How software matches bank lines to your records

Automatic matching pairs each bank line with a record you already entered, usually by comparing text and dates. It's a suggestion engine. You stay the checker.

What it looks at

The details differ by product, so here's one maker's manual as an example. Business Central's automatic matching is based on matching text on a bank statement line with text on one or more bank account ledger entries¹. A ledger entry is just a line in your books.

It also looks at dates. A setting called Transaction Date Tolerance (Days) lets you choose how many days either side of your record's posting date the software will search¹. Your payment may be recorded on the 30th and clear the bank on the 2nd, so a small window helps.

What you need to get good matches

• Records entered before you reconcile: invoices, bills, payments.
• Descriptions or reference numbers that look like what the bank shows.
• Dates that are close to the bank's dates.

If the text in your books looks nothing like the bank's text, the software has little to go on. Bank descriptions don't always read like a trading name. One reference notes that the description on a card line may not always be identical to a business's consumer-facing trading name².

How much to trust a match

Treat it as a good first guess. A suggested match can be wrong when two records look alike, such as two invoices for the same amount from one customer. The software can't know which one the customer meant.

Check these before you accept:

• The amount is exactly what you expected.
• The name or reference makes sense.
• The date is within a normal gap.
• It's the right one of any look-alike records.

Some products let you see why a match was made. In Business Central you can investigate the basis for matches with the Match Details action¹. Look for a similar option in your own software.

Fixing and overriding

You're not stuck with the suggestion. Business Central's manual says you can overwrite the suggested automatic matching, or choose not to use it at all¹. If you've matched something by hand, automatic matching won't overwrite your selections¹.

Wiise's help describes the same choice: you can match manually by overwriting the suggested matching, including a one-to-many match³. Wiise also highlights matched lines in green³.

One-to-many matters when one bank line covers several records. The Business Central manual also lets you match several bank lines to one record, which fits a deposit that the bank lists as separate lines¹.

When there's no match

Some lines have nothing to match to. A bank fee is the usual case. You'll record it yourself or set up a rule. See Bank rules explained. If lines still don't agree at the end, try the common causes.