The 10-Day Close: Your Month-End Playbook
Lock last month. Lead this one.
Many businesses close the books only when time permits. This delay clouds pricing decisions, hides margin erosion, and turns cash planning into guesswork. A disciplined 10-day close replaces that uncertainty with a steady operating rhythm: clean books by Day 10, a short review by Day 12, and decisions you can trust for the rest of the month.
In practice, “10-day” means the prior month is fully reconciled and locked by Day 10.
Accruals, prepaids, depreciation, and inventory adjustments are posted, subledgers agree to the general ledger, and the Month-End Pack is ready: a P&L with brief variance notes, a balance sheet with a simple working-capital rollforward, AR/AP aging with a collections and payment plan, and a 13-week cash view tied back to the books. By Day 12, leadership meets for forty-five minutes, confirms the cash outlook, assigns three actions, and moves on.
Consistency—not heroics—makes this work. Keep business and personal spending separate, map sales and COGS so gross margin tells a clear story, attach key documents to entries, and include controls in your processes. Finance stops chasing the past and starts supporting decisions in the present.
Cadence at a glance (one page, one habit):
- Days 1–2: Capture activity and code cleanly.
- Days 3–4: Reconcile bank, cards, and loans; tie AR/AP to the GL.
- Days 5–6: Handle cut-off, routine accruals, and prepaids; post inventory/WIP.
- Days 7–8: Controller review—variance notes (increase/decrease & drivers).
- Days 9–10: Finalize and lock.
- Day 12: Decisions meeting—cash, collections, and three go-dos.
Quick Insight:
A fast close isn’t about speed for its own sake—it shortens the distance between activity and insight. When the books are current by Day 10, errors are corrected while they’re small, collections tighten, inventory drift is caught early, and hiring or spend decisions are grounded in fresh facts.
Actionable Tip:
Run a “Close Readiness” check this week:
- Are bank/credit card feeds clean and reconciled weekly?
- Do you have a written month-end checklist with owners and dates?
- Can you produce P&L, BS, AR/AP aging, and a 13-week cash view by Day 12?
- Do you lock the prior month in your accounting software?
If any answer is “no,” start there.
Your Free Resource:
We’ve prepared a practical 10-Day Close Calendar with brief suggestions for each step—from pre-close document collection to Day-12 talking points—so you can adopt the cadence without reinventing it.
Download Your 10-Day Close Calendar →
Need Personalized Guidance?
At Bleumont, we implement the 10-day cadence end-to-end—clean mappings, dependable reconciliations, a Month-End Pack leaders actually read, and a cash view that ties back to the books. If you want your month-end to become an operating advantage, we can help.
Schedule Your Free Close Readiness Diagnostic →
Bleumont Group
Clear Accounting. Reliable Guidance.
bleumontgroup.com
(571) 501-5027 | Jeffrey@bleumontgroup.com