Account reconciliation: What it is and best practices

Think of account reconciliation like solving a puzzle. 

You compare numbers, spot any strange differences, and make sure every figure lines up. 

It might sound tedious but keeping accurate accounts isn’t just about neat books.

This helps your business stay transparent, compliant, and on solid financial footing.

Still, many businesses struggle with reconciliation because of messy record-keeping.

When accounts don’t match, problems can quickly snowball. 

The good news?

It doesn’t have to be this way.

In this article, we break down the ins and outs of account reconciliation.

We also share best practices you can start using now to keep your finances in check.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

What is account reconciliation?

Account reconciliation involves comparing two sets of financial records, such as your internal ledger and your bank statements, to make sure they match up. 

If they don’t, it might be down to things like bank fees, outstanding checks, or even errors or fraud. 

By spotting and fixing differences quickly, you’ll keep your books accurate and comply with financial rules.

Most businesses perform reconciliations at the end of each accounting period.

This can be carried out by an accountant, who compares your internal records to external sources such as bank statements or vendor invoices. 

This process ensures that each business transaction has been properly documented.

Your general ledger (GL) is made up of seven types of accounts: 

• Assets
• Liabilities
• Equity
• Revenue
• Expenses
• Gains
• Losses. 

Every transaction hits two of these accounts.

Through diligent account reconciliation, you verify that all these entries contain the right information.

The importance of account reconciliation

Account reconciliation is a fundamental part of financial management.

Spotting and fixing reporting errors early can save you stress—especially if there’s ever an audit. 

Here are some other ways reconciliation helps:

Reduced missed payments

Accurate records mean you always know when payments are due and can budget accordingly.

This also ensures your financial records line up with regulatory standards, helping you avoid penalties and legal trouble.

Monitor financial health

Regular reconciliation highlights errors made by your bank or other institutions, so you can correct them and keep a clear picture of your finances.

Detect fraudulent transactions

Since you’re regularly checking where your money is going, questionable or unauthorized activity becomes easier to spot.

Control spending

Consistent account reviews help you see if your expenses are too high or if you need to cut back.

Reduced missed payments

Accurate records mean you always know when payments are due and can budget accordingly.

This also ensures your financial records line up with regulatory standards, helping you avoid penalties and legal trouble.

Account reconciliation methods

Reconciliation is crucial, but how exactly do you do it?

There are generally two main methods:

1. The documentation method

This is the most common approach. 

It involves comparing your general ledger with other source documents, such as bank statements or vendor invoices. 

A classic example involves comparing your own cash account balance with your monthly bank statement. 

If they don’t align, you look for items like outstanding checks or deposits that haven’t cleared yet.

Once you spot the difference, you adjust your records accordingly. 

This process is known as bank reconciliation, a subtype of balance sheet reconciliation. 

The same logic applies to credit card accounts: compare your internal records of spending with the credit card statement. 

Any discrepancies, such as pending charges or interest fees, need to be fixed so both sets of records match.

2. The analytics method

Think of this as a “sense check”. 

Instead of comparing records directly to an external document, you use estimates or historical data to see if your figures look reasonable. 

If the numbers are far from what you’d normally expect, you dig deeper with a full reconciliation. 

This method can’t replace the documentation approach but it can help you spot glaring issues more quickly.

Types of account reconciliation

Account reconciliation isn’t a one-size-fits-all process.

Your business might need several different types, each designed for specific areas of your finances.

Balance sheet reconciliation

Balance sheet reconciliation focuses on comparing the balances of your internal accounts (cash, investments, liabilities, equity, etc) with statements from external sources such as banks or lenders. 

Essentially, anything on your balance sheet should be checked to ensure it matches the statements you receive.

General ledger reconciliation

With general ledger reconciliation, you do an internal review of your GL to make sure all entries and balances are correct. 

You might reconcile who owes you money (accounts receivable) against the total amount recorded in your GL, or confirm you’ve accurately recorded what you owe suppliers (accounts payable). 

This keeps your records accurate and helps you manage cash flow effectively.

Bank reconciliation

Bank reconciliation, as the name suggests, is where you compare your bank statements with the entries in your books. 

It’s typically done monthly to identify any mis-entries, overlooked fees, timing lags, or errors. Doing this often also makes tax time easier because you’ll have reliable, up-to-date figures on hand.

Account receivable reconciliation

For accounts receivable, your goal is to confirm that the total amount owed by customers in your ledger matches the individual amounts you’re expecting from each of them. 

This is often done using supporting documents such as invoices, sales receipts, and credit notes. If your records don’t match up, you’ll know to investigate potential errors or missing payments.

Using accounts receivable software will make this process much simpler, quicker, and more accurate. It’s become an essential tool for many businesses.

Inventory reconciliation

If you keep products in stock, it’s crucial to periodically cross-check the inventory recorded in your system with what’s physically in your warehouse. 

This helps you catch issues such as damage, theft, or lost items. 

Staying on top of inventory reconciliation can boost customer satisfaction, too, because you’ll know exactly what’s available for sale.

Credit card reconciliation

Like bank reconciliation, credit card reconciliation compares each credit card transaction in your ledger with the credit card statement. 

It’s a great way to spot fraud, errors, or unrecorded purchases, such as a returned item that didn’t get logged.

Digital wallet reconciliation

Digital payment solutions like Apple Pay or Google Pay are on the rise, and they need to be reconciled too.

You’ll check transaction details (often accessed via apps) against your internal records. 

