Capability template for finance and accounting
Client schedule to ledger reconciliation
When a client's subledger schedule and trial balance disagree, the responsible accountant gets one worksheet: both balances proved, every timing difference and unexplained entry listed, and the next step for each. Nothing is posted; every explanation waits for a person.
Listed under
Add it to a workflow in the Fully Powered Planner, beside the teams and roles that will run it. Book a fit call
The outcome
A client sends a receivables or payables schedule, and the control account in its trial balance shows a different figure. The usual response is an afternoon of ticking one list against the other. This capability does the matching first and shows the result as a worksheet.
The worksheet proves each side to its own source before comparing them. It then splits the difference into what is explained by timing, such as an invoice the subledger holds and the ledger posted after the reporting date, and what has no explanation yet, such as a manual journal with no schedule entry behind it, or an amount that differs between the two. Each item carries its evidence, what the client has said about it, and the step that would settle it. If the items do not add up to the difference, the remainder is shown, and nothing is added to hide it.
The assistant prepares. The responsible accountant confirms every explanation and agrees any correcting entry with the client. It offers no audit, tax or assurance opinion.
Who starts the work, and when
The accountant or controller who looks after the client's books starts it when a schedule arrives that does not agree to the ledger: at month end, before a reporting deadline, or when the client's own accountant raises the gap. One run covers one subledger, one control account and one reporting date.
The responsible accountant reviews the worksheet and decides what is accepted. The client's finance contact is asked for whatever only the client can answer.
What they supply
- Settings: the client, the subledger and its control account, the reporting date, the period start, the subledger's opening and closing balances and the ledger's opening balance as the systems report them, the tolerance, the date the files were run, the date up to which to look for late postings, and the client contact.
- The trial balance extract with the control account's balance.
- The subledger schedule for the period, with each document's reference, date, customer or supplier, type and amount.
- The journal detail posted to the control account for the period, plus anything posted after the reporting date.
- The last reconciliation, showing the agreed opening position, and any notes from the client.
Files exported from the systems are enough. It needs no access to the client's ledger, and it never asks for a password or a login code.
What comes out
One worksheet, in a fixed order: the source balances and the checks on them, the result, a proof that walks from the schedule to the trial balance, what matched, the timing differences, the unexplained entries, the investigation steps in order, the correcting entries that may be needed (for a person to agree with the client), the decisions that are the accountant's, and what could not be assessed.
A good worksheet lets the accountant trace every figure to a line in one of the files and see why each item sits where it does.
An invented example
Illustrative example with invented data. The client, the customers, the people, the documents and the figures below are all invented. Client X is an invented 40-person furniture maker whose accounts are kept by an invented outsourced accounting practice. Its receivables schedule for October does not agree to the trial balance. First come the inputs the practice supplied, in full, then the worksheet the capability returned.
The inputs
1. Settings
Client: Client X
Subledger: Accounts receivable
Control account: 1200 Trade debtors
Reporting date: 2026-10-31
Period start: 2026-10-01
Files run on: 2026-11-10
Currency: dollars (all amounts)
Subledger opening balance: 41200.00
Subledger closing balance per the subledger report: 56270.00
Ledger opening balance: 41200.00
Tolerance: 0.00
Look for late postings up to: 2026-11-10
Responsible accountant: Responsible accountant
Client contact: Client X finance contact
2. Trial balance extract
As at: 2026-10-31
account_code,account_name,debit,credit
1100,Bank,22140.00,
1200,Trade debtors,53480.00,
2100,Trade creditors,,18760.00
3. Subledger schedule
doc_ref,doc_date,customer,doc_type,amount
INV-3070,2026-10-02,Customer A,invoice,4800.00
INV-3071,2026-10-05,Customer B,invoice,3150.00
RCT-5521,2026-10-08,Customer A,receipt,-6000.00
INV-3077,2026-10-12,Customer D,invoice,6540.00
INV-3080,2026-10-15,Customer C,invoice,2950.00
RCT-5530,2026-10-19,Customer B,receipt,-3150.00
CN-0212,2026-10-21,Customer F,credit note,-720.00
INV-3088,2026-10-27,Customer E,invoice,5100.00
INV-3091,2026-10-30,Customer B,invoice,2400.00
RCT-5540,2026-11-03,Customer C,receipt,-1800.00
4. Journal detail for the control account
journal_id,doc_ref,posting_date,source,description,amount
J-4401,INV-3070,2026-10-02,AR,Sales invoice Customer A,4800.00
J-4402,INV-3071,2026-10-05,AR,Sales invoice Customer B,3150.00
J-4403,RCT-5521,2026-10-08,CB,Receipt Customer A,-6000.00
J-4404,INV-3077,2026-10-12,AR,Sales invoice Customer D,6450.00
J-4405,INV-3080,2026-10-15,AR,Sales invoice Customer C,2950.00
J-4406,RCT-5530,2026-10-19,CB,Receipt Customer B,-3150.00
J-4407,CN-0212,2026-10-21,AR,Credit note Customer F,-720.00
J-4408,MJ-0457,2026-10-28,MJ,Reclass deposit received to receivables,1500.00
J-4409,INV-3088,2026-10-27,AR,Sales invoice Customer E,5100.00
J-4410,RCT-5540,2026-10-30,CB,Receipt Customer C,-1800.00
J-4411,INV-3091,2026-11-02,AR,Sales invoice batch AR-1102 Customer B,2400.00
5. Last reconciliation and client notes
Last reconciliation, at 2026-09-30: subledger 41200.00, ledger 41200.00, difference 0.00, no open items.
