Essential Year-End QuickBooks® Strategies for 2025

As we transition from the vibrant hues of fall into a new fiscal year, business owners and accountants alike understand the importance of diligent year-end preparations. A seamless transition into 2026 begins with efficiently closing out 2025, considering the ever-evolving tax landscape and new features in QuickBooks® Online (QBO). Here’s your guide to strategic year-end tasks that streamline your 2025 tax season.

1. Reconcile All Financial Accounts

Leaving no loose ends, ensure your accounts are meticulously reconciled. Navigate through Settings > Chart of Accounts > Reconcile, where you should match each account to its statement, verify balances, and address any transactions in Undeposited Funds or Uncategorized categories. QBO’s improved features now identify unreconciled items, making it easier to address potential discrepancies early.

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2. Conduct Customer and Vendor Balance Audits

Utilize this crucial time to run Accounts Receivable Aging and Accounts Payable Aging reports. Dispatch statements to clients with outstanding invoices and, where applicable, apply accounting judgment to write off uncollectible bills. Similarly, review vendor balances to catch any missed entries.

3. Finalize Your Year-End Reports

Creating and analyzing insights from your Profit & Loss, Balance Sheet, and Trial Balance reports over the full-year scope is essential. Watch for unexpected anomalies such as negative balances or large entries. Use class or location filters to uncover any odd variances that need addressing.

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4. Efficiently Manage 1099 and Contractor Compliance

Verify that all contractors are flagged correctly for 1099-NEC or 1099-MISC reporting by heading to Expenses → Vendors → Prepare 1099s within QBO and confirm all addresses, W-9s, and payments are up to date. Lack of information now can escalate into IRS issues in the new year.

5. Implement Final Adjustments and Securely Close the Books

Ensure adjustments related to depreciation, amortization, bad debt, owner draws, and retained earnings are finalized. Set your fiscal year settings correctly under Settings→ Advanced, enabling QBO to recognize the current year's end. Once adjustments are made, lock your books to safeguard against accidental changes.

6. Update Payroll and Employee Details

If you’re using QuickBooks® Online Payroll, make these payroll affirmations:

  • Complete your year’s final payroll, including bonuses and commissions.

  • Ensure all benefits, fringe payments, and retirement contributions are documented.

  • Revise and confirm employee information such as addresses and SSNs.

  • Review and rectify W-2 forms prior to filing.

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7. Embrace Enhanced QuickBooks® Features

The 2025 rollout in QBO includes advanced automation and smarter categorization rules. If not already embraced, these features are invaluable, particularly for QuickBooks® Online Accountant users managing multiple clients.

Bonus Insight: Deploy QBO’s cash-flow forecasting tools or a “budget vs. actual” analysis to uncover financial gaps. If 2025 yielded unexpected costs or declined revenue, consider revising reserves or modulating estimated tax payments.

By proactively reconciling accounts, verifying balances, finalizing tax forms, updating payroll, and leveraging QuickBooks®’s new tools, your business is poised for a prosperous 2026. Diligence at year’s end translates into better financial health in the months that follow.

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