Bank Register Reconciliation

How to reconcile a register, generate reconciliation reports, and follow best practices.

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1. What reconciliation does (and why it matters)

Reconciliation compares your Connection Card Pro register with your bank or credit card statement for a specific period.

When you reconcile:

• You tick off transactions that have cleared the bank.
• You see which items are still outstanding (not yet on the bank statement).
• Once everything matches, you “lock in” that period so you can trust your balances going forward.

Reconciliation does not move money or contact your bank. It simply helps you confirm that:

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2. Where to find Reconciliation

1. Go to Accounting > View Registers.
2. Choose the register you want to reconcile (e.g., “1000 – Checking” or a credit card register).
3. Click the green “Reconcile” button at the top-right of the register.

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3. Starting a reconciliation

When you click Reconcile, you’ll see the Begin Reconciliation window.

A. If this is your first reconciliation for that register

You’ll see fields for:

• Starting Balance – The opening balance on the bank/credit card statement you’re reconciling.
• Statement Start Date – The start date on that statement.
• Statement End Date – The end date on that statement.
• Statement Closing Balance – The closing balance shown on that statement.

Enter the values exactly as shown on your bank/credit card statement, then click Next.

B. If you’ve reconciled this register before

At the top of the Begin Reconciliation window you’ll see:

• A list of Started Reconciliations (drafts you can reopen or delete), and
• A Start a New Reconciliation section, where:
  • Starting Balance and Statement Start Date are automatically filled from your last completed reconciliation.
  • You choose the Statement End Date and Statement Closing Balance for your next statement.

Select a draft to continue or fill in the fields under Start a New Reconciliation and click Next.

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4. Working in the Reconciliation screen

You’ll now see the main Reconciliation window:

Top summary bar

• Starting Balance – From the Begin Reconciliation step.
• + Cleared – Total of all transactions you’ve checked as cleared (deposits and payments).
• = Statement Closing Balance – The closing balance you entered.
• Difference – The difference between what you’ve cleared and the statement closing balance.

Your goal is to bring Difference to $0.00.

Transaction list

Below the summary is a list of transactions in that register, typically through the statement end date. For each transaction:

• Use the checkbox on the left to mark it as cleared if it appears on your bank statement.
• Columns show Date, Description, Source, and Amount.

As you tick items:

• The Cleared total updates.
• The Difference updates.
• Your started reconciliation is continually saved as you work so that you can always resume it later.

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5. Saving vs finishing a reconciliation

At the bottom-right you’ll see:

• A Cancel button
• A Save for Later button (black) – or a Finish button (green), depending on your progress.

Save for later

You can click Save for Later at any time to:

• Save your work with the current selection of cleared items.
• Come back later via Accounting > View Registers > Reconcile (you’ll see it under Started Reconciliations).

Finish (complete) the reconciliation

Once the Difference reaches $0.00, the Save for Later button turns into a green “Finish” button.

• Click Finish to complete the reconciliation.
• You’ll see a confirmation message that reconciliation is complete.

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6. What happens to transactions after you finish

When you complete a reconciliation:

• All cleared transactions for that period are locked:
  • You cannot change their dates or amounts.
  • You cannot move them to a different asset or liability account/register.
• You can still:
  • Change tags.
  • Change the income or expense accounts used on the transaction (e.g., move it from “Office Supplies” to “Children’s Ministry Supplies”). This does not affect the register’s balance.

If you truly must change a locked detail like date, amount, or register:

1. Go to Accounting > Financial Settings > Reconciliations.
2. Delete the reconciliation that includes that transaction.
3. Edit the transaction.
4. Run the reconciliation again for that period.

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7. Generating reconciliation reports

You can generate PDF reconciliation reports in two places:

A. From the register

1. Go to Accounting > View Registers, select your register.
2. At the top-right of the register, click the Reconciliation Report button (small black icon next to the CSV export / New Journal Entry buttons).
   
   
3. In the Generate Reconciliation Report window:
   • Select a Completed Reconciliation – choose the statement period you want.
   • Optional checkboxes:
     • Include Outstanding Transactions
       • Adds a section listing transactions in the register during that period which were not cleared in that reconciliation (e.g., cheques written but not yet cashed, or deposits not yet on the statement).
     • Separate Credit/Debit Columns
       • Shows separate columns for credits and debits instead of a single “Amount” column.
   • Report Type:
     • View PDF Report – Opens the report in your browser.
     • Download PDF Report – Immediately downloads the PDF.
4. Click Generate Report.

If there are no completed reconciliations for that register, you’ll see a message explaining that no reconcile data is available yet.

B. From Financial Settings

1. Go to Accounting > Financial Settings > Reconciliations.
2. Here you’ll see all reconciliations across all registers.
3. From this page you can:
   • View a list of reconciliations by register and period.
   • Generate the same PDF reports.
   • Delete a reconciliation if you need to redo it.

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8. Best practices for smooth reconciliations

Here are some simple habits that make reconciliation easier and more reliable:

1. Reconcile regularly
   • Most organizations reconcile monthly, using their bank or credit card statements.
   • Don’t wait too many months; corrections are much easier when things are fresh.
2. Start with your oldest statement for that register
   • If you want history, start with the earliest statement you plan to reconcile.
   • Move forward in order: January, then February, then March, etc.
   • Remember: you can’t create a new reconciliation for a period before your latest completed one.
3. Enter everything first
   • Before reconciling, ensure all known deposits, payments, fees, and transfers for that period are recorded in the register (or imported from the bank).
   • Reconciliation should mostly be matching items, not discovering big surprises.
4. Use reconciliation to understand outstanding items
   • It’s normal to have a few outstanding transactions (e.g., checks not cashed yet).
   • Use the reconciliation report (with Include Outstanding Transactions) to see what’s still in transit.
5. Avoid editing locked details after completion
   • If your reconciliation is balanced and later you notice a coding mistake, it’s usually safer to:
     • Change the income/expense account (allowed), or
     • Make a small adjusting entry in the current period.
   • Only delete and redo a reconciliation if you truly need to change dates/amounts or move a transaction to another register.
6. Keep your reports
   • Save or download the PDF reconciliation reports with your other financial records for that period.
   • This is especially helpful for audits, board reviews, and future troubleshooting.

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9. Example: Reconciling your checking account for October

1. Get your October bank statement for “1000 – Checking”.
2. Go to Accounting > View Registers, select 1000 – Checking, click Reconcile.
3. In Begin Reconciliation:
   • Enter the Starting Balance and Start Date from the statement.
   • Enter Statement End Date (e.g., Oct 31, 2025).
   • Enter the Statement Closing Balance.
   • Click Next.
4. On the Reconciliation screen:
   • Check every deposit and payment that appears on the October statement.
   • Leave unchecked any items that haven’t hit the bank yet.
   • When Difference shows $0.00, click Finish.
5. Back on the register:
   • Generate a Reconciliation Report for October.
   • Save the PDF with your October financials.

You’re done—your bank register now matches your October bank statement, and you have a clear record of what was outstanding at month-end.