What does an HOA treasurer need to do every month and quarter?
By OurHOA · General information · Revised
A monthly and quarterly HOA treasurer checklist: reconciliations, aging report review, bill approvals, reserve transfers, board reports, and yearly tax deadlines.
Part of the HOA board handbook: treasurer and money.
Why a written calendar beats memory
Treasurer work for a small association is not hard. It is recurring, and recurring work slips when a volunteer has a busy month at their real job. A written calendar fixes that and makes the job transferable, which matters when the next treasurer takes over with two weeks' notice. The schedule below assumes monthly dues and a board that meets monthly or every other month. Adjust the dates to your billing cycle and meeting schedule. Where the bylaws or a management contract assign a task to someone else, write that person's name next to it. The general split of duties between the treasurer, secretary, and other officers is covered in our guide on what an HOA secretary or treasurer does; this article is about the rhythm of the work.
Week one of each month
Download the bank statements for every account as soon as they are available, and reconcile each one. Post any deposits that came in late in the prior month and record bank interest and fees. Review the list of owner payments received and confirm every payment is posted to the right household. Look for failed or returned electronic payments and notify those owners promptly. If the association uses automatic transfers from operating to reserves, confirm the transfer happened and was the budgeted amount. If transfers are manual, make the transfer now so it does not get skipped.
Week two: receivables and bills
Run the aging report showing who owes what and for how long, usually in 30, 60, 90, and over-90-day columns. Compare it with last month's. For each account newly past 30 days, send the reminder your collection policy calls for. For accounts moving into the later stages, confirm the next step the board has authorized and its date. What an aging report contains and how owners see it is covered in our guide on HOA delinquency and aging reports. Then handle payables. Match each vendor invoice to a contract or a board approval, confirm the work was done, get the second approval your controls require, and pay. Check for autopay charges that hit the account without an invoice, and question any that look wrong.
Before each board meeting
Prepare a short financial report. For most small associations a single page plus attachments works. Include the cash balance in each account as of month end, total income and expenses for the month and year to date compared with budget, the aging summary without owner names if the packet will be shared widely, bills paid since the last meeting, and any decisions the board needs to make. Attach the reconciliations and bank statements for board members to review. California Civil Code section 5500, for example, lists the items a California board must review monthly, including reconciliations, budget comparisons, the check register, and the delinquent assessment report. Other states have fewer requirements, but that list works well as a model anywhere. Call out anything unusual in a sentence or two rather than making directors hunt for it.
Every quarter
Compare actual spending with the budget and project the rest of the year. If insurance, landscaping, or utilities are running over, tell the board now rather than in November. Review the reserve balance against the reserve study's funding plan and confirm contributions are on track. Check CD maturity dates and whether funds need to be moved or reinvested under the board's investment policy. Review the vendor list for contracts coming up for renewal in the next six months. Confirm that insurance certificates on file for regular vendors are current. If the association has any payment plans with owners, check each one is being paid as agreed. Some associations also send owners a quarterly statement of account; if your documents or state law require periodic statements, put that date on the calendar.
When a month goes wrong
Some months the routine breaks. The treasurer is traveling, the bank changes its online system, or a large unexpected repair lands. Decide in advance who covers. A backup, often the president or another signer, should know where the calendar lives, be able to log in with their own read-only credentials, and be authorized to approve urgent bills with a second director. If a reconciliation or report slips, say so at the next meeting and give a date it will be done. A short, honest note is better than a report that quietly skips a month and leaves directors assuming everything was checked. If the association falls more than two months behind, ask the board whether a bookkeeper or the CPA should help catch up.
The yearly dates to add
A few tasks come once a year and cause most of the trouble when missed. The federal income tax return, usually Form 1120-H, is generally due by the 15th day of the fourth month after the fiscal year ends, which is April 15 for a calendar-year association. Forms 1099-NEC go to vendors paid for services who meet the reporting threshold; for payments made in 2026, the IRS threshold is $2,000, up from $600, and the forms are due at the end of January. State corporate annual reports and any state association registration have their own dates. Add insurance renewal, the budget calendar, the annual meeting, and the financial review or audit if your documents or state require one. Put each item on a shared calendar that at least two board members can see.
A simple calendar to copy
Days 1 to 7: download statements, reconcile all accounts, post payments, confirm reserve transfer. Days 8 to 14: run aging report, send reminders, review and pay approved invoices. Before each meeting: financial report with reconciliations and statements attached. January, April, July, October: budget versus actual review, reserve check, contract and insurance review. January: 1099s to vendors. Fourth month after year end: federal return. Annually: budget, insurance renewal, financial review or audit, state filings. Check your governing documents and state law for any additional reporting duties or deadlines that apply to your association.
Sources
These guides are general education for HOA boards and residents, not legal, tax, or financial advice. Rules vary by state and by your community's governing documents - check with a professional for your situation.
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