HOW-TO

How to close the month in accounts payable in AccountRight

Short answer

In AccountRight, enter and approve all bill records dated in the month, accrue goods received, reconcile the Aged Payables [Summary] or [Detail] to the ledger, then lock the period.

Last checked

Closing the month in AP means making sure every bill for the month is entered, approved and coded and the payables balance ties out.

Before you start

  • Administrator role

The AccountRight way

Where to find it: Setup > Preferences > Security tab > Lock Periods

  1. Record and pay the month's bills, then work through the month-end list: run the Company Data Auditor, reconcile bank accounts, review reports, record depreciation and lodge the activity statement.
  2. Go to the Accounts command centre and click Company Data Auditor. On the Company File Overview window click Back Up to back up the file.
  3. On the Transaction Review window enter the start and end dates and click Run Review. Reconcile purchases with the linked payables account compares all supplier balances to the payables account. If they differ, click Display to open the Payables Reconciliation Exceptions report.
  4. Check the other purchase-related lines in the same review: future-dated transactions, prepaid transactions, deposits paid on orders and audit trail changes. Then run the tax review for GST amount variances on purchases.
  5. Run Aged Payables and Payables Reconciliation from the Purchases command centre and agree them to the payables account.
  6. Go to Setup > Preferences > Security tab, tick Lock Periods: Disallow Entries Prior to, pick the date and click OK.

Limits in AccountRight

  • A user needs permission to change preferences to remove the lock.
  • Lock Periods uses one date and blocks every entry before it. You cannot lock March and leave February open.
  • Payables reconciliation, deposits paid and audit trail review are not in AccountRight Basics.

Good to know in AccountRight

  • The Lock Period button on the Company Data Auditor's first window sets the same lock, so you can back up and lock in one pass.
  • The month-end list has nine tasks. Superannuation and payroll tax are Plus and Premier only, and only in Australia.

The Pulsify way

  1. Clear the Pulsify queue: approve, reject or archive each bill waiting.
  2. Forward missing bills from suppliers to your Pulsify address.
  3. Reconcile key supplier statements in Pulsify.
  4. Then run reports and lock the period in AccountRight.

Pulsify connects to MYOB in one click. Approved bills are created in MYOB with the source file attached.

What Pulsify does not do here

  • Pulsify does not post accruals.
  • Aged payables and period locks are in AccountRight.

Common mistakes

  • Locking the period before you back up the company file.
  • Locking before Aged Payables and Payables Reconciliation agree.

More help

Sources

Last checked 2026-10-19. Confidence: confirmed.

Common questions

How do I lock a period in AccountRight?

Go to Setup > Preferences > Security tab > Lock Periods. Set Disallow Entries Prior to a date, then OK. You need the Administrator role.

What should I do before I lock?

Follow the month-end procedures: record bills, pay bills and reconcile. Run Aged Payables and Payables Reconciliation, then back up the company file.

Who can remove a period lock?

A user needs permission to change preferences to remove the lock.

Does Pulsify lock periods?

No. Lock the period in your accounting system.

Pulsify setup guides

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