Month-End Close Calendar Generator
Instantly generate a month-end close calendar for any month. Every calendar comes with labeled business days, customizable holidays, and a ready-to-use close checklist with preparer and reviewer due dates.
Free to download as an Excel workbook.
Generate Your Close Calendar
The September 2026 close calendar lays out the days of October 2026, with labeled business days, US federal holidays, and a month-end close checklist with computed preparer and reviewer due dates.
September 2026 Close: October 2026 Business Days
| Business Day | Date |
|---|---|
| Business Day 1 | Thursday, October 1, 2026 |
| Business Day 2 | Friday, October 2, 2026 |
| Business Day 3 | Monday, October 5, 2026 |
| Business Day 4 | Tuesday, October 6, 2026 |
| Business Day 5 | Wednesday, October 7, 2026 |
| Business Day 6 | Thursday, October 8, 2026 |
| Business Day 7 | Friday, October 9, 2026 |
| Business Day 8 | Tuesday, October 13, 2026 |
| Business Day 9 | Wednesday, October 14, 2026 |
| Business Day 10 | Thursday, October 15, 2026 |
| Business Day 11 | Friday, October 16, 2026 |
| Business Day 12 | Monday, October 19, 2026 |
| Business Day 13 | Tuesday, October 20, 2026 |
| Business Day 14 | Wednesday, October 21, 2026 |
| Business Day 15 | Thursday, October 22, 2026 |
| Business Day 16 | Friday, October 23, 2026 |
| Business Day 17 | Monday, October 26, 2026 |
| Business Day 18 | Tuesday, October 27, 2026 |
| Business Day 19 | Wednesday, October 28, 2026 |
| Business Day 20 | Thursday, October 29, 2026 |
| Business Day 21 | Friday, October 30, 2026 |
| Columbus Day | Monday, October 12, 2026 |
What Is a Month-End Close Calendar?
A month-end close calendar is a schedule that maps every task in the accounting close to a specific business day. Instead of tracking due dates as fixed calendar dates, a close calendar counts business days from the start of the close — “Business Day 1,” “Business Day 2,” and so on — automatically skipping weekends and holidays. This gives accounting teams a repeatable cadence every period, no matter which day of the week the month begins on.
What’s Included in the Download?
- A business-day calendar grid for the close month, with each weekday labeled by business day and every US federal holiday marked.
- An editable holidays list: add your own company holidays and the checklist due dates recalculate automatically.
- A close checklist of standard tasks grouped by area (cash, revenue, AP, AR, fixed assets, payroll, reporting, and more), each with a preparer and reviewer due date computed from the business-day schedule.
- Live Excel formulas: change a task’s target business day and its due date updates instantly, always skipping weekends and the holidays you list.
How Are Business Day Due Dates Calculated?
Each task is assigned a target business day; for example, “reconcile cash by Business Day 1” or “post closing entries by Business Day 7.” The generator converts that business-day number into an actual date using Excel’s WORKDAY function, which counts forward from the start of the month while skipping weekends and any holidays listed on the calendar tab. The reviewer’s due date is set one business day after the preparer’s, so review always follows preparation.
Why Use a Business-Day Close Calendar?
Anchoring the close to business days rather than fixed dates keeps your timeline consistent from month to month. The same task is always due on Business Day 3, whether that lands on a Tuesday or a Friday, and holidays never silently compress your schedule. That predictability makes it far easier to set expectations with the team, identify bottlenecks, and shorten the close cycle over time.
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