---
title: "From a 25-day close to a 5-day close for a marketing agency"
description: "From a 25-day close to a 5-day close for a marketing agency. What we did, the numbers before and after, and what changed."
url: https://ledgerbpo.com/case-studies/agency-month-end-close/
updated: 2026-09-11
publisher: LedgerBPO (SS Support Network LLC)
language: en-US
---

# From a 25-day close to a 5-day close for a marketing agency

Case study · Marketing & creative agencies

25-day close to 5-day close

A marketing agency on the US West Coast with retainer and project clients was closing its books around the 25th of the following month. By then the numbers were too old to act on. Client profitability was a guess, pass-through media costs were booked when the supplier invoice arrived rather than when the spend ran, and retainer revenue was recognized whenever the invoice went out.

The agency engaged LedgerBPO for month-end close, financial reporting and invoicing and billing. A named accountant, a backup and a team lead worked inside the agency's QuickBooks Online, bill-approval tool and time-tracking system. The close moved from 25 days to 5 days, and the founders now review client margins in the first week of the month instead of the last.

Updated September 2026

## Before and after

Before

**Days to close the month**
: 25

After

**Days to close the month**
: 5

## What we did

1. 01
### Access and setup
We received named user accounts with MFA in QuickBooks Online, the agency's bill-approval tool, time tracking, payroll reports and the card platform, with read-only bank feeds. The founders kept approval and release of every payment. Client work was set up as classes so revenue and cost could be reported per client without a separate spreadsheet.
2. 02
### Clearing the backlog
The first month was a clean-up: unreconciled bank and card accounts brought current, a deferred revenue schedule built for retainers and prepaid projects, media spend accrued from platform reports rather than supplier invoices, contractor bills matched to the projects they belonged to, and stale balances in suspense resolved. That gave the close a clean starting point rather than a rolling set of open items.
3. 03
### A close calendar with owners
We built the agency's close on our CloseTrack checklist: each task has an owner, a due day between day 1 and day 5, and a sign-off. Invoices go out on day 1, accruals and deferred revenue on day 2, reconciliations by day 3, review on day 4 and the reporting pack on day 5. Every close passes through our Two-Tier Review, with a checker signing off the reconciliations before the pack is released.
4. 04
### Invoicing and retainer follow-up
Retainer invoices are raised on the first business day with time and media backup attached, and project milestones are invoiced when the account lead marks them complete. Overdue retainers follow our DunningDesk cadence of reminders and a courteous call in the agency's name, with promise-to-pay dates logged. Agents never take card details; clients pay through the agency's own payment link.
5. 05
### Day-5 reporting
By day 5 the founders receive a pack through our LedgerDesk portal: profit and loss, balance sheet, revenue and gross margin by client, deferred revenue roll-forward, media pass-through summary and a 13-week cash view. The numbers arrive while the month is still fresh, so pricing and staffing decisions are made on actuals rather than estimates.

## KPIs

| KPI | Before | After |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Days to close the month | 25 | 5 |

## Services used

- [Close the books in days, not weeks](https://ledgerbpo.com/services/month-end-close/)
- [Reports your lender, investor and you will actually read](https://ledgerbpo.com/services/financial-reporting/)
- [Invoices out on time, every time](https://ledgerbpo.com/services/invoicing-and-billing/)

Next step

## Want the same shape of result?

Tell us where the books or billing hurt. A named person replies within 1 business day with a plan for the first 30 days.

- Reply from a named person within 1 business day
- No setup fee, month-to-month
- Your software, your data, no lock-in

Start with a custom quote

[Get a custom quote](https://ledgerbpo.com/get-a-quote/) [Book a 20-minute call](https://ledgerbpo.com/book-a-call/) Or call [+1-657-777-0006](tel:+16577770006) during US, UK or Australian business hours.

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Source: https://ledgerbpo.com/case-studies/agency-month-end-close/ · Contact: https://ledgerbpo.com/contact/ · Full site map for agents: https://ledgerbpo.com/llms.txt