Month-end close and reconciliations
Establish the close calendar, reconcile the general ledger, bank and balance sheet accounts, and work through exceptions with the people responsible for preparing and reviewing the records.
Finance & accounting
Outsourced finance and accounting you can build decisions on.
Get from source records to a reliable close, a clearer cash outlook and reporting your leadership can use. Ascent coordinates recurring accounting work with fractional CFO and controller support, with responsibilities and review dates defined around your business.
When the books need to explain the business.
This support fits project-based companies, growing employers and owners preparing for a transition who need better control of the records behind their decisions.
- The close is delayed by unreconciled balances, late inputs or unclear review responsibilities.
- Cash forecasts do not reflect collections, payroll, vendor commitments and the delivery plan together.
- Project costs, customer billing and management reports tell different stories.
- Leadership needs a regular finance review alongside the work of maintaining the books.
What we take on
Build a dependable financial routine.
The engagement defines which records Ascent prepares, who reviews them and which decisions remain with your leadership.
Billing, collections and cash
Coordinate accounts payable, customer billing and collections. Bring expected receipts and payments into cash forecasts that reflect the operating commitments ahead.
Project costs and revenue
Reconcile timekeeping, labor distribution, payroll interfaces and project costs. Maintain revenue and deferred revenue schedules tied to customer terms and delivery.
Leadership reporting
Prepare management, investor and board reporting, budget-to-actual reviews and the supporting assumptions. Fractional CFO and controller support can be included in the recurring scope.
Tax and transition records
Organize tax-ready records and planning inputs with your tax advisors. For an acquisition or transition, scope opening balance reconciliations, diligence records and post-acquisition responsibilities separately.
Accounting support for government contractors.
Connect direct and indirect costs, labor distribution, indirect rate structures, provisional billing rates and contract funding to the supporting records. Preparation can include documentation and reconciliations aligned to the SF 1408 pre-award accounting system survey criteria.
DCAA audit readiness support covers preparation, documentation, reconciliation and coordination with your advisors within an agreed scope. Ascent does not perform audits or represent clients before DCAA.
Explore government contractor operationsStart with the close you need to improve.
Review the records and deadlines
Examine the current systems, reconciliations, reporting requirements and close calendar. Identify missing inputs and the people needed to resolve them.
Agree the cleanup and ownership
Scope any transition or cleanup separately. Define preparers, reviewers, outputs and approvals before recurring work begins.
Deliver and review each month
Complete the agreed accounting and reporting work, review exceptions with leadership and revisit the scope as the business changes.
Questions before we start
Can we start with the monthly close and add finance leadership later?
Yes. An engagement can begin with close and reconciliation work, billing or another defined priority. Fractional CFO or controller support can be added through an agreed change in scope, with clear reporting and review responsibilities.
Will we need to replace our accounting system?
We assess the existing setup first. Ascent works with client systems including Unanet, Deltek, QuickBooks and FreshBooks, with Unanet as its deepest platform specialty. Configuration, interfaces and available records determine whether changes are needed.
How does accounting support connect with payroll and contracts?
Payroll interfaces, labor records, customer terms and funding changes all affect the financial records. The scope defines who provides and checks those inputs, how differences are reconciled and which approvals stay with your leadership or specialist advisors.
Connected services
What needs to be clearer at your next close?
Bring the reconciliation, cash forecast, billing issue or leadership report that needs attention.