A month end close checklist that starts with the client
Most closes are late for one reason: something the bookkeeper needs is still with the client. This month end close checklist puts the client's half first, then the steps you take once it arrives.
A month end close checklist is the list a bookkeeper works through to close a client's books each month. This one has two halves: what to collect from the client first (statements, sales and expenses, payroll), then the close itself, from reconciliations to locking the period. Download it free as an Excel template or a PDF.
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Month-end close checklist
Both halves as a printable PDF, as an Excel workbook, and as a CSV you can load into your own task list or send to the client as a request list.
Download the PDF Download for Excel Download the CSVNo email required.
Tick what applies to the client and get a close checklist with owners and due days, as Excel or CSV. Nothing you type is stored.
Next step: send this list to the client as a request list in FirmHello. They upload against each line, and reminders chase whatever is still open.
Get startedA close for a small business client is not complicated. It is a sequence: get the statements and the paperwork, reconcile, record what the bank feed cannot see, review, and lock the period so nobody edits it afterwards. What makes it slow is waiting. The loan statement nobody forwarded, the Shopify payout report, the receipt for a card charge nobody remembers.
So the checklist has two halves. The first is a request list for the client, sent on the first working day of the month. The second is the close itself, which you run once the first half is in. Keeping them apart means you can see at a glance whether a late close is waiting on the client or on you. If several people close books at your firm, the first half is the part worth sending from a client portal for accounting firms, so every client gets the same list and nobody chases it by hand.
The list assumes cloud ledger software with bank feeds, and a monthly close. Cut what does not apply to each client. The scope of the monthly work belongs in the bookkeeping engagement letter, including the date each month you need the client's half by.
The checklist
Groups 1 to 3 go to the client. Groups 4 to 7 are yours. Replace [month] with the month you are closing.
1. From the client — statements
- [Month] statements for every bank account, including any opened this month Bank feeds drop transactions and sometimes duplicate them. The statement is what you reconcile to, not the feed.
- [Month] statements for every credit card, including cards held by staff
- Loan and line-of-credit statements showing principal, interest and the closing balance The feed shows one payment. The statement splits it between principal and interest, which is what the books need.
- PayPal, Stripe, Square or other payment account statements
- Statements for any account you have not shared with us before
2. From the client — sales and expenses
- Payout reports from Shopify, Amazon or other sales platforms for [month] Platforms deposit sales net of fees, refunds and chargebacks. The payout report is how you record the gross sale and the fees separately.
- Receipts for card and bank charges over $[amount], or any you are unsure about IRS Publication 583 lists receipts, paid bills, invoices and deposit slips as the supporting documents behind entries in the books. Set a threshold with the client so the list stays short.
- Bills received this month that are not yet paid
- Invoices issued outside the accounting system, if any
- A W-9 from any new contractor paid this month Collected now, it saves a January chase when the 1099s are due.
3. From the client — payroll and questions
- Payroll register and the payroll provider's tax liability report for [month]
- Anything unusual this month (new loan, asset bought or sold, lawsuit, insurance claim) The bank feed will show the money moving but not what it was for. One line from the client saves a week of guessing.
- Personal expenses paid from the business account, or business costs paid personally
- Answers to last month's open questions
4. Reconcile
- Reconcile every bank and credit card account to the statement ending balance
- Reconcile loan balances to the lender's statement
- Reconcile payment processor and sales platform clearing accounts to zero or to the payout in transit
- Clear the uncategorized and suspense accounts, or list what is left and why
- Review old uncleared items on each reconciliation, and follow up anything over [number] days
5. Record what the feed does not show
- Accrue expenses incurred but not yet billed, such as utilities or contractor hours
- Record revenue earned but not yet invoiced, if the client reports on an accrual basis
- Amortize prepaid expenses, such as annual insurance or software, for the month
- Record depreciation for the month from the fixed asset schedule
- Record loan interest, and split the loan payments between principal and interest
- Reverse last month's accruals if your software does not do it automatically
6. Payroll and sales tax liabilities
- Agree the payroll liability accounts to the payroll provider's reports A monthly schedule depositor deposits employment taxes by the 15th of the following month (IRS Publication 15), so a balance older than that is worth a question.
