Reconcile Your Bank Accounts

A bank reconciliation is your monthly double-check: does what’s in DishBooks match what your bank says happened? You line up your books with your bank statement, tick off each transaction as it shows up, and make sure the balances tie out. If something’s missing, doubled up or just plain wrong, this is where you catch it.

It’s also what your accountant, lender or investor will ask for. Reconciled books are books you can trust.

Before you start

• Your bank activity for the month is recorded and approved. See Review your bank activity.
• Have your bank or credit card statement for the month handy (a PDF is perfect).
• You’ll need Bank reconciliations set to Manage to work a month, and Approve to approve one (Owners, Admins and Accountants by default).

Step 1 Open Bank reconciliation

Go to Banking → Bank Reconciliation. Every bank account and credit card gets its own card, with the bank, location and last four digits, plus a timeline of months. One look tells you where each account stands:

• Blue check: reconciled and approved. That month is done.
• Clock: started but not finished.
• Empty circle: not started yet.
• Warning triangle: approved, but it doesn’t line up with the month before or after it. Hover to see why, like a start date or balance that doesn’t match.

Got a lot of accounts? Use Filter at the top right to show only one bank, or the location picker at the top of the page to narrow by location.

Click a month on an account to open its reconciliation. Clicking an empty circle starts that month.

Step 2 Enter your statement details

The month opens with the account name at the top and a Statement panel on the right. Fill it in from your bank statement:

1. Check the start date and end date match your statement period. The period can’t be longer than 30 days.
2. Enter the starting balance and ending balance. After an account’s first month, the start date and starting balance carry over from the previous month and can’t be edited here.
3. Click Attach file (or drag it in) to save the statement PDF with the reconciliation.
4. Need to leave a note for later? Click + Add notes.

Under the balances, DishBooks keeps a running total of deposits, withdrawals, cleared and uncleared for the month.

Step 3 Clear your transactions

Now go down your statement and clear each transaction in DishBooks as you spot it: click the circle in the Clear column and it turns into a blue check. Got a batch? Tick the checkboxes on the left and clear them together.

• Cleared / Uncleared switches between what you’ve ticked off and what’s left. Uncleared is a handy to-do list.
• All transactions, Deposits and Withdrawals let you work one side at a time.
• Need a closer look at a line? Click it to open its journal entryJournal entryA record of money moving between GL accounts. Each one lists debits and credits that must be equal..

Keep an eye on Difference at the bottom. It shows how far your books are from the statement. A red amount means you’re not there yet. When it reads $0.00 with a green check, everything ties out. Approve stays grayed out until it does.

Something on the statement isn’t here? It probably hasn’t been recorded in Bank activity yet, or it’s still waiting to be approved. Only approved transactions show up here. Head back to Review your bank activity, take care of it, then come back.

Step 4 Approve and export

Once the difference is $0.00, click Approve at the top. You need the Approve level on Bank reconciliations to see it. The month gets an Approved badge, it turns into a blue check on the overview, and every cleared line shows as Reconciled in Bank activity.

Need it for your accountant or lender? Click Export and choose CSV or PDF for the reconciliation report.

To jump to another month, use the month dropdown next to Export.

Need to make a change?

Open the month from the overview to review it any time. To change an approved reconciliation, click Unapprove at the top, make your fix, then approve it again. The lines you cleared stay cleared, but they show as Approved instead of Reconciled in Bank activity until you approve it again.

Tips and common questions

How often should I reconcile?

Every month, as soon as your statement arrives. Credit cards too.

My balances are off by a little. Where do I look?

Start with the uncleared list. The usual suspects: a transaction recorded twice, an amount typed wrong, or something on the statement that was never approved in Bank activity.

Do I reconcile months in order?

Yes, oldest to newest. Each month’s start date and starting balance come from the month before, and DishBooks flags any month that doesn’t line up.

Can I reconcile without a connected bank?

Yes. Accounts you import files for show up here too.

What’s next

Your books match your bank. Now save yourself time next month by automating the charges that repeat.