Close the Books and Build Reports

Book Close coordinates the final review sequence. Define the period and report recipients first, start a close run, then use linked client tasks, readiness signals, reviewer decision, and history as the control record.

1. Finish source and transaction work

In Banking, confirm source coverage and resolve the intended period's transactions. Review posted, uncategorized, and excluded rows, including client questions and possible duplicates. Check A/R, A/P, fixed assets, and recurring journals when those records affect the close.

Use the client-book workflow for the complete pre-close loop.

2. Reconcile statement accounts

Open Reconciliation and enter the statement opening and ending context. For bank accounts, clear Checks and Payments and Deposits and Other Credits against the source. For credit-card accounts, clear Charges and Cash Advances and Payments and Credits.

Resolve the reconciliation difference to one cent or less before choosing Save report. A larger difference remains in the local draft. Use Investigate, correct the underlying activity, and preserve supporting notes before continuing. See Reconciliation.

Select Save report before switching devices or browsers. A saved report can be exported to PDF or Excel. Editing or deleting a journal included in the report can make it disagree with the current general ledger.

3. Review journals and adjustments

Use Journal Entries to inspect dates, accounts, debits, credits, memos, payees, tags, AJE status, and evidence. Review imported and connected-system differences before approval. Check Recurring Journals for due or paused schedules and possible duplicate journals.

Post approved adjustments while the period remains open, then rerun affected reconciliations and reports.

4. Validate financial reports

Run Profit and Loss, Balance Sheet, and General Ledger for the exact close range and compare them with the previous period and known business events. Open Customize Sidebar to show reports hidden by default, including AJE, Trial Balance, Account-Vendor, Custom Reports, Cash Flow, and Income Tax Summary.

Use Financial Reports for report controls and exports. Build a reusable delivery package under Client Reports when the client needs several reports together.

5. Complete and submit the close

Open Book Close, choose the month or configured reporting period, and start the close run. Finish the linked client tasks through the existing Tasks surfaces and follow readiness exceptions back to Banking, Shared Files, Client Work, or Reconciliation.

Complete or archive every linked client task, then choose Submit for review. A Manager or Owner can request changes with a note or approve the close. A premature submission can return to In progress, and a Manager or Owner can undo an accidental approval without deleting the history. After approval, Close & lock books creates the journal-period lock.

Closing blocks journal creation, edits, deletions, posting, and unposting inside the range. It does not create an entry, reconcile an account, publish a package, or prove the reports are correct. See Book Close.

6. Deliver and record the handoff

Record the final date range, adjustments, readiness exceptions accepted by the reviewer, package recipient, and closed-by details. Export evidence required by firm policy. The close history preserves checklist and sign-off events, but the generated client PDF is still a point-in-time artifact.

If a post-close correction is approved, have a Manager or Owner enter a reopen reason, make the smallest supported correction, repeat affected checklist work and reports, resubmit, approve, and lock the range again. Reopening does not restore an earlier ledger state.