---
title: 2026 Year-End Close and 2027 Planning Kit | Out of the Box Technology
description: "Close 2026 and plan 2027 with our free kit: a year-end close checklist, 2027 budget framework, audit readiness guide, and key tax dates and changes."
---

Free resource kit

# 2026 Year-End Close and 2027 Planning Kit

Four practical resources for closing your books on 2026, meeting the early 2027 filing deadlines, and building a plan for the year ahead. Start with the checklist today, and get the full kit with one short form.

[Get the full kit](https://go.outoftheboxtechnology.com/year-end-planning-kit-gated#kit-form) [Download the checklist](https://outoftheboxtechnology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/OOTB_2026_Year-End_Close_Checklist.pdf?hsLang=en)

What is inside

## Four pieces, one season

The checklist is free to download now. The budget framework, audit readiness guide, and tax dates reference come with the full kit.

### 2026 Year-End Close Checklist

PDF, 8 pages

Lists every task in the close in the order the work happens, from the tax decisions that expire on December 31 to the setup that gives you a clean start in January. Each task has an owner column for your team, your accountant, and your CPA.

**Use it:** November to January

[Download the PDF](https://outoftheboxtechnology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/OOTB_2026_Year-End_Close_Checklist.pdf?hsLang=en)

### 2027 Budget Framework

PDF, 3 pages

Builds next year’s budget in four steps from this year’s actual numbers, from cleaning up 2026 to a monthly review, with a one-page summary to fill in.

**Use it:** Late January to February

[Included in the full kit](https://go.outoftheboxtechnology.com/year-end-planning-kit-gated#kit-form)

### Audit Readiness Guide

PDF, 3 pages

Shows what CPAs, lenders, and buyers usually ask for and when to prepare it, with a document request list you can use as a tracker.

**Use it:** Before any review, loan renewal, or sale

[Included in the full kit](https://go.outoftheboxtechnology.com/year-end-planning-kit-gated#kit-form)

### 2027 Key Tax Dates and Changes

PDF, 3 pages

Puts every federal deadline for the 2026 tax year on one page and explains what changed, including the $2,000 1099 threshold, the move to IRIS, the new W-2 overtime and tips reporting, and two weekend date shifts.

**Use it:** Keep it handy through April

[Included in the full kit](https://go.outoftheboxtechnology.com/year-end-planning-kit-gated#kit-form)

**November**Checklist section 1: meet your CPA before December 31

**December**Checklist sections 2 to 4, and the tax dates short list

**January**Close, file by February 1, and start the budget framework

**February onward**Finish the budget and work through audit readiness

Get the full kit

## Get instant access to all four pieces

Fill in the form and you will go straight to the full kit. Tell us what slows your close down most, and any resources we share afterward will focus on that.

- 2026 Year-End Close Checklist
- 2027 Budget Framework
- Audit Readiness Guide
- 2027 Key Tax Dates and Changes

By submitting this form, you agree to receive communications from Out of the Box Technology. You can unsubscribe at any time. See our [Privacy Policy](https://outoftheboxtechnology.com/privacy-policy/?hsLang=en).

When the kit turns up more work

## Where we can help

Working through the kit usually shows where the books stand. When it shows more than your team has time for, these are the places we most often step in.

**Behind on reconciliations**

Our [clean-up accounting](https://outoftheboxtechnology.com/clean-up-accounting/?hsLang=en) team clears the backlog so your close starts from accurate numbers, and our [accounting services](https://outoftheboxtechnology.com/bookkeeping/?hsLang=en) team keeps it current every month.

**No one to own the review or the budget**

A [fractional controller](https://outoftheboxtechnology.com/fractional-controller-services?hsLang=en) or [fractional CFO](https://outoftheboxtechnology.com/fractional-cfo-services?hsLang=en) from our team can lead the year-end review and build the 2027 plan, without a full-time hire.

**Spreadsheets doing the system’s job**

If consolidation, intercompany work, or budgeting lives outside your books, [Intuit Enterprise Suite](https://outoftheboxtechnology.com/intuit-enterprise-suite?hsLang=en) handles them on the same data.

Related reading

## Go deeper on the blog

[**Year-End Close Checklist: How to Close Your Books for 2026 and Start 2027 Clean**The seven stages of the close, explained in the order the work happens.](https://outoftheboxtechnology.com/year-end-close-checklist-2?hsLang=en)[**Year-End Tax Planning for Businesses: 2026 Changes and December 31 Moves**The decisions that expire on December 31, framed as questions for your CPA.](https://outoftheboxtechnology.com/year-end-tax-planning-for-businesses-2026-changes-and-december-31-moves/?hsLang=en)[**1099 Deadlines and Penalties for 2027: A Year-End Timeline**The full information return timeline under the new $2,000 threshold.](https://outoftheboxtechnology.com/blog/1099-compliance-deadlines?hsLang=en)

Questions

## About the kit

What is in the 2026 Year-End Close and 2027 Planning Kit?

The kit has four downloadable PDFs: the 2026 Year-End Close Checklist, the 2027 Budget Framework, the Audit Readiness Guide, and 2027 Key Tax Dates and Changes. Together they cover closing 2026, meeting the early 2027 filing deadlines, and planning the year ahead.

Who is the kit for?

The kit is written for owners, finance leads, and controllers at small and mid-sized businesses that use QuickBooks Online or Intuit Enterprise Suite, though most of it applies to any accounting system.

When should I start my year-end close?

Start in November. Several tax decisions expire on December 31 and need reconciled numbers to model, and reconciling November accounts in December leaves only one month of work for January.

What changed for 2026 year-end reporting?

The federal reporting threshold for Forms 1099-NEC and 1099-MISC rose from $600 to $2,000 for payments made in 2026, the IRS IRIS system replaces FIRE for electronic filing, and the 2026 Form W-2 requires separate reporting of qualified overtime and tips. W-2s and 1099-NECs are due February 1, 2027.

Is this tax advice?

No. The kit is general information. Out of the Box Technology is not a public accounting firm, so items marked as tax decisions are questions to raise with your CPA. Our role is the accurate books those decisions depend on.

## Get a second set of eyes on your year-end

Tell us where your books stand and what the 2027 deadlines mean for your business, and our team will help you decide where to start.

[Contact us](https://outoftheboxtechnology.com/contact/?hsLang=en)[Email us](mailto:hello@outoftheboxtechnology.com)

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