{"id":32004,"date":"2026-08-14T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/?p=32004"},"modified":"2026-08-20T13:28:03","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T12:28:03","slug":"why-uk-finance-teams-cant-close-faster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/why-uk-finance-teams-cant-close-faster\/","title":{"rendered":"Why UK finance teams can&#8217;t close faster"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"entry-header has-dark-background-color entry-header--standard\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__row row align-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-lg-7 col-xlg-6 entry-header__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"component component-single-header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__misc text--subtitle text--uppercase text--small\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/category\/strategy-legal-operations\/\" class=\"entry-header__link\">Strategy, Legal &amp; Operations<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-title-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"entry-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tWhy UK finance teams can&#8217;t close faster\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"entry-header__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tMost UK finance teams still take a week or more to close the books. Here&#8217;s what&#8217;s really holding them back.\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-8 col-lg-4 entry-header__image\">\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"entry-header__thumbnail js-hero-section\">\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1215\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-944515884-1215x810.jpg\" class=\"entry-header__thumbnail-image\" alt=\"Preparing the team for new business requirements\" fetchpriority=\"high\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-944515884-1215x810.jpg 1215w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-944515884-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-944515884.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1215px) 100vw, 1215px\" \/>\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"single-post-details container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"posted-on \">Published <time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-08-14T09:00:00+01:00\">14 August, 2026<\/time><\/span><span class=\"reading-time\"> min read<\/span>\n\t\t<button\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\tclass=\"social-share-button button button--icon button--secondary js-social-share-button\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-title=\"Why UK finance teams can&#8217;t close faster\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-url=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/why-uk-finance-teams-cant-close-faster\/\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-text=\"Please read this interesting article\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__icon social-share-button__icon--share\">\n\t\t\t\t<svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"svg-icon\" focusable=\"false\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"18\" height=\"18\" viewbox=\"0 0 1024 1024\"><path d=\"M768 106.5q-62 0-105.5 44t-43.5 105q0 10 2.5 18.5a268 268 0 0 1 4.5 17.5l-256 128q-21-26-50-41.5t-64-15.5q-62 0-105.5 44t-43.5 105q0 62 43.5 106t105.5 44q35 0 64-16t50-41l256 128q-2 9-4.5 17.5t-2.5 17.5q0 62 43.5 106t105.5 44 105.5-44 43.5-106q0-61-43.5-105t-105.5-44q-35 0-64 15.5t-50 41.5l-256-128q2-9 4.5-17.5t2.5-18.5q0-9-2.5-17.5a268 268 0 0 1-4.5-17.5l256-128q21 25 50 41t64 16q62 0 105.5-44t43.5-106q0-61-43.5-105t-105.5-44m0 64q36 0 60.5 25t24.5 60q0 36-24.5 61t-60.5 25-60.5-25-24.5-61q0-35 24.5-60t60.5-25m-512 256q36 0 60.5 25t24.5 60q0 36-24.5 61t-60.5 25-60.5-25-24.5-61q0-35 24.5-60t60.5-25m512 256q36 0 60.5 25t24.5 60q0 36-24.5 61t-60.5 25-60.5-25-24.5-61q0-35 24.5-60t60.5-25\" \/><\/svg>\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__icon social-share-button__icon--copy\" hidden>\n\t\t\t\t<svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"svg-icon\" focusable=\"false\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"18\" height=\"18\" viewbox=\"0 0 1024 1024\"><path d=\"M698 85.5q-45 0-88.5 17.5T531 154.5l-430 431q-3 2-4.5 4.5t-3.5 5.5q-1 3-1.5 6t-.5 6q0 4 .5 7t1.5 6 3 5.5a54 54 0 0 0 4 4.5q3 3 5.5 4.5t5.5 2.5q3 2 6 2.5t6 .5 6.5-1 6.5-2 5.5-3a54 54 0 0 0 4.5-4l430-431q51-50 122-50t121 50q51 51 51 122t-51 121l-406 406q-26 27-62.5 27t-63.5-27q-26-26-26-62.5t26-62.5l328-328q3-2 4.5-4.5t3.5-5.5q1-3 1.5-6t.5-6q0-4-.5-7t-1.5-6-3-5.5a54 54 0 0 0-4-4.5q-3-3-5.5-4.5t-5.5-2.5q-3-2-6-2.5t-6-.5-6.5 1-6.5 2-5.5 3a54 54 0 0 0-4.5 4l-328 328q-44 44-44 107.5t44 108.5q45 44 108.5 44t107.5-44l406-407q35-34 52-77 17-44 17-89t-17-89q-17-43-52-78-34-34-77.5-51.5T698 85.5\" \/><\/svg>\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__share-label\">Share<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-label\" hidden>Copy Link<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\" hidden>Copied<\/span>\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/header>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author has-dark-background-color alignfull\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"co-authors\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-author-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"entry-author\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/author\/ryangrundy\/\">\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"40\" height=\"40\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/06\/Ryan-Grundy.jpg\" class=\"entry-author__image\" alt=\"Ryan Grundy\" \/>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"entry-author__name\">Ryan Grundy<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If your close still drags into a second week, you&#8217;re not alone\u2014and it&#8217;s rarely down to effort. Financial controllers, finance managers and FDs at UK businesses with 20 to 1,000 employees often work flat out, including evenings and weekends, yet the calendar barely moves. The real issue is usually how disconnected the underlying systems and processes are, not how hard anyone is working.