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Month-end close statistics, 2026.

One benchmark dominates this subject: APQC’s cycle-time data across more than ten thousand organizations. Most other numbers come from software vendors surveying their own market. We label which is which.

Jeff Weinberg, JRW · Checked 22 October 2026

How long the close takes.

  1. 5 / 6 / 10 (link to this figure)

    Top performers complete monthly consolidated financial statements in 5 calendar days. The median organization takes 6, the slowest 10.

    Survey: APQC, Open Standards Benchmarking, 2026. 10,201 organizations, Open Standards Benchmarking

    Calendar days, weekends included, from trial balance to consolidated statements. Business-day figures elsewhere do not compare directly.

    Cite

    JRW, “Month-end close statistics 2026”, https://jrw-tech.com/blog/month-end-close-statistics#close-days-5-6-10, checked 22 October 2026

  2. 50% (link to this figure)

    In one vendor’s survey of 100 finance teams, half took six or more business days to close. 23% take six to seven, 27% more than seven.

    Vendor figure: Ledge, 2025. 100 finance professionals, companies from 51 to over 10,000 employees

    A close-automation vendor surveying its market.

    Cite

    JRW, “Month-end close statistics 2026”, https://jrw-tech.com/blog/month-end-close-statistics#close-six-plus-50, checked 22 October 2026

  3. 18% (link to this figure)

    Fewer than one in five teams close in three business days or less. 32% close in four to five.

    Vendor figure: Ledge, 2025. 100 finance professionals

    Cite

    JRW, “Month-end close statistics 2026”, https://jrw-tech.com/blog/month-end-close-statistics#close-three-days-18, checked 22 October 2026

  4. 59% (link to this figure)

    In a 2022 benchmark, 59% of companies closed within six business days.

    Survey: Ventana Research, via Numeric, 2022. 48 companies, 70% with over 1,000 employees

    Thin, large-company sample. Included because it is widely quoted.

    Cite

    JRW, “Month-end close statistics 2026”, https://jrw-tech.com/blog/month-end-close-statistics#close-ventana-59, checked 22 October 2026

Where the hours go.

  1. 20 to 50 h (link to this figure)

    Cash reconciliation alone takes finance teams 20 to 50 hours a month.

    Vendor figure: Ledge, 2025. 100 finance professionals

    Cite

    JRW, “Month-end close statistics 2026”, https://jrw-tech.com/blog/month-end-close-statistics#close-cash-rec-20-50, checked 22 October 2026

  2. 94% (link to this figure)

    94% of finance teams use Excel in the close. Half say it is a main reason the close is slow.

    Vendor figure: Ledge, 2025. 100 finance professionals

    Other blockers: waiting on other departments 56%, legacy systems 40%, transaction complexity 39%, understaffing 37%. Most teams automate less than 40% of the close.

    Cite

    JRW, “Month-end close statistics 2026”, https://jrw-tech.com/blog/month-end-close-statistics#close-excel-94, checked 22 October 2026

  3. 3 drivers (link to this figure)

    APQC names three drivers of cycle time: a central chart of accounts and reporting process, integrated systems, and trained people. The slowest closes wait on other departments.

    Survey: APQC, Open Standards Benchmarking, 2026. APQC benchmarking guidance

    Cite

    JRW, “Month-end close statistics 2026”, https://jrw-tech.com/blog/month-end-close-statistics#close-apqc-drivers, checked 22 October 2026

What the hours cost.

  1. $40.23 (link to this figure)

    Median hourly pay of accountants and auditors. $83,680 a year, before benefits and overhead.

    Official: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025. Federal wage data, May 2025

    Cite

    JRW, “Month-end close statistics 2026”, https://jrw-tech.com/blog/month-end-close-statistics#accountant-wage-4023, checked 22 October 2026

  2. $24.36 (link to this figure)

    Median hourly pay of bookkeeping, accounting and auditing clerks. $50,670 a year.

    Official: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025. Federal wage data, May 2025

    Cite

    JRW, “Month-end close statistics 2026”, https://jrw-tech.com/blog/month-end-close-statistics#bookkeeper-wage-2436, checked 22 October 2026

From our calculator.

  1. $82,842 (link to this figure)

    Staff cost per year of a four-person close at the defaults: 40 reconciliations and close tasks each per month, 45 minutes each, 15% reopened after review, accountant wage plus 30% overhead.

    Our default: JRW, 2026

    Month-end close cost calculator. This is a model output. Staff time only. A close that finishes days earlier is worth more on top.

    Cite

    JRW, “Month-end close statistics 2026”, https://jrw-tech.com/blog/month-end-close-statistics#jrw-close-cost, checked 22 October 2026

The labels.

  • Measured. Call logs, records or a trial, with a stated sample, from someone not selling a fix for the problem measured.
  • Measured, vendor data. A vendor’s own platform data, with a stated sample.
  • Survey. A survey or secret-shopper study, with a stated sample.
  • Official. Government statistics, statutes and regulations.
  • Legal analysis. A law firm’s or court’s account of a law or ruling. Not legal advice for your state.
  • Vendor figure. Published or repeated by a company that sells a related product, with no independent check. Some have no primary source we could find; the note says which. Where a calculator starts from one, its defaults table says so.
  • JRW engagement. Measured in one of our own client engagements. We sell the work being measured, so read it as one practice’s result, not a benchmark.
  • Our default. A number we chose, or a JRW calculator’s output at its default settings. The calculator page shows the assumptions.

To cite a figure, copy its cite line. Anchors are stable. Corrections: jeff@jrw-tech.com.

Questions.

Is a six-day close good or bad?
It is APQC’s median, in calendar days. Top performers close in five, the bottom in ten. In business days, Ledge puts half of teams at six or more. Public companies treat seven days or less as the standard. Very small teams and outsourced bookkeeping often take two weeks.
Why do the benchmarks disagree?
They use different units and samples. APQC counts calendar days across 10,201 organizations of every size. Ledge counts business days across 100 mostly mid-market and larger teams. Ventana sampled 48 mostly large companies. Compare your close to the one measured the way you measure.
Where are the hours-per-close benchmarks?
There are none we trust. The only published effort figure is Ledge’s 20 to 50 hours a month on cash reconciliation. Our calculator builds hours from your task count and minutes instead.
Can I cite these?
Cite APQC, Ledge, Ventana or the BLS for their figures. Cite JRW for the calculator output and this page.

See what your close costs in staff hours.

The calculator takes your task count, minutes and wages.

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Related: How to shorten the month-end close · Month-end close cost calculator · AI month-end close automation