How to close the fiscal year in Microsoft Office Small Business Accounting (906095)
The information in this article applies to:
- Microsoft Office Small Business Accounting 2006
SUMMARYThis article describes how to close out a fiscal year in Microsoft Office Small Business Accounting 2006 by using a step-by-step procedure. The following steps are included:
1. Manually perform some year-end tasks 2. Adjust journal entries 3. Examine the database for errors 4. Back up the company database before you close the fiscal year 5. Print a Trial Balance before you close the fiscal year 6. Print required year-end financial statements 7. Set up a new fiscal year 8. Close the fiscal year 9. Print a Trial Balance report after you close the fiscal year 10. Back up the company database after you close the fiscal year
This article also answers some frequently asked questions about issues that may occur when you close the fiscal year.
INTRODUCTIONWhen you close a fiscal year in Small Business Accounting
2006, you must perform the following procedure on the computer on which the
company database is stored. To perform the steps that are described in this
article, you must be assigned the Owner role in Small Business Accounting 2006,
or you must be logged on as an Administrator to the computer that is running
Microsoft Office Small Business Accounting.MORE INFORMATIONTo close out the fiscal year in Microsoft Office Small
Business Accounting, follow this step-by-step procedure: Step 1: Manually perform some year-end tasksBefore you close the fiscal year, manually perform the following
tasks:
- Clear pre-paid expenses
- Reconcile bank accounts
- Reconcile credit card accounts
- Record depreciations
- Adjust inventory
Step 2: Adjust journal entriesMake the following adjustments to journal entries:
- Correct any errors that occurred when you recorded a
transaction.
- Assign revenue to the period in which the revenue was
earned.
- Assign expenses to the period in which the expenses
occurred.
To make adjustments to journal entries, click New
Journal Entry on the Company menu. Step 3: Examine the database for errorsNOTES- Make sure that no one has the company database
open.
- Perform this step on the computer on which the database is
located.
To examine the database for errors, follow these steps:
- Start Small Business Accounting, and then open any company
database except the one that you want to examine.
- On the File menu, point to
Utilities, and then click Data
Utilities.
- Click the Advanced Tools tab, and then
click Repair.
- Select the database that you want to examine for errors,
and then click Repair.
- If you receive a message that states that all connections
to the database will be closed, click Yes.
- If no errors are found, click OK. If
errors are found, review them, and then make any required
adjustments.
- Click Close two times.
Step 4: Back up the company database before you close the fiscal yearNotes- Make sure that no one has the company database open except
on the computer on which the database is located.
- Perform this step on the computer on which the database is
located.
To back up the company database, follow these steps:
- Start Microsoft Office Small Business Accounting, and then
open the company database that you want to back up.
- On the File menu, point to
Utilities, and then click Data
Utilities.
- On the Basic Tools tab, click
Backup.
- Click Browse.
- Type a name for the file, and then click
Save.
Note The default file type is Compressed Backup File
(*.zip). The default file location is on the following path:My Documents\Small Business Accounting\Backups - If you want to restrict access to the backup, type a
password in the Password box, and then type the password again
in the Verify password box.
- Click OK.
- When you receive the message that the backup was
successfully completed, click OK.
- Click Close.
Step 5: Print a Trial Balance report before you close the fiscal yearEnter all transactions for the year before you print the Trial
Balance report. If you enter additional transactions later, you must print a
new Trial Balance. This report lists all accounts and balances as of a specific
date.
- On the Reports menu, point to
Company and Financial, and then click Trial
Balance.
- In the As of list on the toolbar, click
Custom.
- In the Date box, type the date that you
want, or select the date from the calendar.
- On the View menu, click Refresh
report.
- On the File menu, click
Print.
Step 6: Print required year-end financial statementsThe most common financial statements are the following:
- Balance Sheet
- Profit and Loss
- Cash Flow Statement
To locate these reports, point to Company and
Financial on the Reports menu, and then click the
report that you want.
- Print the Balance Sheet report for the last day of the
fiscal year. To set the date, select the correct values from the As Of list and the
Date list on the toolbar. In the Report Basis list, select either
Cash or Accrual, depending on the accounting
method that the company uses.
- For the Profit and Loss report, select a date range that
corresponds with the first and last day of the fiscal year. To do this, select the correct values from the
Date Range list, the From list, and the
To list on the
toolbar. On the Report Basis list, select
Cash or Accrual, depending on the accounting
method that the company uses.
- For the Cash Flow Statement report, select a date range
that corresponds with the first and last day of the fiscal year. To do this,
select the correct values from the Date Range list, the From list, and the To list on
the toolbar.
Step 7: Set up a new fiscal yearYou must set up a new fiscal year so that you are prepared to
enter transactions for the next year.
