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QB Specialist

QuickBooks bank reconciliation

Bank reconciliation, tied to the statement.

We reconcile every bank and credit-card account in QuickBooks to the statement — clearing un-cleared items, fixing duplicates, and driving each account's difference to zero — so your reports rest on real cash, not a guess. Every account is tied back month by month, remote, at a fixed scope.

Last reviewed July 2026

  • Every account reconciled
  • Tied to the statement
  • A senior specialist, not a pool

What bank reconciliation is in QuickBooks

In QuickBooks, bank reconciliation is the check that every transaction in an account matches the bank's own record for the period — so the ending balance in your books ties exactly to the statement, with nothing missing, doubled, or invented.

The mechanics are an identity: your book balance, less the items still in transit — checks written but not yet cashed, deposits not yet posted — equals the statement balance. Reconciliation lists those outstanding items, applies them, and confirms the two sides agree. When the difference is zero, the account is reconciled for that month.

This is not the same as a matched bank feed. The feed imports transactions and pairs them with entries, but a fully matched feed can still hide a duplicate, a deleted transaction, or a wrong date. Reconciliation is the deliberate proof a feed can't give on its own — the concept is set out in full in what bank reconciliation is.

The reconciliation identity

The reconciliation identity, worked Book balance of $48,905.10, less $694.55 of items still in transit, equals the $48,210.55 bank statement. The difference is out by 0.00, so the account is reconciled. A worked, illustrative example. $48,905.10 Book balance LESS $694.55 Outstanding items = $48,210.55 Bank statement CHECKS + DEPOSITS STILL IN TRANSIT OUT BY 0.00 RECONCILED
A worked reconciliation: the book balance, less the items still in transit, equals the statement — and when the difference is out by 0.00, the account is reconciled for the period. Figures are illustrative.

Who needs reconciliation done for them

Owners whose reports no longer match the bank, whose accountant wants reconciled books before a return, or who have let months of un-cleared transactions pile up — anyone who needs the numbers proven rather than assumed.

In practice, the files that land on our desk tend to look like one of these:

  • A business several months or years behind, where the feed matched but no account was ever reconciled — usually a catch-up as much as a reconciliation.
  • An owner handed a file by a departed bookkeeper who reconciled the checking account but never the credit cards.
  • A company whose CPA won't file a return until every account ties to a statement.
  • A file heading into a sale, a loan application, or an audit, where the balance sheet has to hold up to scrutiny.
  • Anyone whose QuickBooks balance and actual bank balance simply don't agree, and who wants to know exactly why.

How we reconcile every account

We reconcile the way an accountant does: one account at a time, one statement at a time. We clear what has cleared, chase what hasn't, correct duplicates and wrong dates at the source, and drive each period's difference to zero.

For each account we pull the real statement, match every cleared item, then isolate whatever is left over. A stubborn difference is almost always one of three things — a duplicate, a deleted or altered transaction, or a wrong opening balance — and we find which, rather than forcing the books to balance with a plug. Every correction is traced to its source and written down, so the reconciliation holds up if anyone looks. The full method is documented in the reconciliation reference.

We work only from read-only access — accountant access in QuickBooks Online, or a screen-share or a hosted copy for Desktop — and we never store your banking credentials. Nothing in the file changes until you approve a scope in writing.

How it goes

Four steps, backlog to reconciled

Most reconciliations run about a week to two: a free review to scope every account, statements gathered, each account tied to its statement until the difference is zero, then a documented hand-back.

  1. Free review

    Day 0

    Read-only look at the file; we list every bank, card, and loan account and quote a fixed fee.

  2. Gather statements

    Days 1–2

    Collect a monthly statement for every account in scope, and flag any month that's missing one.

  3. Reconcile

    Days 3–8

    Clear items, fix duplicates, and tie each account to the statement until the difference is zero.

  4. Hand back

    Day 9

    A reconciliation report for every account, a written summary, and a call to walk it through.