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/sage-business-cloud\/intacct\/resources\/white-papers\/close-the-books\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Industry benchmarks suggest<\/a> that only a small minority of finance teams close within three business days, while the median remains at six days or more. For growing, multi-entity businesses juggling complex approval chains and rising transaction volumes, that gap adds up fast\u2014in reporting delays, audit pressure, and finance teams running on empty.<\/p>\n\n\n<section id=\"key-takeaways\" class=\"wp-block-sage-key-takeaways\"><div class=\"sage-key-takeaways__inner\"><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-h-3-font-size\">Key takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Close speed is a systems problem, <\/strong>not an effort problem, for growing UK finance teams.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Core bottlenecks: <\/strong>manual reconciliation, spreadsheet consolidation, low real-time visibility.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>AI-powered automation and intelligent agents <\/strong>now separate fast closers from slow ones.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Connected financial management software <\/strong>removes the manual work that slows close down most.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Faster close <\/strong>frees finance leaders for analysis and strategic decisions, not data-chasing.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here&#8217;s what we discuss in this article:<\/p>\n\n\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><div class=\"wp-block-yoast-seo-table-of-contents yoast-table-of-contents\"><ul><li><a href=\"#h-the-state-of-financial-close-for-uk-finance-teams-today\" data-level=\"2\">The state of financial close for UK finance teams today<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-why-financial-close-takes-so-long-the-core-bottlenecks\" data-level=\"2\">Why financial close takes so long: The core bottlenecks<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-the-real-cost-of-a-slow-close\" data-level=\"2\">The real cost of a slow close<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-what-best-in-class-uk-finance-teams-do-differently\" data-level=\"2\">What best-in-class UK finance teams do differently<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-how-financial-management-software-closes-the-gap\" data-level=\"2\">How financial management software closes the gap<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-the-role-of-ai-powered-automation-and-intelligent-agents\" data-level=\"2\">The role of AI-powered automation and intelligent agents<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-how-sage-intacct-helps-uk-finance-teams-close-faster\" data-level=\"2\">How Sage Intacct helps UK finance teams close faster<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-final-thoughts-closing-faster-starts-with-the-system-not-the-team\" data-level=\"2\">Final thoughts: Closing faster starts with the system, not the team<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-financial-close-faqs\" data-level=\"2\">Financial close FAQs<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-the-state-of-financial-close-for-uk-finance-teams-today\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">The state of financial close for UK finance teams today<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Businesses have grown more complex over the past few years\u2014more entities, more subsidiaries, more cross-border operations, more transaction volume\u2014but for many organisations, the close process hasn&#8217;t kept pace. Finance enterprise software bought a decade ago was built for a simpler structure, and teams have layered spreadsheets, manual workarounds and email approval chains on top of it ever since.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The result is a close process that scales badly. Every additional entity, cost centre or approval step adds time linearly (or worse) rather than being absorbed by the system. That&#8217;s why organisations in the 20\u20131,000 employee range so often report close cycles that haven&#8217;t shortened in years, even as the finance function itself has grown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-why-financial-close-takes-so-long-the-core-bottlenecks\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why financial close takes so long: The core bottlenecks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most delays trace back to a handful of recurring bottlenecks. They show up differently depending on the organisation, but the pattern is consistent across UK finance teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"h-manual-reconciliation-eats-the-calendar\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Manual reconciliation eats the calendar<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Reconciling accounts across bank feeds, subledgers and the general ledger is still, for many teams, a manual matching exercise. Every unmatched transaction becomes a research task, and every research task pulls a finance professional away from higher-value work during the busiest week of the month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"h-spreadsheets-can-t-handle-multi-entity-complexity\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Spreadsheets can&#8217;t handle multi-entity complexity<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Spreadsheets are flexible, which is exactly why they become a liability at scale. Consolidating results across multiple entities, currencies or intercompany transactions in spreadsheets means manually rebuilding logic every period, with no reliable audit trail and a high risk of version-control errors creeping into board-level numbers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"h-approvals-and-sign-off-create-a-queue-not-a-process\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Approvals and sign-off create a queue, not a process<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When approvals run through email or ad hoc chasing, close becomes a queue rather than a workflow. A single delayed sign-off\u2014someone on leave, an unclear escalation path\u2014can hold up the