A Month-End Close Checklist for Busy Bookkeepers and Accountants

Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes

You know the feeling. Month-end close is right around the corner, and it’s time to start gathering a plethora of information so you can clean things up and present polished financial statements to your clients.

But that’s the problem!

You need all kinds of information from your clients, and for some reason they're always on vacation when you go to close the books. Or you spend hours downloading and uploading screenshots, chasing uncategorized expenses, sending spreadsheets back and forth, jumping on impromptu phone calls, all to find out they’re just not sure what that Best Buy charge was… you’ll need to ask the assistant.

What if month-end close didn’t have to be such a hassle? What if there was a simple, repeatable process you and your team followed that got client buy-in and helped you stay sane?

Stick to a month-end close process

Consistency and clarity are hallmarks of any successful financial management system. That’s why having something like a month-end checklist, a rules of engagement document, or a year-end procedures manual can really help mitigate the stress of delivering on your client’s ask.

Whether you're dealing with everyday bookkeeping tasks, managing unforeseen cash transactions, or rounding up a mob of uncategorized expenses, have a plan in place so that when the unexpected happens, (or the client isn’t responding) you have a go-to method for keeping your work on track.

Communicate your process

Processes matter. But not just any process will do. If you’re relying on an internal, memorized process that has never been published or communicated to team members or clients, you’re likely not realizing the organizing potential of process adherence.

Digital copies of a month-end checklist circulated to your team could go a long way in reducing errors and questions about how your firm closes the books. You could even print copies if you’re working in an office environment or tack one up on the corkboard at your home office desk.

Start now

No need to reinvent the wheel, though. Grab your free copy of the Uncat Month-End Close Checklist to get started. Feel free to adapt it to meet your needs, and let us know if you’re seeing some benefits from using a clear process to herd cats at your fur-m (pun intended)😸.

Ready to save time and get more done?