What you get when the work is done

You get a reconciliation report for every account, each period's difference at zero, a written summary of what we found and fixed, and a call to walk it through — books you can hand to a tax preparer without a caveat.

  • A QuickBooks reconciliation report for every account, for every period in scope.
  • Each account's ending balance tied to the statement, with the difference at 0.00.
  • A written list of the duplicates, missing items, and corrections we made.
  • Any month a statement genuinely couldn't be found, flagged in writing rather than guessed.
  • A live call to review it, and the file left ready to file — or to keep reconciled every month as a month-end close.

What it costs

Fixed scope, set after a free review

Bank reconciliation is priced by the number of accounts and the number of months in scope, fixed after a free read-only review — never billed by the hour. The starting floors below become exact numbers before any work starts.

Bank reconciliation pricing
Engagement Typical range Timeline What's included
From $1,500 2–5 days One bank or credit-card account tied to the statement, back through the months you name.
From $1,500 1–2 weeks Every bank, card, and loan account in the file reconciled and documented.
From $400/mo Ongoing Clear the backlog, then keep every account reconciled each month.
Get your exact quote

Per-account reconciliation

Typical range
From $1,500
Timeline
2–5 days
Included
One bank or credit-card account tied to the statement, back through the months you name.

Full multi-account

Typical range
From $1,500
Timeline
1–2 weeks
Included
Every bank, card, and loan account in the file reconciled and documented.

Reconcile + monthly

Typical range
From $400/mo
Timeline
Ongoing
Included
Clear the backlog, then keep every account reconciled each month.
Get your exact quote

Edge cases we handle

Reconciliation is rarely tidy. Missing statements, years of backlog, credit cards and loans, PayPal and Stripe, foreign-currency accounts, and a beginning balance that won't agree are the usual complications — each has a defined way through.

Reconciled vs. un-reconciled

One account, before and after reconciliation Before reconciliation, an account's book balance of $52,140.00 sits $1,204.30 above the $50,935.70 statement — an unexplained, unproven difference. After reconciliation, a duplicate is removed, both balances read $50,935.70, and the difference is out by 0.00, tied to the statement. A worked, illustrative example. BEFORE · UN-RECONCILED Book balance $52,140.00 Bank statement $50,935.70 Difference $1,204.30 UNEXPLAINED — UNPROVEN RECONCILE AFTER · RECONCILED Book balance $50,935.70 Bank statement $50,935.70 Difference $0.00 TIED TO STATEMENT
The same account before and after: an unexplained $1,204.30 gap between the books and the statement, driven to 0.00 once the duplicate is found — the difference between matched and reconciled. Figures are illustrative.
  • Missing statements. We tell you exactly which months and accounts are missing one; most banks let you download them in minutes. Where a statement truly can't be found, we reconcile to a closing balance you can verify and note it in writing.
  • Many months, or years. A long backlog is scoped as catch-up bookkeeping — the number of accounts and the transaction volume drive the timeline, not the calendar.
  • Credit cards, loans, PayPal, and Stripe. Cards and lines of credit reconcile to their statements like a bank account; loans get their principal and interest split checked; PayPal and Stripe reconcile to the processor's payout and balance reports, with fees and holdbacks untangled so deposits match.
  • Foreign-currency accounts. We reconcile in the account's own currency first, then check the QuickBooks home-currency revaluation, so the balance sheet is right in dollars.
  • Beginning-balance mismatches. The classic account that won't reconcile: a prior period was changed, a transaction deleted, or the opening balance entered wrong. We find the break and fix it at the source rather than plugging it.

Why it matters

Reconciled vs. un-reconciled books

A reconciled account proves every report that touches cash; an un-reconciled one leaves the balance sheet, the cash-flow statement, and the P&L unverified. The gap shows the moment a lender or a preparer looks.

Reconciled vs. un-reconciled books
Reconciled Un-reconciled
Reports tie to the bank
Duplicates and doubled entries caught
Ready to hand to a tax preparer
Audit trail you can defend
Verdict Reports rest on real cash Reports rest on a guess

How we're different

How we're different from a bank feed or a big firm

A bank feed matches transactions but never proves the balance; a big firm hands your file to a rotating pool. We reconcile every account to the statement, and the senior specialist who scopes your file does the work.

