Close the Books Process Flow: Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Payroll and Sales Tax

The close-the-books process primarily covers the accounting activities surrounding the closing of the general ledger and all associated ledgers for each accounting period. Activities for closing the books vary significantly from one company to the next.

This particular sample shows the close-the-books process organized by day-to-day activities. Processes in this sample 15-day process flow include: p-card Excel spreadsheet submitted to field locations; revenue accruals booked in accounting system; completed p-card Excel spreadsheet due back at corporate; petty cash batches and bank statements due by noon to corporate; all payables batches posted to accounting system by end of day.

This document should be used as a general guide to understanding and reviewing this business process. Organizations should customize this tool to ensure that it reflects their business operations and continuously monitor the process to ensure that the steps described are accurate.