Reconciliation is the accounting process of verifying that internal financial records match external source documents like bank statements and credit card statements. This procedure is typically performed monthly and is essential for maintaining clean books. Reconciliation identifies discrepancies, catches errors or fraudulent activity, and ensures that financial data accurately reflects business reality rather than containing compounding mistakes.
Reconciliation — A fundamental accounting procedure that verifies the accuracy of financial records by comparing internal bookkeeping entries against external authoritative sources such as bank statements, credit card statements, and accounts receivable records. Monthly reconciliation is essential for clean books, identifying discrepancies, catching errors or fraud, and ensuring financial data reflects reality. Unreconciled accounts create compounding errors that undermine decision-making confidence.
