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Free Month-End Close Checklist Template (with Automation Notes)
A free month-end close checklist template for small businesses, bookkeepers, and nonprofits: 29 steps in order, with typical timing. 22 of them link to a free workflow that can automate part of the work.
Download Excel (.xlsx) Download CSV (Google Sheets)
No signup needed. To use it in Google Sheets, open the CSV with File → Import. The spreadsheet has columns for owner, due date, done, reviewer, and notes.
The checklist
| Step | Typical timing | Automation idea |
|---|---|---|
| Before close | ||
| Send timesheet reminders to staff | Last 2 business days of the month | Remind staff to submit timesheets (Make) |
| Chase missing receipts for card spend | Last week of the month | Chase missing receipts for card spend in Xero (Make) Tested |
| Create this month's close task list and owners | Day 1 | Create your month-end close checklist automatically (Make) |
| Cash | ||
| Download bank and credit card statements | Day 1 | Manual |
| Clear uncategorized transactions in the bank feed | Day 1-2 | Weekly reminder to clear unreconciled Xero bank transactions (Make) Tested |
| Review AI-suggested GL codes for card transactions | Day 1-2 | Get AI-suggested GL codes for card transactions (n8n) |
| Reconcile every bank and credit card account to the statement | Day 2-3 | Match a bank CSV against the ledger in a sheet (n8n) |
| Review large or unusual bank transactions | Day 2-3 | Get Slack alerts for large bank transactions (Zapier) |
| Accounts receivable | ||
| Confirm all invoices for the month are issued | Day 1-2 | Turn a signed order form into a QuickBooks invoice (Make) |
| Apply customer payments to open invoices | Day 2 | Record Stripe payments against Xero invoices (n8n) |
| Review AR aging and follow up on overdue invoices | Day 2-3 | Weekly AR Aging Report from QuickBooks Online, Emailed Automatically (Make) Tested |
| Draft reminders for past-due customers | Day 2-3 | QuickBooks Online Overdue Invoice Reminders: Automate with Make Tested |
| Assess bad debt / allowance | Day 3 | Manual |
| Accounts payable | ||
| Enter all vendor bills received for the month | Day 1-2 | Turn emailed vendor invoices into QuickBooks bills (n8n) |
| Check for duplicate bills before the pay run | Day 2 | How to Catch Duplicate Bills in QuickBooks Online (Free Make Automation) Tested |
| Review AP aging and bills due next week | Day 2-3 | Weekly Xero Cash and Bills-to-Pay Report (Automated with Make) Tested |
| Collect W-9s from new vendors | Ongoing | Track missing W-9s for new vendors (Make) |
| Payroll | ||
| Record payroll and reconcile payroll liabilities | Day 2-3 | Log every Gusto payroll run in a sheet (Zapier) |
| Allocate payroll by department, program, or grant | Day 3 | Split payroll costs by program or grant (n8n) |
| Accruals and adjustments | ||
| Book recurring accruals and prepaid amortization | Day 3 | Remind yourself of recurring accruals (Zapier) |
| Record depreciation | Day 3 | Manual |
| Reconcile balance sheet accounts (prepaids, accruals, loans, equity) | Day 3-4 | Manual |
| Review and post adjusting journal entries | Day 4 | Manual |
| Review and reporting | ||
| Run flux / variance analysis and write commentary | Day 4 | Draft variance (flux) commentary with AI (n8n) |
| Compare grants budget vs. actual (nonprofits) | Day 4 | Monthly grant budget vs. actual (Make) |
| Reviewer sign-off on reconciliations and entries | Day 4-5 | Manual |
| Prepare and send the financial statement / board packet | Day 5 | Assemble a monthly board report packet (Make) |
| Update the close status board | Throughout | Keep a close status board up to date (Make) |
| Lock the period (set closing date) in the accounting system | Day 5 | Manual |
"Typical timing" is a common pattern for a 5-business-day close, not a rule. Recipes marked Tested were run on sandbox or demo data on the date shown on their page; the others haven't been tested by us yet. Automations should draft, flag, or remind, and a person should still review and approve anything that hits the ledger.
How to use it
- Download the template and delete steps that don't apply to your entity.
- Assign an owner and a due date to each step.
- Pick one automatable step a month to automate, starting with the ones marked Tested.
- Have a reviewer sign off before you lock the period.
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