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    Year-end close checklist.

    Everything to button up before you file and before your board sees the numbers. Work through it below, or get the printable version with a close timeline you can run every year.

    Cash and bank

    • Reconcile every bank and credit-card account to its December statement
    • Clear out uncategorized and ask-my-accountant transactions
    • Confirm Stripe and other clearing accounts net to zero

    Revenue

    • Tie recognized revenue to your billing system (Stripe, etc.)
    • Recognize or roll forward deferred revenue correctly
    • Record refunds, credits, and discounts in the right period

    AR and AP

    • Confirm open invoices are real and collectible; write off bad debt
    • Enter all vendor bills received for the year
    • Accrue expenses incurred but not yet billed

    Payroll and people

    • Reconcile payroll to your provider and to the bank
    • Accrue unpaid wages, bonuses, and PTO if material
    • Collect W-9s and confirm 1099 amounts for contractors

    Assets and prepaids

    • Capitalize purchases above your fixed-asset threshold
    • Record depreciation and amortization for the year
    • Amortize prepaid expenses down to the correct balance

    Equity and financing

    • Record SAFEs, convertible notes, and new equity issuances
    • Reconcile the cap table to the books
    • Record stock-based compensation expense if applicable

    Tax prep

    • Confirm legal entity, EIN, and state registrations
    • Gather R&D credit documentation (payroll, contracts, projects)
    • Estimate the federal and state liability before filing

    Reporting and lock

    • Produce the P&L, balance sheet, and cash flow statement
    • Review for reasonableness against budget and prior year
    • Lock the period so the numbers cannot drift

    Get the printable checklist

    We'll email you the full checklist plus a week-by-week close timeline you can reuse every year. No spam.

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    Or close monthly with us and never scramble at year-end again.

    Median works your books through the month and closes them every month, so year-end is just one more clean close. A real accountant is on your books the whole way.