Af As Chapter 8
Af As Chapter 8
Af As Chapter 8
8 STATEMENTS
Bank reconciliation statements form the link between the balance at bank
shown in the main cash book of a firms book-keeping system and the
balance shown on the bank statement received from the bank.
The reasons why the cash book and bank statement may differ are because:
there are timing differences caused by:
unpresented cheques, ie the time delay between writing out (drawing)
a cheque and recording it in the cash book, and the cheque being
entered on the bank statement
outstanding lodgements, ie amounts paid into the bank, but not yet
recorded on the bank statement
the cash book has not been updated with items which appear on the
bank statement and which should also appear in the cash book, eg bank
charges
Assuming that there are no errors, both cash book and bank statement are
correct, but need to be reconciled with each other, ie the closing balances
need to be agreed.
T IMING D IFFERENCES
The two main timing differences between the bank columns of the main cash book and the bank
statement are:
unpresented cheques, ie cheques issued, not yet recorded on the bank statement
outstanding lodgements, ie amounts paid into the bank, not yet recorded on the bank statement
The first of these unpresented cheques is caused because, when a cheque is written out, it is
immediately entered on the payments side of the cash book, even though it may be some days before
the cheque passes through the bank clearing system and is recorded on the bank statement.
Therefore, for a few days at least, the cash book shows a lower balance than the bank statement in
respect of this cheque. When the cheque is recorded on the bank statement, the difference will
disappear. We have looked at only one cheque here, but a business will often be issuing many cheques
each day, and the difference between the cash book balance and the bank statement balance may be
considerable.
bank reconciliation statements 109
With the second timing difference outstanding lodgements the firm's cashier will record a receipt
in the cash book as he or she prepares the bank paying-in slip. However, the receipt may not be
recorded by the bank on the bank statement for a day or so, particularly if it is paid in late in the day
(when the bank will put it into the next day's work), or if it is paid in at a bank branch other than the
one at which the account is maintained. Until the receipt is recorded by the bank the cash book will
show a higher bank account balance than the bank statement. Once the receipt is entered on the
bank statement, the difference will disappear.
These two timing differences are involved in the calculation known as the bank reconciliation
statement. The business cash book must not be altered for these because, as we have seen, they will
correct themselves on the bank statement as time goes by.
Besides the timing differences described above, there may be other differences between the bank
columns of the cash book and the bank statement, and these do need to be entered in the main cash
book to bring it up-to-date. For example, the bank might make an automatic standing order payment
on behalf of a business such an item is correctly debited by the bank, and it might be that the bank
statement acts as a reminder to the business cashier of the payment: it should then be entered in
the main cash book.
Examples of items that show in the bank statement and need to be entered in the main cash book
include:
receipts
credit transfers (BACS Bankers Automated Clearing Services) amounts received by the bank,
eg payments from debtors (customers)
dividend amounts received by the bank
interest credited by the bank
payments
standing order and direct debit payments
bank charges and interest
unpaid cheques debited by the bank (ie cheques from debtors paid in by the business which have
'bounced' and are returned by the bank marked 'refer to drawer')
For each of these items, the cashier needs to check to see if they have been entered in the main cash
book; if not, they need to be recorded (provided that the bank has not made an error). If the bank
has made an error, it must be notified as soon as possible and the incorrect transactions reversed by
the bank in its own accounting records.
110 AS Accounting for AQA
This forms the link between the balances shown in the main cash book and the bank statement.
bank statement
Upon receipt of a bank statement, reconciliation of the two balances is carried out in the following
way:
tick off the items that appear in both cash book and bank statement
the unticked items on the bank statement are entered into the bank columns of the cash book to
bring it up-to-date (provided none are errors made by the bank)
the bank columns of the main cash book are now balanced to find the revised figure
the remaining unticked items from the cash book will be the timing differences
the timing differences are used to prepare the bank reconciliation statement, which takes the
following format (with example figures):
Balance at bank as per cash book 525
Notes:
The layout shown on the opposite page starts from the cash book balance, and works towards
the bank statement balance. A common variation of this layout is to start with the bank statement
balance and to work towards the cash book balance (see page 114).
If a bank overdraft is involved, brackets should be used around the numbers to indicate this for
the cash book or bank statement balance. The timing differences are still added or deducted, as
appropriate.
Once the bank reconciliation statement agrees, it should be filed because it proves that the cash
book (bank columns) and bank statement were reconciled at a particular date. If, next time it is
prepared, it fails to agree, the previous statement is proof that reconciliation was reached at that
time.
