Pre-Close Health Check
Verify Data Integrity run and reviewed, and subledgers compared with the general ledger, so problems are found before the close and not after.
PCLaw Services
PCLaw Year-End Closing, Done Right
Year-end is the one PCLaw task most firms do only once a year, and the one where a mistake is hardest to undo. We check your data, reconcile your accounts, run the close with you and confirm the new year opens correctly.
Work led by Saimoon Bhuiyan, a PCLaw Certified Independent Consultant
What We Do
Everything Year-End Involves, Covered
Trust Reconciliation
Three-way trust reconciliation to the last day of the year, with any difference traced to its cause instead of adjusted away.
Bank & Account Reconciliation
General bank, credit cards, sales tax and payroll liability accounts reconciled and ready for your accountant.
Year-End Reports
Trial balance, financial statements, general ledger, aged receivables and payables, work in progress and trust listings saved as of year-end.
The Close Itself
A verified backup, then the month-end and year-end close run with you outside working hours, and checked before staff log back in.
Accountant's Adjustments
Adjusting entries from your accountant posted to the correct period, and final statements reprinted to match theirs.
Our Process
A Close With No Surprises
- 01
Review
Two to four weeks before year-end we check the data and list what needs attention: unposted entries, unreconciled months, old balances.
- 02
Reconcile
Bank, trust and control accounts are brought into agreement, with your bookkeeper involved throughout.
- 03
Back Up & Report
A labelled, tested backup is taken and the year-end reports are saved.
- 04
Close
The close is run with everyone out of PCLaw, at a time that does not interrupt the firm.
- 05
Verify
Opening balances, retained earnings and trust totals are checked in the new year, and a second backup is taken.
Checked After the Close
Before anyone resumes work
A close is only finished when these are confirmed.
- Opening balance sheet equals last year's closing
- Income and expense accounts start at zero
- Retained earnings moved by net income
- Client trust listing total unchanged
- Post-close backup taken
Doing it yourself?
Free PCLaw year-end checklist
The full step-by-step list we work from, in the order to do it.
Read the ChecklistFAQ
PCLaw Year-End Questions
Two to four weeks before the fiscal year-end. That leaves time to post outstanding entries, reconcile every account and deal with anything the data check reports, without rushing the close.
No. Many firms close weeks or months after the year-end date, once the accountant's work is done. What matters is that the close is done carefully. We also close prior years, including several years at once for firms that have fallen behind.
Do not run it again and do not restore over it. Keep everyone out of PCLaw, copy the data as it stands, and contact us. An interrupted close can usually be recovered, but a second attempt on top of it makes that harder.
You should not. A difference in trust is a sign of an entry error or a data problem, and closing the year carries it forward. We find the cause first, which is usually faster than firms expect.
Yes. We post them to the correct period, confirm PCLaw agrees with the accountant's final statements, and reprint the year-end reports.
Yes, if you would like us to. We can provide the reports they need and answer their PCLaw questions, which usually shortens the whole year-end.
PCLaw Year-End guides
All resourcesPCLaw
PCLaw Year-End Closing Checklist
A step-by-step checklist for closing the fiscal year in PCLaw without surprises: what to reconcile, what to print, what to back up, and what to check after the close.
Read article PCLawPCLaw Trust Reconciliation Not Balancing: How to Find the Difference
The bank statement, the trust journal and the client trust listing should all agree. When they do not, this is the order to look in, and how to tell an entry mistake from a data problem.
Read article Data RecoveryPCLaw Verify Data Integrity: When to Run It and What the Results Mean
Verify Data Integrity is PCLaw's built-in health check. Here is how to run it safely, how often, how to read what it reports, and when its errors mean you should stop and call.
Read articleYear-End Coming Up?
Book early and we will review your data well before the close, so the day itself is uneventful.