Bank Reconciliation

Reconciliation is how you prove the books match reality. The bank says $47,832.16. Your books say$47,832.16. Everything ties. Client is happy. Auditor is happy. You’re happy. When they don’t match, you’ve got work to do.

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How reconciliation works in Pluvel

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Starting a reconciliation

1. Open the client
2. Go to Banking → Reconciliation
3. Select which account (checking, savings, credit card)
4. Enter statement ending date
5. Enter statement ending balance
6. Click Start Reconciliation

You’ll see a list of transactions and a running difference at the top. Your job: get that difference to $0.00.

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The reconciliation screen

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Clearing transactions

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Auto-matching

Pluvel automatically clears transactions when:

• Exact amount and date match
• Amount matches with date within a few days
• Same recurring transaction you’ve matched before

These show green checkmarks. They’re done.

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Manual clearing

For items that didn’t auto-match:

1. Find the transaction in the list
2. Check the box next to it
3. Watch the difference update

If a transaction clears at the bank but shows a different date in your books, that’s fine. Clear it anyway. Minor date discrepancies are normal.

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Bulk clearing

Got 50 small transactions that all match? Select them all and clear in one click. Don’t process them individually.

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When things don’t match

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Transaction in your books, not at the bank

Common reasons:

• Timing — Check written but not cashed yet. Leave it uncleared.
• Error — You recorded something that didn’t happen. Delete or void it.
• Duplicate — Same thing entered twice. Mark one as duplicate.

For timing differences, don’t stress. They’ll clear next month when the check gets cashed.

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Transaction at the bank, not in your books

You’re missing something:

• Bank fee — Add an expense for “Bank Service Fees”
• Interest — Add income for “Interest Earned”
• Client spent money you don’t know about — Send them a question

Click Add Transaction directly from the reconciliation screen to create missing entries without losing your place.

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Amount differences

Same transaction, different amounts. Research which is right:

• Check the actual receipt or invoice
• Ask the client what it was supposed to be
• Look for transposition errors ($85 vs$58)

Fix the amount in your books to match reality.

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Reconciliation adjustments

Sometimes you end up with a small difference that you can’t track down: To make an adjustment:

1. Click Add Adjustment
2. Enter amount and category (usually “Bank Adjustments” or “Reconciliation Differences”)
3. Add a note explaining what you tried
4. The adjustment closes the gap

These should be rare. If you’re adjusting every reconciliation, there’s a systemic problem.

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Completing the reconciliation

When difference shows $0.00:

1. Click Complete Reconciliation
2. Add any notes for the record
3. Confirm

What happens:

• All cleared transactions are locked
• The reconciliation is recorded with timestamp and your name
• Those transactions can’t be edited without unreconciling

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Reconciliation history

View past reconciliations in Banking → Reconciliation → History. Each one shows:

• Statement date and balance
• How many transactions were cleared
• Any adjustments made
• Who completed it
• When

This is your audit trail. When a client asks “was January reconciled?” you can point to the record.

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Unreconciling (when you must)

Found an error after completing? You can undo:

1. Go to reconciliation history
2. Click the reconciliation you need to fix
3. Click Unreconcile

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Multi-account tracking

For clients with several accounts, track status in one place: The yellow warning means you’re a month behind. Catch up before it becomes two months. View this in Banking → Reconciliation → Overview or on the firm dashboard for all clients.

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Best practices from people who do this all day

Reconcile monthly, religiously. Two months behind is twice as hard. Three months is a nightmare. Use statement dates. Reconcile to the actual statement ending date, not today’s date. Document adjustments. When you make an adjustment, note what you tried before giving up. Watch for patterns. If the same type of discrepancy keeps appearing, fix the root cause. Clear the prior month first. Don’t start February’s reconciliation until January is complete.