The cashier of Severn Trading Co has written up the firm's main cash book for the month of February
20-2, as follows (the cheque number is shown against payments):
Dr Cash Book Cr
20-2 20-2
1 Feb Balances b/d 250.75 1,340.50 3 Feb Appleton Ltd 123456 675.25
7 Feb A Abbott 208.50 5 Feb Wages 58.60
10 Feb Sales 145.25 12 Feb Rent 123457 125.00
13 Feb Sales 278.30 14 Feb Transfer to bank C 500.00
14 Feb Transfer from cash C 500.00 17 Feb D Smith & Co 123458 421.80
20 Feb Sales 204.35 24 Feb Stationery 75.50
21 Feb D Richards Limited 162.30 25 Feb G Christie 123459 797.55
26 Feb Sales 353.95 27 Feb Transfer to bank C 500.00
27 Feb Transfer from cash C 500.00 28 Feb Balances c/d 98.50 954.00
28 Feb P Paul Limited 262.30
The cash balance of 98.50 shown by the cash columns on 1 March has been agreed with the cash
held in the firm's cash box.
The bank statement for February 20-2, which has just been received, is shown on the next page.
112 AS Accounting for AQA
Note that the bank statement is prepared from the bank's viewpoint: thus a credit balance shows that
the customer is a creditor of the bank, ie the bank owes the balance to the customer. In the customer's
own cash book, the bank is shown as a debit balance, ie an asset.
As the month-end balance at bank shown by the cash book, 954.00, is not the same as that shown by
the bank statement, 1,429.25, it is necessary to prepare a bank reconciliation statement. The steps are:
1 Tick off the items that appear in both cash book and bank statement.
2 The unticked items on the bank statement are entered into the bank columns of the cash book to
bring it up-to-date. These are:
receipt 24 Feb BACS credit, J Jarvis Limited 100.00
payments 26 Feb Direct debit, A-Z Finance 150.00
28 Feb Bank Charges, 10.00
In double-entry book-keeping, the other part of the transaction will need to be recorded in the
accounts, eg in J Jarvis Ltd's account in the sales ledger, etc.
4 The remaining unticked items from the cash book are used in the bank reconciliation statement:
receipt 28 Feb P Paul Limited 262.30
payment 25 Feb G Christie (cheque no 123459) 797.55
These items are timing differences, which should appear on next month's bank statement.
5 The bank reconciliation statement is now prepared, starting with the re-calculated cash book
balance of 894.00.
Balance at bank as per cash book 894.00
Add: unpresented cheque, no. 123459 797.55
1,691.55
Less: outstanding lodgement, P Paul Limited 262.30
Balance at bank as per bank statement 1,429.25
With the above, a statement has been produced which starts with the amended balance from the cash
book, and finishes with the bank statement balance, ie the two figures are reconciled.
Notes:
The unpresented cheque is added back to the cash book balance because, until it is recorded
by the bank, the cash book shows a lower balance than the bank statement.
The outstanding lodgement is deducted from the cash book balance because, until it is recorded
by the bank, the cash book shows a higher balance than the bank statement.
In order to help you with the questions at the end of the chapter, here is a step-by-step summary of
the procedure. Reconciliation of the cash book balance with that shown in the bank statement
should be carried out in the following way:
1 From the bank columns of the main cash book tick off, in both cash book and bank statement,
the receipts that appear in both.
2 From the bank columns of the main cash book tick off, in both cash book and bank statement,
the payments that appear in both.
3 Identify the items that are unticked on the bank statement and enter them in the cash book on
the debit or credit side, as appropriate. If, however, the bank has made a mistake and debited or
credited an amount in error, this should not be entered in the cash book, but should be notified
to the bank for them to make the correction. The amount will need to be entered on the bank
reconciliation statement see section below, dealing with unusual items on bank statements:
bank errors.
114 AS Accounting for AQA
4 The bank columns of the cash book are now balanced to find the up-to-date balance.
5 Start the bank reconciliation statement with the balance brought down figure shown in the cash
book.
6 In the bank reconciliation statement add the unticked payments shown in the cash book these
will be unpresented cheques.
7 In the bank reconciliation statement, deduct the unticked receipts shown in the cash book these
are outstanding lodgements.
8 The resultant money amount on the bank reconciliation statement is the balance of the bank
statement.
