A Sage 100 bank reconciliation runs from Reconcile Bank in the Bank Reconciliation module. You choose the bank code, enter the statement ending balance, and mark each cleared check, deposit and adjustment until Out of Balance By reaches zero. Then you print the Bank Reconciliation Report and update the B/R Transaction Register to post to the General Ledger.
Sage 100 Reconcile Bank: bank code and statement ending balance
Reconcile Bank is where every Sage 100 bank reconciliation begins. Open it from the Bank Reconciliation main menu, enter the bank code for the account, and type the ending balance from the statement. Sage's help describes it as the task for entering that balance at the end of each banking period.
Sage's help page for the Reconcile Bank task in Sage 100 lists the header fields as Bank Code, Statement Ending Balance, Description and Out of Balance By, and its procedure page, Clear Checks, Deposits, and Adjustments, gives the steps that follow.
Before you open the task, check two things outside it. First, foot the statement: opening balance plus deposits less withdrawals should equal the ending balance. Second, make sure the statement period ends where you think it does. A statement cycle that closes on the 15th needs different handling from one that closes at month-end; reconciling a bank statement that ends mid month covers the choices.
Clearing items on the Sage 100 Checks and Dep/Adjust tabs
Sage 100 splits the items to clear across two tabs. The Checks tab lists outstanding checks; select Cleared for each one on the statement. The Dep/Adjust tab lists deposits and adjustments; select Cleared for each one the bank shows. Change the Cleared Date when it differs from the default.
The procedure page adds two shortcuts and one caution:
- Select Checks to Clear lets you clear by check number and date range, which is quicker when most checks in a run have cleared.
- Select Deposits and Adjustments to Clear does the same for deposits, by document date.
- If other modules are not integrated with Bank Reconciliation, every check, deposit and adjustment for the month must be entered and cleared here, including those not on the statement.
If the bank lists cleared checks out of numerical order, Sage suggests clearing them through Check, Deposit and Adjustment Entry. You still enter the statement ending balance in Reconcile Bank first.
What does the Sage 100 Out of Balance By field tell you?
Out of Balance By is the running gap between the statement and what you have cleared. Sage's procedure page says clearing a check adds its amount to the field, and clearing a deposit or adjustment subtracts its amount. When it reaches zero, the items you cleared explain the statement in full.
An example, with values made up for illustration. Suppose the field shows −$4,180.00 before you clear anything for the period, and three items on the statement are still uncleared.
| Action | Amount | Out of Balance By after |
|---|---|---|
| Starting position | −$4,180.00 | |
| Clear deposit, March 4 | $6,500.00 | −$10,680.00 |
| Clear check 2215 | $3,920.00 | −$6,760.00 |
| Clear check 2216 | $6,760.00 | $0.00 |
The direction of each move is a check on your work. If clearing a check pushes the figure further from zero, you may have cleared one that is not on this statement.
After you reach zero, print the Bank Reconciliation Report from Reconcile Bank. Sage says the adjusted bank balance and the calculated book balance on it should match, and that a mismatch means you are out of balance. Sage's help points to an Adjust an Out-of-Balance Condition procedure for that case. For finding the cause, the steps in fixing a reconciliation discrepancy in QuickBooks Online translate well: compare the beginning balance with last month's ending figure, then look for edited or deleted items.
Sage 100 bank adjustments and the B/R Transaction Register update
Bank fees, interest and other items the bank recorded first are entered as adjustments in Sage 100, using Add Dep/Adjust from Reconcile Bank or Check, Deposit and Adjustment Entry. They reach the General Ledger only when you update the B/R Transaction Register for the bank code.
Sage's Reconcile Bank page says to use the B/R Transaction Register for the selected bank code to update the transactions to the General Ledger module, and to use the Bank Recap Report to review transactions while you reconcile. It also notes that some of these buttons appear only when security in Role Maintenance allows them.
Run the register before the update and read it. It is the last point at which an adjustment coded to the wrong account is easy to fix. After the update, the entry is in the ledger and a correction means a new entry.
Can a Sage 100 bank reconciliation be changed after the purge?
A Sage 100 bank reconciliation can be adjusted while items are only cleared, but cleared documents can eventually be purged, and Sage's help on the Bank Reconciliation Report says you must print and update the B/R Transaction Register before cleared documents can be removed. Treat the purge as final for that period.
That is the point where the period closes for good in practice. Before you purge:
- Confirm Out of Balance By is zero and the printed report shows matching balances.
- Update the register so every adjustment is posted to the General Ledger.
- Save the report and the statement together, outside Sage.
- Have a second person review the outstanding items list.
Other Sage products handle this step differently. Sage 300 bank reconciliation posts reconciliations in its own way, and Sage 50 credit card reconciliation uses one window for cards and banks alike.
When statements come in as scans, the time goes into reading them, not clearing. PreciseBankFlow extracts statement lines, foots them and matches them to the register, and you can request early access.