"date a check 12/31/23, then finalize and cut the check in the first week of January."

Just keep in mind that many States have a timeliness requirement for delivering paychecks (and some clients are going to be using direct deposit).

There is another reason not to sit on it: Tax deadline.

I teach payroll as having three dates associated with it:

Pay Period: this is where people often get their Overtime calculation requirements wrong, so we review how to understand it. It is not based on how frequently you issue paychecks.

Pay Date: the date of the paycheck, to understand the pay cycle I already used here for examples.

Liability Date: I draw on the white board, a little comic bomb with a lit fuse. Once you have a dated paycheck, it doesn't matter if you don't print it, or print it and hold it in a drawer. That due date clock has started its countdown to payment for 941/944, 940, retirement match, etc. Especially as you move to supporting larger employers with an accelerated tax deadline, which is 3 business days, you realize everything you do has an impact on something else.