# Close the books

> Lock everything up to a date so nothing can be posted, changed or removed in a finished period. Usually the end of a financial year or tax filing period.

Category: Accounting · Web page: https://bookalyze.com/guides/close-the-books

## Close

**Where in Bookalyze:** Settings → Company settings → Close the books (owners and admins)

Pick the date, or use the quick picks: the end of last financial year, or the end of last month.

- Nothing can be dated on or before it: not transactions, journal entries, imports or postings.
- Transactions in it open read-only; receipts can still be attached.
- New entries and reversals default to the first open day.

## Reopen

Move the date back, or **Reopen all periods** (it asks for a second click). Every change is in the audit log.

## Before you close

What you should see:
- [ ] Every bank, card and cash account reconciled to the date
- [ ] Every settlement and marketplace month in the books, and every payout matched
- [ ] Cost of goods sold posted for each month
- [ ] Sales tax report agrees with what you filed

## Related guides

- [Month end for marketplace sellers, in order](https://bookalyze.com/guides/month-end-for-sellers.md): The monthly close for a selling business, step by step, with the check after each. Most months it takes under an hour once automatic posting is on.
- [Reconcile an account against its statement](https://bookalyze.com/guides/reconcile.md): Enter the statement's date and ending balance, tick what's on it, and finish when the difference is zero. Reconciled transactions are locked until you undo.
- [Profit and loss, balance sheet, trial balance](https://bookalyze.com/guides/financial-reports.md): The standard reports for any period of your financial year, ready to print or hand to your accountant, plus the general ledger and every transaction.