- Agree sales tax payable to the sales tax report, by jurisdiction
- Record sales tax filed and paid during the month
- Check that the sales tax collected matches what the sales platforms report
7. Review and lock
- Compare the P&L with last month and the same month last year, and explain large changes This is where a missed bill, a duplicated deposit or a miscoded expense shows up. Anything you cannot explain goes back to the client as a question.
- Review the balance sheet line by line for balances that look wrong
- Review the AR and AP aging for old or negative balances
- Check owner draws and distributions are recorded as equity, not expense
- Lock the period in the accounting software with a closing date Without a lock, a client or a colleague can post into a closed month, and the reports you sent stop matching the books.
- Send the client the P&L, balance sheet and the list of open questions
Before you use this
Supplied as-is, with no guarantee. These templates are general information, not legal advice, and not a substitute for it. Have your own legal adviser review and adapt one to your practice and your jurisdiction before you put it in front of a client. FirmHello accepts no responsibility or liability for any use made of them.
How to run the close each month
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1
Send the client's half on day one
The statements exist on the first of the month. Send groups 1 to 3 that morning, with the date you need them by, and let the reminders do the chasing.
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2
Reconcile what has arrived
Do not wait for everything. Reconcile the accounts whose statements are in while you wait for the rest, and keep a list of what is outstanding.
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3
Keep the same order every month
Reconcile before you accrue, and accrue before you review. A review of a P&L with half the accruals missing finds problems that are not there.
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4
Close with a message, not just a lock
The reports and the open questions go to the client together. The questions are next month's first request list items.
Where month-end closes go wrong
Reconciling to the feed
A reconciliation that ties to the bank feed rather than the statement proves nothing. Feeds miss transactions and repeat them. Reconcile to the statement's ending balance, every account.
Recording platform deposits as sales
A Shopify or Amazon deposit is sales less fees, refunds and reserves. Booked as revenue, it understates both sales and costs, and the sales tax figures stop agreeing.
A suspense account that keeps growing
Every month a few items go to "ask my accountant". If nobody asks, the balance becomes a year-end clean-up. Put each one on the next request list as a question.
The client's half, as a request list
Groups 1 to 3 are a request list, and that is the part FirmHello does. Set it up once as a template, send it to each client on the first of the month, and the reminders go out until each statement and report arrives. Everything the client uploads is kept in their vault, so last March's loan statement is one search away. The close steps stay in your ledger and your own task list. More on how bookkeepers use it on the client portal for bookkeepers page.
Related templates and guides
Questions about the month-end close
What is a month end close checklist?
The list of steps a bookkeeper or accountant takes after a month ends to make that month's books complete and correct: collect the statements and paperwork, reconcile, record accruals and adjustments, review, and lock the period. This one also lists what to ask the client for, because that is usually what holds the close up.
How long should a month-end close take?
For a small business client with bank feeds, the work itself is often a few hours. The elapsed time depends on how fast the client sends their half. Agree a date in the engagement letter, such as the 10th of the month, and a close date that follows from it.
Is this a monthly bookkeeping checklist or a close checklist?
Both, for most small clients. A monthly bookkeeping checklist usually means categorizing and reconciling; a close adds accruals, review and a lock. Clients on a cash basis can skip the accrual lines.
Do I need to lock the period?
If anyone else can post to the books, yes. Most accounting software lets you set a closing date, sometimes with a password, so changes to a closed month need a deliberate step and leave a trace.
What if the client never sends the statements?
Close what you can, and report the rest as open. The engagement letter should say what happens when information is late, whether that is a later close date or an extra fee. Chasing by hand every month is the cost the reminders are meant to remove.
Sources
The primary sources this page is written against, last read against it on . Check them before relying on a detail; rules and thresholds change.
What changed
- Added an Excel (.xlsx) copy of the checklist beside the PDF and CSV.
Send the list once, and let it chase
Each line becomes something the client uploads against. Reminders go out on your schedule until the list is complete, and every file lands in the client's vault.
No card and no sales call. If you would rather tell us about your firm first, use the longer form.