# Close the month

> Signing off a month so the figures stop moving underneath your reports.

Source: https://donorcare.my/help/organizations/finance/close-the-month/

**Who can do this:** Owner, Finance

Closing a month is your record that you reviewed it and reconciliation agreed — it doesn't stop the books from moving, but any change to that month afterwards leaves a trace.

## Before you start

- Work through [Reconcile a bank statement](https://donorcare.my/help/organizations/finance/reconcile-a-bank-statement/) for the month first, so the balance strip reads **Fully reconciled** before you sign off.

## Steps

1. **Open Finance → Reconciliation → Month Close.**

   *Screenshot: the Month Close tab before sign-off, with the notes field.*
2. **Add a note**, if you want one on record — what you checked, or anything unusual about the month.

3. **Select Close Month**, then confirm. The dialog tells you plainly what this does and doesn't do: donations dated into this month can still be created and edited afterwards, but each one is now logged as a post-close adjustment.

4. **Check the confirmation.** The tab now reads "Closed by [your name] on [date]."

## What closing does, and doesn't do

**Do**

- Expect a closed month to keep accepting new or backdated donations — catching up a backlog is normal here, and closing never blocks it.
- Expect every one of those later writes to show up as a post-close adjustment in the [audit log](https://donorcare.my/help/organizations/team/see-who-changed-a-record/), so a change to a signed-off month is always traceable.

**Don't**

- Expect a close to lock donations, prevent edits, or freeze any figure. It's a review record, not a hard close.

An Owner can select **Reopen** on a closed month if it needs to be revisited — no other role can, and reopening is itself recorded in the audit log.

## If something goes wrong

| What you see | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| The month you expect to close isn't reconciled | Some bank lines or donations are still unmatched | Finish [reconciling](https://donorcare.my/help/organizations/finance/reconcile-a-bank-statement/) the month before signing off |
| A figure for a closed month changed later | A donation was created or edited with a payment date inside that month | Check the [audit log](https://donorcare.my/help/organizations/team/see-who-changed-a-record/) for a post-close adjustment on that date |
| Reopen isn't available | Only an Owner can reopen a closed month | Ask an Owner to reopen it |

## Related

- [Reconcile a bank statement](https://donorcare.my/help/organizations/finance/reconcile-a-bank-statement/)
- [See who changed a record](https://donorcare.my/help/organizations/team/see-who-changed-a-record/)
- [Export your data](https://donorcare.my/help/organizations/finance/export-your-data/)