Guides › Finance & Accounting
Match your bank statement to the ledger in minutes
Paste your statement and ledger and get a list of matched items, missing entries and amounts that don't agree, ready for you to check.
When to use it
At each month end, or weekly for busy accounts
Step by step
Export both lists
Download the bank statement for the period as a spreadsheet or CSV, and export the bank ledger for the same dates from your accounting software.
Take out sensitive details
Delete full account numbers and any client names your organisation doesn't allow in AI tools. Dates, amounts and short descriptions are all the AI needs.
Ask for the match
Open ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini, attach both files or paste them in, and use this prompt.
Prompt to copyI'm reconciling a bank account for [month and year]. Below are two lists: the bank statement and the ledger. Match each bank line to a ledger line using amount, date (within [3] days) and description. Then give me four tables: 1) Matched items. 2) On the bank but not in the ledger. 3) In the ledger but not on the bank. 4) Possible matches where the amount or date differs slightly, showing the difference. Finish with: closing balance per bank, closing balance per ledger, and the difference still unexplained after tables 2 to 4. If you're unsure about a line, put it in table 4 rather than guessing. BANK STATEMENT: [paste] LEDGER: [paste]Check every flagged item yourself
Work through tables 2 to 4 against the source documents before you post anything. The AI can misread rows, so the balances must agree with your software, not just the chat.
Post and file
Post the genuine missing entries in your accounting software, then save the summary with your month-end working papers.
What you get
Bank only: 14 Mar card fee £4.20; 22 Mar refund from Oakfield Supplies £86.00. Ledger only: cheque 1042 £250.00 (not yet cleared). Possible match: 9 Mar bank £1,240.00 vs ledger £1,204.00, difference £36.00, looks like two digits swapped.
Tips
- Your accounting software's own bank matching should come first; use this for accounts it can't connect to, or as a second pair of eyes.
- Don't paste client personal data, full account numbers or payroll details into a public AI tool unless your organisation allows it. Use your work-approved assistant if you have one.