How to Improve Your Month End Closing Process

“Feeling overwhelmed by month-end closing and reporting” is something many UK finance teams admit to, especially as businesses grow in complexity.

A month end close that drags on for weeks does not only sap energy, it also delays the decisions your leadership team needs. The good news is that with a few focused changes, your month end closing process can become faster, more accurate and far less stressful.

1. Benchmark Your Cycle and Standardise Workflows

To improve your month end close process, start by measuring how long your current close takes and breaking it down by task. Using a month end close checklist can help you quickly identify bottlenecks and dependencies.

According to the 2025 UK Finance Outlook survey of over 600 finance professionals, 51% said their accounts-payable systems were not scalable and 70% believed manual processes would limit growth.

Use this insight to map each step of your close, cut-off, validations, journal entries, reviews, and assign standard timelines and owners for each. By fixing a consistent close calendar, you convert one-off fire-fighting into routine.

2. Shift Effort Earlier and Automate Repeatable Steps

Too much work piles into the final days. Another report found that UK finance teams waste an average of 20 hours per month consolidating fragmented data, while 84% plan to switch finance software such as Xero this year.

The key here is to identify high-friction tasks, bank reconciliations, invoice matching, recurring journals, and move them earlier in the month or automate them. This reduces last-minute adjustments and tail-risk in your close.

3. Turn Data Into Decision-Grade Insight

Close speed matters, but so does meaning. Enhance your month end report with a short commentary: variances, working-capital movements, cash-flow outlook and risks ahead. As finance transformation research in 2025 reveals, 72% of finance leaders now use AI or automation tools to shift from backlog to planning.

If you’re still feeling overwhelmed by month-end closing and reporting, this shift from “end date reached” to “insight delivered” is the critical transition.

Ready to Improve Your Month End Closing Process?

If your current process feels lengthy, manual or inconsistent, now is the time to review scope, cadence and toolset. At Sanay, we help growing businesses streamline and scale their month end closing, from establishing rigorous workflows to delivering timely insight.

Contact us today for a plan checkup.