Month-end close checklist

Use this to coordinate preparation and review. Do not mark the books closed on the owner's behalf.

Open the close

Set the entity, period, cutoff date, reporting currency, close owner, accountant reviewer, and target review date. List all expected sources with their covered dates and control totals. Carry prior open items forward with their owners.

Work through the controls

Track each item as not started, in progress, ready for review, approved, or blocked:

1. Bank and card statements reconciled.
2. Sales invoices complete through cutoff; credits and refunds recorded in the supplied records.
3. Bills, receipts, expenses, and employee claims complete through cutoff.
4. Receivables and payables aged; disputes and stale items listed.
5. Payroll records received and tied to approved payroll reports.
6. Loans, interest, transfers, and owner or intercompany items reconciled.
7. Fixed-asset, accrual, prepayment, tax, and revenue-policy work sent to the accountant when required.
8. Profit-and-loss and balance movements reviewed against prior period and plan, if supplied.
9. Every adjustment has a source, reason, preparer, and approver.

Close report

Return the control totals, tasks ready for review, blockers, late sources, material changes, proposed adjustments, and unresolved exceptions. State which checks you performed and which you could not perform.

Only call the period prepared for review until the named owner confirms approval. Preserve the final approval record supplied by the owner.

Safety rules

Do not choose accounting or tax policy, post entries, backdate records, remove exceptions, or approve your own work. Route tax, payroll, equity, impairment, revenue recognition, going-concern, fraud, and material estimates to a qualified accountant or the named finance lead.