Bank statement balance checker
Paste the transactions from a bank or credit card statement, enter the opening and closing balances, and see straight away whether they tie out to the cent. If they don't, the checker tells you what the difference most likely means: a duplicated line, a flipped sign, swapped digits or a whole section that went in backwards.
How to use the checker
- Pick the account type. Bank account for checking, savings and business accounts. Credit card for anything with a balance owed, where purchases raise the balance and payments lower it.
- Enter the two balances from the statement summary: the opening (or previous, or beginning) balance and the closing (or new, or ending) balance. Overdrawn accounts and cards with a credit balance start below zero, so type a minus sign or
CRas the statement shows it. - Paste the transactions, one per line. Copy them from the PDF (the whole statement is fine), from a CSV, or from the bank's activity page. The checker uses the last amount on each line and ignores dates (
08/14,2026-08-14) and reference numbers like#1043. - Read the verdict. Green means the lines explain the change between the two balances to the cent. Amber shows how far off you are, the formula with your numbers, and the most likely causes, with the lines to look at.
It understands the ways statements print amounts: 1,234.56, -123.45, (123.45), 123.45-, $1,234.56, - $50.00, and a trailing CR or DR. Lines such as Beginning balance, Ending balance, Total deposits and the Daily ending balance table are skipped so the summary isn't counted as a transaction. When nearly every line has a date and cents, lines without them (page headers, page numbers, the summary box) are ignored too. If each line ends with a running balance, the checker notices, uses the amount before it, and checks its sign against the change in balance. You can see every skipped line, every line it couldn't read, and how each counted line was read.
Statements that print withdrawals without a minus sign (most bank statements list deposits, checks and withdrawals in separate sections) work if you paste the section headings too. A line like Checks paid, Electronic withdrawals or Payments and other credits tells the checker how to sign the amounts under it. Or switch to Enter totals and type the section totals from the summary for a quick check.
The tie-out formula for bank and credit card statements
Every statement is a small equation. The transactions have to explain the whole movement between the two balances, to the cent.
| Account | Formula |
|---|---|
| Bank account | Opening balance + deposits and other credits − withdrawals, checks, fees and other debits = closing balance |
| Credit card | Previous balance − payments, refunds and credits + purchases, fees, interest and cash advances = new balance |
The card version looks backwards because the balance is what you owe. That's also why CR means opposite things: on a bank statement a credit is money in, while on a card statement a credit (a payment or refund) lowers the balance.
Worked example: bank account
| Opening balance | 4,250.00 |
| + Deposits (payroll 3,200.00, Stripe transfer 1,415.20) | 4,615.20 |
| − Checks and withdrawals (rent, check 1201, AWS, Comcast, payroll fees, coffee, service fee) | 2,628.82 |
| = Closing balance | 6,236.38 |
Load the bank example in the checker and it comes out $64.50 short: the ADP payroll fee was pasted twice, and the checker names both copies.
Worked example: credit card
| Previous balance | 1,286.40 |
| − Payments and credits (payment 1,286.40, Amazon return 45.00) | 1,331.40 |
| + Purchases (686.44) and interest (18.92) | 705.36 |
| = New balance | 660.36 |
The credit card example has the payment pasted without its minus sign, so the total is off by $2,572.80, exactly twice the payment. The checker flags that line as a likely flipped sign.
What the difference usually means
The size of the difference is the best clue you have. The checker tests each of these against your actual lines and only says "likely" when a single change would make it tie out exactly.
| The difference is… | Usual cause |
|---|---|
| Exactly one transaction's amount | That line is duplicated or belongs to another period, or a transaction of that size is missing. |
| Exactly twice one transaction | That line has the wrong sign: a refund entered as a charge, or a deposit as a withdrawal. |
| Twice the total of a run of lines | A whole section went in with the wrong sign, typically withdrawals or checks pasted without minus signs. |
| The total of all deposits, or all withdrawals | A section counted twice (for example from both the summary and the detail) or one that belongs to another statement. |
| Twice the net of every line | The whole list uses the opposite sign convention, which is common with bookkeeping exports of card accounts. |
| Divisible by 9 | Possibly two swapped digits (54.00 typed as 45.00) or a shifted decimal point, in a hand-typed amount or balance. |
| A round amount | A typo in a balance, or a cash withdrawal, transfer or check for a round sum. |
| A few cents | A mistyped cent, a small fee or interest line, or rounding. |
What to do when it doesn't tie out
- Check the two balances first. Copy them again from the statement summary, including the sign. It takes ten seconds and rules out the cheapest mistake.
