Year-End PTA Treasurer Report: What to Archive and What to Present

The year-end PTA treasurer report is the document that wraps up the fiscal year. It's your last report as treasurer (or your most comprehensive report if you're continuing). It needs to satisfy two audiences: the board that governed the year, and the treasurer who will take over next.

The year-end report vs. a monthly report

A monthly treasurer report covers one period. The year-end report covers all twelve months — and it needs to be a complete picture of the PTA's financial year. This means a full-year income and expense summary, not just the last month. It should show totals for every category across the year, compared to the original approved budget.

What to present to the board

The board presentation of the year-end report should include: total income and expenses, net surplus or deficit, ending bank balance, a comparison to the approved budget, and a brief narrative covering the financial highlights of the year. Keep the presentation portion to ten minutes. This is a summary report, not a comprehensive financial audit.

What to archive

The archive is more comprehensive than the presentation. Store:

• All bank statements for the year
• All monthly treasurer reports
• All check stubs and payment receipts
• All deposit records
• The approved annual budget and any approved amendments
• Any financial review or audit documentation
• Year-end IRS and state filing records (Form 990-N or 990-EZ)
• A copy of all vendor contracts and agreements signed during the year

These records should be kept for at least seven years. Store them in a place accessible to future board members — a shared Google Drive folder, a secured filing cabinet, or a combination of both.

The handoff package

In addition to the archival records, prepare a brief "state of the finances" document for the incoming treasurer. This should cover: current bank balances, outstanding invoices or receivables, recurring payments and their schedules, any open issues or unresolved items, and a note on where all the records are stored. This is the most important gift you can give the next treasurer.

The PTA financial review guide covers the review process that typically accompanies year-end close. For the full annual meeting presentation, the annual meeting guide covers how to present the year-end summary to a larger audience.

Common questions

What if the fiscal year ends differently from the school year?

Some PTAs run on a July-June fiscal year; others run January-December. The year-end close process is the same regardless — just make sure the period covered is clearly stated on every document in the archive.

What if there's no incoming treasurer yet?

Complete the close and prepare the handoff package anyway. Store it with a board officer (president or secretary) until a new treasurer is identified. The information is too important to wait — and having a complete package ready actually makes it easier to recruit someone to fill the role.

EasyTreasurer stores every report you generate in your account, so the full year's history is always available — making the archive process much simpler than rebuilding from saved spreadsheet files.