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Close the month in the books

money.month-close·version 1.0.0·draft2 to verify

Close the month in the books

Every bank line, invoice and payroll entry for the month is recorded and matched, the period is closed with the owner's approval, and the owner gets a one-page result.

AnnaAccountantruns itProfile ›
Whenscheduled · monthly — first working days of the next month — the previous month's books must close
Who actsthe agent acts after approval
Time60–120 min active across 2–3 days; waits on missing documents
CountryLatvia
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When to use

Every month, for every company that keeps books in Brain Club. Not for the VAT return itself — that is money.vat-return-lv, which runs after this close using the data it produces. Not for the annual report — that is money.annual-report-lv, which consumes twelve closed months. If a bank line cannot be matched, do not force it here; leave it open and note it.

Before you start

  • The month to close is named, and no earlier month is still open.
  • Bank access works for every account (bank feeds or exported statements).
  • The payroll run for the month is confirmed done, or "no payroll this month" is recorded.
  • A closing checklist for the company exists (which accounts, which recurring items, which accruals).

What a run requires2

  • Approval · S8 · ownerthe run stops until a named person records the decision
  • Irreversible · S8an agent never closes it alone

Any step can wait until a date and reopens by itself; every closed step leaves evidence (a note, a link, a number).

The trail9 steps

  1. Open the checklist and list what is missingagent

    Start from the company's closing checklist; compare known invoices, receipts and bank activity against what is recorded.

    Done when a written list exists of every document still missing and from whom.

  2. Chase missing documentsagent

    Ask each supplier and each employee for the missing documents; record each request in the tasks module with a due date.

    Done when every missing item has an owner and a date, or is flagged as "will not arrive this month" for the owner to see in S8.

  3. Reconcile every bank accountagent

    Match each bank line to an invoice, receipt, payroll entry or transfer; the unmatched lines get a written explanation (who, what, when it will resolve).

    Done when the bank module shows zero unmatched lines for the month, or every open line has an explanation.

  4. Post what the bank revealedagent

    Record the invoices and receipts found in S3 that were never entered: supplier invoices, expenses, internal transfers.

    Done when every posted entry has a document attached or a note saying which document is pending.

  5. Verify payroll postingsagent

    Check the month's salary costs, withholding and employer contributions appear in the books and match the payroll run. ⚠ verify current submission deadlines and rates on vid.gov.lv before relying on any figure from memory.

    Done when payroll totals in the books equal the payroll run's totals.

  6. Post accruals, prepayments and depreciationagent

    Apply the company's recurring adjustments: unused vacation accrual, prepaid services split by month, asset depreciation. ⚠ verify the company's depreciation method and rates against its accounting policy and likumi.lv.

    Done when each recurring adjustment for the month is posted and dated in the month.

  7. Draft the month resultagent

    One page: revenue, direct costs, overheads, cash position, receivables and payables, tax-relevant totals for money.vat-return-lv.

    Done when the draft is written and every number traces to a posting or a matched bank line.

  8. Review and close the periodownerneeds approval · ownerirreversible

    Approval · S8 · owner — the run stops until a named person records the decision

    Irreversible · S8 — an agent never closes it alone

    The owner reads the draft result and any open lines from S3, then approves closing the month.

    Done when the owner has named the month as closed and the books mark the period locked.

    ⛔ After close, corrections go through a dated reopening note approved by the owner — never a silent edit.

  9. Record and hand backagent

    File the month result, the checklist with its missing-document list, and the close date; set a task for money.vat-return-lv if the company is a VAT payer.

    Done when the next person can find the closed month, its result and its open items in one place.

Checks — how we know it worked

  • Zero unmatched bank lines, or every open line has a written explanation and a date.
  • Payroll totals in the books equal the payroll run, to the cent.
  • The month result's revenue and costs reconcile to the ledger total for the period.
  • The period shows as closed, and no posting in the month is dated after the close.
  • The VAT-relevant totals exist and are labelled, whether or not the return runs now.

If it goes wrong

SymptomResponse
Supplier invoice never arrivesRecord the amount from the bank line with "invoice pending" and the request date; do not invent a counterparty split.
Bank line matches nothingDo not park it in a suspense account silently — write who it might be, ask, and list it for the owner in S8.
Payroll run was skippedStop before S8; run or confirm money.payroll-run first — a closed month with no salary posting is the costliest rework.
Error found after closeDraft a dated reopening note, get the owner's approval, correct, re-close; record both dates.
Owner wants to close with open itemsAllowed only if each open item is written down with amount, cause and resolution date — the close records them, not hides them.

What each step leaves behind

  1. S1a written list exists of every document still missing and from whom.
  2. S2every missing item has an owner and a date, or is flagged as "will not arrive this month" for the owner to see in S8.
  3. S3the bank module shows zero unmatched lines for the month, or every open line has an explanation.
  4. S4every posted entry has a document attached or a note saying which document is pending.
  5. S5payroll totals in the books equal the payroll run's totals.
  6. S6each recurring adjustment for the month is posted and dated in the month.
  7. S7the draft is written and every number traces to a posting or a matched bank line.
  8. S8the owner has named the month as closed and the books mark the period locked.
  9. S9the next person can find the closed month, its result and its open items in one place.

Evidence to keep

The closing checklist for the month · the unmatched-lines list with explanations · the month result as approved · the owner's close approval (who, when) · any reopening notes with both dates · the VAT-relevant totals handed to money.vat-return-lv.

How this playbook improves

After every 6 runs ask: how many days from month end to close, and which step waited longest (usually S2)? Did any closed month need reopening, and why? Did any open item at close stay unresolved past its date? A new version changes the step that caused the wait or the rework, and says so in its change note.