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Closing a Month-End Period

Step-by-step guide for running the pre-close checklist and closing a financial period in Beam Machine.

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Closing a Month-End Period

This page shows you how to run the pre-close checks, close an open period, and confirm the period status changed correctly.

Product: Beam Machine
Module: Accounting / Month End
Role: Accountant, Finance Lead, Controller
Difficulty: Intermediate
Time: 10 minutes if the period is ready, longer if checklist items fail
Last Updated: 2026-03-10
Version: Current Beam Machine app build in this repo

Before You Start

  • You need access to Accounting -> Month End.
  • The correct entity must already be selected in the header.
  • Your journals and supporting work for the period should already be complete.

What is a month-end close?

A month-end close is the point where you stop treating a period as "still being worked on" and start treating it as a finished accounting period.

In Beam Machine, this happens from Accounting -> Month End, where the system shows the active financial year, the current period, a pre-close checklist, and the close or reopen actions.

When do you use this?

Use this at the end of a reporting period, after the accounting work for that month is complete.

If you close too early, users may still need to fix transactions. If you leave periods open for too long, reporting, tax prep, and control signoff get messy.

Where to find it

Primary path: Accounting -> Month End

Alternative: Start at Accounting, then open the Month End page from the accounting work area.

How to close a month-end period

  1. Open Accounting -> Month End.
  2. Review the Active Financial Year card and confirm you are in the correct year.
  3. Review the Current Period card and confirm the period you want to close is still marked open.

āœ… Checkpoint: You should now see the correct financial year, the current period label, and a period grid showing open and closed statuses.

  1. In the period grid, find the period you want to close.
  2. Click Check on that open period.
  3. Wait for the Pre-Close Checklist card to appear.
  4. Read every checklist item and its detail, not just the pass or fail symbol.

āœ… Checkpoint: You should see a checklist result for the selected period. If all checks pass, the page will say you can close the period.

  1. If any checklist item fails, stop here and resolve the underlying issue before closing.
  2. If all checklist items pass, click Close [Period Label].
  3. Wait for the success message confirming the period closed successfully.
  4. Refresh the page if needed and confirm the period now shows closed.

If you need to reopen a closed period

  1. Find the closed period in the period grid.
  2. Click Reopen.
  3. Wait for the success message.
  4. Refresh the page if needed and confirm the status is now open.

Only reopen a period when you have a real reason and the appropriate finance control approval.

If you need to close the financial year

  1. Confirm there are no open periods left.
  2. Check the Year-End Close card.
  3. When the card shows Ready, click Close Financial Year.

The year-end close action is blocked until all remaining periods are closed.

Common Questions & Issues

"I clicked Check but I cannot close the period"

Why this happens: At least one checklist item failed.

Fix: Read the checklist detail, resolve the issue, then run the check again.

"The page says all periods must be closed first"

Why this happens: You tried to close the financial year while one or more periods are still open.

Fix: Close each remaining open period before attempting year-end close.

"I closed the period but the page still looks old"

Why this happens: The page tells you to refresh after close and reopen actions.

Fix: Refresh the page and confirm the period badge changed to closed.

What's Next

Related Pages

SA Compliance Reference

  • No single SA statute is enforced from this screen alone. Use your firm's period-close policy and review controls before closing.

Still Stuck?

  • Search the Beam Machine help set
  • Check ../98-screen-map.md for the route
  • Contact support: support@veva.co.za

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