Month-end close
Closing a month in Evenbead: a checklist computed from the books, an agent's pre-review, sign-off by a preparer and a different reviewer, and a period lock so nothing changes the month afterwards. (Checked against the app on 2026-10-18.)
The checklist
Open Close in a company (inside a client, for a firm). The page shows the month, how many checks are done, and each check with what it found and a link to fix it:
| Check | Done when |
|---|---|
| Bank and card accounts reconciled | Every account has a statement reconciled through the month's end |
| Proposal queue cleared | No proposal dated in the month is waiting |
| No old money on account | No unapplied payment older than the days you allow |
| AR and AP aging tie out | The aging reports equal their control accounts |
| Sales tax reviewed | A person reviewed the month's sales-tax liability (when you collect sales tax) |
| Period locked | The month is locked |
Nobody checks these off by hand: each is computed from the books as they are now, so Check again after you fix something. Close packet (PDF) puts the checklist, trial balance, P&L, balance sheet, cash flow, aging and the month's reconciliations in one file.
The agent's pre-review
Where a close agent works for the company (for example your firm's close assistant), it reviews the month and leaves notes: Agent pre-review, with its verdict and any flags. Select Open notes to read them. The agent can't sign the month off; your sign-off records whether you opened its notes.
Sign-off
- If the company collects sales tax, review the liability by agency and select I reviewed it.
- The preparer signs off (Sign off as preparer), then someone else, the reviewer, signs off (Sign off as reviewer). The reviewer must be a different person from the preparer. A reviewer can sign off while a check still fails only by giving a reason, which goes in the audit log.
Agents never sign off as reviewer. A company can let an agent sign off as preparer (its close settings); a person always reviews.
Lock the period
Once every check passes, Lock the period offers two kinds of lock, with a reason:
- Soft lock: agents stop posting in the month; people can still post, but are warned and must give a reason.
- Hard lock: nobody posts. Only the owner or a CPA of the company can reopen it.
Select Close the period. To change something later, Reopen the month with a reason (in the audit log); the sign-offs stay on the record. You can see and change every month's status in Settings, Periods.
For firms: every client at once
The firm console's Close page shows every client for one month: its checklist, who prepares and who reviews, and where its close stands. Select clients and use With the selected clients to sign off as preparer or reviewer, lock the period, or download close packets together. Each runs separately in its client, as you, and is recorded in that client's audit log.
Next
- Reconciliation: the first item on the checklist.
- Approving agent proposals: clearing the queue.