04 · Period close

Close the month. Lock it. Move on.

Period locking, automated closing entries, and a complete audit trail. Imprest takes month-end seriously because the books that aren't locked aren't trustworthy.

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Close checklist with lock actionThe close checklist with "Lock period" highlighted. Subtle animation of the lock engaging.

The close checklist

Imprest walks you through the steps in the right order.

  1. Reconcile bank and credit card accounts
  2. Review AR aging
  3. Review AP aging
  4. Post recurring entries — depreciation, prepaid amortization, accruals
  5. Review uncategorized transactions
  6. Run trial balance
  7. Lock the period
Close checklist product surfaceEach step with completion status, blockers called out.

Period locking

What stops someone from screwing up the prior period.

  • Soft lock vs hard lock. Soft lock warns and requires explicit override. Hard lock blocks all postings absolutely.
  • Lock dates per organization. Each org sets its own lock date and lock type.
  • Unlock events are logged. Every unlock — and the user who did it — appears in the audit log permanently.
  • Locked periods affect drill-through, not visibility. Historical data stays visible and reportable; you just can't post into it.

Year-end close

Closing entries, automated.

At fiscal year-end, Imprest's closing entries service runs automatically: revenue and expense accounts close to retained earnings, the new fiscal year opens with clean P&L balances. You review the resulting entries before posting; nothing happens silently.

  • Fiscal year configured per organization (calendar year or custom)
  • Closing entries presented for review before posting
  • Retained earnings rollover with full audit detail
  • Prior-year comparison reports continue working post-close

Audit log

Every action that touches the ledger is logged.

The audit log is part of the product, not an enterprise-tier upcharge. Available in every tier — Starter, Pro, and Scaling. (Scaling extends retention to 7 years vs QBO's 2.)

  • What: the specific action (post, edit, void, lock, unlock, reconcile)
  • Who: the user (by ID and email)
  • When: timestamp with timezone
  • Before / After: state diff for edits
  • Filter by user, date range, action type, or transaction type
  • Export to CSV for auditor handoff
Audit log captureOne transaction's full history visible.

Adjusting entries after close

The escape hatch.

Sometimes a prior period needs a real change — an auditor adjustment, a misclassification caught months later. An admin can unlock a specific period (with audit log entry), make the correction, and re-lock. The full action chain is captured. Default state is "locked"; the exception is "deliberately unlocked." This is the inverse of accounting tools that default to "anything can be edited."

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Close a month before the trial ends. Lock it. Watch what serious accounting software feels like.

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