DeepLedgerA useful month-end close produces a reviewed set of books and a record of what remains unresolved. Pulling reports is one step. Someone still needs to establish that the underlying records are complete and decide how to handle exceptions.
Use this QuickBooks Online checklist for one company and one month at a time. If several months are missing, begin with the catch-up bookkeeping guide.
Set the scope before pulling reports
Record the company, period end, accounting basis and reviewer. For a September close, the P&L covers September 1–30; the balance sheet and aging reports are as of September 30. A report run with today's date can include later activity and answer a different question.
Save a copy of the initial reports before correcting anything. Keep a list of expected bank accounts, cards and other source records so an absent statement is visible rather than silently omitted.
Work through the checklist
| Check | Evidence to retain | What prevents sign-off |
|---|---|---|
| Source records are complete | Statements, receipts, bills and sales records for the period | Missing account, statement or material document |
| Bank and card balances are reconciled | QuickBooks reconciliation reports and matching statements | Unexplained difference or changed opening balance |
| Receivables are explained | Aging report and notes on old or disputed balances | Payment recorded as new income, unexplained credit or stale balance |
| Payables are explained | Aging report and supporting vendor documents | Missing bill, duplicate record or payment linked incorrectly |
| Unclear categories are reviewed | Transaction detail and decisions on unresolved entries | Unsupported category, transfer treated as income or missing evidence |
| Financial reports agree with the reviewed records | Dated P&L, balance sheet and variance explanations | Unexplained movement or inconsistent report settings |
| Adjustments are authorized and verified | Source calculation, approval and resulting transaction | Proposed entry treated as a completed write |
| Exceptions and closing decision are recorded | Owner, next action, due date and reviewer decision | No accountable person for an unresolved item |
Copy this table into your monthly working file and add columns for owner, status and evidence link. A status such as “waiting for statement” is more informative than checking a box because a report was downloaded.
Reconcile accounts in QuickBooks
Compare each statement with the corresponding account and retain the reconciliation report. Our QuickBooks reconciliation guide separates statement matching, unresolved differences and finishing reconciliation in QuickBooks.
A bank-feed match is not the same as completed reconciliation. A zero difference also does not prove every expense has the right category or business purpose. Those require their own review.
An AI agent can organize the supporting evidence. It cannot substitute a “done” message for the reconciliation result stored in QuickBooks.
Review aging and unusual transactions
Ask for bounded, readable lists:
For the verified company, retrieve receivables and payables aging as of September 30, 2026. List the oldest open balances with their customer or vendor and supporting record identifiers. Separate facts returned by QuickBooks from questions needing review. Do not change or send anything.
Check whether payments, credits and deposits explain apparently overdue items. An old balance is a review candidate, not automatic authority to write it off. Use the duplicate-record guide when two entries may describe the same event.
For categorization, inspect the original record and its evidence. The uncategorized-transactions guide explains why downloaded items and already-posted entries need different treatment.
Explain the month before approving adjustments
Compare September and August 2026 P&L reports for this company on the same accounting basis. Show dollar and percentage changes. Mark percentage change unavailable when the prior value is zero. Identify the transactions supporting the largest changes and list missing evidence. Do not record adjustments.
The P&L review guide shows how to check the arithmetic and trace differences. The goal is an explanation supported by records, not a plausible story about why an expense moved.
For example, a fictional September review might show software costs rising by $1,200. Opening the supporting bill could reveal an annual subscription. That finding does not itself authorize a deferral entry. The reviewer decides the treatment and documents the calculation before any journal entry is recorded.
Record the closing decision
List each unresolved issue, its owner and next action. Distinguish an item accepted by the reviewer from one never investigated. Save the approved reports and evidence together.
If your process uses a QuickBooks closing date, an authorized administrator should manage that setting after review. Intuit documents closing-date administration and the Exceptions to Closing Date report. A closing date is a control to review, not a guarantee that later changes are impossible.
For a first DeepLedger session, retrieve the reports and prepare an exception list. Keep any requested corrections separate, with approval and verification of what QuickBooks actually stored.
Frequently asked questions
Can AI close the month in QuickBooks automatically?
An AI agent can retrieve reports and prepare review questions. That does not establish that the books are complete, finish QuickBooks reconciliation or replace the responsible person's sign-off.
Which reports should I review at month-end?
Start with the profit and loss, balance sheet, receivables and payables aging, relevant transaction detail and reconciliation reports. Use the same company, period and accounting basis, and add reports appropriate to your business.
Is month-end close the same as catch-up bookkeeping?
No. A monthly close reviews a current period. Catch-up work first reconstructs missing records across earlier periods before those months can be reviewed.