Year-end planning brings reporting deadlines, financial reviews and the needs of the business into focus. It also gives accounting leaders a reason to look more closely at the work their teams have been doing all year. The monthly close can reveal a great deal about where processes are working and where experienced people are repeatedly stepping in to keep things on track.
A team may deliver its financial statements on time while spending too many hours correcting data, tracking down explanations or rebuilding the same supporting schedules. Meeting the deadline is an achievement. It does not necessarily mean the process is working as well as it could.
For companies with a December year-end, October is an opportunity to address those recurring issues before they become part of another year-end close. The goal is not simply to finish faster. It is to give accounting teams a more reliable way to get the work done.
Look at what the last few closes are telling you
Start with the people preparing and reviewing the accounts. They can help distinguish between an unusual problem and one that has quietly become part of the routine. A reporting delay caused by a one-time transaction needs a different response from a reconciliation that requires the same manual correction every month.
Review recent closes for work that repeatedly comes back for clarification, accounts that require lengthy investigation and schedules that depend on information arriving at the last minute. Look beyond whether a task was completed to understand why it took the effort it did.
That distinction matters when choosing improvements. If a schedule takes hours to rebuild because its source report is inconsistent, asking the preparer to start earlier does not solve the underlying problem. Fixing the report or agreeing on a consistent format may be the more useful investment.
Resolve the issues that keep returning
A reconciliation is more useful when it explains a balance, not simply when it shows that two totals agree. Review older reconciling items, recurring adjustments and balances whose supporting documentation is difficult to follow. Prioritize based on their financial significance, complexity and potential effect on reporting.
For example, a difference between related companies may require both accounting teams to compare the underlying transactions. Assigning an owner on only one side may leave the issue circulating through another round of emails. Agreeing on responsibility, the information needed and a resolution date gives the work a clearer path forward.
Also consider what changed during the year. A new entity, significant contract or system conversion may require additional accounting analysis and documentation. Identify those needs while there is time to gather information and involve the appropriate expertise. Final year-end balances may not be available yet, but preparation does not have to wait for them.
Bring other departments into the close plan
Accounting owns the financial close, but it does not control every input. In a small 2026 survey of 43 senior finance leaders, 78% identified waiting for data from other systems as their leading cause of close delays. The finding is not a benchmark for every company, but it highlights a useful issue to examine within your own organization.
Payroll changes, inventory information and updates on goods or services received can all require coordination outside accounting. A deadline on the accounting calendar is less useful if the department providing the information does not understand what is needed or why timing matters.
Agree on the required information, format and delivery date with the people responsible. Build in time to resolve questions before the reporting deadline, and establish who will address a missed handoff. This is a shared planning conversation, not simply another reminder from accounting.
Protect time for review and make knowledge easier to share
Preparing a schedule and reviewing it are separate responsibilities. A close calendar that allows time for preparation but little room for questions can leave an accounting manager or controller absorbing every delay at the end.
Include review capacity in the plan, especially for complex accounts, significant estimates and unfamiliar transactions. Identify backup coverage for critical tasks while preserving the appropriate separation between preparation and approval. Planned time off or an employee departure should not leave the team dependent on one person’s availability.
Documentation should help another qualified professional understand the work. For a significant estimate, that means recording the information used, the assumptions applied and the reasoning behind the conclusion, not just saving the final spreadsheet. Useful documentation also gives the reviewer a clearer starting point and makes later reporting or audit requests easier to address.
The objective is continuity, not paperwork for its own sake.
Match additional support to a specific need
The people best positioned to improve the close are often already responsible for keeping it running. A realistic year-end plan needs to account for both responsibilities rather than assuming cleanup and preparation will fit around everything else.
A 2026 study of more than 350 corporate accounting and finance executives identified persistent talent shortages alongside renewed hiring demand. For employers, that is another reason to assess resource needs before an urgent gap determines the timeline.
Be specific about the work. An experienced senior accountant might take responsibility for a defined group of reconciliations. An interim accounting manager could provide coverage and coordinate close activities during a vacancy. A technical accounting consultant may be more appropriate when a complex transaction requires specialized analysis.
Additional staffing will not fix unclear ownership or unreliable data on its own. But experienced interim or project support can give the internal team room to address those issues while maintaining daily responsibilities. Define the scope, review expectations and handoff from the beginning so the work remains usable after the assignment ends.
Use the next close to test the improvements
Q4 preparation does not need to become a department-wide overhaul. Choose a few meaningful changes and use the October and November closes to see whether they help. That might mean receiving a critical schedule earlier, resolving a recurring account difference or giving a reviewer enough time to address questions without delaying reporting.
Look for less rework, fewer unresolved items and more predictable handoffs, not just a shorter timeline. Keep the changes that make a practical difference and adjust those that create more work than they remove.
Year-end will still require careful attention and sound accounting judgment. The opportunity in Q4 is to make sure that attention goes toward the year’s results, rather than solving the same process problems again.
At Brilliant, our Management Resources team connects organizations with experienced accounting and finance professionals for interim and project needs. From close support and reconciliations to reporting and technical accounting, the right expertise can help teams prepare for year-end while keeping their day-to-day responsibilities moving.
Sources: APQC, 2026; LiveFlow, 2026; Controllers Council, 2026.