Your first month-end close

A closed month is a promise that these numbers are final. Without one, a stray entry can quietly rewrite last quarter's profit. Closing is how "I think the month is done" becomes something the database enforces.

Open, closed, locked

Each entity has its own monthly periods, so one set of books can be closed through March while a newer entity is still catching up. Every period is in one of three states.

Posting is gated by the entry's date. A posted entry can land only in an open period, and Postgres enforces it with trg_je_period_open, not just the app. A draft dated into a closed month fails at the point of posting.

Close, lock and reopen each write an event to the period's history with who did it and when. That history is append-only.

Prepare the month

Work through these in order. Closing preserves whatever state the month is in, so close a messy month and you have frozen the mess.

1. Import and post. Bring in the month's bank data and post what you approve. See Import bank data.
2. Reconcile every cash and card account. Take each to a zero difference so the reconciliation locks.
3. Resolve drafts and approvals. A period cannot close while it has draft entries or entries awaiting approval. Post them, delete the drafts, or resolve the approvals.
4. Post accruals and adjustments. Enter the journal entries that belong to the month. Memorized entries help with the ones that repeat.
5. Review anomalies. Look over what stands out before you sign off.
6. Preview the statements. Open the profit and loss, balance sheet, trial balance and cash flow for the month while it is still open. The cash flow statement is a simplified first version.

If a number looks wrong now, fix it now, with the period open.

Close the period

Open Periods. Each period has a Checklist button showing how many required tasks are signed off. The standard checklist is:

• Bank reconciliations locked
• Accruals and adjustments posted
• Anomalies reviewed and cleared
• Statements previewed

All four are required. Each sign-off records who signed off and when, and the checklist is frozen once the period is closed.

1. Open the checklist and sign off each task you have really done.
2. Close the period.

Closing is refused, with the reason named, unless:

• there are no draft entries in the period
• no entries are waiting for approval
• the period's posted debits equal its posted credits, summed as exact decimals
• every required checklist task is signed off

Closing does not make a month correct. It records that you checked.

Lock it when it is final. Close first. When the month is filed, reviewed and past any legitimate revision, lock it from the same list. A period must be closed before it can be locked.

Your agent can read the same readiness with al_period_close_status, which explains a period's blockers with evidence. It cannot close or lock the period. Connect your agent covers the scopes.

Produce the packet

With the month closed, bundle its statements for the people who need them.

1. Open Reports and choose Report packet. It defaults to the selected fiscal year; set the period preset or dates to the month.
2. Choose whether to show brands separately or rolled up into their parent entity, and hide any columns you do not need. These choices live in the packet's address and in a cookie, so a shared packet link opens the same view.
3. Review the packet. The combined column applies intercompany elimination across the whole view, and the packet's basis of preparation states the rules and lists any hidden columns.
4. Print it, or share it. A Board pack is available for owners and boards.

Fix a closed month

Posted entries never change. You correct them by adding to the record. There are two honest ways to do it when the month is already closed.

Post a correcting entry in an open month. Enter a new, balanced journal entry dated in the current open period that offsets the mistake and books it correctly. The closed month's reports stay exactly as you filed them, and the audit trail shows what changed and when. This is the default.

Reopen the period, with a reason. An accountant or owner can reopen a closed or locked period. A reason is required, and the reopening is written to the period's history. Then you can reverse or fix the entry, post the right one, and close again.

In an open month, Reverse on a posted entry is the fastest correction. It posts a balancing entry, links the two, and leaves both on the record.

Habit beats cleverness here. Reconcile, review, close, and treat a closed month as closed. Reopening should be rare, and it is always visible.