Last reviewed . Next review January 2027.
Short answer
Follow this checklist and your books stay up to date with no month-end rush. Print it with the button below, or press Ctrl+P (Cmd+P on a Mac). The site menus drop away when you print.
Daily (5 minutes)
- Invoice any work done or goods delivered today
- Capture or upload new supplier bills and attach them
Weekly (15 to 30 minutes)
- Reconcile every bank account and credit card
- Check Discuss notes and resolve the ones you now know
- Run Aged Receivables and follow up overdue customers
- Run Aged Payables and plan this week's supplier payments
- Check the bank feeds are still updating
Month end
- All bank accounts and cards reconciled up to the last day of the month
- Statement balance agrees with the Balance in Xero for every account
- All sales invoices for the month raised
- All supplier bills for the month captured, with documents attached
- Customer statements sent
- Supplier statements checked against Aged Payables
- Profit and Loss reviewed for anything that looks out of place
- Your accountant told the month is ready
The South African calendar
You don't file these yourself, but your accountant needs clean books before each date. Aim to finish month end within the first few working days of the next month.
| Due | What | What your accountant needs from you |
|---|---|---|
| 7th of each month | EMP201 (PAYE, UIF and SDL) | Payroll changes for the month, early |
| Last business day of the month after the VAT period (eFiling) | VAT201 return and payment | Every invoice and bill for the period captured, banks reconciled |
| End of August and end of February (February year-end) | Provisional tax | An up-to-date Profit and Loss |
If a due date falls on a weekend or public holiday, it usually moves to the last business day before it. Confirm your own dates with your accountant.