Reconnect to closing entries and surface the need for a complete close workflow
The Close Is Not Done Yet
Sarah closed her temporary accounts—but did she catch every adjustment first?
In Lesson 3, Sarah learned how to close temporary accounts—revenue, expenses, and dividends—to Income Summary and then to Retained Earnings. That was a critical step. But there is a dangerous gap between "the entries are closed" and "the close is correct."
After closing her books, Sarah's accountant reviewed her work and asked one question:
"Did you catch the depreciation on the new laptops? The prepaid insurance that expired? The wages your part-timer earned on March 31 but hasn't been paid for yet?"
Sarah froze. She had closed her books—but she had not made sure every recurring adjustment was recorded before closing. Her net income was wrong. Her balance sheet was wrong. And she had already zeroed out her temporary accounts.
Sarah's unadjusted trial balance looked fine. But the unadjusted trial balance is never the final answer. Here is what she missed:
Missed Adjustments:
- Depreciation on equipment purchased in February
- Prepaid insurance that expired during March
- Accrued wages for the last week of March
- Unearned revenue that was earned in March
- Supplies used during the month
Impact on Statements:
- Net income overstated by $3,450
- Assets overstated (supplies, prepaid insurance)
- Liabilities understated (accrued wages)
- Retained Earnings wrong after closing
The fix is not to work harder—it is to work in order. Professional accountants use a month-end close checklist that forces every adjustment to be identified, recorded, and verified before any closing entries are made.
In this lesson, you will learn the complete month-end close workflow from start to finish. By the end, you will be able to walk through every step in order—without missing a single adjustment.
Today's target: Understand why a structured close workflow matters and predict what happens when steps are skipped.