6 Steps to Close Your Books Before Chopda Pujan2026

When are Labh Pancham and Chopda Pujan in 2026? Chopda Pujan falls on Diwali, Sunday 8 November 2026. Labh Pancham falls on Saturday 14 November, the fifth day of the Gujarati New Year. That is the day many traders reopen and write the first entry in their new books.

What the new books need is a clean start. The chopda is a new ledger, but your GST and income tax still run from April to March. So the real job before Diwali is closing out stock and dues. Then the first page of the new book is right.

This post covers the 2026 dates, what each day means for a business, and six steps to close your books before Chopda Pujan. It also covers what to set up when you reopen on Labh Pancham.

Key Takeaways

• Your new chopda starts on Diwali, but your tax year does not. Close the old chopda year without breaking the April to March books.
• Count stock and settle dues before Chopda Pujan, so the new book opens on a true balance.
• Reopen on Labh Pancham with updated prices, so your first bill is one you trust.

Labh Pancham and Chopda Pujan 2026 Dates

The Labh Pancham and Chopda Pujan dates for 2026 run across one week in November. This section lists each day with its date.

The dates for Dhanteras, Diwali, the New Year and Bhai Bij come from a copy of the Gujarat government’s 2026 holiday notification. Labh Pancham is not a government holiday, so its date comes from the Drik Panchang calendar.

The best time of day for the puja changes from city to city. Check a local panchang for the muhurat in your town.

Why Do Traders Bless New Books on Diwali?

Traders bless new account books on Diwali to ask for a profitable year ahead, and Labh Pancham is the day trade restarts. This section explains both in plain terms.

A chopda is the traditional account book of Gujarat. On Diwali, traders bless a new chopda for the year ahead. Drik Panchang notes that many now treat their laptop as the chopda, and that the custom is also followed in Rajasthan and Maharashtra.

Labh Pancham, also called Saubhagya Panchami, comes after the Diwali break. Labh means benefit. In Gujarat, it is the day many shops and businesses restart work. The first page of the new ledger carries “Shubh” on the left, “Labh” on the right and a swastika in the centre.

Does the New Chopda Change Your GST or Tax Year?

The new chopda does not change your GST or tax year. It starts your book for the Gujarati year, while GST and income tax still run from 1 April to 31 March. This section explains how the two fit together.

The chopda is your own record, kept for your own year. Your GST returns, invoice numbers and income tax return follow the April to March year, whatever date you bless your books. Our GST invoice template includes an invoice register you can keep for the year.

The two years overlap, so each one needs its own closing.

So Diwali is a checkpoint, not a year-end. Before Diwali, you close the stock and dues in the old chopda. But you do not reset your GST invoice series or close your tax books in November.

Take a sari wholesaler in Surat’s textile market (an example). Their chopda runs from Diwali in November 2026 to the next Diwali, while their GST returns run April to March. Both can be right at the same time, as long as both use the same sales and stock figures.

6 Steps to Close Your Books Before Chopda Pujan

Closing your books before Chopda Pujan takes six steps, and most of them are best done in the week before Dhanteras. This section takes them in order.

Each step is explained below, with the link or template that helps.

1. Count your stock

Your opening stock in the new chopda is only as good as your count. Count what is on the shelves and in the godown, and match it to your records. A stationery shop in Lower Parel can count one aisle a day in the week before Dhanteras (an example).

You do not have to shut the shop for days to do it. Our guide to cycle counting shows how to count in parts, and the inventory audit checklist covers the cut-off rules.

2. Collect what customers owe you

Festive sales often run on credit. Before Diwali, list every customer balance and follow up on the oldest first.

An electronics dealer in Vastrapur, Ahmedabad, that sold on credit through Navratri can start the new year with ₹6,48,300 still owed to it (an example). Our guide on getting receivables paid faster has the follow-up steps.

3. Settle and match supplier bills

Match every supplier bill, and its E-way bill where there is one, to the goods you received. Then settle what is due. A bill you have not recorded becomes a gap in the new book.

4. Match your cash and bank

Check that your cash in hand and bank balance match your books. Our bank reconciliation guide walks through it step by step.

5. Record festive returns as credit notes

Some goods sold during Navratri and Dhanteras come back before Diwali. Record each return as a credit note against the original bill before you close the old chopda, so your sales and GST stay correct. If you issue E-invoices, the credit note needs one too. The credit note template keeps them in one register.

6. Save the year’s reports

Before the puja, save the reports that close the old chopda year: stock, sales, dues and cash. They are the record you will compare against next Diwali.

What I would set up first. I would run the stock report from the billing software at closing time on Diwali and save it as a PDF. That report becomes the opening stock for the new chopda, without a second count.

What Should You Set Up When You Reopen on Labh Pancham?

When you reopen on Labh Pancham, set up four things: new prices, the end of festive offers, your first stock order and a careful first bill. It is the first working day of the new year for many traders, so it is the day to start clean.

• Update your prices. Supplier rates can change after Diwali. Load the new rates before the first bill, not after a customer spots the old price.
• End your festive offers. Switch off the Diwali discounts so they do not run into the new year by mistake.
• Place your first stock order. Use the stock count from before Diwali to order what sold out.
• Raise the first bill carefully. The first bill of the year sets the tone for the books, so check its rate, tax and customer details.

While talking to retail owners using Petpooja Invoice, the same request comes up before Diwali: they want new rates loaded in one go. Its price list management handles that on the Advanced plan, so the whole list updates before the shop opens.

Which Mistakes Should You Avoid Before Chopda Pujan?

The three mistakes to avoid before Chopda Pujan are counting stock on Diwali day, treating Diwali as the tax year-end, and leaving returns unrecorded. Most come from rushing in the last two days.

• Counting stock on Diwali day. The shop is busy and the count gets skipped. Count in the week before Dhanteras instead.
• Treating Diwali as the tax year-end. Restarting your GST invoice numbers from 1 in November can repeat numbers already used since April.
• Leaving returns unrecorded. A return noted on paper but not as a credit note leaves your sales overstated.

A grocery wholesaler in Sarkhej that counts in the first week of November 2026 has time to fix most gaps before the puja (an example). Our annual financial summary template can then roll the year up on one page.

Conclusion

Chopda Pujan falls on Sunday 8 November 2026, and Labh Pancham on Saturday 14 November. The new chopda is a fresh start, but your GST and income tax years still run April to March.

So use the week before Dhanteras to close the old chopda year. Count stock, collect dues, settle suppliers, match cash and bank, record returns and save the reports.

On Labh Pancham, the books that open cleanest are the ones whose stock and dues were already closed. Petpooja Invoice keeps that stock and sales record in one place, ready for the first bill of the new year.

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