Free Year-End QuickBooks® Checklist
A free year-end checklist for QuickBooks® users: reconcile accounts, clear old deposits, review balances and close the year. Bookkeeping steps only.
A free, step-by-step list of the bookkeeping to do in QuickBooks® before you close the year. Work it top to bottom. Most steps apply to both QuickBooks Online and Desktop, though menu names differ. When you're done, you should have clean, reconciled books and reports you can hand to your own accountant. There's no form to fill in and no email needed.
Steps marked (Intuit guide) follow topics in Intuit's own Year-end guide for QuickBooks Online (as of Oct 7, 2026). The wording here is ours.
Before you start
Confirm your fiscal year. In QuickBooks Online, check that the first month of your fiscal year is set correctly in your company settings. (Intuit guide) For most small businesses, the year ends December 31.
List every account that touches the business: bank, credit card, loan, line of credit and payment processor accounts. A missing account is a common reason reconciliations never balance.
Reconcile and clear
1. Reconcile every bank account through the last day of the year. Match QuickBooks to the statement, line by line. (Intuit guide)
2. Reconcile every credit card account through the last day of the year.
3. Clear Undeposited Funds and other outstanding deposits. Payments sitting in limbo make income and bank balances look wrong. (Intuit guide)
4. Categorize every uncategorized transaction. Clear out "Uncategorized Income", "Uncategorized Expense" and "Ask My Accountant" balances.
5. Check loan and line-of-credit balances against your lender's statements.
Review balances
6. Review customer balances (A/R aging). Follow up on open invoices, and flag any that look like they won't be collected so you can discuss them with your accountant. (Intuit guide)
7. Review vendor balances (A/P aging). Make sure open bills are real and paid bills are marked paid. (Intuit guide)
8. Separate owner draws from business expenses. Money moved to the owner belongs in an equity or draws account, not in an expense account. (Intuit guide)
9. Review Opening Balance Equity. If it carries a balance, note it as a question for your accountant. Don't force a balancing entry.
Tidy up
10. Tidy the chart of accounts. Merge or deactivate duplicate and unused accounts so your reports are easier to read. Starting over? Try the free Chart of Accounts Starter Builder.
11. Run year-end reports. Look over the profit and loss and balance sheet for the full year, and compare them with last year for odd swings. (Intuit guide)
Close the year
12. Back up your file or export your year-end reports.
13. Set a closing date so last year's numbers can't be changed by accident. (Intuit guide)
14. Hand off. Share clean, reconciled books and reports with your own accountant.
Make next year easier
Reconcile every month, not just at year-end. That's Intuit's advice too. (Intuit guide) Our free QuickBooks Month-End Close Checklist turns that into a 12-step routine.
Industry checklist: trucking
Owner-operator or small fleet? Use the Trucking Bookkeeping Cleanup Checklist. It covers fuel and toll feeds, settlements, factoring and owner draws.
Too far behind to finish this yourself?
If you're months behind, the checklist turns into a cleanup or catch-up project.
See how big the job is with the free Cleanup Cost Estimator or the Books Health Score.
Read about Year-End Cleanup & Catch-Up for QuickBooks® Users. Cleanup for QuickBooks Users is $1,999 fixed, and catch-up starts from $799.99. Scope is confirmed on a free consult.
Browse all free QuickBooks® tools.
Want help with your file? See our QuickBooks® cleanup and catch-up service.
Want a dated plan? Try the week-by-week year-end close countdown.
Want us to run this checklist on your file?
Year-end checklist: FAQ
Is this checklist free? Do I have to give my email?
It's free, and there's no email or sign-up. The whole checklist is on this page.
Does this checklist work for QuickBooks Desktop?
Yes, for the bookkeeping steps. Reconciling, clearing deposits, reviewing balances and setting a closing date apply in both QuickBooks® Online and Desktop. The menu names and screens are different. The Intuit guide we link covers QuickBooks Online.
When should I start my year-end checklist?
Whenever you're ready. Books that are reconciled every month make year-end much shorter. If you're several months behind, size the work first with the free Cleanup Cost Estimator.
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Bookkeeping Services FAQs
What are bookkeeping services for small businesses?
Bookkeeping services keep your day-to-day financial records accurate—categorizing transactions, reconciling accounts, and preparing clean books so you can see cash flow and make decisions with confidence.
Who is this for?
U.S. small businesses that want reliable monthly bookkeeping and clear books without hiring a full-time in-house bookkeeper. Deep QuickBooks cleanup is available separately when your books need a catch-up.
What’s included in monthly bookkeeping?
Transaction categorization, bank and credit-card reconciliation, and organized books ready for review.
How is pricing structured?
Monthly Bookkeeping is $499/mo, Support for QuickBooks Users is $149.99/mo, Cleanup for QuickBooks Users is $1,999 fixed one-time, and Catch-up Bookkeeping starts from $799.99 one-time. Final scope is confirmed on a free consultation.
Do you use QuickBooks?
Yes—work is for QuickBooks® users. Cleanup and ongoing bookkeeping can connect to your QuickBooks Online file when that is the right fit. LiveFixPro is independent and not endorsed by Intuit Inc.
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Book a free consultation on our calendar. We’ll confirm scope, access needs, and the right package before work begins: Book a free consultation
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