entire close, regardless of how quickly the rest of the team has worked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"h-finance-teams-lack-real-time-visibility-until-close-begins\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Finance teams lack real-time visibility until close begins<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In many organisations, finance only gets a clear picture of the numbers once close starts, because data lives in disconnected systems until then. That means problems\u2014a miscoded transaction, an unreconciled account, a variance that needs investigating\u2014are discovered late, when there&#8217;s the least time to deal with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-the-real-cost-of-a-slow-close\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">The real cost of a slow close<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A close cycle that consistently runs past a week isn&#8217;t just an internal inconvenience. It has knock-on effects across the business:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Delayed decision-making<\/strong>: Leadership teams make calls on stale numbers, or wait for a close that&#8217;s already several days behind schedule.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Board and investor reporting pressure<\/strong>:<strong> <\/strong>A slow close compresses the time available to analyse results before they&#8217;re presented externally.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Higher audit risk: <\/strong>Manual reconciliation and spreadsheet consolidation increase the chance of errors that surface later, at a worse time, in an audit.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Finance team burnout: <\/strong>Repeated late nights around close are one of the most common drivers of attrition in finance teams, and the cost of replacing experienced finance professionals is high.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Opportunity cost<\/strong>: Every hour spent reconciling and chasing sign-off is an hour not spent on forecasting, budgeting or the analysis that finance leaders are increasingly expected to deliver.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-what-best-in-class-uk-finance-teams-do-differently\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">What best-in-class UK finance teams do differently<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Finance teams that consistently close faster tend to share a few habits, regardless of sector or size:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>They automate reconciliation rather than reviewing every transaction manually, reserving human review for genuine exceptions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They run consolidation inside a single connected system, not spreadsheets rebuilt from scratch each period.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They build close tasks and approvals into a structured workflow with visibility over what&#8217;s outstanding, not an email chain.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They monitor key accounts and variances continuously, rather than waiting for close to surface issues.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They treat close as a process to continuously shorten, tracking cycle time the same way they&#8217;d track any other operational metric.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-how-financial-management-software-closes-the-gap\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">How financial management software closes the gap<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The common thread across faster-closing finance teams is that they&#8217;ve moved core financials, accounts payable and reporting into one connected system, rather than stitching together disconnected tools and spreadsheets. That&#8217;s the practical difference financial management software makes: it removes the manual reconciliation and re-keying work that consumes the most time during close, and gives finance teams a single source of truth throughout the month, not just once close begins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Platforms like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/sage-business-cloud\/intacct\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Sage Intacct<\/a> are built around this idea. Its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/sage-business-cloud\/intacct\/product-capabilities\/core-financials\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">core financials capabilities<\/a> automate reconciliation, multi-entity consolidation and inter-company transactions, while its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/sage-business-cloud\/intacct\/product-capabilities\/extended-capabilities\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">extended capabilities<\/a> extend that automation into planning and reporting\u2014so the close process draws on data that&#8217;s already been validated throughout the month, rather than reconciled from scratch at the end of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This kind of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/what-is-account-reconciliation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">accounting reconciliation<\/a> approach\u2014where financial data flows automatically from the systems that generate it, instead of being manually entered later\u2014is one of the most effective ways UK finance teams have found to take days out of close without adding headcount.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-the-role-of-ai-powered-automation-and-intelligent-agents\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">The role of AI-powered automation and intelligent agents<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Automation has handled repetitive, rules-based close tasks for years. What&#8217;s changed is the arrival of AI-powered automation and intelligent agents that can go further\u2014matching transactions with context rather than fixed rules, flagging anomalies a human reviewer would likely miss, and learning from how a finance team has resolved similar issues in the past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In practice, this means intelligent agents can pre-match the large majority of reconciling items automatically, leaving finance professionals to focus on the smaller number of genuine exceptions that need judgement. The same applies to accounts payable\u2014automating invoice matching and coding is a natural extension of the same principle, and it&#8217;s worth reading how <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/what-is-ap-automation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">AP automation<\/a> reduces manual processing time in a way that mirrors what&#8217;s happening in close.