Reconcile bank statements by using advanced bank reconciliation

Import an electronic bank statement

You import your bank statements by using the Import statement action on the Bank statements page. The bank account is identified in the bank statement through a combination of values that are set on the bank account details. These values include the bank name, bank account number, routing number, Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) code, and International Bank Account Number (IBAN).

You can upload a bank statement that contains information for a single account or multiple accounts.

• To import a single bank statement file for a single account, set the Import statement for multiple bank accounts option to No, and select the bank account that is associated with the statement. Click Browse to select the associated bank statement file, and then click Upload.
• To import a single bank statement file for multiple accounts, set the Import statement for multiple bank accounts option to Yes. Click Browse to select the associated bank statement file, and then click Upload.

You can also upload multiple statement files to Microsoft Dynamics AX in a single process by using a zip file. To import multiple bank statement files for multiple accounts, combine all the bank statement files into one zip file. In the Import bank statements dialog box, set the Import statement for multiple bank accounts option to Yes. Click Browse to select the zip file that contains the bank statement files, and then click Upload. The import process will recognize the zip file and upload each statement that is included in the file.

A Reconcile after import option is available. When this option is set to Yes, the system automatically validates the bank statement, creates a new bank reconciliation and worksheet, and runs the Default matching rule set when the bank statement is uploaded. This functionality automates the process up to the point where transactions must be manually matched.

Validate the bank statement

To validate a statement, click Validate on the Bank statements page. Bank statements must be validated before they can be reconciled. This step is automatically completed if the Reconcile after import option is set to Yes at the time of import.

Bank statement validation verifies the following details:

• The bank statement matches the selected bank account.
• The bank statement currency matches the bank account currency.
• The opening balance of the statement equals the closing balance of the previous statement for the bank account.
• The date doesn’t overlap the date for a different bank statement for the same bank account.
• There are no gaps in the dates for statements for the bank account.
• Dates on the statement lines are between the from-date and to-date of the bank statement.
• The opening balance and summarized line amounts equal the ending balance.

When the validation is completed, the status of the bank statement is updated to Validated. A bank statement must be validated before it can be reconciled.

Reconcile the bank statement

After you’ve imported an electronic bank statement and validated the statement on the Bank statements page, you can reconcile the bank statement by using the Bank reconciliation and Bank reconciliation worksheet pages. On the Bank reconciliation page, click New to create a new reconciliation, and then select the bank account of the statement that was imported. A bank account can have only one open bank reconciliation. The cut-off date determines the bank statement transactions and Dynamics AX bank transactions that are included on the reconciliation worksheet. By default, the current system date is used as the cut-off date, but you can change the date for the reconciliation. The remaining header information is automatically taken from the statement. This step is automatically completed if the Reconcile after import option was set to Yes at the time of import.

On the Bank reconciliation page, click Worksheet to open the Bank reconciliation worksheet page. If the Reconcile after import option was set to Yes, the Default matching rule set is automatically run for the reconciliation. To manually run matching rules, click Run matching rules to select the matching rule sets or matching rules to run against the bank transactions. If you have many transactions to process, you can complete this step as a batch process.

The Bank reconciliation worksheet page has four grids that contain transactions. The two upper grids show transactions from the bank statement and Dynamics AX that haven’t yet been matched. The two lower grids show matched transactions. The Bank statement transaction details tab shows details for the unmatched bank statement transaction that is selected in the upper grid.

There are three ways to match or reconcile bank statement transactions:

• Match the transactions with Dynamics AX bank transactions.
• Match the transactions with a reversal bank statement transaction.
• Mark the transactions as New, so that they can be posted later as a bank transaction in Dynamics AX.

When you manually match transactions with Dynamics AX bank transactions, the system will propose a matching transaction for the selected bank statement transaction by using the Matching rule for manual matching value that is set on the bank account. To match transactions, select the transactions in the Bank statement transactions grid, select the corresponding transactions in the Dynamics AX bank transactions grid, and then click Match. The selected transactions are moved from the upper grids for unmatched transactions to the lower grids for matched transactions. Additionally, the matched and unmatched total amounts are updated. You can have one-to-one, many-to-one, and many-to-many transaction matches. Matches must follow the rules for allowed date differences and transaction type mapping. These rules are set on the Cash and bank management parameters page.

Penny differences might occur in your reconciliation. You can match a single bank statement transaction and a single Dynamics AX bank transaction that have penny differences if the penny differences are within the tolerance amount that is defined by the Allowed penny difference field on the bank account. Penny differences are automatically posted to the Penny difference account as part of the reconciliation.

Bank statement transaction reversals are matched by using the reconciliation worksheet. Two statement lines can be matched if the amounts are opposite, and if one of the transactions is marked as a reversal. You can also set up a matching rule for the Clear reversal statement lines action.

Reversed Dynamics AX bank transactions must be reconciled by using the Dynamics AX bank transactions page. You can reconcile two Dynamics AX bank transactions together if the documents have the same bank account, document type, and payment reference, and if they have opposite amounts. You can also reconcile a single canceled check to prevent those transactions from appearing on the reconciliation worksheet.

If there are new bank-initiated transactions, such as interest, fees, and charges, that aren’t yet in Dynamics AX, you can add them to a journal that is associated with the selected bank statement reconciliation. Select a bank statement transaction in the Bank statement transactions grid for unmatched transactions, and then click Mark as new. The status of the transaction is set to New, and the transaction is moved to the Bank statement transactions grid for matched transactions. You will post transactions that are marked as New later, from the Bank statement page.

You can unmatch transactions that were incorrectly matched. Select the matched bank statement transaction, and then click Unmatch. All associated transactions are moved back to the upper grids for unmatched transactions, and the matched and unmatched total amounts are updated.

After all statement lines have been processed, you should mark the Bank reconciliation worksheet as reconciled.

Post new transactions that are associated with the reconciliation

Bank statement transactions that were marked as New on the reconciliation worksheet are posted on the Bank statement page. On the Bank statement page, select the statement ID to view the statement details. On the Accounting menu, you can use the View distributions and View accounting options to view details behind the new transactions and the associated ledger entries. Select the Post option to post the bank statement lines that are marked as New to the general ledger. It’s important to note that posting can be completed only one time per bank statement.