Why last month's numbers keep changing
You checked last month's collections a few days after it ended and saw one number. You checked again a month later and saw a different one. Nobody made a mistake. Your billing system just never closed that month.
When a month stays open, every late posting, correction and adjustment lands back in it. Your reports are always moving, and every month someone has to re-export the whole history just to see where things stand.
Warning signs
- The same month's totals change depending on when you run the report.
- Month-over-month comparisons look worse for the most recent month, then "improve" later.
- Your billing team re-pulls all past months every time they report.
What it costs you
Decisions get made on numbers that aren't final. A month can look like a sharp drop when it's really just unfinished. (Example only: a month that looks 30% down while it's still open might be only 10% down once it's complete.)
Ask your billing team
"Do we close each month, and is the closed month locked?"
What fixing it gets you
Past months stay put. Your trends are real, and your reports take hours instead of days.