MASTERPAGE / GUIDES
Monthly reconciliation of installments and receipts
Monthly reconciliation explains differences between records before an operational summary is approved. It is a data review workflow and does not replace specialist accounting review where that is required.
Define the period and sources
Record the start and end dates and whether each report uses due, receipt or approval dates. Preserve reference copies of schedules, receipt records, allocations and relevant charges. Do not combine reports with different definitions and assume the resulting total difference is an error that must be removed.
Explain differences by reference
Start with record counts and totals for each source, then review differences at transaction level. Possible reasons include duplicate receipts, unallocated amounts, dates outside the period or unapproved corrections. Record the reason, next action and owner. Keep an item open if evidence is insufficient instead of marking every row as reconciled.
Approve a version and preserve later changes
Record who approved the reviewed version and when. If a correction arrives later, document its relationship to the earlier period and how it appears in subsequent reports. The downloadable discrepancy log uses fictional data and has no accounting formulas. Its purpose is to standardize the explanation, status and evidence reference for each difference.
A practical checklist
- Period and reference-date definitions for each source.
- Record counts and totals before and after review.
- A reason, next action and owner for unresolved differences.
- An approved version reference and a later-correction process.
Download the template
A UTF-8 CSV with fictional examples. Open it in a spreadsheet tool, review column types and replace the examples. It contains no formulas or cloud storage service.
Download CSV templateCommon questions
Must monthly collections equal monthly obligations?
Not necessarily. Receipts may cover other periods. Compare sources using the same definitions or explain why their scopes differ.
Should unresolved items be closed?
Keep them in a discrepancy log with an owner and next action. Do not imply resolution before suitable evidence exists.