FAQ
Questions from controllers and accounting firms
Can't find what you need? Contact support.
About the product
Is Close Controller a generic task manager?
No. It is designed specifically for recurring accounting operations — close, audit support, tax calendars, and client-based workflow execution. The data model, terminology, and features are built around how accounting teams actually work.
Who is it for?
Controllers, outsourced accounting firms, and accounting operations teams who manage recurring work across multiple clients or entities. If you run a structured close process and want something better than a shared spreadsheet, it is for you.
Is there a demo I can watch?
The fastest way to see the product is to start your free 30-day trial — you get full access from day one and a guided setup flow. If you have specific questions before signing up, the Support page has contact details.
Workflows and features
What kinds of workflows fit best?
Month-end close, quarter-end close, year-end close, audit prep, and one-off accounting projects that still need accountability, ownership, and history. Each workflow type has its own engagement in the system.
How is the product structured?
The hierarchy is: Workspace → Clients → Engagements → Periods → Tasks. A client is a company you work with. An engagement is a specific recurring workflow for that client — like 'Month-End Close' or 'Audit Prep'. Each engagement generates periods (one per cycle) and each period contains the live tasks your team works through.
What is an engagement?
An engagement is a recurring workflow attached to a specific client. You choose the type (Month-End Close, Quarter-End, Year-End, Audit Prep, or One-Off), give it a name, and optionally start it from a reusable template. Once the engagement exists, you create periods from it — one for each close cycle. The engagement holds the master checklist; periods hold the live working copies.
Can teams work across multiple clients?
Yes. The product is built around client-by-client visibility, task ownership, and workspace-scoped access. You can see open work across all clients from one view or drill into a specific engagement or period.
What if a process is not ready to become a template?
You can create an engagement without a template — start fresh and add checklist tasks manually. There is no requirement to use templates from day one. When the process stabilizes you can build a template from it for future use.
How does rollforward work?
When a period ends, you roll it forward to create the next one. Each checklist task has a rollforward rule — Always (regenerates every cycle), Carry if Incomplete (only carries if not done), Quarterly Only, Annual Only, or One-Time (never repeats). Notes can also be flagged to copy into the next period. The prior period is preserved as read-only history.
How do you manage month-end close across multiple clients?
Each client has its own engagements, periods, and task ownership. The dashboard surfaces blocked tasks, overdue items, and open periods across all clients in one view — or you can drill into any individual engagement. The recurring period model means each new close cycle inherits the prior structure without manual rebuilding.
What is rollforward in accounting workflow software?
Rollforward advances a completed accounting period into the next cycle. In Close Controller, a new period is created for the next month, quarter, or year. Tasks carry forward automatically based on their rollforward rule — incomplete items can roll, completed one-time tasks do not, and notes flagged for carryforward are copied in. The original period stays intact as read-only history.
How do you build a PBC tracker for audit support?
PBC stands for 'Provided By Client' — the document and information request list sent to clients during audit or review. In Close Controller, you create an Audit Prep engagement, import an existing PBC list from CSV or XLSX, assign statuses, and track outstanding requests alongside your regular close tasks. Every status change is logged in the audit trail.
How do accounting firms use month-end close checklist templates?
A template in Close Controller defines the reusable task structure for a recurring close type. Each template task has an assigned owner, due date rule, priority, and rollforward rule. When you create an engagement from a template, all those tasks are copied in as the engagement's checklist. Every period generated from that engagement produces live tasks with due dates calculated automatically. Teams maintain a shared template library and create different engagements per client based on scope.
How do you track accounting close status across multiple clients?
The dashboard aggregates open periods, blocked items, and waiting-on-client status across all active client engagements. Each period shows task-level completion so you can see which clients are behind and which items need follow-up — without switching between spreadsheets or email threads.
AI features
How does the AI task extraction feature work?
Paste meeting notes into the AI panel and the model extracts proposed tasks — title, suggested client, period, assignee, due date, and priority — for you to review. Nothing is created automatically: you see a preview, can edit or remove any suggestion, and explicitly confirm before tasks are written. The model used is Claude Haiku from Anthropic.
What data is sent to Anthropic when I use AI?
Two things: the text you paste into the AI panel (such as meeting notes), and the workspace context the model needs to match suggestions to your data — your client names, period names, and team member names. Anthropic does not use API inputs to train its models, and inputs are retained per the Anthropic API terms (typically up to 30 days for trust and safety review).
Can the AI see other workspaces or other firms' data?
No. Every AI request is scoped to the workspace of the user who triggered it. The context loaded for the model is built from your workspace only — your clients, your periods, your team. Data from other workspaces is never sent to fulfill a request from yours.
Does the AI create tasks automatically?
No. The AI only proposes tasks. You see a preview, can edit or remove any suggestion, and confirm before anything is created. If a suggestion has no matching client or period, you have to resolve it manually before that task can be created.
Are there usage limits on the AI features?
Normal use isn't limited — AI is included on every plan with no metered usage and no per-call charges. We do reserve the right to apply reasonable limits or throttle workspaces with abnormal usage to protect platform health for everyone. See our Terms of Service for details.
Imports and data
Can I import work that already lives in Excel?
Yes. Close Controller supports CSV and XLSX import with a column mapping step, validation, and a commit flow for task batches, template tasks, and audit support lists. Mapping presets let you reuse column mappings across recurring exports from the same source.
Can I bring in an existing PBC list?
Yes. The PBC import flow handles audit support request lists with validation and status mapping. Imported PBC items can be linked to a specific period and client.
Is there an API?
Not yet. API access is on the roadmap. For now, CSV/XLSX import covers most migration and recurring data entry workflows.
Billing and trial
Is there a free trial?
Yes — 30 days free with full access. No credit card required to start.
How much does Close Controller cost?
Growth is $29/seat/month billed annually, with no seat minimum. Scale is $35/seat/month billed annually, with a 3-seat minimum. Both plans include AI task extraction and start with a 30-day free trial — no credit card required.
Can I pay monthly?
Annual billing is the default at $29/seat (Growth) and $35/seat (Scale). Monthly billing is available at $35/seat (Growth) and $42/seat (Scale) — approximately 20% above the annual rate.
Is pricing locked during beta?
Yes. The prices on the pricing page — $29/seat for Growth and $35/seat for Scale — are locked. They will not change when billing launches. Teams that sign up during private beta are locked in at these rates for 12 months from billing activation.
What happens when the trial ends?
You will be prompted to add a payment method. If you do not, your account is paused and your data is retained for 30 days so you can reactivate at any time.
Is pricing per seat or per client?
Per seat. Growth supports up to 10 clients; Scale is unlimited clients. Seats are active team members in your workspace — archived users do not count.
Ready to get started?
30-day free trial. No credit card required.
30-day free trial · No credit card required