Back to the track — Financial Accountant

Bank reconciliation: prove the balance from both sides

Bank reconciliation proves transactions and balance; it is not a difference entry. Freeze account, currency, cut-off, final statement and ledger extract, then match transactions before reading the remainder. A valid bank item absent from books needs an entry; a valid book item absent from bank is timing with no entry; a bank error needs dispute and follow-up; a book error needs correction of cause and counter-account. Repost and re-extract after entries. Prove adjusted books and adjusted bank separately until both meet at one balance, never using clearing merely to manufacture zero. Zero is necessary but does not prove item validity: every outstanding cheque, deposit in transit and dispute needs origin, age, owner, evidence, action and due date. The file closes when sources agree, entries are posted and only genuine differences remain in an approved follow-up register with appropriate segregation of duties.