What this article covers: The complete month-end close process for BrizoConsol groups with entities connected via Zoho Books — from finalising books in Zoho through to distributing consolidated reports.

This is the complete month-end workflow for accountants and bookkeepers who use Zoho Books entities in a BrizoConsol group. Work through each step in order — skipping steps or changing the sequence can produce incorrect consolidated figures.

Part 1 — Finalise and Load Data

1 Complete month-end in Zoho Books In Zoho Books

Do all of this in Zoho Books before touching BrizoConsol.

  • Post all month-end manual journals: depreciation, accruals, prepayments
  • Complete bank reconciliation for all accounts
  • Approve all outstanding expense claims and bills
  • Confirm all customer invoices and payments are recorded
  • Run Accountant → Trial Balance in Zoho Books for the period end date and save it — you will compare this to BrizoConsol
2 Lock the period in Zoho Books In Zoho Books

Lock the accounting period to prevent backdated changes after reloading into BrizoConsol.

  • Go to Settings → Preferences → Lock Period
  • Set the lock date to the last day of the completed month
  • Save
3 Reload data in BrizoConsol In BrizoConsol

Zoho Books syncs via the direct integration. Reload at period end after all closing entries are complete.

  • In BrizoConsol, go to Global Settings → Organisation Hierarchy and select the entity
  • Confirm the connection status is green — if it shows TOKEN EXPIRED, click to reconnect before proceeding
  • Go to Organisation Settings → Data Loading
  • Find the current period row and click Reload
  • Wait for the Load Status timestamp to update
  • If you have multiple Zoho Books entities in the group, switch to each and repeat

Part 2 — Consolidate in BrizoConsol

4 Review each entity's trial balance Verify

Before running eliminations, confirm BrizoConsol has the correct figures for every entity.

  • Switch to each entity using the organisation selector (top-left dropdown)
  • Go to Reports → Trial Balance
  • Compare the total debits and total credits to the Zoho Books Trial Balance report for the same period
  • Check that total assets, total liabilities, net profit, and equity all match
  • If figures differ: go to Organisation Settings → Data Loading, click Reload for the affected period, and re-check

Switch back to the group level before continuing.

5 Review auto eliminations Eliminate

Auto Elimination rules run automatically when data is loaded. Review them to confirm they balanced correctly this period.

  • Go to Adjustments → Auto Elimination
  • Check that each rule shows a green status — no unmatched or partially matched eliminations
  • Go to Adjustments → Elim. Validation
  • Review the validation report — confirm no intercompany balances remain uneliminated
  • Check the FX Diff column — if any row shows a non-zero difference, the FX gain/loss has been posted to the account configured in the rule. Confirm this is correct.
6 Post one-off elimination entries Eliminate

For intercompany transactions not covered by auto rules — such as non-recurring management fees, intercompany dividends, or balances where account structures differ between entities.

  • Go to Adjustments → Elimination Entries
  • Click Add a new Elimination Entry
  • Enter the date, description, and accounting standard
  • Add debit and credit lines — select the CCOA account and enter the amount for each line
  • Set the Foreign Exchange Gain/Loss Account if the entry involves foreign currency
  • Click Confirm — the entry posts immediately
  • Check the Balanced / FX Diff indicator on the new entry — it should show Balanced for same-currency entries
💡 Use BrizoElim (the button at the bottom of the Elimination Entries page) to run AI-assisted detection of intercompany balances that may have been missed. BrizoElim scans trial balance data for accounts that look intercompany and flags uneliminated balances for review.
7 Post journal adjustments Adjust

Use Journal Entries for accounting standard adjustments — fair-value entries, impairments, reclassifications. These are different from elimination entries: journal entries correct or supplement the consolidated P&L and Balance Sheet under a specific accounting standard.

  • Go to Adjustments → Journal Entries
  • Click Add Journal Entry
  • Select the Date, Scenario, and Accounting Standard this entry relates to
  • Add debit and credit lines with the relevant CCOA accounts and amounts
  • Set an exchange rate per line if the entry involves foreign currency
  • Click Confirm
  • Check the entry shows Balanced — if it shows FX Diff, ensure the correct FX Gain/Loss account is configured
ℹ️ Journal entries are tagged by accounting standard (e.g. IFRS, Local GAAP). This means you can switch between standard views in any report and see the correct set of adjustments applied for each.

Year-end only: After posting journal entries, also post CTA (Adjustments → CTA → Post CTA Journal) and NCI if applicable (Adjustments → NCI → Post NCI Journal). Verify both using Reconcile / Verify — confirm fully balanced before proceeding.

8 Review the consolidated reports Review

With data refreshed and all eliminations and adjustments posted, review the consolidated outputs at group level.

  • Switch to the group entity using the organisation selector (top-left dropdown)
  • Go to Reports → Profit & Loss — check revenue, gross profit, operating profit, and net profit vs prior month and prior year. Investigate any movement larger than expected.
  • Go to Reports → Balance Sheet — confirm the balance sheet foots: Total Assets must equal Total Liabilities + Equity. Any imbalance indicates a missing or incorrect elimination or journal entry.
  • Go to Reports → Cash Flow — review operating, investing, and financing cash flows
  • Use the period comparison selector to view Actual vs Last Year or Actual vs Budget — this makes variances immediately visible
  • Click into any line that looks unexpected — the drill-down shows which entities and accounts are driving the number
  • Go to Pulse → Key Metrics — check health scores. A significant movement in a score can indicate a data issue or a genuine business change worth noting
💡 If the Balance Sheet does not foot, the most common causes are: a missing elimination entry (intercompany loan or investment not eliminated), a journal entry with an unbalanced debit/credit, or a CTA that has not been posted. Check Adjustments → Elim. Validation first.
9 Distribute reports to stakeholders Distribute

Once the consolidated figures are signed off, distribute to management, owners, or clients.

  • Go to Insight Packages — if a package is scheduled, confirm the last delivery date shows the current period. If delivery has not happened yet, click Generate to trigger it manually.
  • To share a specific report: go to Reports, open the report, and use the export button (top right) to download as PDF or Excel
  • To share a dashboard: use the scheduled dashboard delivery feature or send a direct link to recipients who have BrizoConsol access
  • For board or investor reporting: use the Comparing Periods view to present Actual vs Budget or Actual vs Last Year side by side