Client note received 2026-11-09 from the Client X finance contact: Cash book receipt RCT-5540 from Customer C was entered on 30 October and allocated to the invoice in the subledger on 3 November.
The worksheet
CLIENT SCHEDULE TO LEDGER RECONCILIATION: Client X, Accounts receivable to control account 1200 Trade debtors, as at 31 October 2026
Prepared for: Responsible accountant. Files as supplied on 10 November 2026.
1. Source balances
Subledger: opening 41,200.00; 9 lines dated up to 31 October 2026, net 15,070.00; closing 56,270.00. Agrees to the subledger report, 56,270.00. 1 line dated after the reporting date: RCT-5540, 3 November 2026, -1,800.00, left out of the closing balance.
Ledger: opening 41,200.00, which agrees to the last reconciliation; 10 journals posted up to 31 October 2026, net 12,280.00; closing 53,480.00. Agrees to the trial balance, 53,480.00. 1 journal posted after the reporting date: J-4411, 2 November 2026, 2,400.00.
Difference (trial balance minus schedule): -2,790.00.
2. Result
Difference -2,790.00. Explained by timing: -4,200.00 (2 items). Not yet explained: 1,410.00 net (2 items). Remainder after all items: 0.00. Tie-out: -4,200.00 + 1,410.00 + 0.00 = -2,790.00.
3. Proof
Schedule closing balance 56,270.00
Less INV-3091, in the schedule and posted to the ledger after the reporting date: -2,400.00
Less RCT-5540, in the ledger and entered in the subledger after the reporting date: -1,800.00
Add MJ-0457, in the ledger with no schedule line: 1,500.00
Less INV-3077, posted to the ledger 90.00 below the schedule: -90.00
Equals trial balance 53,480.00. Difference to the trial balance: 0.00.
4. Matched
7 documents, same reference and same amount on both sides, net 6,130.00: INV-3070, INV-3071, RCT-5521, INV-3080, RCT-5530, CN-0212, INV-3088.
5. Timing differences (proposed; the responsible accountant confirms each)
T1. INV-3091, Customer B, invoice 2,400.00. Schedule: dated 30 October 2026. Ledger: J-4411 posted 2 November 2026, batch AR-1102. Effect on difference (signed as its effect on trial balance minus schedule): -2,400.00. Client's stated reason: none supplied. Step: ask the Client X finance contact why batch AR-1102 posted after the reporting date, and whether the invoice belongs in October.
T2. RCT-5540, Customer C, receipt -1,800.00. Schedule: dated 3 November 2026. Ledger: J-4410 posted 30 October 2026. Effect on difference (signed as its effect on trial balance minus schedule): -1,800.00. Client's stated reason: the receipt was entered in the cash book on 30 October and allocated in the subledger on 3 November (client note, 9 November 2026, not yet checked to a document). Step: ask for the cash book entry and the bank date of the receipt.
6. Unexplained entries
U1. MJ-0457, manual journal J-4408 posted 28 October 2026, "Reclass deposit received to receivables", 1,500.00. In the ledger only: no schedule line, no other journal, no note. Effect on difference (signed as its effect on trial balance minus schedule): 1,500.00. Step: ask for the journal's support and the customer it relates to.