- Start with the top "likely" explanation. Find the named line on the statement and check it's there once, with the right sign.
- Look at the lines it couldn't read. A transaction whose amount wrapped onto the next line, or a page that didn't copy, often shows up there.
- Compare section totals. Most statements print a total for each section (deposits, checks, electronic withdrawals, fees, or payments and purchases on a card). Use Enter totals to confirm the summary itself ties out, then compare each section's lines with its total to find the one that's off.
- Don't force it. In QuickBooks or Xero, an adjustment that makes the numbers match hides the problem until it comes back. Fix the transactions before you import or reconcile. For a full month-by-month process, see catch-up bookkeeping with bank statements.
Converting the PDF anyway? Let Utilly run this check for you
Utilly extracts the transactions from text-based PDF bank and credit card statements (the ones you download from online banking) and runs this same tie-out automatically, so you see whether a statement balances to its closing balance before you download a CSV, Excel, QuickBooks (.QBO or .IIF) or Xero file. Preview free with no sign-up. $9 for 5 statements, or $19/month unlimited. Scanned statements and phone photos aren't supported yet.
Convert statements to QuickBooks Convert statements to ExcelFAQ
Is anything I paste uploaded or stored?
No. The checker is JavaScript that runs on this page in your browser. The balances and transactions you type or paste are never sent to Utilly or anyone else, and the tool area is excluded from our analytics and session replay. Once the page has loaded you can disconnect from the internet and it keeps working.
What's the formula for a bank statement?
Opening balance + deposits and other credits − withdrawals, checks, fees and other debits = closing balance. If your transactions don't produce the closing balance to the cent, something is missing, doubled or has the wrong sign.
Why is a credit card statement different?
A card statement tracks what you owe. Purchases, fees and interest raise the balance and payments, refunds and credits lower it, so the formula is previous balance − payments and credits + purchases, fees and interest = new balance. On a card statement CR means a credit that lowers the balance; on a bank statement CR means money in. Pick Credit card and the checker reads CR, DR and signs that way.
My statement prints withdrawals without minus signs. What should I paste?
Paste whole sections with their headings, for example Deposits and additions followed by its lines, then Checks paid or Electronic withdrawals followed by theirs. The checker signs the amounts under each heading. Or switch to Enter totals and type the section totals from the statement summary.
What does it mean if the difference is divisible by 9?
It's the classic sign of two swapped digits (54.00 entered as 45.00) or a shifted decimal point, which happen when numbers are typed by hand. About one in nine differences divide by 9 by chance, so the checker treats it as a hint and names the line or balance where a swap would tie out exactly.
Can it check my QuickBooks or Xero reconciliation?
It doesn't connect to either. But you can paste the transactions you imported or cleared for the period, from a register or bank transactions export, with the statement's beginning and ending balances. If they don't tie out, the diagnosis points you to the line to look at before you reconcile.
Does it work with a CSV export?
Yes. Paste the rows and the checker reads the last amount on each line. If the rows end with a running balance column, the checker usually spots it and uses the amount before it (you can also tick Lines end with a running balance). If debits and credits are in separate columns, paste the debit amounts under a line that says Withdrawals and the credit amounts under a line that says Deposits.
Related guides
- Catch-up bookkeeping: getting 12 months of bank statements into QuickBooks or Xero and reconciled
- How to upload a PDF bank statement to QuickBooks Online (and check nothing was missed)
- How to convert a credit card statement PDF to Excel
- Xero bank statement import errors (and how to fix them)
- QuickBooks Desktop IIF import errors (File not imported, Review now, and how to fix them)