Performing a bank reconciliation

A bank reconciliation is an internal control procedure that verifies the balance of the accounting account 521xxx (general ledger) exactly matches the balance on the actual bank statement after adjusting for in-transit items. This procedure is mandatory under SYSCOHADA and must be performed at least at each month-end.

Why is reconciliation mandatory?

• Detect fraud: an unposted transfer or unauthorized direct debit only appears in the gap between the two balances.
• Identify omissions: cheques issued but not yet cleared, received transfers not yet entered.
• Correct posting errors: reversed amounts, duplicate documents, wrong account assignment.
• SYSCOHADA compliance: the bank reconciliation statement is a mandatory supporting document for the annual audit.

Caution

An unjustified discrepancy between the accounting balance and the bank balance may be reclassified as a significant accounting error during a CEMAC audit. Complete the reconciliation before closing each fiscal year.

Recommended frequency

Company size	Minimum frequency
Micro-enterprise (< 500 transactions/month)	Monthly
SME (500 – 2,000 transactions/month)	Weekly
Large SME / accounting firm	Daily (automated via webhook)

Prerequisites

Before launching the reconciliation:

1. Import the bank statement for the period (see Importing a bank statement).
2. Process all imported transactions (assign offset accounts).
3. Verify that accounting documents for the period are up to date.

Launching the reconciliation

1. In the main menu, go to Banking & treasury → Reconciliation.

2. Select the bank account to reconcile (e.g. Afriland – Current account 521100).

3. Select the period (e.g. April 2026 — 01/04/2026 to 30/04/2026).

4. Click Open reconciliation.

Reconciliation interface

The reconciliation screen displays two columns:

Left column	Right column
Accounting balance (general ledger account 521xxx)	Bank statement balance (imported)
Unmatched accounting entries	Unmatched imported transactions

Two key indicators at the top of the page:

• Accounting balance: e.g. 12,450,000 XAF
• Statement balance: e.g. 12,350,000 XAF
• Difference: e.g. 100,000 XAF (shown in red if non-zero)

Identifying and resolving discrepancies

Imported transactions not yet posted (orange background)

These transactions exist in the bank statement but have no associated accounting document yet.

1. Click the orange transaction.

2. Select Post: enter the offset account (e.g. 401000 for an unposted supplier direct debit).

3. The transaction moves to status POSTED and exits the discrepancy zone.

Accounting documents without a matching transaction (blue background)

These documents exist in the accounting records but have no corresponding imported bank transaction. Common causes:

• Cheque issued but not yet cleared by the payee.
• Transfer in process at the bank.
• Entry manually posted by mistake.

1. Click the blue document.

2. Choose from:

   • Mark as in transit: the operation is known and will appear on the next statement (e.g. uncleared cheque of 350,000 XAF).
   • Reverse: the entry is incorrect and must be cancelled.
   • Hold: leave pending for further investigation.

Bank matching (ticking debit/credit lines)

Once discrepancies are resolved, tick the lines that correspond to each other:

1. In the list of posted transactions, check the line on the statement side and the corresponding line on the general ledger side.

2. Click Tick selected lines.

3. A bank matching code is assigned (e.g. A1, A2…).

4. Ticked lines disappear from the discrepancy zone.

Tip

Use the Unmatched filter to focus only on lines still to be processed. The goal is to reach difference = 0 XAF with all lines ticked.

Finalizing and exporting the reconciliation

1. When the difference is 0 XAF and all lines are ticked, click Complete reconciliation.

2. SynkriaOps automatically generates the bank reconciliation statement as a PDF, including:

   • Accounting balance and statement balance
   • List of in-transit items
   • Accountant’s signature and date
   • Reconciliation reference number

3. Click Download PDF to archive the document.

4. The reconciliation status changes to COMPLETE and is locked.

Worked example

Below is a reconciliation example for account 521100 in April 2026:

Item	Amount XAF
Bank statement balance at 30/04/2026	12,350,000
+ Issued cheque not yet cleared (in transit)	+350,000
− Received transfer not yet posted	−250,000
Adjusted accounting balance	12,450,000
General ledger balance — account 521100	12,450,000
Difference	0

Common errors

Error	Cause	Solution
”Persistent discrepancy after ticking”	A transaction is posted twice	Check for duplicates in the BNQ journal over the period
”Cannot complete — unmatched lines”	Some transactions or documents have no counterpart	Process all lines (transit, reverse or tick)
“Statement balance not found”	Statement not imported for the period	Import the statement before opening the reconciliation

Further reading

• Importing a bank statement →
• Import a Mobile Money statement →
• Accounts receivable/payable matching →