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Month-end close checklist generator
A month-end close checklist lists the steps that take your books from open to locked: cutoff, bank and card reconciliations, receivable and payable tie-outs, accruals, review and lock. Pick your software, entity type, payroll, inventory and target close day below to get a day-by-day list with an owner for each task, as a CSV or a printout.
A starting checklist built from your answers. It does not store anything you enter, and it makes no promise about how long your close will take.
0 if none.
3 to 15. The books are closed and locked by this day.
23 tasks over 5 business days. Bookkeeper: 15, Owner: 3, Reviewer: 5
| Day | Task | Owner | Done |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Confirm the period cutoff: the last day of the month and that nothing dated inside it is still to come | Bookkeeper | |
| Collect the month-end statements for every bank, credit card and loan account | Bookkeeper | ||
| Clear the QuickBooks Online bank feed: accept, match or exclude every pending transaction dated in the period | Bookkeeper | ||
| Send over missing receipts, invoices, approvals and answers to open questions | Owner | ||
| Day 2 | Reconcile every bank, credit card and loan account to the statement ending balance | Bookkeeper | |
| Clear uncategorized and suspense balances to zero, or list what stays and why | Bookkeeper | ||
| Tie the accounts receivable aging report to the receivables balance on the balance sheet | Bookkeeper | ||
| Tie the accounts payable aging report to the payables balance on the balance sheet | Bookkeeper | ||
| Day 3 | Record accrued expenses: goods and services used in the period with no bill received yet | Bookkeeper | |
| Release or amortize prepaid expenses for the month | Bookkeeper | ||
| Review revenue: record amounts billed in advance as deferred and amounts earned but not yet billed | Bookkeeper | ||
| Book depreciation and amortization from the fixed asset schedule | Bookkeeper | ||
| Record loan interest and split each payment between principal and interest | Bookkeeper | ||
| Day 4 | Record owner draws and contributions in the owner's equity accounts; keep personal spending out of expenses | Bookkeeper | |
| Run the trial balance and confirm it balances | Reviewer | ||
| Compare every account to last month and to the same month last year; investigate the large changes | Reviewer | ||
| Scan the balance sheet for odd balances: negative assets, old unmatched items, opening balance equity | Reviewer | ||
| Scan the profit and loss for miscategorized, duplicated or missing items | Reviewer | ||
| Day 5 | Post the adjusting entries from the review and rerun the reports | Bookkeeper | |
| Owner or reviewer signs off on the numbers | Owner | ||
| Set the closing date and password in QuickBooks Online so earlier periods cannot change quietly | Reviewer | ||
| Issue the monthly package: profit and loss, balance sheet, cash flow and the receivable and payable agings | Bookkeeper | ||
| Walk through what changed this month and note the open items for next month | Owner |
Days covered: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
A starting checklist built from the answers above, in the order a close is normally worked. It is not an audit program or tax advice, and it makes no promise about how long your close will take. Add or drop tasks to fit your business.
Worked example
An S corporation on QuickBooks Online runs payroll, holds no inventory, collects sales tax in one state, has low invoice volume, and wants the books locked on day 5 of the close. The 27-task list starts on day 1 with the cutoff, the statements and clearing the bank feed. Day 2 holds the bank and card reconciliations, the receivable and payable tie-outs and the payroll reconciliations. Day 3 covers the sales tax reconciliation and the accruals, prepaids and depreciation, day 4 the shareholder distribution entry and the trial balance review, and day 5 the adjusting entries, sign-off, the lock and the reports.
Switch on inventory or a second currency and the matching tasks are added in the same slots. Move the target to day 8 and the same tasks spread across more days.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What is on a month-end close checklist?
The cutoff and statements, bank and credit card reconciliations, clearing uncategorized and suspense balances, receivable and payable agings tied to the balance sheet, payroll and sales tax reconciliations where they apply, accruals, prepaids and depreciation, a trial balance review, then sign-off, locking the period and issuing the reports.
What order should the month-end close tasks go in?
Cutoff and statements first, then reconciliations, then the receivable and payable tie-outs, then accruals and period entries, then review, then lock and report. Each step depends on the one before it: accruals booked before the bank is reconciled get redone when a missing transaction turns up.
Who should own each close task?
The bookkeeper does the reconciliations and entries, someone other than the preparer reviews the trial balance and the odd balances, the owner supplies receipts and approvals and signs off, and a payroll administrator ties the payroll reports to the ledger. In a one-person business the owner holds every role, so the review step is the one to schedule on purpose.
How many business days should a month-end close take?
There is no rule. It depends on the number of accounts, the payroll and inventory work, how clean the data is and who reviews. The generator accepts a target from day 3 to day 15 and spreads the tasks across it. Pick the day you can hold every month, not the fastest one.
Does QuickBooks Online or Xero close the books for me?
No. The software imports bank feeds, but a person still reconciles, books the accruals and reviews the reports. What the software adds is a lock: QuickBooks Online has a closing date and Xero has a lock date, and either stops later changes to a closed period. The last tasks on the list set it.
Can I download or print the checklist?
Yes. Download it as a CSV for Excel or Google Sheets, with a column for the day, the task, the owner and a blank Done column, or print the page. Nothing you enter is stored or sent anywhere, and there is no sign-up.
If the close keeps slipping, month-end close services run these steps inside QuickBooks Online, Xero, NetSuite or Sage Intacct and hand you a reviewed trial balance by an agreed day each month.
Sources
- [1]IRS, Recordkeeping for small businesses, checked October 24, 2026
- [2]IRS, Publication 583: Starting a Business and Keeping Records, checked October 24, 2026
- [3]IRS, How long should I keep records?, checked October 24, 2026
Where to go next
- Close & reportingMonth-end closeA repeatable monthly close that ties every account back to source records and hands you a finished set of financials on a predictable date each month.
- BookkeepingBank and credit card reconciliationEvery bank, card and payment-processor account reconciled line by line against its statement, so the balance in your books always matches the balance at the institution.
- BookkeepingThe Month-End Close Checklist: Day by Day, Close by Business Day 5A day-by-day month-end close checklist covering reconciliations, accruals, deferred revenue and review, so you can aim to close by business day 5 each month.
- PricingPublished monthly bookkeeping plans for US businesses, from solo LLCs to multi-entity operators and accounting firms buying extra capacity.
- Books, reconciled every weekBookkeepingMonthly bookkeeping in QuickBooks Online, Xero or the platform you already run: every transaction sorted into categories, every bank and card account reconciled, and a clean set of reports each month.
Next step
Talk to the team that would run your books
A short call covers your setup, your software and what a first month would look like. You get a written scope and price after it.