Financial check covering account year -- that's daring (8)
I believe the answer is:
audacity
'daring' is the definition.
(audacity is a kind of daring)
'financial check covering account year' is the wordplay.
'financial check' becomes 'audit' (I've seen this before).
'covering' means one lot of letters goes inside another.
'account' becomes 'ac'.
'year' becomes 'y'.
'audit' going around 'ac' is 'audacit'.
'audacit'+'y'='AUDACITY'
'that's' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for audacity that I've seen before include "Courage" , "Boldness or cheeky daring" , "Temerity" , "Boldness - such nerve!" , "Effrontery" .)