Your Tally says the bank balance is BDT 4,52,300. Your bank app says BDT 4,41,850. Neither is wrong; they simply disagree until someone reconciles them. Bank reconciliation (BRS) is that matching exercise, and Tally Prime makes it far less painful than the paper statements of old, because you can import the bank statement and let the software match most entries itself. Here is the full process, step by step.
Why Reconciliation Matters
Unreconciled books hide real problems: a cheque a customer claims to have paid but you never received, double-charged bank fees, unauthorized debits, or your own staff recording payments that never happened. Monthly reconciliation catches all of these within weeks instead of at year-end when recovery is harder. It also keeps VAT and audit work smooth, since clean books make Bangladesh VAT filing straightforward.
What Causes the Gap Between Books and Bank
Common reasons your two balances differ:
| Cause | Example |
|---|---|
| Cheques issued but not yet cashed | You recorded payment; supplier deposits next week |
| Deposits in transit | Cash deposited after banking hours on month-end |
| Bank charges not yet entered | SMS fees, account maintenance |
| Interest credited | Fixed deposit interest you forgot |
| Direct transactions | bKash/Nagad settlements or customer direct transfers |
| Errors | Wrong amount typed in either book |
Reconciliation exists precisely to surface these items so you can record the missing ones and chase the wrong ones.
Step 1: Get Your Bank Statement
Download the statement for the period as Excel or CSV from your internet banking portal. Most Bangladeshi banks offer this. If yours does not, the printed statement works too, but import is much faster.
Step 2: Open Bank Reconciliation in Tally Prime
Open the bank ledger and press B, or use Alt + G > type “Bank Reconciliation”. Select the bank account and set the period. You will see every unreconciled transaction from your books with columns for the statement date.
Step 3: Import the Statement
Inside the BRS screen, choose Import File (Alt + O > Import in recent versions) and map your CSV columns: date, withdrawal, deposit, and reference. Tally then attempts automatic matching against your voucher entries using amount and approximate date.
Matched lines get flagged instantly. In a typical month with regular entries, 80 to 95 percent match automatically.
Step 4: Match What Remains Manually
For unmatched lines, compare the two lists:
- An entry in Tally but absent from the statement usually means an unpresented cheque or uncredited deposit. Mark its reconciliation date as blank for now.
- A statement line missing from Tally means you must create it now: bank charges, interest, direct credits, or forgotten transfers.
- Amount mismatches mean one side made an error. Find which and correct it.
Enter any new vouchers normally through Payment or Receipt screens, then return to BRS to match them.
Step 5: Record the Missing Items Properly
The classic month-end adjustments:
| Item Found | Voucher Type | Ledger |
|---|---|---|
| Bank charges | Payment | Bank Charges (Indirect Expense) |
| Interest earned | Receipt | Interest Received (Indirect Income) |
| Customer direct transfer | Receipt | The customer’s ledger |
| Loan EMI auto-debit | Payment | Split between loan and interest |
Skipping these is why some businesses reconcile forever without ever matching: the statement has five lines the books will never show because nobody records them.
Step 6: Confirm the Closing Balance Matches
After marking all matched items with their statement dates, check the BRS summary. The formula it applies is simple:
Book balance + deposits in transit – unpresented cheques = bank statement balance
When both sides land on the same number, save. That number becomes your true cash position.
How Often Should You Reconcile?
Monthly is the standard and sufficient for most businesses. Weekly suits high-volume operations like retail chains or exporters. Never leave it longer than a month; disputes and errors age badly. If you are behind by several months, start from the oldest gap forward rather than jumping straight to the current month.
Common Reconciliation Problems and Fixes
| Problem | Fix |
|---|---|
| Old unmatched cheques never presented | After six months, reverse and follow up with payee |
| Import maps columns wrongly | Redo mapping; keep a fixed CSV template per bank |
| Duplicate entries inflate differences | Search Day Book by amount before creating new vouchers |
| Someone reconciles with wrong statement date | Clear date, re-mark correctly |
| Balance matches but a line looks suspicious | Investigate anyway; matching amounts can still be fraud pairs |
That last row matters more than people think. Reconciliation proves arithmetic agreement, not honesty. Review odd references even when totals tie.
Making It Faster Next Month
Three habits cut reconciliation time dramatically: enter bank transactions daily instead of batching weekly, always fill the instrument/reference number field on cheque-based vouchers so matching gets stronger, and download statements on a fixed day each month so the routine never slips. Businesses that follow these finish monthly BRS in under thirty minutes.
If reconciliation has piled up across months, or multiple banks and mobile-wallet accounts are involved, Proper Way Solution clears backlogs and sets up import templates for your specific bank so future months run themselves.
FAQ
Does Tally Prime support all Bangladeshi banks for statement import?
Import works with any statement you can get into CSV or Excel format. Column mapping handles different formats, though setting a saved template per bank speeds repeat months.
Can I reconcile bKash merchant accounts?
Yes. Create the bKash wallet as a bank-type ledger and reconcile its statements exactly like a bank account.
What if I find an error in an already-reconciled voucher?
Alter the voucher; Tally flags it for re-reconciliation so the mismatch becomes visible rather than hidden.
Do I need reconciliation if I only have one bank account?
Yes. Even a single account drifts from reality through timing gaps and charges. One account just means faster reconciliation.
Is there a shortcut to open BRS?
Open the bank ledger and press B, or Alt + G and type “Bank Reconciliation”. Both reach the same screen.
Reconciliation sounds like punishment until you do it monthly. Then it becomes what it truly is: a monthly proof that every taka in your business went where you think it went.
Ready to get started? Behind on reconciliation or want import templates for your bank? Proper Way Solution sorts it out fast.
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