A bank reconciliation compares the transactions in your books with your bank statement for the same period. You enter the statement's ending balance and ending date, tick off every transaction that appears in both, and investigate whatever is left. When the difference is zero, your books agree with the bank. Intuit suggests doing it every month after the statement arrives. When card and bank payments come through a processor such as Stripe, each payout in the bank should match a transfer out of a clearing account, not a sale.
What is a bank reconciliation?
It is the check that your books and your bank agree. Intuit defines reconciling as "the process of matching the transactions you've entered in QuickBooks with your bank and credit card statements." Anything in one place and not the other is either a timing difference or a mistake. The reconciliation tells you which.
How often should you reconcile?
Intuit recommends monthly: "It's best to do this process every month after you get your statement from the bank."
How do you reconcile in QuickBooks Online?
- Go to Settings, then Reconcile.
- Choose the bank or credit card account.
- Enter the ending balance and ending date from the statement.
- Select Start reconciling.
- Tick each transaction that appears on both the statement and in QuickBooks.
- When the difference shows $0.00, finish.
If a difference remains, Intuit says to check the beginning balance, ending balance and date first, then the transactions entered by hand. QuickBooks can post an adjusting entry for a difference you can't find. Intuit suggests talking to your accountant before you accept one.
What does a reconciliation look like with numbers?
A worked example for August. The statement and the books differ because two items haven't cleared the bank yet:
| Line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Bank statement ending balance, Aug 31 | $52,340.00 |
| Add: deposit recorded Aug 31, posted by the bank Sep 2 | $1,076.13 |
| Less: refund check written Aug 30, not yet cashed | −$560.00 |
| Adjusted bank balance | $52,856.13 |
| Balance in the books, Aug 31 | $52,856.13 |
| Difference | $0.00 |
Both items will clear in September. They should appear on next month's statement. If either is still open after a month or two, look into it.
Where do Stripe payouts fit?
A Stripe payout is one deposit that covers many payments, minus fees, refunds and disputes. If you record each customer payment straight into the bank account, none of them will match the deposit.
The usual fix is a clearing account. Payments go into clearing at full value, fees and refunds come out of it, and each payout is a transfer from clearing to the bank. The bank reconciliation then matches each deposit to one transfer. Stripe's payout reconciliation report lists the charges, refunds and fees in each automatic payout, so you can check the transfer amount against it.
What causes differences most often?
- Payouts recorded as income. The deposit is net of fees, so sales look smaller and fees disappear.
- Timing. A payment made on the 31st often pays out in the next month.
- Duplicates. A bank feed match and a manual entry for the same deposit.
- Missing fees or refunds. Each one changes the payout amount.
How does this work with several entities?
Each legal entity reconciles its own bank accounts in its own books. If each entity or location has its own Stripe account and bank account, each one reconciles on its own. Money moved between entities also needs an intercompany reconciliation so both sides agree.
General information, not accounting advice.
- QuickBooks: Reconcile an account in QuickBooks Online
- Stripe: Payout reconciliation report
- Stripe: Payouts
Every figure on this page was checked against these sources on Oct 6, 2026. General information, not legal or tax advice.