Why Reconcile?

Reconciliation verifies that your BeeKeeper records match your bank statement. It catches:

• Missing transactions: Something the bank shows that you haven’t recorded
• Data entry errors: Amounts entered incorrectly
• Unauthorized charges: Transactions you don’t recognize
• Timing differences: Checks written but not yet cashed

Monthly reconciliation is essential for accurate bookkeeping and is often required for audits.

Accessing Reconciliation

1. Go to Bookkeeping from the sidebar
2. Select a bank account (e.g., “Checking Account”)
3. Click the Reconcile tab

The Reconcile tab is only available for bank accounts (checking, savings, credit card), not income or expense accounts.

Starting a New Reconciliation

Before you begin, gather your bank statement. You’ll need:

• Statement ending date
• Statement ending balance

To start:

1. Click Start Reconciliation (if a reconciliation is already in progress, you’ll see Resume instead)
2. Enter the Statement Date (the ending date on your bank statement)
3. Enter the Statement Balance (the ending balance on your bank statement)
4. Click Start Reconciliation

BeeKeeper automatically fills in your beginning balance from the previous reconciliation. For your first reconciliation, it uses the account’s already-reconciled balance — typically the opening balance you entered when you created the account.

Marking Cleared Transactions

The reconciliation screen shows all uncleared transactions for this account. Compare each one to your bank statement:

1. Check the box next to each transaction that appears on your bank statement
2. The running balance updates with each selection
3. Your goal is to reach a $0.00 difference between the calculated balance and your statement balance

Investigating Differences

If your difference isn’t $0.00:

• Positive difference: BeeKeeper shows less than the bank. Look for deposits or credits you haven’t recorded.
• Negative difference: BeeKeeper shows more than the bank. Look for charges, fees, or debits you haven’t recorded.

Common causes:

• Unrecorded bank fees or service charges
• Checks that haven’t cleared yet (these are OK — don’t check them)
• Missing interest or dividend entries
• Incorrect amounts on journal entries
• Transactions recorded in the wrong account

Completing Reconciliation

When the difference reaches $0.00:

1. Click Complete Reconciliation
2. Transactions are marked Cleared as you check them off; completing the reconciliation upgrades all checked transactions to Reconciled (the “R” status shown in the account ledger) and locks the reconciliation into your history
3. The reconciliation is saved for your records

If a cleared transaction is a check you printed through BeeKeeper, the check’s status updates to Cleared automatically — see Writing & Printing Checks.

Getting a Second Person to Sign Off

Most bylaws call for someone besides the person who reconciled the account to review it. Once a reconciliation is complete, open it, scroll to the Sign-Off section, and click Request Review to send it out electronically instead of printing it for a signature.

Your reviewer gets an emailed link, no BeeKeeper account needed, and once they respond, their name and decision print automatically on the reconciliation PDF in the “prepared by / reviewed by” spots — download it again and the signature is there. See Electronic Sign-Off for the full walkthrough, including what happens if you edit the statement date or balance while a review is open.

If you don’t use Sign-Off for a reconciliation, the PDF still prints blank lines for a handwritten signature.

Undoing a Reconciliation

Made a mistake in a reconciliation? You can undo it (unreconcile) and redo it. But first, check whether you need to undo it at all.

Fixes That Don’t Need an Undo

• Wrong payee, memo, check number or category on a reconciled transaction? Just edit the transaction. Only its amount and bank account are locked, and it can’t be deleted.
• Wrong statement date or balance on a reconciliation you haven’t completed yet? Open it with Resume, click Edit, fix it and save.
• Need to attach or replace the bank statement on a completed reconciliation? Open it with View, click Edit and upload the statement.

How to Undo a Reconciliation

Undo a reconciliation when you checked off the wrong transactions, or when a reconciled transaction has the wrong amount or bank account.

1. Go to Bookkeeping and open the bank account.
2. Click the Reconcile tab.
3. Open the most recent reconciliation. Click Resume if it’s in progress, or View if it’s completed.
4. If it’s completed, click Download PDF first. It gives you a list of what you checked off, which makes redoing it quicker.
5. Click Delete, then confirm.

When you delete a reconciliation:

• Every transaction in it goes back to uncleared, so you can check it off again.
• The attached bank statement and any sign-off requests for it are removed too.
• Your transactions are not deleted.

Now fix the transactions, then click Start Reconciliation to redo it. BeeKeeper fills in the beginning balance from the previous reconciliation and suggests a statement date one month after it. Check both against your bank statement before you start.

Fixing an Older Reconciliation

Only the most recent reconciliation can be deleted. A reconciliation that’s in progress counts as the most recent.

To fix an older one, delete your reconciliations one at a time, starting with the newest and working back to the one with the mistake. Then redo each month in order, oldest first. Download each one’s PDF before you delete it.

Best Practices

• Reconcile monthly within a few days of receiving your bank statement
• Follow a consistent routine: review the statement, start reconciliation, work line-by-line, investigate discrepancies
• Export a PDF of each completed reconciliation for your records
• Keep documentation for audits and board meetings
• Don’t skip months — catching up is much harder than staying current

Common Questions

What if I can’t find a transaction? You may need to create a journal entry for the missing transaction (e.g., a bank fee), then return to reconciliation and check it off.

Can I delete or undo a reconciliation? Yes. You can delete your most recent reconciliation, even if it’s completed. Open it and click Delete. All cleared and reconciled items in it are reset so you can redo it. To undo an older reconciliation, first delete each newer one, newest to oldest. See Undoing a Reconciliation.

What about outstanding checks? Leave uncashed checks unchecked. They’ll appear in future reconciliations until they clear. Checks written in BeeKeeper (Writing & Printing Checks) stay in Printed status until you clear them here.

How do I reconcile a credit card? The same way — go to your credit card account in Bookkeeping, click Reconcile, and use your credit card statement balance and date.

Do I have to print the reconciliation for a signature? Only if you want to. Request the sign-off electronically through Sign-Off instead, and your reviewer’s signature prints on the PDF automatically once they respond. See Electronic Sign-Off.