The layout which is often used for the bank reconciliation statement is that shown on page 110. The
layout starts with the cash book balance and finishes with the bank statement balance. However,
there is no reason why it should not commence with the bank statement balance and finish with the
cash book balance. With this layout it is necessary to:
The following are some of the unusual features that may occur on bank statements. As with other
accounting discrepancies and queries, where they cannot be resolved they should be referred to a
supervisor for guidance.
out-of-date cheques
These are cheques that are more than six months' old. Where a business has a number of out-of-date
or 'stale' cheques which have not been debited on the bank statement, they will continue to
appear on the bank reconciliation statement. As the bank will not pay these cheques, they can be
written back in the cash book, ie debit cash book (and credit the other double-entry account
involved).
bank reconciliation statements 115
returned cheques
A cheque received by a business is entered as a receipt in the cash book and then paid into the bank,
but it may be returned (bounced) by the drawers bank because:
the drawer (the issuer) has instructed the bank to stop the cheque
the cheque has been returned by the bank, either because the drawer has no money (a
dishonoured cheque) or because there is a technical problem with the cheque, eg it is not signed
A cheque returned (bounced) in this way should be entered in the book-keeping system:
as a payment in the cash book on the credit side
as a debit to the debtors account in the sales ledger (if it is a credit sale), or sales account if it is
a cash sale
bank errors
Errors made by the bank can include:
A cheque deducted from the bank account which has not been issued by the business look for
a cheque number on the bank statement that is different from the current cheque series. Care
should be taken, however, as it could be a cheque from an old cheque book.
A BACS payment (or other credit) shown on the bank statement for which the business is not the
correct recipient. If in doubt, the bank will be able to give further details of the sender of the credit.
Standing orders and direct debits paid at the wrong time or for the wrong amounts. A copy of all
standing order and direct debit mandates sent to the bank should be kept by the business for
reference purposes.
When an error is found, it should be queried immediately with the bank. The item and amount should
not be entered in the firm's cash book until the issue has been resolved. If, in the meantime, a bank
reconciliation statement is to be prepared, the bank error should be shown separately:
if working from the cash book balance to the bank statement balance, deduct payments and add
receipts that the bank has applied to the account incorrectly
if working from the bank statement balance to the cash book balance, add payments and deduct
receipts that the bank has applied to the account incorrectly
In reality, it is unlikely that the opening cash book and bank statement balances will be the same. It
will be necessary, in these circumstances, to prepare an opening bank reconciliation statement in
order to prove that there are no errors between cash book and bank statement at the start of the
month.
This is set out in the same format as the end-of-month bank reconciliation statement, and is best
prepared immediately after ticking off the items that appear in both cash book and bank statement.
The earliest unpresented cheques drawn and outstanding lodgements will comprise the opening bank
reconciliation statement. Of course, where last months bank reconciliation statement is available,
such as in business, there is no need to prepare an opening reconciliation.
In your AS examination there will be no need to prepare a formal opening bank reconciliation
statement, unless the question calls for one. Any discrepancy in opening balances can be resolved
quickly by checking the bank statement for the earliest receipts and payments.
A bank reconciliation statement is important because, in its preparation, the transactions in the
bank columns of the main cash book are compared with those recorded on the bank statement.
In this way, any errors in the cash book or bank statement will be found and can be corrected (or
advised to the bank, if the bank statement is wrong).
The bank statement is an independent accounting record, therefore it will assist in deterring fraud
by providing a means of verifying the cash book balance.
By writing the cash book up-to-date, the organisation has an amended figure for the bank balance
to be shown in the trial balance.
Unpresented cheques over six months old out-of-date cheques can be identified and written
back in the cash book (any cheque dated more than six months' ago will not be paid by the bank).
It is good practice to prepare a bank reconciliation statement each time a bank statement is
received. The reconciliation statement should be prepared as quickly as possible so that any
queries either with the bank statement or in the firms cash book can be resolved. Many firms
will specify to their accounting staff the timescales for preparing bank reconciliation statements
as a guideline, if the bank statement is received weekly, then the reconciliation statement should
be prepared within five working days.
bank reconciliation statements 117
CHAPTER SUMMARY
A bank reconciliation statement is used to agree the balance shown by the bank columns of the main
cash book with that shown by the bank statement.
Certain differences between the two are timing differences. The main timing differences are:
unpresented cheques
outstanding lodgements
These differences will be corrected by time and, most probably, will be recorded on the next bank
statement.
Certain differences appearing on the bank statement need to be entered in the cash book to bring it
up-to-date. These include:
Receipts credit transfers (BACS) amounts received by the bank
dividend amounts received by the bank
interest credited by the bank
In the next chapter we will see how the general journal is used as a subsidiary book, including recording
the book-keeping transfers to correct errors.
visit
QUESTIONS www.osbornebooks.co.uk
to take an online test
An asterisk (*) after the question number means that the answer is given at the end of this book.
