Why do we prepare a bank reconciliation statement? | AccounntsIQ (2024)

What is a bank reconciliation statement?

A bank reconciliation statement (BRS) is a statement that a company prepares on a particular date to match the bank balance indicated in its cash book with the balance shown by the bank’s passbook. The statement displays the reasons for the differences between the two. A company can prepare a bank reconciliation statement at any time during the financial period.Read our blog to learn more about why you should prepare a bank reconciliation statement.

It is not compulsory to prepare a bank reconciliation statement and there’s no fixed date for preparing one. However, diligent finance teams will conduct bank reconciliations on a periodic basis. They do this mainly to check that all bank-related transactions are recorded properly in their cash book’s bank column and also by the bank in their books.

What is the purpose of a bank reconciliation statement?

The purpose of this bank reconciliation process is to detect any errors in recording transactions. It also means the business has an up-to-date and accurate view of its exact bank balance on a specified date. This can help spot any unusual or irregular payments that might indicate fraud.

How often should you produce bank reconciliation statements?

The more frequently you produce bank reconciliations, the more accurate your financial management will be, with reduced chances of error or irregularities. It’s good practice to prepare a bank reconciliation statement every time you receive a statement from the bank - for large businesses this may be on a daily basis. For most organisations, bank reconciliation usually occurs at the end of each week.

Reasons for preparing a bank reconciliation statement

There are several reasons why bank reconciliation is necessary. These include:

Identifying any accounting errors

Accounting errors, such as missed or double payments, are not uncommon. Bank reconciliation helps you to spot such accounting errors early. Most businesses want to know of any issues before they cause embarrassing (or worse) situations.

You don’t want your cheque or payment to bounce on an important customer. And your team doesn’t want to have to deal with calls from irate suppliers. A bank reconciliation will ensure you know exactly which payments have been released.

Many companies are realising the benefits of investing in digital finance software and automating key processes, including bank reconciliations. This drives greater efficiency in their business and saves company resources. It also allows finance teams to spend more time on value-add tasks, such as evaluating data to inform company strategy and key decisions.

Managing risk

Bank reconciliations will help you to spot fraudulent transactions and reduce the risk of transactions that could cause penalties and late fees.

Tracking interest and fees

Regular bank reconciliations ensure you can keep track of all interest payments, fees or penalties your bank might add to your account. You can then add or subtract such amounts in your books.

Confirming receivables

Bank reconciliations allow you to confirm all your receipts. You’ll avoid the embarrassment of chasing payments that have already been received and you’ll spot any entries for receipts you didn’t deposit.

Cash control

Another important reason to perform a bank reconciliation is to improve internal control over your company's cash. Ideally, the reconciliation will be done by someone other than the person handling and recording receipts and payments. This reduces the risk of anyone using the company's cash improperly.

Improve accuracy and confidence in your balance sheet

You (and other stakeholders) need to know that the amount of cash that is reported on your company's balance sheet is accurate. The purpose of a bank reconciliation is to ensure the additions and deductions on the bank statement are compared (or reconciled) with the items that are entered in your company's general ledger.

If there are differences, such as outstanding payments or deposits in transit, they can be noted as timing differences. As most companies use the double-entry system of accounting, any omission or error in the company's general ledger cash account also means that at least one other general ledger account will have a corresponding omission or error. The bank reconciliation could prevent this omission from occurring.

Modern bank reconciliation software fully automates these processes. It enables you to:

  • Periodically reconcile your bank accounts to account for charges and unanticipated transactions
  • Save time and deal with discrepancies faster with live bank feeds
  • Close each month faster and with greater confidence.

Read more about the benefits of finance automation.

What’s the difference between cashbook and bank reconciliation?

Cashbook balances record all of the transactions that are added to an organisation's ledger, whereas bank reconciliation statements indicate the cash balance on the final bank statement.

Why do we prepare a bank reconciliation statement? | AccounntsIQ (2024)

FAQs

Why do we prepare a bank reconciliation statement? | AccounntsIQ? ›

The purpose of this bank reconciliation process is to detect any errors in recording transactions. It also means the business has an up-to-date and accurate view of its exact bank balance on a specified date.

What is the reason for preparing a bank reconciliation statement? ›

Why is it important to a business? Bank reconciliation is the quickest way to identify any discrepancy between balances. Any unexplained discrepancy could be a sign that a theft or fraud has occurred within the business, and should be thoroughly investigated with all relevant staff members.

