# Month-end close checklist generator

Canonical: https://finbryn.com/us/tools/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.

## 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.

## FAQ

**Q: What is on a month-end close checklist?**

A: 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.

**Q: What order should the month-end close tasks go in?**

A: 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.

**Q: Who should own each close task?**

A: 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.

**Q: How many business days should a month-end close take?**

A: 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.

**Q: Does QuickBooks Online or Xero close the books for me?**

A: 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.

**Q: Can I download or print the checklist?**

A: 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](/us/services/month-end-close-reporting/month-end-close) 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](https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/recordkeeping) (2026-10-24)
2. [IRS, Publication 583: Starting a Business and Keeping Records](https://www.irs.gov/publications/p583) (2026-10-24)
3. [IRS, How long should I keep records?](https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/how-long-should-i-keep-records) (2026-10-24)

Last checked October 24, 2026

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