---
title: Run your first month-end close
description: Work the close checklist, resolve the open items, lock the period and export the working papers for your accountant.
order: 5
updated: 2026-09-16
keywords: month-end, close, lock period, SST, petty cash, export, accountant
---

This tutorial walks a finance manager or owner through the first month-end close in ChowChirp. The close is a live checklist built from your own data, so most of the work is resolving what it shows you.

**Who this is for:** owners, finance managers and bookkeepers.

**You will need:** approval rights in Finance, your authenticator app, and the outlet's bank statement for the month. About an hour the first time.

## How the close works

Open **Money › Finance › Month-end close** and pick the period. The checklist is derived, not typed: it reads Payables, e-Invoice records, petty cash, cash-flow stress, the SST liability, P&L, cash sessions, outlet-day closes and delivery reconciliation, and lists what is still open. Items you are not allowed to read are left out rather than shown as done.

**Lock period** stays disabled until every item clears.

## Step 1. Clear Payables

1. Open **Accounts payable › Invoices** for the period.
2. Bills with a _Variance_ or _Unmatched_ status need a decision: accept the variance as a manager, expect a credit note, or correct the purchase order or receipt. Choose one on each bill.
3. Bills that were paid in the bank need a settlement recorded: settled, disputed or written off.

> **Note:** ChowChirp records payments. It does not move money. Pay in your bank as usual, then record the outcome here.

## Step 2. Reconcile petty cash

1. Open **Petty cash › Claims**.
2. Approve or reject open claims. The leakage list shows approved claims with no receipt; chase those first.
3. Reconcile the float against the cash in the tin.
4. Request the accountant export for the period.

## Step 3. Review the SST period

1. Open **SST** and pick the period.
2. The period is assembled from the tax lines on every bill and sale. Review the liability and the evidence behind it.
3. Record the review steps as you complete them. The screen reminds you that these figures are a computational aid; the filing itself is your accountant's act.

## Step 4. Review e-Invoice records

Open **e-Invoice (MyInvois)**. Check the _Consolidated_ lane for the month's walk-in sales record, and the _Inbox_ for supplier e-Invoices. Every record shows whether it was recorded, sent or validated. Do not treat _sent_ as _validated_.

## Step 5. Record the cash position and check the stress test

1. Open **Cash flow & banking › Position** and record the closing bank balance from the statement.
2. Check the 30, 60 and 90 day view against the cash floor. If the checklist flags a stress item, the scenarios tab shows which bills you could delay to clear it.

## Step 6. Confirm the operational closes

The checklist lists any outlet-day closes and cash sessions still open. Ask the outlet manager to close them from the counter. A period cannot lock over an open drawer.

## Step 7. Lock the period

1. Return to **Month-end close**. The progress ring should be full.
2. Click **Lock period**. Enter your authenticator code when asked.
3. Locked periods cannot be changed. If something turns up later, an owner can approve a reopen, and the reopen is recorded.

## Step 8. Export for your accountant

Open **Reports** and request the period exports: payables, petty cash, and the operational profit and loss by outlet. They land in **Exports** with a one-time download link, the renderer version and a list of any redacted fields. The CSV layouts are designed to import into AutoCount and Xero.

## What you have learned

- The close is a checklist built from your data, and it only shows what you can see.
- Payables, petty cash, SST, e-Invoice records and cash all have to clear before the lock.
- Locking needs a second factor and leaves a trail. Reopening needs an owner.
- Exports declare what they are and what they leave out.

## Next steps

- [Export data for your accountant](/docs/how-to/export-for-your-accountant)
- [Why finance is record-only](/docs/explanation/record-only-finance)
- [e-Invoice in ChowChirp](/docs/explanation/e-invoice-in-chowchirp)