Closing the Books Smoothly: 5 Tasks to Delegate Before December 31

As year-end approaches, finance and accounting teams face one of their busiest and most critical times of the year. Between reconciling accounts, preparing financial statements, and finalizing budgets, it’s easy for deadlines to pile up and resources to stretch thin.

The good news? You don’t have to do it all in-house. Delegating the right tasks can help your team stay accurate, compliant, and focused on what matters most: closing the year strong and setting the stage for a successful new one.

Here are five key tasks you can delegate before December 31 to ensure a smooth and stress-free year-end close.

Closing the Books on 2025

1. Account Reconciliations

Reconciliations are the backbone of accurate financial reporting, but they can also be time-consuming. From cash and credit card accounts to payroll and intercompany balances, delegating reconciliation work to skilled consultants or temporary professionals ensures that discrepancies are identified early and resolved efficiently.

Pro tip: Assign reconciliations by complexity. Let your core team handle high-risk accounts and delegate routine reconciliations to experienced external talent.

2. Audit Preparation

Don’t wait for auditors to request documents. Get ahead by outsourcing audit prep. Temporary staff or consulting partners can help compile schedules, gather supporting documentation, and verify compliance with internal controls.

This proactive step not only saves time during the audit itself but also helps prevent costly last-minute errors that can delay financial reporting.

3. Data Clean-Up and Analysis

The final quarter is the perfect time to review data accuracy before rolling into a new fiscal year. Tasks like cleaning up vendor files, updating fixed asset registers, and analyzing expense categories can be easily delegated to skilled accounting professionals.

A clean data set means fewer surprises in Q1 and more confidence in your year-end reporting.

4. Payroll and Benefits Reconciliation

Employee compensation, bonuses, and benefits adjustments must be fully reconciled before year-end to avoid compliance issues and frustrated employees.

Outsourcing this task to payroll specialists can help ensure accurate tax withholdings, benefit accruals, and reporting, all while freeing your internal HR and finance teams to focus on strategy and planning for the year ahead.

5. Budget Rollforwards and Forecasting Support

Once the books are nearly closed, it’s time to look ahead. Many organizations underestimate how much effort goes into preparing for next year’s budgeting cycle.

Delegating tasks like rolling forward budgets, validating forecast assumptions, and creating preliminary reports helps your leadership team make data-driven decisions faster, without overloading your core staff during an already hectic season.

Finish the Year Strong with the Right Support

Closing the books doesn’t have to mean burning out your internal team. By strategically delegating time-consuming but essential year-end tasks, you can improve accuracy, reduce stress, and keep your business positioned for success in the new year. Whether you need help reconciling accounts, preparing for audits, or finalizing forecasts, partnering with experienced accounting professionals ensures nothing slips through the cracks.

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