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Month-end close checklist

A repeatable routine to close the books each month — reconcile, post, review and report. Tick items off as you go; your progress is saved in this browser. Print or save as PDF to keep a copy for every close.

1. Enter all transactionsRecord every invoice, receipt and expense for the month so the books are complete.
2. Reconcile bank accountsMatch every bank line to a transaction; investigate anything unmatched.
3. Reconcile credit cardsDo the same for each card account, including fees and interest.
4. Reconcile accounts payableAgree payables to supplier statements; confirm nothing is missing or duplicated.
5. Reconcile accounts receivableConfirm outstanding customer invoices and chase overdue balances.
6. Post accruals & prepaymentsRecord accruals, prepayments and depreciation so the period is stated correctly.
7. Reconcile tax & payrollCheck VAT/sales tax and payroll liabilities agree to the returns and filings.
8. Review the numbersScan the P&L and balance sheet for anomalies versus prior months.
9. Lock & reportClose the period so it can't change, and produce the month-end reports.

Steps 1–4 are where the hours go

Data entry and reconciliation are the slow, error-prone part of every close. DocAuto captures invoices, receipts and bank statements, validates that the numbers reconcile, and returns clean data — so close is faster and there are fewer surprises. See bank statement conversion.

See DocAuto

FAQ

What is month-end close?The routine of finalising a month's books: recording all transactions, reconciling accounts, posting adjustments, reviewing the figures and producing reports.

How can I close the books faster?The biggest time sink is data entry and reconciliation. Automating invoice and bank-statement capture, with validation, removes most of the manual work.

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