A month end close checklist for client bookkeeping

Written by the team behind Slipnudge, an unbuilt product idea. We are not accountants. This is general process guidance, not accounting, tax or legal advice. Check anything important with the official source or a professional adviser.

This is a general sequence for closing one client's month. Adapt it to your own software and review process. It is a prompt for your own checklist, not a standard.

Before you start

All statements for the month have been received, for every account.
The document request has been sent, and the cut off date is recorded.
Opening balances agree to the last closed month.

Bank and cash

Statement lines imported or keyed, with no duplicates.
Each line matched to a document or flagged as open.
Transfers between own accounts recorded on both sides.
Bank reconciliation agrees to the statement closing balance.
Credit card and platform accounts reconciled the same way.

Sales and purchases

Sales invoices issued in the month are all recorded.
Supplier invoices received in the month are all recorded.
Invoices that look unpaid are checked against the bank for payments you have not matched.
Credit notes and refunds are linked to the original item.

Review

Large or unusual items have been looked at.
Items that look misclassified, such as personal spending, have been queried.
Any suspense or clearing account balance is explained.
The query list for the client is sent, with owner and date for each item.

Closing

Unresolved items are listed, with the reason and the next step.
Working papers and statements are saved to the client file.
A second person, or you on a later day, has reviewed the work.
The month is closed in the software, and the date and initials recorded.

Related guides

We are considering a tool for this problem and keep an interest list for firms that would want one: see the Slipnudge home page.