Free month-end close checklist
Close the books the same way every month.
A sequenced month-end close checklist for accounting and bookkeeping firms — with a clear path for every exception, not just a flat list of tasks.
Built for firms of 5–50 staff · British practice · works with PathPilot
How the close actually branches
No
Yes
If this is your close
A checklist tells you what to do. It can't tell you what to do when something's wrong.
Most firms run month-end on a flat list copied between clients. It holds until the first exception — then the process lives in one person's head.
Close dates slip
Working day five becomes working day twelve. No two clients close on the same rhythm, and nobody can see where the bottleneck is.
Partners do junior work
The senior reviewer ends up chasing reconciliations because the steps and sign-offs aren't written down anywhere a junior can follow.
No audit trail
When a figure is queried three months later, there's no record of who reviewed what, which accrual was posted, or why.
What's inside
The free month-end close checklist
A six-phase close sequence you can run this month — with one worked decision branch so you can see how exceptions get a path, not a panic.
Cut-off & preparation
Lock the period, confirm what's in scope, gather records.
Reconciliations
Bank, control accounts, intercompany — with a threshold rule.
Accruals & prepayments
Recognise unbilled work and spread costs to the right period.
Review & variance
Compare to prior period and budget; investigate breaches.
Reporting & sign-off
Issue management accounts; record who approved what.
Lock & handover
Close the period, file the workpapers, note carry-forwards.
Free download
Get the month-end close checklist
Editable and print-ready. No card, no catch — just the checklist your firm can put to work this close. We'll send a couple of follow-up notes on tightening the process; unsubscribe any time.
Why it works
A document tells you the process. PathPilot runs it.
The checklist is the starting point. The same branching close — every reconciliation, accrual and exception path — imports straight into PathPilot, where it becomes a live workflow your whole team runs, with every step tracked and every sign-off recorded. That's how a close stops living in one person's head.
Want the complete system?
When a checklist isn't enough.
The Month-End Close System gives you SOPs for every phase, a decision tree for every exception, a close timetable, a reviewer sign-off pack — and a PathPilot import.
See the complete system →