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Essential QuickBooks® Year-End Tasks for 2025

As the year ends and businesses plan for 2026, it's crucial to wrap up your 2025 finances efficiently. This ensures a smooth transition into the new year. Utilizing the latest QuickBooks® Online (QBO) features can help streamline this process, especially with new updates on the horizon. Here, we lay out key tasks to tackle before December 31 to ensure a stress-free tax season.

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1. Reconcile Financial Accounts

It's vital to reconcile all bank and credit card accounts. Navigate to Settings > Chart of Accounts > Reconcile in QBO, ensuring every account matches its statement and resolving any Undeposited Funds or Uncategorized items. Recent QBO updates even flag unreconciled transactions to help prevent future issues.

2. Audit Customer and Vendor Balances

Review Accounts Receivable Aging and Accounts Payable Aging reports. Communicate with customers with outstanding invoices and consider writing off bad debts judiciously. Double-check vendor balances to ensure all entries are accounted for.

3. Finalize Critical Year-End Reports

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Prepare comprehensive reports such as Profit & Loss, Balance Sheet, and Trial Balance covering the entire year. Scrutinize these for inconsistencies like negative balances or incorrect entries. Utilize class or location filters to identify unusual variances for further review.

4. Manage Contractor Payments and 1099s

Verify all contractors are accurately categorized for 1099-NEC or 1099-MISC reporting via Expenses → Vendors → Prepare 1099s in QBO. Ensure you have complete W-9s and verify addresses to prepare for the IRS submissions.

5. Execute Final Adjustments and Close Books

Adjust entries for depreciation, amortization, and bad debts, and update owner draws and retained earnings. Confirm fiscal year settings in Settings → Advanced to align QBO with your reporting period, then lock the books to secure your data.

6. Update Payroll and Employee Details

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  • Finalize the year’s payroll, including all bonuses and commissions.

  • Ensure all benefits, fringe benefits, and retirement contributions are recorded accurately.

  • Update employee records, including addresses and tax details, and prepare W-2 forms for submission.

7. Enhance Efficiency with New QuickBooks® Features

This year, QuickBooks® has introduced enhanced automation, categorization, and user interface improvements. For those leveraging QuickBooks® Online Accountant, these tools become invaluable, especially for managing multiple clients.

As a proactive measure, leverage QBO’s cash-flow tools or "budget vs. actual" reports to pre-empt financial shortfalls. If unexpected costs arose in 2025 or revenues were lower than projected, consider adjusting estimated tax payments.

A systematic approach to year-end financials sets a solid foundation for 2026. By completing these tasks with diligence and utilizing QuickBooks® resources, your business can smoothly navigate the close of another year.

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