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Essential QuickBooks® Steps for a Smooth Year-End 2025

With the close of the year fast approaching and thoughts turning to 2026, the way in which small businesses and accountants wrap up 2025 can significantly impact future success. New tax regulations and advanced QuickBooks® Online (QBO) functionalities necessitate strategic preparation before December 31 to ensure a streamlined tax season.

1. Bank and Credit Card Account Reconciliation

Complete each year with no unresolved entries. Access Settings > Chart of Accounts > Reconcile to align every account with its respective statement, verify ending balances, and handle entries in the Undeposited Funds and Uncategorized categories. With QBO’s latest updates, it flags unreconciled items to avert surprises.

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2. Assess Customer and Vendor Account Balances

Utilize the Accounts Receivable Aging and Accounts Payable Aging reports. Dispatch statements to clients with unpaid invoices. For overdue or irrecoverable bills, contemplate writing them off judiciously. Furthermore, evaluate vendor balances for overlooked entries.

3. Complete Year-End Financial Reports

Analyze your Profit & Loss, Balance Sheet, and Trial Balance reports spanning the full year. Investigate anomalies such as negative balances or unusually large entries. Filter by class or location to detect any unusual variances.

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4. Manage 1099 and Contractor Details

Make sure every contractor is accurately categorized for 1099-NEC or 1099-MISC. Navigate to Expenses → Vendors → Prepare 1099s in QBO to verify addresses, W-9s, and payment details. Addressing missing information now can prevent IRS issues in January.

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5. Execute Final Adjustments and Secure Your Books

This phase involves making necessary adjustments for depreciation, amortization, bad debt, owner draws, and retained earnings. Verify your fiscal year settings under Settings→ Advanced to indicate the ending period. Once adjustments are made, "close your books" to prevent accidental changes.

6. Review Payroll and Employee Information

For users of QuickBooks® Online Payroll, conduct the following before year-end:

  • Process the final payroll, including bonuses and commissions

  • Ensure the correct recording of benefits, fringe payments, and retirement contributions

  • Update employee details (addresses, SSNs, W-4 changes)

  • Preview and fix W-2 forms in preparation for filing

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7. Embrace New QuickBooks® Enhancements

In 2025, QuickBooks® rolled out improvements in automation, categorization rules, and user interface. Firms using QuickBooks® Online Accountant should embrace these features to manage multiple clients efficiently.

Bonus Tip:

Explore QBO’s cash-flow projection tools or deploy a “budget vs. actual” analysis to identify potential financial gaps. Past unexpected expenses or reduced revenue in 2025 could be mitigated by early tax payment revisions and reserve adjustments.

Treating year-end as an organized process rather than a rush, encompassing account reconciliation, balance verification, tax form completion, payroll updates, and leveraging QuickBooks®' varied tools positions your business for a consistent and prosperous 2026. A bit of foresight now translates into substantial future benefits.

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We solve tax problems for individuals and help tax pros solve tax problems for their clients.
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