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For UK finance teams weighing up where to invest first, AI-powered automation tends to deliver the fastest visible impact in close specifically, because close concentrates so much manual, repetitive work into a short, high-pressure window each month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-how-sage-intacct-helps-uk-finance-teams-close-faster\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">How Sage Intacct helps UK finance teams close faster<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sage Intacct is designed for the complexity that slows close down most in growing UK businesses\u2014multiple entities, multiple currencies, and industry-specific reporting requirements. Its multi-entity architecture consolidates results in real time rather than at period end, and its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/sage-business-cloud\/intacct\/industries\/\">industry<\/a> experience means the chart of accounts, workflows and reporting are configured around how a specific sector actually operates, rather than adapted from a generic template.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Once close speeds up, the value compounds: finance teams with days back in the calendar tend to reinvest that time in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/strategic-budgeting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">strategic budgeting<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/rolling-forecast\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">rolling forecasts<\/a>, turning finance from a function that reports on the past into one that actively shapes what happens next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-final-thoughts-closing-faster-starts-with-the-system-not-the-team\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Final thoughts: Closing faster starts with the system, not the team<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"h-\">UK finance teams aren&#8217;t failing to close faster because they aren&#8217;t working hard enough\u2014they&#8217;re working within systems and processes that weren&#8217;t built for the scale and complexity they&#8217;re now managing. Fixing that isn&#8217;t about adding more people to chase reconciliations and approvals; it&#8217;s about connecting core financials, AP and reporting into one system, and letting AI-powered automation absorb the repetitive work that currently eats up the calendar every single month.<\/p>\n\n\n<section class=\"wp-block-sage-faq\">\n\t\n<h2 id=\"h-financial-close-faqs\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Financial close FAQs<\/h2>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"faq-items\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-sage-faq-item\" id=\"faq-item-8f315155\">\n\t<div class=\"faq-item-question\">\n\t\t\n<h3 id=\"h-what-is-a-normal-financial-close-timeline-for-a-uk-business\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is a normal financial close timeline for a UK business?<\/h3>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"faq-item-answer\">\n\t\t\t\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There&#8217;s no single standard, but industry benchmarks suggest most UK finance teams close somewhere between six and ten business days, with only a small proportion closing within three days. Businesses managing multiple entities typically sit at the slower end of that range unless their systems are connected.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-sage-faq-item\" id=\"faq-item-6e9d9e77\">\n\t<div class=\"faq-item-question\">\n\t\t\n<h3 id=\"h-why-is-financial-close-slower-for-multi-entity-or-multi-subsidiary-businesses\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why is financial close slower for multi-entity or multi-subsidiary businesses?<\/h3>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"faq-item-answer\">\n\t\t\t\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Each additional entity adds its own reconciliations, inter-company transactions and currency conversions that need to be consolidated before group-level reporting is possible. Without a connected system, that consolidation is usually done manually, which adds time with every entity added.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-sage-faq-item\" id=\"faq-item-cb7c817d\">\n\t<div class=\"faq-item-question\">\n\t\t\n<h3 id=\"h-what-s-the-difference-between-financial-close-and-month-end-reporting\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">What&#8217;s the difference between financial close and month-end reporting?<\/h3>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"faq-item-answer\">\n\t\t\t\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Financial close is the process of reconciling accounts, reviewing transactions and finalising the ledger for the period. Month-end reporting happens after close is complete, using the finalised numbers to produce management accounts, board packs and other outputs.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-sage-faq-item\" id=\"faq-item-6094ffaa\">\n\t<div class=\"faq-item-question\">\n\t\t\n<h3 id=\"h-how-does-ai-help-speed-up-financial-close\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">How does AI help speed up financial close?<\/h3>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"faq-item-answer\">\n\t\t\t\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">AI-powered automation and intelligent agents can match and reconcile the majority of routine transactions automatically, flag anomalies for review, and learn from how a finance team has resolved similar exceptions previously\u2014reducing the manual matching work that typically takes up most of close.