Xero now lets you add your own tasks, but a month-end checklist needs more than a reminder. It has to show who completed each check and what they looked at.
The short answer: Xero now has custom personal tasks. Use them for your own reminders, and keep a shared close register for ownership and review.1
- 01 · PrepareBookkeeper prepares evidence
Close register October close Sample
- Bank and cardsReconciled
- BillsStatements saved
- 02 · DifferencesAccountant reviews differences
- Bank difference explained
- Treatment confirmed
- 03 · ResultsOwner reviews the results
Accept the October pack?Every check has an owner and evidence
- 04 · ArchiveBookkeeper archives the pack
Close register October close Closed
6 of 6
Checks with an owner, evidence and a reviewer.
At the end of the day Every tick has a name and a piece of evidence behind it.
Know what the new tasks do
Xero custom Tasks
Create, edit, complete and delete one-off tasks, and view completed ones.
Who can use them
Users with Standard or Adviser access, for their own personal organisation.
A shared register
Owner, due date, evidence, reviewer and exception: a design that lives outside the widget.
Recurrence, assignment
Xero says it will keep considering both in future enhancements.
Xero’s 21 October 2026 response says it has “just released custom Tasks to the Homepage Tasks widget”, so you can create “a one-off task”.1 Standard and Adviser users can edit, complete and delete them, then view completed tasks. Xero leaves recurring tasks and task assignment open for future enhancements.
Do not treat a personal tick as another person’s approval. Xero’s earlier homepage announcement described a task list widget, and the newer response is what establishes custom tasks.2
Build the checklist around evidence
Sample due day · orange: final reports
Due days are sample working days after month-end, not a benchmark.
Illustrative figures, not client data.
| Check | Preparer | Reviewer | Due | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bank and cards | Bookkeeper | Accountant | Day 2 | Reconciliations |
| Sales and debtors | Office manager | Owner | Day 2 | Invoice list |
| Bills and creditors | Bookkeeper | Owner | Day 2 | Supplier statements |
| Payroll liabilities | Bookkeeper | Accountant | Day 3 | Payroll reconciliation |
| Adjustments | Accountant | Owner | Day 3 | Approved schedules |
| Final reports | Bookkeeper | Owner | Day 4 | Reviewed pack |
Sample data, not a client’s. The sample workshop keeps a shared register with the period, preparer, reviewer and evidence location on every row. The due days are sample working days after month-end, not a benchmark. Xero’s close guide recommends a close calendar with an owner for each step.3 I would start with the checks that currently wait in someone’s inbox. Missing supplier evidence can connect to the supplier bill approval workflow.
Work through a sample difference
A$ · orange: ledger before correction
The confirmed fee is $240.00, so the corrected ledger matches the statement.
Illustrative figures, not client data.
A bank difference needs investigating before anyone marks the reconciliation complete. In this sample it is a missing $240.00 fee. The accountant confirms the treatment, and the bookkeeper records the approved correction: debit bank fees $240.00, credit bank $240.00. That lowers profit by $240.00, so it is not a saving. Keep the statement with the reconciliation, and re-run the affected reports afterwards.
The sample difference, line by line
| Item | Sample amount |
|---|---|
| Ledger bank balance before correction | $18,240.00 |
| Bank statement closing balance | $18,000.00 |
| Difference to investigate | $240.00 |
| Confirmed unrecorded bank fee | $240.00 |
| Ledger balance after approved correction | $18,000.00 |
| Remaining difference | $0.00 |
Set rules for completing work
Name the close
Every row names the month it belongs to. One person is responsible for each check.
Prove the work
The statement, report or schedule is stored where the reviewer can open it. A difference is closed with a reason.
Sign off and roll on
The reviewer’s name and date go on the row before it is ticked. A fresh copy is rolled forward.
Store the shared register where the team already works. A dedicated close app may help once assignments and reviews become hard to manage. Easy Month End’s Xero listing describes recurring tasks, an audit log and preparer and reviewer sign-off.4 Test the actual setup before adopting it.
The full checklist, six rules
- Period identified. Every row names the month it belongs to, so old and new closes never mix.
- Owner named. One person is responsible for each check, and the register shows who.
- Source evidence saved. The statement, report or schedule is stored where the reviewer can open it.
- Differences explained. A difference is closed with a reason and the approved correction.
- Reviewer recorded. The reviewer’s name and date go on the row before it is ticked.
- Next period created. A fresh copy is rolled forward, and unresolved items keep an owner and a next action.
Where a person stays in charge
Rules check
Overdue checks and missing evidence, found the same way every month.
Claude drafts
An exception note from approved information. It writes only.
You decide
The bookkeeper corrects, the accountant judges the treatment and the owner accepts the pack.
I would use a Custom build, from A$9,500 (AUD, no GST charged), when reminders need to follow evidence across systems.5 An n8n workflow compares states and surfaces exceptions, and Claude drafts the explanation from approved information. A person approves journals, reports and completion.
Start with a free fit check by email at the foot of this page, to map those handovers first. The Workflow Audit, A$990 (AUD, no GST charged), is the next step.5 This is a proposed working checklist, not a claim about your reporting time. Your accountant should set the accounting treatment and the review requirements.
Questions
Can I create my own task in Xero?
Yes. Xero’s release response says Standard and Adviser users can create custom one-off tasks in the Homepage Tasks widget.1
Can I assign those tasks or make them recur?
The 21 October response leaves both under consideration.1 Use a shared register or a tested workflow tool for those needs.
What belongs in a month-end checklist?
Reconciliations, transaction completeness, adjustments and reviewed reports.3 Give each check an owner and an evidence requirement, adapted with your accountant.
Sources
- 1. Xero Product Ideas, “Home page - Add Tasks and reminders to take action on”, official response of 21 October 2026, read 31 October 2026: productideas.xero.com/…/50284272-home-page-add-tasks-and-reminders-to-take-action
- 2. Xero Blog, “Get ready for a reimagined Xero” (26 June 2025, updated 26 November 2025), read 31 October 2026: blog.xero.com/product-updates/get-ready-reimagined-xero
- 3. Xero, “Month-end close process: how to streamline it as your business scales” (Xero UK, published 19 August 2026), read 31 October 2026: xero.com/uk/guides/month-end-close-process
- 4. Xero App Store, “Easy Month End” by Mayday (vendor listing), read 31 October 2026: apps.xero.com/uk/app/easy-month-end
- 5. Works Better, “Pricing” and “Workflow Audit”: worksbetter.ai/pricing (Custom build from A$9,500; Workflow Audit A$990; AUD, no GST charged)
Not sure which to fix first?
Get a free fit check by email and I will say whether it is worth automating. No call needed. The next step is a A$990 workflow audit: the top 3 things worth automating, with a fixed quote for each.
Get a free fit check by email