Expert accounting tips for your month-end close process

The accounts of the income statement are generally reviewed for reasonableness by comparing amounts to prior periods and analyzing ratios. However, the accounts of the balance sheet are compared to actual totals of items counted (cash, receivables, inventory, payables, fixed assets, etc.). To keep the accounts clean and tidy each month is a choice that finance teams make .

• Choose the best expense management system to track business spending and to close your monthly accounting books faster.
• This simple step could help you achieve an optimal balance between financial data collection and reporting detail.
• These tasks are not visible to the wider finance function and can be completely disconnected from the underlying monthly closing process they are responsible for.
• Spend your time wisely, and be confident that you’re gaining knowledge straight from the source.
• But, business leaders want to streamline and make the process faster as the month-end close numbers act as a starting point for the plans for the upcoming months.

Since month-end closing is a routine activity, every time you encounter a roadblock or problem, note it down and try to address it effectively. For example, if collecting data takes more time than planned, try to keep everything organized throughout the month. You could also look at investing in automation solutions that support data aggregation and segmentation. The month-end closing process is complicated and might vary for every business.

What are the steps in the month-end close process?

It’s time to embrace modern accounting technology to save time, reduce risk, and create capacity to focus your time on what matters most. BlackLine’s foundation for modern accounting creates a streamlined and automated close. We’re dedicated to delivering the most value in the shortest amount of time, equipping you to not only control close chaos, but also foster F&A excellence. Improve the prioritization of customer calls, reduce days sales outstanding, and watch productivity rise with more dynamic, accurate, and smarter collection management processes. Using Google Sheets and Layer, you can set up data collection forms and use templates for different types of financial documents you need.

Understand customer data and performance behaviors to minimize the risk of bad debt and the impact of late payments. Monitor changes in real time to identify and analyze customer risk signals. This ensures that your financial statements are accurate and up-to-date. The month-end close process is an essential part of financial accounting. In this post, we’ll break down the month-end close process and explain why it’s such an essential ritual for businesses and how you can help make the process go more smoothly. Accounts PayableCheck if the total of accounts payable aging report is the same as the balance on the trial balance.Review if there are any unapplied credits on accounts payable aging.

What are Month End Process Flowchart Best Practices?

If you’re fighting for time, aim to catch up with your reconciliation ahead of the month end close process. With a month-end closing checklist and a bookkeeping habit, you can scale the summit with ease and manage your finances well.

It is this first mile where there is the potential to make huge improvements in the efficiency, speed and accuracy of the entire record-to-report process. Accounting systems automate the process of closing entries within a few clicks, but this is only possible with accurate recording of transactions. An accounts payable solution ensures that all payables are recorded at the point of transaction, removing manual data entry and errors that https://www.bookstime.com/ cause delays in the closing process. Your accounting and finance teams know the rhythm of the business, such as when vendors pay invoices and when your company pays their expenses . Lean on these teams to set the timeline for overall review, including checking automated figures. While reviewers are noted throughout the process, Vasco schedules an overall review of the report around Day Six to account for any potential inaccuracies.

How long does the month-end close process take?

If this is the case, make sure you write down your purchases and organize receipts. That way, you can keep your accounts payable in tip-top shape for your monthly close. For business owners with no expertise in this area, you might consider partnering with an experienced accountant or accounting firm for chart of account set-up. This simple step could help you achieve an optimal balance between financial data collection and reporting detail. Too much detail in your financial reporting can also lead to delays in the month-end close. That may include a bloated chart of accounts where much time is spent tracking information, but where the reporting against it provides little business value.

• Topics covered in these documents are typically a summary of the general ledger, profit and loss statements, and balance sheets.
• From collecting data to reconciling accounts, automation can speed up the workflows drastically.
• If you have accounting software, you can generate these reports easily and avoid a ton of manual work.
• Review your accounts receivable to see if your customers are paying within the agreed credit term.
• Department heads know what tools and systems they need to be successful–and these tools and systems can be changed or updated between month-end closes.

More importantly, staying on top of your financial data will help you achieve your long-term business goals. Communicate your plans to other team members involved in the month end closing process to get everyone on board.

But trying to chase down updates in Slack messages, via email, or in person can slow you down. Business partners are no longer content with long reporting cycles—they want faster insights from financial information.

• You could also look at investing in automation solutions that support data aggregation and segmentation.
• Accounting professionals are able to verify that best practices are being followed and can trace back responsibility whenever mistakes are made.
• The time it takes to perform the account close process varies by organisation.
• There is so much work to get done, but with advanced technology, accountants may work faster by starting on some of the tasks before the period concludes.

That way, you can also spot any suspicious activities without delay. Check the ending balances, deposits, and withdrawals of your bank statements against your cash book. Here’s our month-end close checklist to help you organize your workflows. Software easily month end closing process records closing activities, who performed them, and what time, resulting in a convenient audit trail. Accounting professionals are able to verify that best practices are being followed and can trace back responsibility whenever mistakes are made.