Go directly to the close record
MonthEndKitA record for every close

Close the month with a record you can follow

For freelance and in-house small-business bookkeepers. Match each balance to its evidence, explain the open items and leave a close that another reader can trace.

Open the close checklist
01 / Gather02 / Match 03 / Adjust04 / Retain

Work through the close

The sequence below is a starting point. Use the business’s agreed reporting basis and accounting policy. An unresolved difference belongs in the workpaper until the record supports an answer.

  1. 01

    Gather the month’s records

    Evidence

    Bank and card statements, receipts, bills and supplied payroll records.

    Next step

    Confirm the reporting period and list what is missing before entering adjustments.

  2. 02

    Reconcile each account

    Evidence

    The book balance, statement balance and an explanation of each difference.

    Next step

    Separate timing items from book entries. Save the source that supports each change.

  3. 03

    Support the adjustments

    Evidence

    The calculation, reporting basis, source document and any reversal instruction.

    Next step

    Record why the amount belongs in this period. A sample entry must not choose your accounting policy.

  4. 04

    Review and retain the close

    Evidence

    Reconciliation records, open questions, adjustment support and the reports used.

    Next step

    Resolve or clearly carry forward each exception. Retain the record that explains the closing balance.

A free workpaper to keep beside the books

Copy these fields into your own close file. Use a separate row for each account or adjustment, and keep private records there rather than emailing them to this site.

Period and basis
Name the month, the account and the accounting basis used.
Evidence location
Record where the statement, calculation or supporting document can be found.
Difference and explanation
Describe the amount that does not match and the evidence for its treatment.
Next step and retained record
State what remains open and which record will carry the answer into the next close.

Find the task you are doing

Choose the question that fits your work. Software instructions sit beside the accounting tasks; changing a screen setting does not decide the accounting treatment.

Task readingReconciliations
Compare the statement with the books. Separate timing differences from entries supported by a record. Retain the reconciliation and the reason for each open item.

Why does the statement balance differ from the books?

Task readingClose checklist
Collect the month’s inputs, work through open questions and retain the reports used for the close. Adapt the task order to the business’s accounts and policy.

What should be checked before locking the month?

Task readingAccruals and adjustments
Document the period, calculation, source and any reversal for an adjustment. Examples explain an entry without deciding the business’s accounting policy.

What evidence belongs with an estimated accrual?

Do this in your toolBookkeeping software
Carry out a close task in the software you use. Product, region and plan details belong beside the instructions. Save the resulting report.

Where can I save the reconciliation report?

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For the person keeping the books

The unit of coverage is an account, a closing task or an adjusting entry. Receivables and payables appear as balances to reconcile and cut off, not as sales or collection campaigns. Payroll appears as a supplied accounting record, not as staff administration.

These guides do not cover accounting-firm growth, industry operations or tax-return preparation. They cannot establish audit assurance or make a reporting-policy choice for a particular business.

What stands behind a guide

Every article’s text is produced locally by an AI writing model. Software links its claims to listed sources. Before release, a second model, supplied by a different AI company, makes one fact check. Writing, editing and rewriting have no human involvement; nobody performs editorial review by hand.

A check date belongs to the sources used for that article. An automated check can overlook an error, and a source may later change. Consult the supporting material before making a consequential entry.