XBert Type: Standard
Accounting Software: Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks Online
Country Restriction: All supported countries
Risk Type: Compliance Risk
Business Function: Compliance
Overview
This XBert checks whether a lock date has been set in your accounting software. A lock date stops anyone back-dating changes into a period you have already closed, so your finalised reports and tax figures stay accurate and reliable.
What it does
XBert reads the lock date settings on your ledger and checks whether they are in place. What it looks for depends on your accounting software:
Xero: XBert checks two settings — the period lock date (which restricts most users) and the end-of-financial-year lock date (which restricts everyone). It alerts you if either one is missing.
MYOB and QuickBooks Online: these platforms use a single lock date, so XBert checks that the period lock date has been set.
How it works
XBert reads the lock date settings on your ledger and alerts you when a required one is missing. The check is tailored to each platform:
On Xero, it alerts you if either the period lock date or the end-of-year lock date is blank.
On MYOB and QuickBooks Online, it alerts you only when the period lock date is blank. These platforms do not have a separate end-of-year lock date, so a missing one is never treated as a problem — this avoids a false alert.
The check looks at the lock date settings only. It does not depend on transactions, amounts or dollar thresholds. Ledgers that do not use lock dates are not assessed.
Example/Use Case
Priya finalises her June year-end accounts in Xero and lodges the business activity statement. A few weeks later a team member, tidying up, edits a $4,800 supplier bill that sat in the closed June quarter. The change quietly shifts the reported GST and profit, so the figures no longer match what was lodged with the ATO — meaning a correction and possibly an amended return.
Had Priya set an end-of-year lock date once the accounts were finalised, the system would have blocked that back-dated edit. This XBert flags the missing lock date so she can put it in place before any changes slip through.
Accounting software
Xero, MYOB and QuickBooks Online.
Which countries it supports
All supported countries.
Processes
This XBert falls under Compliance (Pre-Work).
To resolve it:
Confirm which periods you have finalised — for example your most recent completed quarter or your last financial year-end.
In your accounting software, open the financial or advanced settings where lock dates are managed.
Set a lock date up to the end of your finalised period. In Xero, set the end-of-year lock date that applies to all users, and optionally a period lock date for tighter control over other users. In MYOB or QuickBooks Online, set the single lock date.
Make a habit of moving the lock date forward each time you finalise a reporting or tax period.
Once the lock date is in place, mark the XBert as resolved.