A calmer month-end starts with better records

Start with the original document

An orderly month-end begins long before the last day of the month. Keep the original receipt, supplier invoice or issued invoice when a transaction happens, rather than trying to reconstruct it later.

Check that every page is legible, the supplier or customer can be identified and the date and full amount are visible. A clear photograph is more useful than a cropped image that loses the transaction details.

• Keep every page of an invoice or statement.
• Record the business purpose while it is still fresh.
• Separate business expenditure from personal spending.

Reconcile the payment, not each invoice line

An invoice may contain several products, services and tax amounts, but a single bank payment usually settles its total. Compare the full invoice total with the bank entry before investigating differences.

Payment timing matters too. An invoice issued near month-end may be paid the following month. Review the dates, reference and customer or supplier together; a matching amount alone is not enough. Record a short explanation where the document date and payment date fall in different months.

Make review part of the routine

Look for missing documents, repeated uploads, unexplained transfers and amounts that do not agree. A transfer from the owner is not automatically sales income; its treatment depends on what actually happened.

Resolve uncertainties with your accountant before relying on a report. Software can organise evidence and flag inconsistencies, but the supporting facts still need a human review.

• Compare the closing balance to your statement.
• Resolve duplicate documents without counting the expense twice.
• Keep notes on outstanding or unusual items for your accountant.