Month-End Close Checklist & Workbook for SMBs

A month-end close checklist and workbook for small business owners — 66 tasks across 10 sections with plain-English guidance on what to do, why it matters, and how to do it.

Who it's for: Small business owners who do their own books, or clients who want to understand what their bookkeeper should be doing every month.

Here's what's in the workbook:

📋 How to Use — Orientation tab with a status key, instructions, and tips for saving a monthly copy.

✅ Monthly Checklist — A STATUS dropdown on every row (To Do, Done, In Progress, Needs Attention, Skip). Fill-in fields for name, business, and month at the top.

The 10 sections flow in the right order: Gather Documents → Bank Reconciliation → Income/AR → Expenses/AP → Payroll → Inventory → Loans & Sales Tax → Final Cleanup → Run Reports → Close & File.

🏦 Bank Reconciliation — A working reconciliation worksheet with formulas. Enter the bank statement balance and book balance, list deposits in transit and outstanding checks, and the sheet calculates whether they're balanced (difference shows as $0.00 when done right).

📚 Quick Reference — Common expense categories with descriptions, federal US tax deadlines, and a red flags section covering the most common mistakes business owners make without realizing it.