U2. INV-3077, Customer D, invoice. Schedule 6,540.00; ledger J-4404 6,450.00. Difference 90.00. The two amounts hold the same digits in a different order, which may be a keying slip; this is a hint, not a finding. Effect on difference (signed as its effect on trial balance minus schedule): -90.00. Step: ask for the invoice copy to see which amount is right.
7. Investigation steps in order
1. U1: support for MJ-0457 (largest unexplained amount).
2. U2: invoice copy for INV-3077.
3. T1: reason for the late posting of batch AR-1102.
4. T2: cash book entry and bank date for RCT-5540.
8. Correcting entries that may be needed (none prepared or posted)
If the invoice copy shows 6,540.00, the ledger is 90.00 short on INV-3077; the offsetting account is not known from the files. If MJ-0457 has no support, whether to reverse it is for the responsible accountant to agree with the client. Timing items T1 and T2 need no entry if confirmed.
9. Decisions for the responsible accountant
1. Whether T1 and T2 are accepted as timing.
2. How U1 and U2 are resolved with the client.
3. Whether a correcting entry is agreed for either.
10. Not assessed
All items in the lists supplied were assessed. Items from before the period start (1 October 2026) were not compared, because the opening balances agree to the last reconciliation.
This worksheet shows how Accounts receivable and 1200 Trade debtors differ at 31 October 2026 and what the files say about each item. It does not show that any entry is right, and it gives no audit, tax or assurance opinion. The responsible accountant confirms each explanation. The worksheet changes no records and sends nothing.
Every figure traces to the five inputs above. The schedule's nine lines dated up to 31 October net 15,070.00, so 41,200.00 + 15,070.00 = 56,270.00. The ledger's ten journals posted up to 31 October net 12,280.00, so 41,200.00 + 12,280.00 = 53,480.00. The matched seven net 6,130.00, and both sides then add their own items: 6,130.00 + 6,540.00 + 2,400.00 = 15,070.00 and 6,130.00 + 6,450.00 - 1,800.00 + 1,500.00 = 12,280.00.
Where it fits
- Finance and accounting, which owns the reconciliation and the close it feeds.
- Professional services, where an outsourced accounting practice receives schedules prepared by the client and has to agree them to the books.
- E-commerce and retail, where marketplace, card and trade receivables schedules often run a few days apart from the ledger.
- Construction, where progress billing and retentions make subledger and ledger postings fall on different dates.
- Established businesses, where the reconciliation has lived with one careful person and should be repeatable by anyone.
- Growth & scaling, when transaction volume outgrows the hand-tick method.
It stays apart from bank reconciliation preparation, which agrees the books to a bank statement, and from receivables exception review, which decides what to do with individual receipts. This one agrees a client's subledger schedule to its own ledger.
What has to change for your company
- Your exports. The column names the client's systems produce. If a heading does not match, the template stops and asks rather than guessing.
- Your tolerance. The size of a difference you still list rather than ignore, and how many days past the reporting date you look for late postings.
- Your roles. Who prepares, who is the responsible accountant, who at the client answers questions, and who agrees a correcting entry with the client.
- Your engagement rules. How your engagement letter or reconciliation policy treats unsupported manual journals and disputed classifications.
- Your platform. It runs in ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot or Gemini, from files you supply. Decide which exports the assistant may read and where signed reconciliations are kept.
What has been checked
Fully Powered AI wrote this capability template. It was editorially reviewed on 10 November 2026. It was tried on its invented example in Claude on 10 November 2026; the record is published with it. The points that run found open were settled the same day, after an independent review, without a rerun; the record lists them. A second review's small changes were made later the same day, also without a rerun. It has not yet been tested in a client environment. It has not yet been tested as a packaged version in ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot or Gemini.
Testing in your environment means running it on a past month your team has already reconciled by hand, plus hard cases written in advance, each with the expected result: a schedule that does not add to its stated total, a posting dated after the reporting date, a manual journal with no support, two digits swapped in an amount, a file with a heading it does not recognize. The responsible accountant compares every figure with the signed reconciliation before anyone relies on it. Pilot acceptance-test preparation sets those cases up, and what we test before we call an AI workflow ready describes the record we keep.
The full capability template
Everything above is the outline. The complete capability template is the working version: the roles, the inputs, the procedure, the exceptions and stop conditions, the output format, the reviewer checklist, the acceptance tests, the instructions for an AI assistant and what to customize for your company. It comes with a download and the link to its folder in Fully Powered’s public repository.
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