Lock a closed year

Locking a closing freezes the closed year's documents in the screens: Edit, Delete and Approve become unavailable for anything dated in that year. A closing starts unlocked, so lock it yourself once the year is final. Unlock to make a correction, then lock again.

Accounting Period end
2 min read
Updated October 12, 2026

For Accountant Owner or manager

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What the lock does
Lock or unlock
When to lock
Common questions

What the lock does

After you close a year (Close a fiscal year) its vouchers are not frozen. They stay editable until you lock the closing. When the closing is locked:

the Edit, Delete and Approve buttons are unavailable for every document dated in the closed year: sales and purchase documents, receipts, payments, contras, journals, credit and debit notes, cheques, and the rest. One exception: the Delete of a purchase return (also of a fixed-asset return) stays available, so keep that permission for a few people (Return goods to a supplier);
the numbering series of the closed year are not offered any more (Document numbering for sales).

Viewing, printing and reports are not affected. A document dated in the new year is not affected at all.

Lock or unlock

Open the closing list
Who
Accountant or owner
Where
Company setting > Financial year closing
What changes
The list of closings shows each closing with a lock button; a closed padlock means locked, an open one unlocked.
Choose the lock button of the closing
What changes
A box asks "Do you want to lock financial closing?" (or "Do you want to unlock financial closing?"). Type Lock (or Unlock) and choose Yes.
Needs
The right to close a financial year.

When to lock

Lock after the year-end reports are final and your auditor has accepted them. If you must correct something afterwards, unlock, make the correction, then Edit the closing and save it again so the carried balances include it (Close a fiscal year), and lock again.

Common questions

The Edit button is grey on an old invoice.

The closing of its year is locked, the document is approved, it is reconciled, or your role cannot change it (Change or delete a saved voucher). Check the lock first.

I closed the year but people still edit old vouchers.

A closing starts unlocked. Lock it.

Does locking stop a new entry dated in the old year?

No. The active year does: once the new year is active no entry before its start date is accepted.

I unlocked to fix one voucher. What now?

Save the voucher, edit and save the closing so the carried balances include it, then lock again.

Related guides

Close a fiscal year Closing a fiscal year carries the balance-sheet balances and the year's profit or loss into the next year, makes the next year… Year-end checklist A short list to follow before and after you close a fiscal year, in the order that avoids rework: finish entries, reconcile… Change or delete a saved voucher A voucher can be edited or deleted until it is approved, reconciled with the bank, or its year is locked. Editing re-writes its… Change or delete a saved purchase document A purchase document can be edited or deleted until something stops it: a later document uses it, it is approved, or its year is… The fiscal year One fiscal year is active at a time. It sets the dates sales can be made on, the numbering series that can be used, and the year… Document numbering for sales Every sales document takes its number from a numbering series. A series belongs to a branch and to the fiscal year. No series… Approvals for purchases and vouchers Approval is off for every document until the administrator switches it on for that kind of document. With it on, an approver must…