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-sage-faq-item\" id=\"faq-item-32adec41\">\n\t<div class=\"faq-item-question\">\n\t\t\n<h3 id=\"h-what-is-financial-management-software-and-how-does-it-support-faster-close\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is financial management software and how does it support faster close?<\/h3>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"faq-item-answer\">\n\t\t\t\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Financial management software connects core financials, accounts payable, and reporting into a single system, so data is validated continuously throughout the month rather than reconciled from scratch at period end. That continuous validation is what allows close to shrink from weeks to days.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-sage-faq-item\" id=\"faq-item-2800b040\">\n\t<div class=\"faq-item-question\">\n\t\t\n<h3 id=\"h-how-long-should-it-take-to-close-the-books-each-month\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">How long should it take to close the books each month?<\/h3>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"faq-item-answer\">\n\t\t\t\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Best-in-class finance teams generally aim to close within a few business days, though the right target depends on entity count, transaction volume and reporting requirements. The more relevant benchmark for most UK finance teams is whether close time is trending down year over year, not hitting an arbitrary number.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/section>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta gated-content\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner on-scroll-highlight__target\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Continuously ranked as a leader<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>Over 200,000 finance teams trust <strong>Sage Intacct<\/strong>. G2 ranks it #1 three times over: Customer Satisfaction in Accounting Software, Accounting Software for Enterprise Organisations, and Customer Satisfaction for Non-Profits. TrustRadius named Sage Intacct a 2026 Buyer&#8217;s Choice Award winner.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#8cd6f483-cd9f-44a4-87fc-cbee7b3d51cb\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Download the brochure<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-899529884-1440x810.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-899529884-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<section class=\"more-topics alignfull has-grey-light-background-color wp-block-sage-post-topics\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"row\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-12 col-lg-4\">\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"more-topics__title h2\">Browse more topics from this article<\/h3>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-12 col-lg-8\">\n\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"post-tags__list\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/tag\/ai\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAI\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/tag\/business-performance\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBusiness performance\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/tag\/circular-economy\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCircular economy\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/tag\/construction\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tConstruction\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/tag\/enterprise-management\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tEnterprise management\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/tag\/international-trading\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tInternational trading\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/tag\/manufacturing\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tManufacturing\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/tag\/midsized-business\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMidsized business\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/tag\/performance-management\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPerformance management\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/tag\/reporting\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tReporting\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/tag\/supply-chain\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSupply chain\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/tag\/workplace-technology\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWorkplace technology\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n<div class=\"alignfull wp-block-sage-related-posts\">\n\t<section class=\"related-posts card-grid has-dark-background-color\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"row\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"related-posts__heading related-posts__heading--featured h1\">Explore more wisdom<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"row related-posts__featured\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-0 post-32412 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-technology-innovation tag-cloud tag-fintech tag-security-fraud tag-workplace-technology business_type-medium-sized-business industry-professional-services industry-saas card-post--is-clickable\"\n>\n\t<div class=\"card-post__media-wrapper\">\n\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/10\/cybersecurity-header-1440x810.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"How Sage used the Software Security Code of Practice to strengthen assurance, collaboration and continuous improvement in the wider digital ecosystem.