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# What a Controller Needs Before Month-End Closing
- URL: https://blog.jestor.com/controller-needs-before-month-end/
- Published: 2026-09-17T22:31:43.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-17T22:31:43.000Z
- Author: Bruno Bannach

Most of **what a controller needs before closing** should have been captured during the month. Closing becomes difficult when allocation, approval, and documentation are reconstructed afterwards.

## Why closing takes longer than it should

The work is not the accounting. It is the archaeology that precedes it.

- Expenses allocated retrospectively, from descriptions
- Approvals confirmed by asking people what they remember
- Invoices matched to entries by hand
- Departments disputing charges they never saw

## What should already be in place

| Requirement                | Captured when                                     |
| -------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------- |
| **Cost centre allocation** | On the request, as a required field               |
| **Approval record**        | When the request was approved, with its history   |
| **Supporting document**    | Attached to the request, read by OCR              |
| **Verification**           | A checklist completed before the payment advanced |
| **The ERP entry**          | Posted automatically on approval                  |

## How to set it up in Jestor

1. Make the **cost center** field required on every request in **Jestor**.
2. Route approvals to the cost centre owner, so the record shows who approved what.
3. Attach the invoice and let **OCR** extract the value and dates.
4. Add a checklist acting as a lightweight audit before the payment advances.
5. Let approved entries post into the **ERP** automatically through the native integration.

## Why choose Jestor for controllership?

**Jestor** keeps the request, the approval, the document, and the verification on one record, which means closing reads from a complete trail rather than assembling one.

The table history records who changed what and when, distinguishing user edits from automation and **API** changes — and it can be exported as a spreadsheet for audit.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### Can I prove who approved a payment?

Yes, the approval and its history stay on the record. See [jestor.com](https://jestor.com/?ref=blog.jestor.com).

### Can I export an audit trail?

Yes, filtered by date, action, and source.

### Does allocation carry to the ERP?

Yes, it posts with the approved entry.

## Video Tutorial: Step by Step

Check out other practical tutorials on the Jestor YouTube channel.

## Get to know Jestor

With **Jestor**, you can automate workflows, connect teams, and build internal systems your way — all without code and powered by **AI**. Discover Jestor at [jestor.com](https://jestor.com/?ref=blog.jestor.com) and see how to take your company's operations to a new level of efficiency and control.