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Essential QuickBooks® Year-End Actions for 2025

As the autumn leaves fall and 2026 peeks around the corner, small businesses and accountants recognize that wrapping up the current fiscal year accurately is crucial for ensuring a smooth transition into the next one. With evolving tax regulations and the introduction of new QuickBooks® Online (QBO) features, here are essential tasks to tackle before December 31st for a streamlined 2025 tax preparation season.

1. Perform Bank & Credit Card Account Reconciliation

Close out any loose ends. Navigate to Settings > Chart of Accounts > Reconcile, align each account with its respective statement, and verify ending balances. Address items lingering in the Undeposited Funds or Uncategorized accounts. QBO now offers tools to highlight unreconciled transactions, alleviating any unintended surprises later on.

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2. Evaluate Customer & Vendor Account Balances

Generate and analyze aging summaries such as the Accounts Receivable Aging and Accounts Payable Aging reports. Dispatch statements to clients with pending invoices. For outstanding bills deemed uncollectible, consider executing appropriate accounting write-offs. Ensure vendor balances reflect all recorded entries accurately.

3. Complete Year-End Financial Reporting

Produce and assess your Profit & Loss, Balance Sheet, and Trial Balance statements spanning the whole year. Identify discrepancies like negative values or irregularly large entries. Utilize filter options by class or location to detect any unusual variances.

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4. Oversee 1099 Forms & Contractor Management

Ensure that all contractors are appropriately marked for 1099-NEC or 1099-MISC classifications. In QBO, head to Expenses → Vendors → Prepare 1099s and validate the accuracy of addresses, W-9s, and payment information. Incomplete data now may lead to IRS issues in January.

5. Finalize Adjustments & Secure Year-End Book Closures

This process should include tasks like posting depreciation, amortization, bad debt adjustments, owner withdrawals, and transfers of retained earnings. Confirm your fiscal year settings via Settings→ Advanced to delineate the closing period. Once adjustments are concluded, "close your books" to lock any further changes.

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6. Refresh Payroll & Employee Data

A particularly important step for users of QuickBooks® Online Payroll. Before the fiscal year concludes:

  • Execute the year’s final payroll, incorporating all bonuses and commissions

  • Verify the recording of all benefits, fringe payments, and retirement contributions

  • Review and update employee information, including addresses, Social Security numbers, and W-4 adjustments

  • Preview and amend W-2 forms prior to submission

7. Utilize New QuickBooks® Features & Automation Tools

In 2025, QuickBooks® introduced refined features in automation, categorization rules, and overall interface upgrades. If your firm hasn’t yet adopted these enhancements, the time is now—especially critical for QuickBooks® Online Accountant users managing numerous clients.

Bonus Tip:

Optimize QBO’s cash-flow projection utilities or implement a “budget vs. actual” analysis to recognize potential fiscal gaps. If unexpected expenditures or diminished revenue occurred in 2025, consider earmarking reserves or revising estimated tax payments early.

Avoid treating the year-end closing as a last-minute rush. By reconciling accounts, validating balances, completing tax documentation, updating payroll, and leveraging QuickBooks®'s updated tools, you adeptly position your business for a seamless 2026. Diligence now reaps benefits later.

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