✅ Reconciliation
«Clearing» and «reconciling» sound alike, but they do different things. This page makes it clear which one to use and how to match the app's balance with your bank's.
Clearing vs. reconciling
| Cleared | Reconcile | |
|---|---|---|
| What it means | The transaction has already shown up at your bank | The app's balance matches the bank's at a given moment |
| Scope | One transaction | A whole account up to a date |
| How often | Whenever you want, often | Every so often (e.g. monthly) |
| Effect | Marks that it's no longer pending | "Locks in" that point as the truth |
Clearing is ticking off each transaction you've already seen at your bank. Reconciling is closing the books: "as of today, the app and the bank say the same thing".
How to clear a transaction
- Open the account in Accounts and check your bank side by side.
- Mark each transaction that already shows up at the bank as "Cleared".
- Leave the ones that are still pending (the bank hasn't processed them yet) uncleared.
How to reconcile an account
- Have the account's real balance according to your bank at hand.
- Go to reconcile that account and enter that balance.
- If the app's balance matches, you confirm and that point is "locked in".
- If it doesn't match, look for the difference: it's almost always a transaction you didn't record or an amount entered wrong. Fix it and match them up again.
A reconciled transaction is locked as far as clearing goes: it's a point of truth that doesn't move by accident. If you really need to change it, you can "Unreconcile" it on purpose.
What happens to your money
Neither clearing nor reconciling changes your envelopes: they don't assign or spend. They're tools so that the balance of your accounts reflects reality. Money only moves when you create or fix a transaction along the way.
What if…?
What if it's off by a small amount?
It's usually a fee, a rounding difference or a small charge you forgot. Record it and it will match again. Avoid "forcing" the balance without understanding the difference.
What if I need to edit a transaction that's already reconciled?
First use "Unreconcile", make the change and reconcile again. The lock exists precisely so you don't change it by mistake.
How often should I reconcile?
Once a month, when your statement arrives, is a good pace. Clearing, on the other hand, you can do every time you check the app.