Year End Accounts & Audit Prep

Clean records. No Suprises. A smoother year-end

For most SMEs, year-end can be a stressful scramble of reconciliations, missing paperwork, and audit queries.

When records aren’t complete or systems aren’t tidy, it not only delays the process, it risks unnecessary audit adjustments, higher accountancy fees, and credibility concerns.

At Lock & Ledger, we prepare your business for a smooth, clean year-end.

We ensure your books are reconciled, documentation is in place, and your external accountant or auditor has everything they need, reducing costs, delays, and audit stress.

How We Deliver

Month-End & Year-End Close Reviews

Structured review of trial balance, ledger accuracy, and adjustments to ensure a clean position

Accruals, Prepayments & Adjustments

Ensuring proper year-end cut-off, allocation, and treatment of income and costs.

Post-Year-End Improvement Recommendations

Reporting on system gaps and recommending process improvements for the year ahead.

Reconciliations & Working Papers

Documentation packs ready for your external accountant, including schedules for key accounts and audit files.

Audit Liaison & Query Resolution

Handling questions, preparing supporting documents, and ensuring timely responses to auditors.

Confidence in Your Year-End Process

We take ownership of the internal year-end preparation, ensuring your financial records are complete, accurate, and audit-ready, without relying on guesswork or last-minute catch-up.

Account Reconciliations & Supporting Schedules

We prepare full reconciliations for all balance sheet accounts - bank, creditors, debtors, accruals, prepayments, fixed assets, VAT, payroll - ready for your accountant.

Working Papers for External Advisors

We compile structured working papers and summary packs, making it easier and faster for your accountant or auditor to complete their work.

Benefit: Reduced back-and-forth, fewer audit queries, and a quicker, cheaper year-end close.

Cleaner Audits and Better Outcomes

When your financial data is organised and your internal controls are strong, you improve audit outcomes and reduce the risk of adjustments or findings.

Internal Audit-Style Reviews

We conduct a pre-year-end internal review to identify risks, inconsistencies, or unusual transactions, resolving them before they become audit issues.

Audit Liaison & Query Management

We act as your finance point of contact for the auditor or external accountant, handling queries quickly, professionally, and with a clear paper trail.

Benefit: A professional audit process with fewer disruptions and more confidence from stakeholders.

Improved Financial Discipline and Controls

Year-end prep isn’t just about the end of the year, it’s about building a better finance function.

We use this process to tighten your systems, improve accuracy, and set you up for a stronger next financial year.

Process Improvement During Close

We identify gaps in your finance workflows and suggest improvements in controls, documentation, or approval processes.

Consistency Across Periods

We ensure your accounts are closed with consistency and integrity, building comparability year-on-year for directors, investors, and banks.

Benefit: A finance team (or function) that’s more controlled, efficient, and respected by external partners.

Is Year-End Accounts & Audit Support Right for You?

This service is ideal for businesses who:

Don’t have an in-house finance lead to manage year-end close
Want to reduce the cost and duration of the external audit or accountant’s work
Need stronger internal controls and reconciliations before accounts preparation
Are scaling and want to build a more robust, credible finance function
Want to avoid year-end panic and be audit-ready all year round

With Lock & Ledger, you get professional, hands-on support to close your financial year with confidence, without hiring a full-time team.