No matter how confident you are in your law firm’s financial management, year-end reporting can be undeniably stressful. This checklist from Peggy Gruenke is designed to help you stay organized as you wrap up the year.

As the end of the year approaches, it’s the perfect time to conduct a thorough financial review before celebrating. This checklist will guide you through essential year-end financial tasks, helping you close out the year with a clear view of your firm’s performance.

Use these steps and refer to our six-month review guide as needed. A printable PDF version of this checklist is also available at the end of the article for your convenience.

Where to begin? Start with outstanding balances:

1. Review and Collect on Outstanding Balances

It’s time to review accounts receivable. Data shows that 9% to 11% of invoices may go unpaid, with the risk of non-payment increasing the longer they remain outstanding.

Check your time tracking and billing systems, making sure all billable hours through early December are finalized. Review your staff’s utilization rate as well. Run an accounts receivable report to identify any open invoices, record deposits, and note unpaid balances with their overdue dates. Write off accounts with low chances of payment, and begin collecting on unpaid invoices through calls or reminders.

Offering discounts for prompt payments and automating invoicing can help accelerate collections. Consider electronic payment options, payment plans, and incentives to improve your collection rate.

With outstanding invoices addressed, you can move to trust account reviews.

2. Review Trust Accounts

Trust accounting safeguards client funds, but it’s easy to overlook transferring earned fees to your operating account. Start with a Work in Progress (WIP) report to track any outstanding billable time or expenses. If there’s no outstanding time, you’re set. Otherwise, invoice yourself from the trust account. Be sure to reconcile trust accounts by December 31 to ensure accuracy.

Now that trust accounts are settled, move on to a year-end review of financial performance.

3. Review Your Financial Statements

A year-end review should always include an evaluation of financial statements. This will provide insight into your firm’s performance and whether you’re meeting financial goals.

Look at:

• Prior and current year expenses and revenue: Were you profitable?
• Monthly cash flow: Was it steady, or were there noticeable trends?
• Year-to-date actuals vs. budget: Did you stay within budget, or are adjustments needed?
• Profit and loss statements: Identify trends to prepare for any slow periods.
• Accounts receivable: Track monthly amounts owed and collection times.

This overview gives a snapshot of your financial health, allowing you to compare this year’s revenue and budget to last year’s for perspective. Review the accounts receivable report from step one to determine if you need to refine your collections approach. Consult a CPA if you need help filing a BOI report.

4. Prepare for Tax Season

With tax season just around the corner, completing these tax-related tasks now will make filing easier:

• Ensure your owner’s draw account entries are accurate.
• Gather receipts and reimburse yourself for business expenses from personal accounts.
• Organize travel expenses and prepare mileage reports.
• Confirm your quarterly tax payments are up to date.

Now is also a great time to consider increasing deductible expenses to offset revenue and reduce tax liability.

5. Reflect on the Past Year

Though financial reviews may not top your to-do list, understanding your firm’s financials is essential. Completing these steps will give you a comprehensive view of your firm’s financial health. Consulting a CPA or financial advisor can help you interpret this data and guide you in making strategic decisions for the year ahead.