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Essential QuickBooks® Steps for Year-End 2025 Success

As the seasons shift towards year-end, savvy accountants and small business owners are gearing up to transition smoothly into 2026. Proper closure of 2025’s books sets your enterprise on the right pathway forward. With dynamic tax legislation and advanced QuickBooks® Online (QBO) features emerging, here's a focused checklist to tackle by December 31 for optimized tax efficiency and streamlined accounting processes.

1. Reconcile Accounts with Precision

Avoid financial discrepancies by navigating to Settings > Chart of Accounts > Reconcile. Diligently align each account with its statement. Resolve issues in Undeposited Funds or Uncategorized categories. QBO’s reconciliation alerts are invaluable for eliminating end-of-year surprises.

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2. Assess Customer and Vendor Positions

Initiate a thorough review by generating Accounts Receivable Aging and Accounts Payable Aging reports. Promptly dispatch statements to clients with pending invoices. Consider write-offs for uncollectible debts, ensuring you exercise sound accounting judgment. Verify vendor account details to catch any overlooked entries.

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3. Consolidate and Analyze Year-End Reports

Generate holistic Profit & Loss, Balance Sheet, and Trial Balance reports covering the full fiscal year. Examine for irregularities such as negative account balances or atypically large figures. Utilize filters focusing on classes or locations to identify unusual variances.

4. Validate Contractor Compliance: 1099 Management

Verify all contract engagements for proper 1099-NEC or 1099-MISC classification. Within QBO, access Expenses ➜ Vendors ➜ Prepare 1099s to confirm complete W-9s, addresses, and payment precisions. Rectifying inaccuracies now wards off IRS disputes come January.

5. Execute Year-End Adjustments and Closure

Make final ledger adjustments involving depreciation, amortization, bad debts, owner draw adjustments, and retained earnings. Ensure accuracy in your fiscal year settings within Settings➜ Advanced. Once adjustments are complete, formally “close the books” to safeguard against unintended alterations.

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6. Payroll and Employee Records: Final Updates

If utilizing QuickBooks® Online Payroll, ensure final payroll cycles, including bonuses and commissions, are executed. Verify and update fringe benefits, retirement contributions, and employee data (such as addresses and SSNs). Preview W-2 forms for accuracy ahead of filing deadlines.

7. Harness New QuickBooks® Innovations

The year 2025 introduced new functionalities in automation and transaction categorization. If you haven’t yet embraced these enhancements—especially for firms managing multiple clients through QuickBooks® Online Accountant—enable them promptly to capitalize on efficiencies.

Additional insight: Leverage QBO’s cash-flow forecasting tools or generate a “budget vs. actual” report to identify potential discrepancies. Should unexpected financial variances emerge in 2025, consider building reserves or recalibrating projected tax payments ahead of time.

A proactive approach to year-end financial management—through astute account reconciliation, balance verifications, tax form preparations, payroll updates, and leveraging QuickBooks® tools—sets a diligent foundation for the new year. An investment in attention to detail today yields tremendous benefits tomorrow.

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