{"schema":"exacc.help.page/1","url":"https://exacc.au/help/lock-accounting-period/","title":"Lock a finished period","description":"Lock your accounts up to a date (after a BAS or the end of the year) so nothing dated on or before it is added or changed. Administrators only.","category":"Accounting","summary":"Once a period is finished (a BAS lodged, the year closed), an administrator opens **Manage › Configuration › General Settings** and sets **Accounts Lock** to its last day. Nothing dated on or before that date can then be entered or changed. Clear the drafts in the period first.","lastVerified":"2026-10-09","apps":["app"],"processIds":[],"start":{"label":"Open General Settings","url":"https://app.exacc.au/{dbId}/settings"},"menuPath":["Manage","Configuration","General Settings"],"before":["Administrator access to the business file.","No draft invoices, bills or journals dated in the period (see **Review transactions before you report**)."],"steps":[{"step":1,"title":"Finish the period","body":["Process your bank feeds, reconcile the bank accounts and work through **Review Transactions** (drafts, records marked for review, suspense, varied tax). Lodge the BAS or finish the year-end work."]},{"step":2,"title":"Set the lock date","body":["Open **Manage › Configuration › General Settings** and set **Accounts Lock** to the last day of the period, e.g. 30/09/2026 after the September quarter. It is refused while drafts are dated up to it: if the date does not stick, look for drafts."],"url":"https://app.exacc.au/{dbId}/settings"},{"step":3,"title":"Working after the lock","body":["Journals, bank transactions and bank feed lines dated on or before the lock are refused with \"This file is locked. You can only enter transactions after …\". To fix something in a locked period, an administrator moves the lock back, makes the change and locks it again."]}],"related":["https://exacc.au/help/general-settings/","https://exacc.au/help/review-transactions/","https://exacc.au/help/reconcile-bank-account/","https://exacc.au/help/gst-tax-codes/"],"linkNote":"Links containing {dbId} open that screen in the business file whose id is dbId. A person can also open this help page with ?db=<dbId> to get the same links as buttons."}