Use case · Closing the month
Reconcile a bank statement against your books before anything is written
Drop the statement in. Orla says what matched, what the ledger is missing, what the bank doesn't have, and how far the totals are apart.
The case
September's statement, three differences
The operating account's September statement has a $35 wire fee nobody booked, a $318 utility payment that should close an open bill, and a $412 software charge the ledger has and the bank hasn't posted yet. The totals are $59 apart, and nobody wants to import the file twice to find out why.
The route
Compare the statement before anything is written
Recorded on the demo studio's operating account.
- 01Compare, without importingImportCompare
Drop the CSV or PDF on Import, check the account and press Compare. Nothing is written or kept.
- 02Read the figures
8 matched, 2 not in the book, 1 not in the statement, totals 59.00 USD apart. Each side lists its rows: the $35 wire fee and the $318 utility autopay are missing from the books, the $412 software charge from the statement.
Who does what
Where Orla stops and you press
Comparing a statement is being switched on space by space. A CSV is read for free; reading a PDF or a photo uses the space's AI allowance.
Orla does
- Compares a statement with an account and keeps nothing.
- Lists what sits on one side only, with its date and amount, and the difference in totals.
- Books only the rows the comparison found missing when you import the same file afterwards: it knows a row as already booked by the same rule the comparison uses.
You do
- Choose the file and the account.
- Decide what to book, and how.
- Book the fee or the missing row the way your accountant wants it.
Orla does not
- Match on descriptions, or guess between two rows with the same amount.
- Write anything during the comparison.
- Replace your accountant's reconciliation sign-off. The month's close records whether a statement exists and matches.
Questions
What people ask about this
What are the steps of a bank reconciliation?
Get the statement for the period, match each bank line to a ledger line, list what's on one side only, book the missing fees and charges, and check the balances agree. Orla does the matching and the two lists; you decide what gets booked.
How can I automatically reconcile bank statements?
Connect the bank so rows arrive daily, and compare each statement against its account. Orla matches by amount within a week and lists the leftovers on both sides.
What is an example of a bank reconciliation?
The case above: a $35 wire fee nobody booked, a $318 utility payment not yet in the books, and a $412 charge the bank hasn't posted. Together they explain the $59 between the statement and the ledger.
Read next
Where this goes on
See it on your own books
Thirty minutes: we connect an account, drop a real bill in, and close a month together.