How do I match bank transactions to the general ledger?

Export the bank account's transactions from online banking and the same account's register or transaction report from your accounting software, for the same period. Drop both here. Matched lines need nothing; the two unmatched lists are your reconciling items.

Which export do I use from QuickBooks or Xero?

Any report that lists the bank account's transactions with a date, a description, and an amount, saved as CSV. In QuickBooks that is typically the account's register or a transaction detail report filtered to the account; in Xero, the account transactions report.

The ledger's deposits are negative and payments positive.

Some ledger reports show the account from the other side. Open Columns on the ledger file and tick “Money out is written as a positive number”, and the signs line up with the bank.

Why did two transactions with the same amount not match?

Their dates are further apart than the window. Raise “Dates may differ by” for checks that take a long time to clear, and they will pair up.

What do I do with the unmatched lists?

Enter the bank-only items that belong in the books, then list what remains on the Bank Reconciliation Template: outstanding items on the bank side, fees and corrections on the book side.

Are my files uploaded?

No. Both files are read and compared in your browser.

Bankflow

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Match the bank export against your books.

Drop in the bank export and the ledger to see what matches, what is missing, and what looks mistyped.

1. Bank export

Drop the bank's exportor browse a file from your device.csv.ofx.qbo.qfx.qifUp to 20 MB per file · One file at a time

Read in your browser. Never uploaded.

2. Ledger export

Drop the ledger's exportor browse a file from your device.csv.ofx.qbo.qfx.qifUp to 20 MB per file · One file at a time

Read in your browser. Never uploaded.

The bank account's register or transaction report from QuickBooks, Xero, or any ledger, saved as CSV.

How transactions are matched

Same amount, nearby date

A bank line and a ledger line match when the amount agrees to the cent and the dates are within a few days, since the books record a check when it is written and the bank when it clears. The window is yours to set.

Best candidate first

When several lines share an amount, the closest date wins, then the closest description. Each line is used once, so two identical payments match two identical entries rather than one.

In the bank, not the books

Fees, interest, automatic payments, and anything nobody entered. Each of these needs a journal entry before the month closes.

In the books, not the bank

Usually outstanding checks and deposits in transit, which clear next month. Old or unfamiliar ones may be entries that should not exist.

Likely entry errors

An unmatched pair with the same amount and opposite signs is an entry on the wrong side. A pair whose amounts use the same digits and differ by a multiple of 9 is a transposition, like 54.99 keyed as 45.99.

Any two exports

Bank CSVs, OFX, QBO, and QIF files, and ledger exports from QuickBooks, Xero, Sage, or a spreadsheet. Columns are matched for you and shown before anything is compared.

Questions

How do I match bank transactions to the general ledger?: Export the bank account's transactions from online banking and the same account's register or transaction report from your accounting software, for the same period. Drop both here. Matched lines need nothing; the two unmatched lists are your reconciling items.
Which export do I use from QuickBooks or Xero?: Any report that lists the bank account's transactions with a date, a description, and an amount, saved as CSV. In QuickBooks that is typically the account's register or a transaction detail report filtered to the account; in Xero, the account transactions report.
The ledger's deposits are negative and payments positive.: Some ledger reports show the account from the other side. Open Columns on the ledger file and tick “Money out is written as a positive number”, and the signs line up with the bank.
Why did two transactions with the same amount not match?: Their dates are further apart than the window. Raise “Dates may differ by” for checks that take a long time to clear, and they will pair up.
What do I do with the unmatched lists?: Enter the bank-only items that belong in the books, then list what remains on the Bank Reconciliation Template: outstanding items on the bank side, fees and corrections on the book side.
Are my files uploaded?: No. Both files are read and compared in your browser.

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