\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/10\/cybersecurity-header-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/10\/cybersecurity-header-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/10\/cybersecurity-header-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t<div class=\"card-post__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__label\">Recommended<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-10-16T16:58:15+01:00\">16 October, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">6 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h3\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__title-link\"\n\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/software-security-code-of-practice\/\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tBuilding trust and resilience through secure software practices\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"card-post__description\">\n\t\t\t\tLearn how Sage uses the Software Security Code of Practice to strengthen assurance, collaboration, and continuous improvement in the wider digital ecosystem.\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"row related-posts__non-featured\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-12\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"related-posts__heading related-posts__heading--more h4\">More on this Topic<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-1 post-32306 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-strategy-legal-operations category-technology-innovation tag-business-finances tag-business-performance tag-business-support tag-cloud tag-data-analytics tag-midsized-business tag-performance-management tag-productivity tag-reporting business_type-small-business business_type-medium-sized-business industry-financial-services industry-professional-services\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/is-your-finance-system-holding-back-business-growth\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/09\/intacct-5-header-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/09\/intacct-5-header-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/09\/intacct-5-header-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/09\/intacct-5-header-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-09-29T12:32:05+01:00\">29 September, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">1 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tIs your finance system holding back business growth?\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-2 post-32304 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-people-leadership category-strategy-legal-operations tag-business-costs tag-business-finances tag-business-performance tag-business-support tag-data-analytics tag-digital-transformation tag-midsized-business tag-reporting tag-workplace-technology business_type-medium-sized-business industry-financial-services industry-professional-services\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/from-scorekeeper-to-strategist-how-the-cfo-role-is-evolving\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/09\/intacct-4-header-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/09\/intacct-4-header-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/09\/intacct-4-header-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/09\/intacct-4-header-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-09-29T12:19:55+01:00\">29 September, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">5 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tFrom scorekeeper to strategist: How the CFO role is evolving\u00a0\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-3 post-32302 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-strategy-legal-operations category-technology-innovation category-trends-insights tag-business-performance tag-business-support tag-digital-transformation tag-international-trading tag-midsized-business tag-performance-management tag-productivity tag-reporting tag-workplace-technology business_type-medium-sized-business industry-financial-services industry-professional-services\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/group-financial-reporting-moving-beyond-the-basic-p-and-l\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/09\/intacct-1-header-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/09\/intacct-1-header-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/09\/intacct-1-header-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/09\/intacct-1-header-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-09-29T12:10:28+01:00\">29 September, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">6 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tGroup financial reporting: Moving beyond the basic P&amp;L\u00a0\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-4 post-32298 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-strategy-legal-operations category-technology-innovation tag-business-finances tag-business-performance tag-business-support tag-cloud tag-data-analytics tag-digital-transformation tag-finance tag-midsized-business tag-performance-management tag-reporting tag-workplace-technology business_type-medium-sized-business industry-financial-services industry-professional-services\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/group-consolidation-why-it-takes-so-long-and-how-to-fix-it\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/09\/intacct-2-header-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/09\/intacct-2-header-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/09\/intacct-2-header-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/09\/intacct-2-header-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-09-29T12:00:40+01:00\">29 September, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">6 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tGroup consolidation: Why it takes so long and how to fix it\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Most UK finance teams still take a week or more to close the books. Here&#8217;s what&#8217;s really holding them back.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1398,"featured_media":16273,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_is_cornerstone":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image-id":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image-id":"","_yoast_wpseo_schema_page_type":"","_yoast_wpseo_schema_article_type":"","_sage_video":false,"_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":"","_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":"[\"Financial Management Software, AI-powered automation and intelligent agents, finance enterprise 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