8.1* The bank columns of Tom Reid's cash book for December 20-7 are as follows:
He then received his bank statement which showed the following transactions for
December 20-7:
BANK STATEMENT
Payments Receipts Balance
20-7
1 Dec Balance brought forward 280 CR
12 Dec Credit 30 310 CR
15 Dec Cheque no. 345123 40 270 CR
17 Dec Cheque no. 345124 50 220 CR
22 Dec Credit 72 292 CR
23 Dec Cheque no. 345125 85 207 CR
You are to prepare a bank reconciliation statement which agrees with the bank statement
balance.
8.2 The bank columns of P Gerrard's cash book for January 20-7 are as follows:
BANK STATEMENT
Payments Receipts Balance
20-7
1 Jan Balance brought forward 800.50 CR
6 Jan Cheque no. 001351 100.00 700.50 CR
6 Jan Credit 495.60 1,196.10 CR
13 Jan BACS credit: T K Supplies 716.50 1,912.60 CR
20 Jan Cheque no. 001352 398.50 1,514.10 CR
23 Jan Direct debit: Omni Finance 207.95 1,306.15 CR
24 Jan Cheque no. 001353 229.70 1,076.45 CR
bank reconciliation statements 119
8.3 The bank columns of Jane Doyle's cash book for May 20-7 are as follows:
She received her bank statement which showed the following transactions for May 20-7:
BANK STATEMENT
Payments Receipts Balance
20-7
1 May Balance brought forward 400 CR
2 May Cheque no 867713 100 300 CR
5 May Cheque no. 867714 28 272 CR
7 May Credit 162 434 CR
16 May Standing order: A-Z Insurance 25 409 CR
19 May Credit 89 498 CR
20 May Cheque no. 867715 50 448 CR
26 May Credit 60 508 CR
31 May Bank Charges 10 498 CR
8.4* On 4 June Milestone Motors received a bank statement which showed the following
transactions for May 20-4:
BANK STATEMENT
Paid out Paid in Balance
20-4
1 May Balance brought forward 3,652 C
10 May Cheque no 451762 751 2,901 C
11 May Cheque no 451763 268 2,633 C
13 May Cheque no 451765 1,045 1,588 C
14 May BACS credit: Perran Taxis 2,596 4,184 C
18 May Direct debit: Wyvern Council 198 3,986 C
20 May Direct debit: A1 Insurance 1,005 2,981 C
25 May Direct debit: Okaro and Company 254 2,727 C
25 May Bank charges 20 2,707 C
D = Debit C = Credit
CASH BOOK
Date Details Bank Date Cheque no Details Bank
20-4 20-4
1 May Balance b/f 3,652 4 May 451762 Smith and Company 751
26 May J Ackland 832 4 May 451763 Bryant Limited 268
28 May Stamp Limited 1,119 7 May 451764 Curtis Cars 1,895
7 May 451765 Parts Supplies 1,045
8.5 When reconciling bank statements the adjustments will include entries in the cash book for
standing orders, direct debits and credit transfers.
REQUIRED
(a) Explain what each of these terms means and whether they will be debited or
credited to the bank account in the businesss books.
(i) Standing orders
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The bank statement received by A Smith and Co shows a debit balance of 600 at 31 March
2001. The accountant checks it against the cash book and makes the following discoveries:
(1) The bank statement shows the following items not shown in the cash book:
a standing order for 230 in favour of Planet Insurance;
a direct debit payable to Electric Supplies 420;
a credit transfer has been received from The Best Co for 540;
a cheque for 265 is debited on the bank statement, which A Smith and Co
are querying;
bank charges of 46 have been levied.
(2) The cash book has an overdrawn balance of 378 and shows the following items not
shown on the bank statement:
unpresented cheques amounting to 469;
uncleared bankings of 270.
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REQUIRED
8.6* Kingdom Carpet Fitters received a bank statement showing the following transactions in
their account during December 2005.
Bank Statement
REQUIRED
(a) Update the cash book below with the relevant items from the bank statement, and
bring down the balance at the end of the month.
bank reconciliation statements 123
Dr Cash Book Cr
Date Details Date Details
Dec 1 Balance b/d 430 Dec 2 F Banks 250
7 Sales banked 380 18 H Wilton 470
22 Sales banked 300 29 M Wall 140
31 Sales banked 560 30 Wages 100
(c) Explain the term dishonoured cheque shown in the bank statement.
8.7 On the next page there is a bank statement for the month of November 2003 which has
been received by James Jolly and Co. A junior clerk has checked the cash against the bank
statement, and has ticked () the items that appear in both.
REQUIRED
(a) Update the following cash book on 30 November with any necessary entries and
calculate the new balance.
Cash Book
Note:
Cr. tfr. = credit transfer
s/o = standing order