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Description

Annual Accounts: Organising the Close, Controlling Cycles and Justifying Balances

Securing a year-end close by controlling every cycle rather than hoping the trial balance holds

  • 2 days — 14 h
  • In-person or virtual
  • Intermediate
  • Up to 6 participants

The annual close is often run under pressure. Work starts late, supporting documents are missing, the same suspense accounts reappear from one period to the next, and auditor queries force teams to reconstruct after the fact what should have been documented from the outset. The review file is sometimes no more than an annotated trial balance.

These two days bring structure to the process. Participants plan and allocate the closing work, build a review file that justifies every balance, run cycle-by-cycle controls on purchases, sales, fixed assets and payroll, then prepare the financial statements and notes ahead of the external review.

Learning objectives

  • Plan the closing work and allocate controls between contributors
  • Justify every balance through a structured review file
  • Control the purchases, sales, fixed assets and payroll cycles
  • Handle cut-off adjustments and year-end inventory entries
  • Prepare the financial statements and draft the notes
  • Anticipate the queries raised during the external audit review

What makes this programme different

A complete review file is built cycle by cycle during the session
Suspense accounts and long-standing balances are cleared on a real set of accounts
Auditor queries are anticipated and documented live in the classroom

Programme

1Organising the Close

Regaining control of the timetable

  • Building the closing timetable and intermediate milestones
  • Allocating tasks between the accounting function and operational departments
  • Early collection of supporting documents and external confirmations
  • Structure of the review file and filing conventions

2Year-End Inventory Work

Recognising transactions in the correct period

  • Prepayments, accruals, accrued income and deferred income
  • Valuation of inventory and work in progress
  • Impairment of receivables and provisions for risks
  • Treatment of year-end commitments

3Cycle-by-Cycle Controls

Justifying every balance

  • Purchases and suppliers cycle with matching and reconciliations
  • Sales and receivables cycle with ageing analysis
  • Fixed assets, depreciation and asset disposals
  • Payroll, related charges and employee accounts
  • Clearing suspense accounts and long-standing balances

4Financial Statements and Notes

Closing and obtaining sign-off

  • From the final trial balance to the financial statements
  • Content of the notes and information to be documented
  • Consistency checks before submission
  • Preparing for the external auditor's review

Who is it for

Sole accountants and chief accountants, together with accounting firm staff responsible for year-end work.

Prerequisites

Confident with routine accounting entries and prior involvement in year-end closing work.

Dates & locations

24 scheduled dates between November 2026 and December 2027. Seats are confirmed in the order enquiries are received.

November 2026

December 2026

January 2027

February 2027

March 2027

April 2027

May 2027

June 2027

September 2027

October 2027

November 2027

December 2027

None of these dates suit you? We open additional sessions on request, and any programme can be run privately for your team.

Practical details

Before the programme
Online positioning questionnaire. Your development objectives are shared with the trainer, who tailors the practical case studies to your context.
Teaching methods
Theoretical input, workshops and practical case studies. Digital course materials and method sheets provided.
Assessment
Multiple-choice tests and role-play exercises. Assessment of learning at the start and end of the programme, with immediate and 60-day follow-up evaluations.
After the programme
One year of access to the e-learning platform. Self-assessment of the skills acquired and a 30-day follow-up session with your trainer.
How to register
Registration online or on the basis of a quotation.
Lead time
11 working days after confirmation of registration.
Accessibility
Accessible to people of determination. Contact our accessibility coordinator to design a suitable solution: contact@mpf-academy.ae
Start dates
Rolling intake: in addition to the scheduled sessions, this programme can start on request.