Finance teams are closing the books 79% faster with Sage Intacct. Learn how automation, real-time data, and multi-entity support make it possible.
The month-end close — the process of finalising accounts so reports are complete and accurate — still takes far too long for many mid-market businesses. Finance teams spend weeks pulling data from spreadsheets, chasing reconciliations, and double-checking figures across disconnected systems.
The result is late reports, overstretched teams, and missed opportunities. By the time the numbers are ready, leadership decisions are already delayed. It doesn’t need to be this way. Companies using modern financial management systems are proving they can reduce close time by as much as 79%, turning what used to take weeks into a streamlined process that takes only a few days.
This article explores why month-end close is often such a burden, the impact it has on business performance, and how organisations around the world are achieving faster closes with automation, real-time visibility, and smarter financial management. You’ll also see real examples of companies cutting their close time dramatically and learn the practical steps you can take to move from weeks to days.
TL;DR
- Many finance teams still spend weeks closing the books due to manual reconciliations, spreadsheets, and disconnected systems
- Automating processes, enabling real-time visibility, and managing multi-entity operations in one system can cut close time to days
- Independent research shows Sage Intacct customers achieve up to 79% faster closes with a payback period of less than six months
- This article explains the causes of slow closes, the impact on your business, and how to accelerate the process with proven strategies and real-world results
What Causes a Slow Month-End Close
If your month-end close drags on for weeks, you’re not alone. Many finance teams face the same obstacles — and most of them come down to outdated processes and tools. These are the most common reasons your close might be taking longer than it should.
Spreadsheets and manual reconciliations
Relying on Excel to tie everything together leaves you open to errors and wasted time. Every reconciliation becomes a manual task, and the more entities or accounts you manage, the longer it takes.
Lengthy intercompany consolidations
If you operate across multiple entities, eliminating intercompany transactions can easily eat up days. Without automation, it’s a repetitive and error-prone process.
Disconnected systems
When finance, operations, and other departments work in separate systems, you’re stuck chasing data. Exporting, importing, and rekeying figures add delays and increase risk.
Lack of real-time visibility
Without access to up-to-date information, you’re always working with yesterday’s numbers. That slows everything down and makes it harder to spot issues before they grow.
The Impact of a Slow Close on Business Performance
A slow close affects more than your finance team. It shapes reporting accuracy, leadership confidence and your ability to act quickly.
Here’s how it holds your business back:
Missed opportunities and slow decision-making
If it takes weeks to finalise your numbers, the information is already out of date by the time it reaches decision-makers. That delay makes it harder to respond to market changes or spot opportunities when they matter most.
Higher risk of mistakes and audit challenges
Manual work increases the chance of errors entering your reports. Even small discrepancies can turn into bigger problems for compliance, audits or investor confidence.
Finance team stuck in admin instead of strategy
When your people spend most of their time reconciling spreadsheets and chasing figures, there’s little capacity left for analysis and planning. The result: finance is seen as a reporting function, not a strategic partner.
What a Faster Close Achieves for Your Business
Closing the books quickly goes beyond saving time. It gives your business a clear advantage. When your finance team works with speed and accuracy, you create space for better insights and stronger performance across the board. Here’s what that looks like in practice.
Confidence in your numbers
When you close in days, your reports are based on current data. That gives your leadership team confidence that decisions are being made on facts, not outdated figures.
Decisions made at the right time
Faster reporting means you don’t have to wait weeks to see the bigger picture. You can respond to changes, challenges, or opportunities while they’re still relevant.
Finance driving the conversation
With fewer hours lost to reconciliations and data gathering, your team has the freedom to focus on forecasting and analysis. Instead of chasing numbers, you’re shaping the conversations that move the business forward.
How Companies Are Closing the Books 79% Faster
Many companies have already proven that closing the books doesn’t need to be a drawn-out process. Organisations using Sage Intacct are cutting close times dramatically, thanks to automation, real-time data, and simplified multi-entity management.
Here are three areas where customers are seeing the biggest improvements:
Automating the manual work
Manual reconciliations, consolidations, and recurring journal entries are some of the biggest time drains in finance. Automating these steps removes errors and frees up days in the close. One Sage Intacct customer, GoGuardian, even reduced receivables processing to just one day after moving away from spreadsheets.
Real-time visibility
When you can see live data on dashboards and drill into the details at any point, you don’t have to wait until the end of the month to find out where things stand. Ground Control, a UK-based business, cut its monthly close from 11 days to 5, and its leadership now gets accurate reports twice as fast.
Managing multi-entity operations with ease
If you’re running multiple entities or working across different currencies, month-end can feel impossible without the right tools. Sage Intacct simplifies eliminations and consolidations so you can scale without adding more manual work. SecurityScorecard, a fast-growing SaaS provider, shortened its close to just 6–7 days across nine entities without needing to expand its finance team.
