Month-end close checklist for bookkeepers

A repeatable close keeps you from re-deciding the order every month. This checklist is for an independent bookkeeper working across several small-business clients. Adapt it to your software, and to what each engagement covers.

Before the month ends

1. Tell clients the cutoff. A reminder a few days before month end ("send me anything outstanding by the 5th") shortens the chase later.
2. Check that bank and card feeds are connected and that none have dropped or expired.

Day 1: gather

1. Pull the statements or confirm the feeds are complete through the last day of the month.
2. List the transactions with no receipt or support. Filter for items over your agreed threshold.
3. Send the receipt request to each client as a single message with a specific list. See the templates.

Days 2 to 7: record and reconcile

1. Categorize the transactions you can classify with confidence. Leave the unclear ones flagged for the client instead of guessing.
2. Reconcile bank and card accounts to the statements. Investigate differences before you move on.
3. Review accounts receivable and payable for anything stale or unusual.
4. Check clearing and suspense accounts for balances that should be zero.
5. Record recurring entries such as depreciation or prepaid expense changes where your engagement includes them.

Days 7 to 14: chase and review

1. Remind clients who still owe items, and no one else.
2. Match incoming receipts to transactions. Check the amount, date and vendor. If anything looks off, ask. See no receipt for the fallback.
3. Run a quick reasonableness review: compare the month to the prior month and to the same month last year. Look for missing recurring charges, duplicates and unusually large swings.

Day 15 onward: close and report

1. Post what you have. Items still without support go to an uncategorized account with a note, as agreed with the client.
2. Lock the period if your software allows it, so numbers do not change under you.
3. Send the monthly package: the reports your engagement covers, plus a short list of open items.
4. Note what slowed you down. If one client is always late, change the policy, not just the reminder.

The receipt step is where closes stall

Most of the delay in a close comes from waiting on clients, and the cure is to ask earlier and more specifically. Starting from the unmatched transactions on day 1, not day 8, can move your whole close forward. Paperwork Butler automates that step: it builds the chase list from your unmatched transactions, emails the client, and matches replies for you to approve.

For wording and cadence, see how to get receipts from clients without nagging.

More guides

• How to Get Receipts From Clients (Without Nagging Every Month)
• Missing Receipt Request Email Template for Bookkeepers
• What to Do When a Client Has No Receipt
• How Long to Keep Business Receipts and Records (IRS Guidance)
• How to Chase Receipts by Text Message (Without Being Annoying)
• Client Receipt Policy Template for Bookkeepers
• Hubdoc Alternatives for Solo Bookkeepers: How to Choose