Finance

Bank reconciliation

Formal definition

Bank reconciliation is a charity finance term for maintaining accurate and balanced financial records through consistent transaction tagging and account reconciliation.

What this actually means for you

Use Bank reconciliation to guide live decisions: match bank statements to ledger entries, clear old debtors, and record prepayments before month-end closure, with ownership and reporting agreed at month-end and before trustee reporting cycles.

Example: At the next review checkpoint, Bank reconciliation is used in practice like this: the finance officer reconciles the main operating account weekly and flags any unallocated credits for manual review. Accountabilities are captured in team templates, reporting packs, and operating checklists.

Related guides and whitepapers

Read deeper guidance and implementation detail connected to this term.

Trustees and Finance: What You Must Actually Know - abstract artwork
guide
Governance,  Finance,  Leadership

The financial literacy trustees genuinely need, the questions they must answer, and the patterns that signal a charity board out of its depth on the numbers.

Charity Website Redesign Without Regret - abstract artwork
guide
Digital,  Strategy,  Operations

A practical guide to UK charity website redesigns that move the dial: scope, governance, content, architecture and the decisions that avoid common regrets.