Why is it important to reconcile your bank statement? ›

Reconciling your bank statements simply means comparing your internal financial records against the records provided to you by your bank. This process is important because it ensures that you can identify any unusual transactions caused by fraud or accounting errors.

What is the main purpose of the bank reconciliation? ›

The bank reconciliation ensures that all transactions that have gone through the bank statements have been reviewed and checked, thus reducing the probabilities of errors in the data used to prepare accounts.

What is the purpose of reconciliation? ›

Purpose: The process of reconciliation ensures the accuracy and validity of financial information. Also, a proper reconciliation process ensures that unauthorized changes have not occurred to transactions during processing.

What are the three objectives of preparing bank reconciliation statement? ›

The Bank Reconciliation Statement (BRS) shall be prepared in order to: (a) check correctness of both the bank's and agency's records, (b) serve as a deterrent to fraud, and (c) enable the agency/bank to take up charges or credits recognized by the bank/agency but not yet known to the agency/bank.

What is the purpose of completing an account reconciliation form? ›

Account reconciliation is typically done at the end of an accounting period, such as at the time of the monthly close. This ensures that transactions that are being closed out are properly verified and that the closing statements are accurate.

What are the benefits of reconciliation? ›

It can induce a shift in mindsets and transform harmful attitudes. It can build bridges between opposing parties, and help repair fractured relationships. It can help break the cycle of violence, aid post-traumatic reconciliation, build a more peaceful common future, and ultimately sustain peace.

What happens if you don't do bank reconciliation? ›

Businesses that do not reconcile their bank balance on a regular basis risk becoming a victim of fraud, bank errors, or unauthorized withdrawals. Left unaddressed, this can lead to leaks in the cash flow, which may eventually affect your business growth and overall operation.

What is reconciling a bank statement used for? ›

Bank reconciliation statements are tools companies and accountants use to detect errors, omissions, and fraud in a financial account. Bank reconciliation is a simple and invaluable process to help manage cash flows.

What was the purpose of the statement of reconciliation? ›

The response was called Gathering Strength: Canada's Aboriginal Action Plan and included a Statement of Reconciliation. In it, the Canadian government recognized its own policies aimed to assimilate Indigenous people, and the role it played in the development and administration of residential schools.

Why do we do financial reconciliation? ›

All businesses are vulnerable to unscrupulous employees, cyber-theft, dishonest customers, vendors, or suppliers. Financial reconciliation can help prevent fraudulent activity by identifying duplicate checks, unauthorized credit card activity, or altered invoices.

Who prepares a bank reconciliation statement? ›

Answer: The company's accountant prepares the bank reconciliation statement whenever the bank statement arrives. Generally, the bank issues the bank statement within a month.

Why is it important to prepare a bank reconciliation statement? ›

Reconciling your bank statements is important because it ensures that your financial records accurately reflect your actual bank account balance. This helps to identify any discrepancies or errors, prevent fraud, and provide valuable insights into your cash flow and financial health.

Why is reconciliation so important? ›

Reconciliation involves developing our understanding of how these histories continue to shape contemporary Australian society and ensuring that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and cultures are treated with dignity and respect at all times. Reconciliation is often best understood as a journey.

What are the main goals of reconciliation? ›

Our vision of reconciliation is based and measured on five dimensions: historical acceptance; race relations; equality and equity; institutional integrity and unity. These five dimensions do not exist in isolation, but are interrelated.

What is the purpose of preparing a bank reconciliation quizlet? ›

Hence, the main purpose of a bank reconciliation is to confirm that the bank balance matches the companies balance at the time of reconciliation.

What is the reason for bank statement? ›

Your bank statement is the best way to keep track of your funds in your bank accounts. You'll want to review your bank statements every month to monitor your spending and current balance. Reviewing your bank statement monthly is also the best way to catch potentially fraudulent activity on your account.

What is the purpose of preparing a reconciliation statement in cost accounting? ›

So, the purpose of preparing reconciliation statement is to reconcile the profit/loss as per cost accounts with the profits/loss as per financial accounting by ascertaining and adjusting all causes of differences between the two.

What is a bank reconciliation statement prepared to determine? ›

Bank reconciliation statement is prepared to know the causes of difference between the balance as per bank column of the cash book and the passbook. This is because, both of these accounts show same transactions but with different point of views.

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