Real Results: From Weeks to Days
It’s one thing to talk about the benefits of a faster close — it’s another to see how real organisations are making it happen. These companies switched to Sage Intacct and cut their month-end close times significantly.
| Company | Before | After | Improvement |
|---|
| GoGuardian (US) | 31 days | 5 days | 84% faster |
|---|
| SecurityScorecard (US) | — | 6–7 days | 80% faster |
|---|
| Ground Control (UK) | 11 days | 5 days | 55% faster |
|---|
| Transforming PLC (UK) | — | — | 50% faster |
|---|
- US educational software company GoGuardian cut its close from 31 to 5 days after moving off spreadsheets, freeing up cash flow and halving receivables time.
- Cybersecurity firm SecurityScorecard shortened its close to just 6–7 days across nine entities without adding headcount.
- UK-based Ground Control halved its close to 5 days and delivered financial reports twice as fast to its leadership team.
- Transforming PLC reduced its close by 50% by centralising finance and simplifying reporting across multiple businesses.
Independent Proof That Sage Intacct Delivers Results
You don’t need to take our word for it — independent analysts have also confirmed the results finance teams are seeing with Sage Intacct.
Forrester Total Economic Impact study
Forrester Consulting found that organisations using Sage Intacct cut their close times by an average of 79%, achieved a 250% return on investment, and reached payback in less than six months. These findings highlight the scale of efficiency gains when finance teams move away from manual processes.
Recognition from Gartner and IDC
Gartner and IDC both recognise Sage Intacct as a leader in cloud financial management for mid-market organisations. Their assessments point to strengths in automation, multi-entity support, and reporting — the very areas that directly impact close efficiency.
How to Move from Weeks to Days (Step-by-Step)
Cutting your close from weeks to days doesn’t happen overnight, but there are clear steps you can take to make steady progress. Each step removes manual effort, builds confidence in your numbers, and gets you closer to a faster, smoother close.
1. Map your current process
Start by documenting how your close works today. Look at where time is spent, which tasks are manual, and where errors tend to occur.
2. Set a measurable target
Decide what “success” looks like for your team. Aim to close in five business days or less, and use that benchmark to track progress month by month.
3. Standardise accounts and approvals
Inconsistent charts of accounts, journal entries, or approval processes slow everything down. Standardising these areas sets the foundation for automation.
4. Automate reconciliations and recurring entries
Remove repetitive tasks by automating reconciliations, eliminations, and journals. This saves time and reduces the chance of errors.
5. Enable continuous consolidations
Instead of waiting until month-end, set up your system to handle consolidations and eliminations as transactions happen.
6. Connect your operational systems
Integrate finance with AP, AR, projects, or inventory systems so data flows automatically rather than being rekeyed.
7. Roll out real-time dashboards
Give your team access to live data so they can monitor progress and spot issues early, rather than discovering them weeks later.
8. Pilot, observe, and then scale
Apply these changes to one entity first, refine the process if needed, then extend it across the rest of your business.
Key Takeaways
- Finance teams using Sage Intacct are cutting month-end close times by up to 79%, moving from weeks to just a few days
- Real results from organisations in the US and UK show faster reporting, fewer errors, and more confident decisions
- You can achieve the same by setting clear targets, automating manual tasks, and giving your team real-time visibility — all possible by implementing Sage Intacct
Conclusion
Closing the books doesn’t need to be a stressful, weeks-long process. Businesses around the world are already proving that with Sage Intacct, finance teams can complete their close in just a few days — all while improving accuracy and freeing up time for strategic work.
A 79% faster close is definitely a realistic benchmark your team can aim for. With automation, real-time visibility, and multi-entity support, you can build a faster, more reliable close that supports better decisions across the business.
Book a discovery call with us today to see how Sage Intacct can help your organisation move from weeks to days.
Book your free Discovery Call here
FAQs
What is a good month-end close timeline for a mid-market company?
Most mid-market organisations aim to close within five business days. Anything longer risks decisions being made on outdated information. With automation and real-time visibility, closing in days rather than weeks is achievable.
How can you reduce month-end close from weeks to days?
The biggest improvements come from automating reconciliations, eliminating spreadsheets, and connecting finance with operational systems. Tools like Sage Intacct allow you to consolidate continuously and monitor progress in real time, cutting close times dramatically.
What is a continuous close?
A continuous close means financial data is updated and consolidated throughout the month instead of waiting until month-end. This reduces the workload during the close itself and gives your team constant visibility into performance.
How do multi-entity operations affect close time?
Managing multiple entities, currencies, or compliance standards adds complexity and slows the close if you rely on manual processes. A system built for multi-entity management removes the need for separate reconciliations and consolidations.
How do you measure close-time improvement?
Track how many business days it takes to complete your close each month. Compare this against a clear target, such as a five-day close. Over time, the trend should show a shorter, more consistent close cycle. content.