What to Do Now to Make Year-End Close Easier

There’s something about the words “year-end close” that makes even experienced business owners tense up. It’s that mental image of endless reconciliations, missing receipts, and trying to piece together twelve months of activity in the last two weeks of the year.

The truth? Year-end only feels hard when you leave it until the end. The smartest move you can make right now is to do a little bit early — so that December becomes a month of confidence, not chaos.

Here’s what you can do today to make your year-end close smoother, faster, and far less stressful.

Clean Up the Little Things Before They Grow

The biggest roadblocks at year-end usually start as tiny issues that no one fixed in the moment — small discrepancies, uncategorized expenses, unreconciled accounts. They don’t seem like a big deal in April or July, but they add up fast.

Take a few hours to:

• Reconcile your accounts through the latest month.
• Fix any uncategorized transactions sitting in your books.
• Review vendor payments and outstanding bills.
• Double-check payroll and tax deductions.

You don’t need to overhaul everything — you just need to remove the friction that would otherwise snowball later. Think of it as tidying your financial “workspace” before the rush begins.

Get Ahead on Documentation

When tax season comes, you’ll thank yourself for being organized now. Start gathering key records — invoices, receipts, W-9s, loan documents, bank statements — and store them digitally. Make sure everything is named clearly and accessible in one place.

If you’re using accounting software (and you should be), scan or upload documents directly into it. That way, everything is linked and searchable — no more hunting through folders or email attachments in January.

A few hours of prep now can save days of stress later.

Review Your Revenue and Expenses

It’s not just about closing the books — it’s about understanding what they’re telling you. Take time to review your income statement and balance sheet before year-end. Look for:

• Revenue trends — are you ahead or behind projections?
• Expense patterns — where did costs spike or drop?
• Profit margins — are you earning enough on what you sell?

These insights help you make smart end-of-year decisions: prepaying expenses, pushing new projects, or timing purchases to optimize your cash flow and tax position.

Forecast the Finish

A smooth close isn’t just about cleaning up the past; it’s about predicting what’s next. Build a quick cash flow forecast for the remaining months of the year.

Ask yourself:

• What payments are still due before December?
• Are there major expenses or bonuses coming up?
• Will you have enough cash on hand to cover year-end obligations?

Even a simple projection helps you spot potential shortfalls early — giving you time to adjust instead of react.

Decide What You’ll Delegate

If you’re still doing everything yourself, year-end is when that habit hurts the most. Decide what parts of the process you can (and should) hand off — bookkeeping, reconciliation, payroll, or tax prep.

A professional accounting partner like Decimal doesn’t just take tasks off your plate; it keeps your financials accurate, consistent, and ready all year long. By the time others are panicking over deadlines, your books are already closed — clean, compliant, and actionable.

Start Now, Breathe Later

The easiest year-end close is the one that doesn’t feel like a close at all — because you’ve been preparing for it without realizing it. A few proactive steps now can save you dozens of hours and a lot of stress later.

Let December be about strategy and celebration, not spreadsheets.

Start early, stay organized, and finish the year strong with Decimal. www.decimal.com