Our reconciliation service vs. DIY vs. a bank feed alone
Our service DIY in QuickBooks Bank feed only
Every account tied to the statement It depends
Duplicates and missing items caught It depends
Difference driven to 0.00 and documented It depends
Credit cards, loans, PayPal, and Stripe included It depends
Reconciliation report for a tax preparer It depends
A senior specialist does the work
Verdict Proven to the statement Right if you have the time Matched, never reconciled

How you can verify us

A real reconciliation report

The exact report you receive for each account, with the difference driven to zero.

Our methodology

Every account tied to the statement, and every correction shown. Read exactly how it works.

Read the full method

Security posture

Read-only access to your file, no banking credentials stored, and nothing changed until you approve a scope.

When NOT to hire us

If you have a single account, you're only a month or two behind, and every statement is already in hand, you probably don't need us — QuickBooks' built-in reconcile tool will get you there in an afternoon.

Reconciliation is a skill, not a secret. If the scope is small and the statements are handy, follow how reconciliation works and do it yourself — that's the right call, and we'll say so. Where we earn a fee is the harder cases: several accounts, a real backlog, credit cards and loans that were never touched, or a difference that simply won't resolve. Not sure which you are? The bookkeeping health score takes a few minutes and tells you whether this is a DIY afternoon or a job worth handing over.

Remote-first, nationwide

Mon–Sat · 8am–6pm CT

We work entirely remote — secure read-only access to your file, screen-share whenever you want to watch, and every account documented in writing.

  • Texas
  • Florida
  • California
  • New York

Questions about bank reconciliation

How many months will you reconcile?

As many as you need — a single month or several years. We scope the number of months and accounts after a free read-only review, then commit to a fixed fee and a timeline before any work starts.

Isn't the bank feed the same as reconciliation?

No. The bank feed imports and matches transactions, but a matched feed can still hide duplicates, missing items, or wrong dates. Reconciliation proves the account against the actual statement and drives the difference to zero — the feed cannot do that on its own.

What if I don't have all the statements?

We tell you exactly which months and accounts are missing statements, and most banks let you download them in a few minutes. Where a statement truly can't be found, we reconcile to a closing balance you can verify and note it in writing.

Do you reconcile credit cards and loans too?

Yes. Credit-card, line-of-credit, and loan accounts reconcile to their statements the same way bank accounts do. Loans also get their interest and principal split checked, so the balance sheet matches what you actually owe.

What does a reconciled account actually prove?

That every transaction in QuickBooks for that account matches the bank's record for the period, with nothing missing, doubled, or invented. The ending balance ties to the statement, so any report built on that account rests on real cash.

What happens after you reconcile?

You get a reconciliation report for every account, a written summary, and a call to walk through it. If you want it kept that way, we can reconcile every account each month as part of a monthly close.

Do you reconcile PayPal, Stripe, and Shopify Payments?

Yes. Payment processors reconcile to their own payout and balance reports the same way a bank does. We untangle the fees, refunds, and holdbacks the processor nets out, so the deposits recorded in QuickBooks match what actually hit your bank.

My beginning balance won't match — can you fix that?

Yes, and it's one of the most common reasons a file lands here. A beginning-balance mismatch means a prior period was changed, a transaction was deleted, or the opening balance was entered wrong. We find the break and correct it at the source, rather than forcing it with a plug.

How do you access my file, and is my data safe?

We work from read-only access — accountant access in QuickBooks Online, or a screen-share or hosted copy for Desktop. We never store your banking credentials, and nothing in the file changes until you approve a written scope.

Do you work in QuickBooks Online and Desktop?

Both. Online through read-only accountant access; Desktop through screen-share or a hosted copy of the file. If you're moving from Desktop to Online, we can reconcile first and migrate a clean file after.