The logic and benefits are much the same as reconciling credit cards or bank accounts.

Account payable reconciliation

Think of this as the counterpart to accounts receivable.

You’re verifying amounts owed to suppliers. 

Cross-check documents such as invoices, receipts, and payment records to make sure everything tallies. 

As with other reconciliations, using accounts payable software can save you a lot of time and headaches.

Multi-entity reconciliation

Large businesses often have multiple branches or companies under a single-parent organization.

These groups sometimes do business with one another, creating inter-company transactions that need matching up. 

Multi-entity reconciliation ensures consistent, compliant reporting across the whole group and helps maintain stakeholder confidence.

As you might expect, accounting software can make the process simpler, quicker, and more accurate with automation.

Account reconciliation process

Even if your accounting software automatically downloads your monthly bank transactions, you still need to keep an eye on everything. 

Here’s a simple process:

1. Gather your records

Collect internal documents (such as ledgers) plus external statements (bank statements, vendor invoices, etc).

2. Compare balances

Check if your internal numbers match what’s in the external statements.

3. Spot discrepancies

Investigate any differences you find.

Common issues include timing lags (such as deposits in transit) and plain old data-entry mistakes.

4. Adjust and communicate

Make any necessary corrections in your records and let the statement provider know if the error is on their end.

Who handles this work?

In smaller companies, the owner or a manager might do the job. 

Larger organizations typically have dedicated finance teams or entire departments specializing in reconciliation. 

While software can automate a lot of the tasks, human oversight is still key to ensuring accuracy.

Account reconciliation best practices

To make the most of the account reconciliation process, here are some best practices to follow:

Reconcile regularly

Instead of treating account reconciliation as an ad hoc or annual task, incorporate it into your regular financial routines.

This will help catch any discrepancies early, enabling you to resolve issues promptly and maintain up-to-date records.

Leverage automation

The modern world offers a range of account reconciliation tools and technologies that can automate and streamline the process of reconciliation.

By using these tools, businesses can minimize the risk of human error, increase efficiency, and allow their finance teams to focus on strategic tasks.

Involve other teams

Account reconciliation is more than just an accounting department function. It’s integral to the company’s overall financial health and transparency.

Therefore, it’s essential to foster a broader understanding of this process and its importance within your company.

Segregation of duties

Assign different individuals to handle the recording, reconciling, and approving of financial transactions.

Ensure multiple reviews happen throughout the reconciliation process to reduce the risk of errors and fraud.

Clear reconciliation procedures

Create standardized reconciliation procedures that outline specific steps, assign roles and responsibilities, and set clear deadlines.

This structure ensures consistency, reduces errors, and keeps the reconciliation process organized and efficient.

By adhering to these best practices, you can ensure your account reconciliation process is as efficient, accurate, and effective as possible, contributing to better financial management and decision-making.

Common examples of errors in account reconciliation

It’s not uncommon for businesses to make basic errors during account reconciliation. 

Keep an eye out for these typical mishaps:

Mismatching vendors

Unknown vendors appearing within your internal records might be a sign of fraud.

It’s important to verify invoices to rule out any wrongdoing. 

Unrecorded transactions

You may find transactions on your bank statement that aren’t in your internal records.

This is usually the result of employee error but could point to fraud. 

Mismatching transactions

Some transactions will be recorded correctly but might contain the wrong dates or amounts.

This discrepancy can usually be attributed to employee or banking errors. 

Deposits in transit

Certain deposits will be recorded on your records but not in your bank statement.

Often, this is because the deposit hasn’t been processed by the bank.

In some instances, though, this can indicate that a deposit has been lost.

Increase accuracy with account reconciliation software

Regular reconciliations are critical but they can be complicated and time-consuming. That’s where automation steps in. 

Account reconciliation software can match transactions for you, generate statements, and spot anomalies early—meaning you can fix them before they become major issues.

Beyond accuracy, using software also shows stakeholders that you take compliance and transparency seriously, which builds trust with investors, employees, customers, and vendors.

Sage accounting solutions streamline these tasks, reduce manual data entry, and give you a clear view of your cash flow. That can boost efficiency, improve accuracy, and ultimately improve your brand’s reputation and bottom line.

Account reconciliation FAQs

What are the main types of reconciliation in accounting?

Common reconciliations include balance sheet, general ledger, bank, accounts receivable, and accounts payable. These are crucial to almost all businesses. 

Other reconciliations will also be important to many organizations. These include inventory, credit card, digital wallet, and multi-entity.

Is there a standard process for reconciliation?

There is no standard process for reconciliation.

However, all reconciliation methods involve comparing your records to external data and resolving any mismatches. 

The key is to be consistent and timely, so you always know your financial data is accurate.

What is single-entry bookkeeping?

Single-entry bookkeeping is a form of accounting used to help organizations monitor their finances. 

As the name suggests, this approach creates a single entry for each transaction.

All entries are added to a cash book, which contains the date, description, value, and balance of all transactions.

How often should you reconcile accounts?

Most businesses should reconcile accounts at least once per month.

This frequency should increase for larger organizations with greater numbers of transactions. 

What is recurring billing and why recurring payment reconciliation is important?

Recurring billing is an automated payment process where customers are charged regularly, usually on a monthly or yearly basis, for ongoing services or subscriptions. 

With regular account reconciliation, you can ensure all recurring revenue is accounted for and matches the expected amounts based on the billing schedule.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published in June 2023 and has been updated for relevance