Dolibarr fiscal year close: a step-by-step checklist

A period close is the moment you stop changing the books for a period and confirm that what they say is true. In Dolibarr it is a sequence rather than a button, so the order matters: skip a step and you correct the figures later, usually in the wrong year.

Cut-off — the date after which no new entries belong to the period being closed. Period lock — a setting that stops documents being created or validated with a date inside a closed range. Accrual — booking costs and income in the period they belong to, not the period the money moved.

Dolibarr is modular: menus depend on your version and on which modules are on, so read each step as "find this screen in your setup", not as a fixed path.

Step 0 — Back up before you touch anything

Back up the database and the documents directory before closing, and again before any upgrade. A backup you have never restored is a file, not a safety net, so test the restore while nothing is at stake.

Step 1 — Set the cut-off and close the door

Fix the cut-off date in writing and tell everyone who can create documents what it means. A supplier invoice dated inside the closed period, entered two weeks later, quietly changes a figure you already reported.

If your setup supports locking, the lock enforces the cut-off; until it is on, the cut-off is only a promise.

Step 2 — Clear drafts and unposted documents

Open drafts at close hide revenue and costs, which is exactly why they matter. Draft customer invoices are work done and not billed; draft supplier invoices are costs incurred and not recognised.

Documents go draft, then validated. A validated customer invoice cannot be deleted — it is corrected with a credit note — while drafts can be deleted, so clearing them is deciding what is real:

• Draft customer invoices: bill them, or delete the abandoned ones.
• Draft supplier invoices: post what you received, drop duplicates.
• Expense reports: approve and post the ones for the period.

Step 3 — Reconcile every bank account

Bank reconciliation is matching the payments and invoices recorded in Dolibarr against the bank statement, so the books and the bank agree. Do every account, cash included.

Each line resolves one of three ways: it matches an entry, it is a real movement Dolibarr does not have, or it is a bank charge. Fix it at the source; an open line returns next period, usually larger.

Step 4 — Check stock and inventory value

Stock counts create stock movements and stock value sits on the balance sheet, so a wrong count distorts inventory and cost of sales. Recount what matters, enter the adjustments and confirm the valuation for that date.

Step 5 — Post depreciation for the period

The fixed-assets module records each asset and its depreciation, and the charge lands in the period it belongs to. Post it before you read the balances, or the profit you approve is overstated. How depreciation is recorded in Dolibarr covers the mechanics.

Depreciation is spreading an asset's cost across the periods that benefit from it instead of charging it all at purchase.

Step 6 — Review aged customer and supplier balances

Read customer aging first: balances that are old, disputed or uncollectible need a decision now, not after the close. Then supplier aging — invoices recorded but never paid, payments sitting against the wrong invoice, credits left unapplied.

Step 7 — Read the journals, not only the reports

Reports hide what journals show, so open the journals and look for entries that do not balance and entries dated in the wrong period. An unbalanced entry is rare where double entry is enforced, but imports and manual postings can produce one; find it before the lock, because afterwards a fix means reopening.

Wrong-period entries are quieter: filter by date around the cut-off and read what is there.

Step 8 — Lock the period and hand over the reports

Produce the reports you keep — general ledger, trial balance, balance sheet, profit and loss — and save them as they stand at the moment of closing. Then apply the lock, if your setup allows it.

Late entries afterwards need a decision: book them to the current period with a note, or reopen on purpose with a reason. Entries drifting in because nobody set a boundary is not one.

Common mistakes worth avoiding

Most closes that go wrong fail at the same handful of points.

• Reconciling the bank last, after the reports were read.
• Leaving drafts open for the next period to catch.
• Locking a period that still holds unresolved supplier invoices.
• Skipping the backup, or never testing a restore.

FAQ

Do I have to close the fiscal year to keep using Dolibarr?

No. You can keep working without closing anything, but unresolved items accumulate and the ledger drifts from reality.

Can I lock a period so nobody posts into it?

If your accounting module and version allow it, yes. Where the lock does not exist, a documented cut-off and a rule for late entries do the same job.

Is the fiscal year the same as the financial year?

Yes. Both name the twelve-month accounting period a company closes; the alternative wording is simply more common in some English-speaking markets.

What do I do with a validated invoice that was wrong?

Correct it with a credit note. A validated customer invoice cannot be deleted, and the credit note keeps the trail intact while netting the amount.

Is closing the same as reconciling the bank?

No. Reconciliation is one step inside the close: it matches payments to the bank, while the close settles drafts, stock, depreciation, balances and journals before locking.

Closing the year in the right order

Back up, set the cut-off, clear drafts, reconcile, check stock, post depreciation, review balances, read the journals, then lock and keep the reports.

For a second pair of eyes on the accounting checks, our free 12-point pre-close checklist (in Spanish) is a practical companion. It follows the Spanish calendar, so skip the tax-model lines if that calendar is not yours — the accounting checks apply anywhere.

The modules we build for Dolibarr can take manual work out of the close, and it is worth a conversation to talk to us before you close. EasySoft Tech S.L. does Dolibarr implementation, integration and support; a review before the lock costs less than a correction after it.