The quick answer
Go to Transactions > Manufacturing > Close Work Orders, choose the Subsidiary, narrow the list with the Item and the other filters, tick the Close box on each work order you want closed and click Submit. NetSuite queues the close and opens Process Status. Click Refresh until the submission shows Complete, click Complete to open Processed Records, and open a Work Order Close to check it was created from the right work order.
The screenshots show sample data. Person and company names are fictional. Use your own work orders when following the steps.
Before you start
In this example, Alex Morgan at Example Supply Co. cleans up three Released work orders for the TL-210 Trail Lantern: WO4421, WO4422 and WO4423. A design change replaced the old housing, nothing was built on them and none of them will be made. A fourth order for the same item, WO4430, is a Planned order for the November run and stays open. All four are WIP work orders at the Spokane Plant.
A few things have to be in place:
- WIP work orders. Work Orders and Manufacturing Work In Process are enabled, and the orders you mark are WIP work orders. The page creates a Work Order Close for each WIP order you mark. This walkthrough only shows WIP orders.
- An open posting period. The Posting Period and Date at the top of the form are the ones each close uses. The period has to be open for your role and the subsidiary.
- Your role. Your role can create Work Order Close records and can see the subsidiary, location and items you filter on.
- Orders you want to close. A close finishes the order. Check each order's Status, Built and variance on the list before you mark it.
The screens and labels come from one account. Which statuses the list shows by default, which fields are required, the buttons and the Process Status columns can differ with your release, role and form. The numbers in the screenshots are examples.
01. Open Close Work Orders and narrow the list
Click Transactions > Manufacturing > Close Work Orders. The page opens with Submit, Mark All and Unmark All at the top. Posting Period is Oct 2026 and Date is 10/05/2026. Subsidiary is marked as required and it's empty, so start there.
Choose Alderbrook US as the Subsidiary and the list fills with that subsidiary's work orders. Then open the Item field and choose TL-210 Trail Lantern. The list narrows to four rows: WO4421, WO4422 and WO4423 are Released with Built 0, and WO4430 is Planned. Production Variance and Production Variance (%) are 0 and 0.0% on all four.
Location, Customer and the date ranges narrow the list the same way, and your account or role may expect a Location. The two tolerance fields, Under-produced Variance Tolerance (%) and Production Variance Tolerance (%), also filter the list. They don't act after you submit. Leave them empty when you don't want those two filters to limit the rows. Statuses, permissions and account setup can still decide what you can submit.
02. Check what Include In-Process Work Orders adds
Check Include In-Process Work Orders. Two more rows appear. WO4405 and WO4408 are In Process and they carry real variance: WO4405 is built in full with a Production Variance of 36.50 (2.4%), and WO4408 is half built with 180.25 (18.6%).
Uncheck the box. These two orders already have production on them, so they stay out of this close, and the list goes back to four rows. In this account a few Built orders were listed even with the box unchecked, so don't count on the default list to hide started or finished orders. Read the Status, Built and variance columns before you mark anything.
03. Mark the orders and click Submit
Tick the Close box on WO4421, WO4422 and WO4423. Leave WO4430 unticked. Mark All ticks every eligible row currently shown, Planned rows included, so inspect the list first and tick the boxes yourself when only some of the orders should close.
Click Submit. If no row is marked, NetSuite stops with Please select a work order before submitting. With orders marked, it opens Process Status. Submission 2041 is a Close Work Orders process and it shows Not Started at 0.0%. Don't treat that first status as the result. Check the outcome on Processed Records.
04. Refresh Process Status
Click Refresh. In this example the submission now shows Complete, 100.0% and a Message of 0 Errors. How long it takes depends on your account and the size of the submission, so click Refresh again if it hasn't finished.
05. Read Processed Records
Click Complete. Processed Records opens with a line for each order in the submission: Submission Id, Line, Record, Line Status, Result, Result Record and Error Message. In this example all three lines are Complete with a Result of Success, and Result Record links to the Work Order Close created for each order: WCL4101, WCL4102 and WCL4103. Review every line, not just the overall status. A line that fails is reported with its own Result and Error Message.
06. Check one close and the work order
Click Work Order Close #WCL4101. Created From is Work Order #WO4421, Work Order Quantity is 12, and Built Quantity and Quantity Scrapped are 0. The Date and Posting Period are the ones from the Close Work Orders form.
Click the GL Impact subtab. It shows No records to show. That is what this close showed for orders that were never built. Don't generalize it. A close of an order with issues, completions, scrap or remaining WIP can post accounting lines, depending on costing, routing and account setup. Open GL Impact on your own close, and involve your accounting owner if the result isn't what you expected.
Scroll up and click the Work Order #WO4421 link beside Created From. The work order shows the status Closed. In this example the Close, Issue Components and Enter Completion buttons are no longer on the action bar, which offers Edit, Back and Print BOM. Available actions can vary with status, role and form.
Check the result
- Submission 2041 reached Complete at 100.0% and you looked at the Message.
- You reviewed every line on Processed Records. WO4421, WO4422 and WO4423 show Success with Work Order Close WCL4101, WCL4102 and WCL4103.
- You opened at least one close and checked Created From, the quantities, the Date and Posting Period and the GL Impact subtab.
- Each marked work order shows the status Closed. The Planned order WO4430 was not marked and is still Planned.
Common questions
How do I close multiple work orders at once in NetSuite?
Go to Transactions > Manufacturing > Close Work Orders, choose the Subsidiary, narrow the list, tick the Close box on each work order you want closed and click Submit. NetSuite queues the submission and shows it on Process Status. Click Refresh until it's Complete, then open Processed Records to see the Work Order Close created for each order.
Why isn't my In Process work order on the Close Work Orders list?
The list commonly starts with Planned and Released orders. Check Include In-Process Work Orders to display In Process orders, then check the Status column and every filter. The tolerance fields can also keep an order off the list, and customized lists or account setup can show different statuses.
What do the Under-produced and Production Variance tolerance fields do?
Both filter the list before you mark orders. Under-produced Variance Tolerance (%) is based on quantity: the order quantity less the built quantity, as a percentage of the order quantity. Production Variance Tolerance (%) is based on the value of the variance: the remaining WIP value relative to the assembly's WIP value. They aren't rules applied after you click Submit.
What does Mark All do on Close Work Orders?
It ticks every eligible row currently shown in the list, including Planned orders and any In Process orders the checkbox has made visible. Narrow and inspect the list first, or tick the Close boxes yourself, when only some of the orders should close.
Why does Submit say Please select a work order before submitting?
No row is marked. Tick the Close box on at least one work order in the list and click Submit again.
Where do I see whether a mass close finished and whether any order failed?
Process Status lists the submission with its status and percent complete, and its Message column showed 0 Errors in this example. Click Complete to open Processed Records, which lists each order with its Line Status, Result, Result Record and Error Message. Review every line rather than relying only on the overall status.
How do I find the Work Order Close records a mass close created?
Open Processed Records for the submission and click the Work Order Close in the Result Record column. You can also look at the closed work order's related records if your form and role show them. Keep the submission number for your records.
Does Close Work Orders create a Work Order Close for non-WIP work orders?
No. A Work Order Close belongs to WIP work orders, and this walkthrough only shows WIP orders. A non-WIP work order doesn't get a WIP Work Order Close, and its production is recorded with Assembly Builds. Test a non-WIP order in your own account before you include one in a batch.
Can I undo a mass close?
Don't plan on it. A close finishes the order and can carry accounting. Check each order's status, built quantity and variance before you mark it, close a small batch first and read its Work Order Close and GL Impact, and involve your accounting owner if a close has to be corrected.