- On the Company menu, click Manage
Fiscal Year.
- Click New Fiscal Year. A default date
populates the Start of fiscal year box. This date is based on
the last date of the previous fiscal year. You cannot change this
date.
- In the Close of fiscal year box, type the
last day of the next fiscal year, or select the date from the
calendar.
- Click OK.
Step 8: Close the fiscal yearYou can have an unlimited number of open fiscal years. When you
close fiscal years, you must close them in chronological order. When you close
a fiscal year, the following activities occur:
- Balance Sheet Accounts are totaled and the balance is
carried forward as the beginning balance for the next year.
- Journal entries are created to zero out all income and
expense accounts. The difference is posted to the Retained Earnings
account.
- The fiscal year status is set to closed.
To close the fiscal year, follow these steps:
- On the Company menu, click Manage
Fiscal Year.
- From the List of Periods list, select the
year that you want to close, and then click Close Fiscal
Year.
- If you are prompted to move net income to the Retained
Earnings account, click Yes.
Step 9: Print a Trial Balance report after you close the fiscal yearTo print the Trial Balance report, follow these steps:
- On the Reports menu, point to
Company and Financial, and then click Trial
Balance.
- In the As of box, click
Custom.
- In the Date box, type the first day of
the next fiscal year, or select the date from the calendar.
- On the View menu, click Refresh
report.
- On the File menu, click
Print.
- Compare this report to the Trial Balance report that you
created in the "Print a Trial Balance report before you close the fiscal year"
section. Verify the following:
- The balance is carried forward to the next
year.
- The balances on the income and expense accounts are
zero, and the difference is posted to the Retained Earnings account.
- The total debits and the total credits on the Trial
Balance report that you printed after you close the fiscal year matches the
total debits and the total credits on the Trial Balance report that you printed
before you closed the fiscal year.
- If you must adjust entries, click New Journal
Entry on the Company menu.
Step 10: Back up the company database after you close the fiscal yearNOTES- Make sure that no one has the company database
open.
- Perform this step on the computer on which the database is
located.
To back up the company database, follow these steps:
- Start Microsoft Office Small Business Accounting, and then
open the company database that you want to back up.
- On the File menu, point to
Utilities, and then click Data
Utilities.
- On the Basic Tools tab, click
Backup.
- Click Browse.
- Type a name for the file, and then click
Save.
Note Use a different file name from the one that you used when you
created the backup file before you closed the fiscal year. The default file
type is Compressed Backup File (*.zip). The default file
location is on the following path:My Documents\Small Business Accounting\Backups - If you want to restrict access to the backup, type a
password in the Password box, and then type the password again
in the Verify password box.
- Click OK.
- When you receive the message that the backup was
successfully completed , click OK.
- Click Close.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)Q1: Can I save a transaction if I closed the fiscal year? Can transactions be saved to a closed year?A1: You cannot save a transaction after you close the year. However,
you can reopen the year and then save a transaction. If you repoen a year that is not the current year, you
must reopen that year and all the intervening closed years in reverse chronological order by starting with the most
recent year and working backward. After you make any changes, you must close all the open years in chronological order by starting with the oldest year and working forward. To
reopen a closed year, you must be assigned to or logged on as one of the following roles:
- Owner in Small Business
Accounting
- Accountant in Small Business
Accounting
- Administrator on the computer that is
running Small Business Accounting
Q2: How many fiscal years can I keep open?A2: There is no limit to the number of fiscal years that you can keep
open. Q3: Do I have to close a fiscal year before the first day of the next fiscal year?A3: You can close a fiscal year at any time after the last day of the
year. However, until you close a fiscal year, the opening balance for the
Balance Sheet accounts will not carry forward to the new year. Additionally, expense
accounts will not be zeroed out, and the difference will not be applied to the
Retained Earnings account. Q4: What happens to an inactive account when I close a fiscal year?A4: If you have an inactive account when you close the fiscal year,
the account status does not change. This is true regardless of whether the
inactive account has a balance. Q5: How do I view the journal entry that represents the income and expense accounts that were zeroed out and then posted to the Retained Earnings account?A5: To view the journal entry, follow these steps:
- On the Company menu, point to
Company Lists, and then click Chart of
Accounts.
- In the Chart of Accounts list,
double-click the Retained Earnings Income account to open the
Account Register.
- Double-click the line that meets the following criteria:
- The date is the last day of the closed fiscal
year
- The Memo box description is
Closing Fiscal Year.
Modification Type: | Major | Last Reviewed: | 9/19/2005 |
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Keywords: | kbMBSMigrate kbhowto KB906095 kbAudEndUser |
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