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In any company, bank reconciliation is an important part of the overall accounting process. For companies like Intuit stock, there are thousands of checks being processed every month. Even if you don’t have a formal accounting departments, a general manager or business owner should be responsible for doing proper reconciliation of bank statements. Especially in small businesses, business owners should take bank reconciliation very seriously. To learn more about the finance process, we have covered everything you need to know. Here are the most important bank reconciliation steps to follow.
What Is Bank Reconciliation?
Also known as bank statement reconciliation, this is the process of confirming the transactions in your company bank statement against your own accounting books or general ledger. Bank reconciliation ensures that there are no errors or deficits in the cash reporting by the banking provider or your accounting ledgers. In short, bank reconciliation confirms cash between the business and the bank, which can definitely help you rebuild credit score ratings for your business.
Why Is Reconciliation Important?
First and foremost, reconciling bank statements with cash reporting is important to check for errors. Moreover, it is used as a control mechanism to ensure that their is no operating irregularities. These controls are an important tool to protect from theft or unauthorized bank transactions. Since cash is one of the most important aspects of a business, the process to control cash is equally as important to provide business insurance for your finances.
Helps With Cash Flow
Consistent bank reconciliation helps to regulate monitoring business cash flow. Cash flow is a problem area for many businesses. Timing of cash coming in and out of your business can actually have a major impact on your overall performance. Performing routine bank reconciliation statements allows you to regularly monitor business cash flow solutions. This is definitely something you want to know about your finances.
How Frequently To Reconcile Statements?
When it comes to checking on you cash, some accounting experts might say there is no such thing as too frequent. However, if you bank only issues your statement once per month, then a monthly review would be ideal. For business owners who are extremely busy, this process can be managed by an accountant or bookkeeper. This way, it bank balances and statements can be reconciled monthly or quarterly. Or, if you would like to really stay on top of your cash transactions, you can implement accounting software to monitor your cash balances daily too.
Bank Reconciliation Terms
There are a few banking terms that are helpful when balancing the difference between bank balances and a company’s cash balance. These terms account for uncleared checks, deposits in transit and bank fees. Quite simply, these terms are known as “Deposits in Transit” and “Checks Outstanding.” Using these terms, you should be able to balance your traditional or virtual bank account and company statements. However, you will still need to include service charges, interest income and NSF checks that may have occurred during the month.
Steps To Reconcile Bank Statements
If you would like to know how to do bank reconciliation, you will be happy to know it is a simple process that does not require a business discussion. Now that you are familiar with the basic terminology, you are ready to begin. First, start by examining your bank statement balance. Next, compare the bank transactions with your company cash ledger. If you are not using a bank reconciliation template, note down all the differences, keeping a running total of each cash balance. Balanced funds are essential managing your business cash. Finally, adjust for any discrepancies and confirm that the two balances are matching.
Bank Reconciliation Steps With Software
When using small business accounting software, you have to setup your bank feeds within the software. This will allow the program to “fetch” your financial information from your bank. Typically, these integration use secure platforms. While they ask for your banking login details, the information is usually handled by a third party provider for security purposes. The feed imports each activity or statement lines from the bank account. For complete reconciliation, you can setup bank feeds for your high yield checking and savings accounts. In many accounting systems, you can integrate credit card accounts too. This allows you to start the bank reconciliation process.
As we have covered, the bank reconciliation process is highly valuable to any company. Business owners should use this process to control their cash and ensure the proper amount of cash is in the bank. By doing this regularly, businesses can minimize financial risks and maximize its opportunity for growth.
