Close process
What this page is for: when the books are trustworthy, what "closed" means, and who signs off.
Last reviewed: 2026-10-15, by Head of Finance
Calendar
Business days (BD) after month end.
| BD | Task | Owner | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|
| BD1 | Ramp and bank feeds categorized in QuickBooks | Accounting firm | |
| BD2 | Stripe revenue and deferred revenue entries | Accounting firm | |
| BD3 | Bank and card reconciliations | Accounting firm | skills/bank-reconciliation/ |
| BD4 | Accruals and prepaid amortization | Accounting firm | skills/usage-accrual/, skills/prepaid-amortization/ |
| BD5 | Payroll and stock comp entries | Accounting firm | |
| BD6 | Flux review | Head of Finance | |
| BD8 | Close sign-off, period locked, reporting package to CEO | Head of Finance |
What "closed" means
Every balance-sheet account reconciled, every manual JE approved, clearing accounts at zero, flux explained, and the period locked in QuickBooks.
Claude treats a month as open until all of that is true, and says so when asked about an open month's numbers.
Flux review
- Threshold: Any P&L line that moves more than $5,000 and 10% month over month.
- Comparison: Prior month, and the 2026 Operating Plan v3.
- Who reviews: Head of Finance.
Sign-off
| Step | Who | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Each JE and rec approved | Head of Finance (never the preparer) | Sign-off block on the workpaper |
| Close signed off | Head of Finance | Note in the close checklist |
| Period locked | Head of Finance | QuickBooks closing date set |
Where the close lives
- Checklist: Google Sheets,
Finance/Close/Close Checklist 2026 - Workpapers: Google Drive,
Finance/Close/YYYY-MM/ - Reporting package: Google Slides, sent to the CEO by BD8 and to the board quarterly