Discover our efficient "Free Bank Reconciliation Template" to streamline your financial workflows through discrepancy identification, rectification, verification, and reporting.
1
Gather all bank statements
2
Extract end-of-month ledger balances from accounting software
3
Identify discrepancies between the bank statement and the ledger balances
4
Mark all items that match in both bank statement and ledger balances
5
Investigate unmarked items in bank statement
6
Investigate unmarked items in ledger balances
7
Document findings of each discrepancy
8
Approval: Discrepancy Findings
9
Rectify errors discovered in ledger balances
10
Update ledger balances after rectifications
11
Re-check bank statement and ledger balances for missing entries
12
Insert missing entries into the ledger balances
13
Verify the final ledger balances against bank statement
14
Prepare a bank reconciliation statement
15
Approval: Final Reconciliation
16
Update the accounting software with final ledger balances
17
Archive all used documents for future reference
18
Report prepared bank reconciliation statement to finance manager
19
Approval: Finance Manager
Gather all bank statements
Gather all relevant bank statements for the specific accounting period. These statements provide a record of all transactions that have occurred between the bank and the company. Ensure that all statements are complete and accurate. If any statements are missing, contact the bank to obtain them. Use the following form fields to document the bank statements:
Extract end-of-month ledger balances from accounting software
Retrieve the end-of-month ledger balances from the accounting software. These balances represent the financial position of the company at the end of the accounting period. Use the following form fields to record the ledger balances:
Identify discrepancies between the bank statement and the ledger balances
Compare the bank statement and the ledger balances to identify any discrepancies. These discrepancies could be due to errors or omissions in either document. Carefully review the transactions in both the bank statement and the ledger balances to identify any discrepancies. Use the following form fields to document the identified discrepancies:
1
Bank statement has missing transactions
2
Bank statement has additional transactions
3
Ledger balances have missing transactions
4
Ledger balances have additional transactions
5
No discrepancies found
Mark all items that match in both bank statement and ledger balances
Identify and mark all transactions that match in both the bank statement and the ledger balances. These transactions are correctly recorded in both documents. Use the following form fields to document the matching transactions:
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Transaction 1
2
Transaction 2
3
Transaction 3
4
Transaction 4
5
Transaction 5
Investigate unmarked items in bank statement
Examine the unmarked transactions in the bank statement, which do not have a corresponding entry in the ledger balances. Investigate why these transactions are missing and determine if they should be included in the ledger balances. Use the following form fields to document your investigation:
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Transaction 1
2
Transaction 2
3
Transaction 3
4
Transaction 4
5
Transaction 5
Investigate unmarked items in ledger balances
Review the unmarked transactions in the ledger balances, which do not have a corresponding entry in the bank statement. Investigate why these transactions are missing and determine if they should be included in the bank statement. Use the following form fields to document your investigation:
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Transaction 1
2
Transaction 2
3
Transaction 3
4
Transaction 4
5
Transaction 5
Document findings of each discrepancy
Record the findings for each discrepancy identified between the bank statement and the ledger balances. Include a detailed explanation of the discrepancy and any actions taken to rectify it. Use the following form fields to document your findings:
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Discrepancy 1
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Discrepancy 2
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Discrepancy 3
4
Discrepancy 4
5
Discrepancy 5
Approval: Discrepancy Findings
Will be submitted for approval:
Identify discrepancies between the bank statement and the ledger balances
Will be submitted
Rectify errors discovered in ledger balances
Rectify any errors discovered in the ledger balances during the reconciliation process. Correct the ledger balances to accurately reflect the corrected transactions. Use the following form fields to document the rectifications made:
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Error 1
2
Error 2
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Error 3
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Error 4
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Error 5
Update ledger balances after rectifications
Update the ledger balances in the accounting software to reflect the rectifications made. Ensure that the corrected transactions are accurately recorded in the ledger balances. Use the following form fields to document the updated ledger balances:
Re-check bank statement and ledger balances for missing entries
To ensure completeness in the reconciliation process, you need to re-check both the bank statement and the ledger balances for any missing entries. These missing entries could be transactions that were not recorded or reconciled during the initial stages. By identifying and inserting these missing entries, you can ensure the accuracy of the reconciliation. Have you identified any missing entries in the bank statement or ledger balances?
1
Yes
2
No
Insert missing entries into the ledger balances
If you have identified any missing entries in the previous task, you now need to insert these entries into the ledger balances. This step ensures that all transactions are accurately accounted for in the ledger balances. How many missing entries have you inserted?
Verify the final ledger balances against bank statement
To ensure the accuracy of the reconciliation, you need to verify the final ledger balances against the bank statement. This verification process helps in confirming that all the transactions have been correctly recorded and reconciled. Have you verified the final ledger balances against the bank statement?
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Verified
2
Not Verified
Prepare a bank reconciliation statement
As the final step of the reconciliation process, you need to prepare a bank reconciliation statement. This statement provides a summary of the reconciled items, the identified discrepancies, and the final balances. The bank reconciliation statement helps in providing a clear picture of the company's financial position and serves as a crucial document for financial analysis. Have you prepared the bank reconciliation statement?
1
Yes
2
No
Approval: Final Reconciliation
Will be submitted for approval:
Verify the final ledger balances against bank statement
Will be submitted
Update the accounting software with final ledger balances
After preparing the bank reconciliation statement, you need to update the accounting software with the final ledger balances. This step ensures that the software accurately reflects the company's financial position. Have you updated the accounting software with the final ledger balances?
1
Yes
2
No
Archive all used documents for future reference
In order to maintain a record of the reconciliation process and facilitate future reference, you need to archive all the documents that were used. This includes the bank statements, ledger balances, findings, and the bank reconciliation statement. Archiving these documents ensures that they are easily accessible when needed. Have you archived all the used documents?
1
Yes
2
No
Report prepared bank reconciliation statement to finance manager
To complete the reconciliation process, you need to report the prepared bank reconciliation statement to the finance manager. This report highlights the reconciled items, the identified discrepancies, and the final balances. By providing this report, you ensure transparency and accountability in the reconciliation process. Have you reported the bank reconciliation statement to the finance manager?
1
Yes
2
No
Approval: Finance Manager
Will be submitted for approval:
Report prepared bank reconciliation statement to finance manager