Free checklist · Excel

Group month-end close checklist

What it is

This free Excel checklist lays out a five-day group close task by task, with an owner, a company and a due date for each. Due dates follow the month-end date you enter, and a progress sheet shows the percentage complete for each day. It is built for groups of 3 to 30 companies.

What’s inside

Thirty tasks, from the week before month-end to locking the month on day 5.
An owner and a company for every task, ready to rename.
Due dates worked out from the month-end date, skipping weekends and your holidays.
A Yes or No for each task, with late tasks shown in red.
A progress sheet with the percentage complete for each day and for the whole close.

Three of the 30 tasks, as they appear in the checklist

Stage	Task	Owner	Done
Day 1: books in	Reconcile bank and cash accounts to the statements	Subsidiary accountant	Yes
Day 2: mapped	Compare every intercompany pair and list the differences above the threshold	Group controller	No
Day 4: eliminate	Eliminate the agreed intercompany balances and transactions	Group controller	No

How to use it

Enter the month-end date. Every due date is worked out from it, skipping weekends and the holidays you list.
Put real names in the Owner and Company columns, and copy a task’s row once for each company that needs it.
Set Done to Yes as each task finishes. Tasks that are late and not done show in red.
Read the Progress sheet for the percentage complete for each day and for the whole close.

Who is it for?

Group controllers and finance heads who close three to thirty companies each month and want one list that every accountant works from. The tasks follow the five-day group close. Change the days and owners to suit your own calendar. When the list grows too long to chase by hand, Finconsol’s close controls keep the steps and the lock in one place.

Questions

Can I change the number of days?

Yes. The working day for each task is a number in column B. Change it, and the due date follows. Negative numbers are days before month-end.

Does it work for a close longer than five days?

Yes. Move the later tasks to a higher working day. The Progress sheet lists the stages found on the checklist, so add a row there if you create a new stage.

Do I need Excel?

The file uses standard formulas and opens in Excel, LibreOffice and Google Sheets. Check the due dates after opening it in a different program.

See your group in one picture

Thirty minutes, on a group shaped like yours.

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