Handling unmatched transactions and write-offs
Not every bank transaction has a matching invoice or bill waiting for it. Bank fees, interest, cash deposits, and processing charges are normal — they just need to be recorded properly so your reconciliation balances.
Creating entries for bank-only transactions
When you see a bank line with no match — like a $15 monthly service fee — you need to create a new journal entry:
- On the unmatched bank line in the reconciliation view, look for the option to create a new entry (sometimes labeled Create or shown as a manual entry tab).
- Fill in:
- Account — the expense account this belongs to (e.g., "Bank Fees" for a service charge, "Interest Income" for interest earned)
- Label — a description like "Monthly service fee" or "Wire transfer fee"
- Amount — should match the bank line amount
- Click Validate.
CloudFFL OS creates a journal entry for the fee and reconciles the bank line in one step.
Common bank-only transactions
| Transaction | Account to use |
|---|---|
| Monthly service fee | Bank Fees (expense) |
| Wire transfer fee | Bank Fees (expense) |
| NSF / returned check fee | Bank Fees (expense) |
| Interest earned | Interest Income (revenue) |
| Credit card processing fee | Payment Processing Fees (expense) |
| Cash deposit (not from a customer payment) | Owner's Investment or appropriate equity account — ask your accountant |
Write-offs for small differences
Sometimes a bank line is $0.03 or $0.10 off from the matching invoice. This happens with rounding on tax calculations or currency conversions. For these tiny differences:
- Match the bank line to the invoice or bill.
- CloudFFL OS shows the remaining difference.
- Use the write-off option to post the small difference to a "Rounding" or "Miscellaneous Expense" account.
- Click Validate.
Only write off genuinely small amounts. A $0.03 rounding difference is fine to write off. A $50 difference means something is actually wrong — investigate before writing it off. Check for partial payments, fees you didn't notice, or mismatched invoices.
Chargebacks and disputed payments
If a customer disputes a credit card charge, you'll see a debit on your bank statement for the chargeback amount. To handle this:
- Create a journal entry during reconciliation, posting the chargeback to an "Accounts Receivable" or "Chargeback" account.
- Follow up with your payment processor (NMI or Authorize.net) to dispute or accept the chargeback.
- If the chargeback is upheld, you may need to create a credit note on the original invoice.
- If the chargeback is reversed, another deposit will appear on a future statement — reconcile it against the chargeback entry.
Don't ignore chargebacks. Payment processors have strict deadlines for responding to disputes (usually 7-10 business days). If you see a chargeback on your bank statement, check your NMI or Authorize.net dashboard immediately for details and respond within the deadline.