The timetable for preparing the year-end accounts is now available.
Financial year-end 2023 - 2024
Members of staff dealing with finances should be aware of the timetable and familiarise themselves with the key dates.
Schools are able to request manual adjustments to be made to their accounts for significant items where income is received in advance of the new financial year or payments have yet to be made. Further guidance is available in the 'Accounting for goods and services letter' attached to this page.
Schools should also undertake a reconciliation of their Lloyds Imprest Account by completing 'Form A - expenditure from school allowance Imprest' which is attached to this page (to be retained at the school for audit inspection).
Schools operating a local bank account will be issued with separate guidance on required timescales for year-end returns.
Key dates
The key dates for schools include:
- Monday 4 March – pool premium claim forms (up to the end of February) to be submitted (relevant Nursery / Primary Sector Schools)
- Wednesday 6 March – this is the last date for schools to raise a negotiated journal to automatically post in 2023-2024 (because of the 21-day automatic posting rule). Schools can still raise a negotiated journal after this date but it will need to be approved / rejected by the receiving school before 31 March 2024
- Monday 11 March - schools should start to ensure that all outstanding VIM invoices are coded and approved, and goods are receipted (when received) in Orderpoint
- Friday 15 March – last date for all trade union duties / maternity / public duty claim forms to be submitted (secondary schools are not re-pooled for maternity and therefore not applicable)
- Wednesday 20 March – last date for any transfers / payments to be made to a capital code (cost centres beginning with a ‘CHD’ or ‘CHG’) – ensure any outstanding negotiated journals are authorised and invoice payments are approved
- Thursday 21 March at 10am – last date for Accounts Payable to receive invoices for scanning into VIM for the old year
- Monday 25 March at midday – last date for raising customer invoices in 2023-24.
- Tuesday 26 March at 5pm - final deadline for all workflow to be cleared in old year (VIM invoice coding & authorisation, Orderpoint goods receipted, journal coding & authorisation).
- Wednesday 27 March – deadline for completing all banking and cash receipts for 2023-24
- Wednesday 27 March at 5pm - SAP down for year-end updates
- Tuesday 2 April - SAP re-opens
- Thursday 4 April – last date to return any income in advance / school creditor request forms.
- Thursday 4 April – last date to code and authorise an invoice in VIM in the new-year to allow write back of invoices paid in 2024-25 with a 2023-24 invoice date.
- Friday 12 April at 5pm – deadline for a school to authorise a journal in 2023-24.
- Thursday 18 April at midday – 2023-24 school accounts are completed.
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