ignore for now.
- A day-by-day plan for 30 days
- What to say at the bank
- Every deadline on one calendar
- 18 printable worksheets
- A day-by-day plan for 30 days
- What to say at the bank
- Every deadline on one calendar
- 18 printable worksheets
What’s inside
Four weeks, in the order you’ll need them
52 pages, 18 worksheets marked A to R. Out of order is fine: if your bank visit can only happen on Day 6, do it on Day 6.
- Days 1–7
Get the keys
Collect the records, get added to the bank account, take the previous treasurer off it and find out which deadlines are coming up.
Sheets A, B, C, D, E
- Days 8–14
Set up a simple routine
Two signatures on checks, two people counting cash, a receipt for every expense and a monthly bank match you can finish in an evening.
Sheets F, G, H, I
- Days 15–21
Report to your board
A one-page treasurer report your board can read in two minutes, and a budget-vs-actual table that shows where the year is heading.
Sheets J, K, L
- Days 22–30
Make it easy for next year
File as you go, keep a short calendar of the year and start a handoff folder so the next treasurer doesn’t start from zero.
Sheets M, N, O, P, Q, R
A look inside
A day at a time. Tick it off and stop.
Most days take under 45 minutes. Each worksheet prints on its own page, so you can bring it to the bank or your first board meeting.
Until your name is on the account, you can’t see statements, sign checks or stop a payment. Banks change signers all the time. You just need the right papers in hand.
Bring- Signed minutes from the meeting where the board voted to change signers
- A short cover letter: who to add, who to remove
- Your group’s EIN, from the IRS letter
- Photo ID for each new signer
- Your bylaws, in case the bank asks who can sign
“Hi, I’m the new treasurer for [school] [PTA/PTO]. Our board voted on [date] to change who can sign on our account…”
Written for wherever you’re starting
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Brand-new treasurer
You said yes at the spring meeting and now there’s a checkbook on your kitchen table. Start at Day 1.
Questions to ask the last treasurer -
Inherited a mess
Missing receipts, an unreconciled account or no passwords. Start with what you can find this week: the last 12 months of bank statements, the budget and the bylaws.
What to do when records are missing -
Handing over
Leaving the role? Send this to your successor and fill in the handoff folder together.
What goes in a treasurer binder
Read first, no sign-up
Questions new treasurers ask
- /treasurer/990-n
How to file a 990-N for your PTA or PTO
Who qualifies, the due date, the IRS sign-in and what to print before you leave the page.
Read it - /treasurer/change-bank-signers
How to change signers on the bank account
What the bank will ask for, the minutes wording and what to say at the counter.
Read it - /treasurer/treasurers-report
A treasurer report template your board will read
The four things every report needs, with an example you can copy.
Read it
Questions about the guide
What does a PTA treasurer do?
Keeps the group’s money safe and visible: deposits money, pays approved bills, matches the bank statement each month, reports to the board and files the yearly IRS form. Our treasurer guide has the full list.
Does a PTO or booster club have to file with the IRS?
Usually yes, once a year. Most small groups file the free 990-N online by the 15th day of the fifth month after their year ends. Our tax-exempt status page helps you check where your group stands.
Is it really free?
Yes. No card and no trial. We ask for your email so we know who signed up. The download starts on the next page.
Do I need accounting experience?
No. It’s written for parent volunteers. When a real term matters, like the 990-N, EIN or reconciliation, it’s explained in one sentence.
Does it work for PTOs and booster clubs?
Yes. Most of it applies to any school PTO, booster club or other parent-teacher organization. Where PTA units have extra state or national PTA steps, the guide points them out.
What happens after I sign up?
You download the PDF on the next page, and you can start on Day 1 tonight.
Start Day 1 tonight.
It starts with one coffee with the last treasurer.