Bank statements with check images carry extra pages of pictures of cleared checks after the transaction list. In a batch they convert like any other statement, since the transactions sit on the normal pages. The images matter for one thing: the payee on each check line, which the transaction list usually leaves out. Use them for that, then move on.
What do check image pages look like inside a statement?
Check image pages are pages of small pictures of the client's cleared checks, usually several per page in a grid, printed after the transaction pages. Each picture shows the front of a check, and some banks also include the back. Under or beside each picture is the check number, the amount and the date it cleared.
The images are pictures, not text. A converter reading the statement finds the transactions on the earlier pages, where each cleared check appears as a line such as "CHECK 2214" with an amount. The image pages repeat that information and add what the line leaves out: who the check was written to and, sometimes, a memo.
Banks vary in how they present this:
- Image grid at the end. The most common layout, with six to ten checks to a page.
- Separate check summary table. A list of check numbers, dates and amounts, sometimes marking a break in the number sequence, before or instead of the images.
- Images on request only. Some banks leave images out of the statement and offer them through online banking.
A statement that is mostly images can be long. A business that writes many checks may have twelve pages of images behind three pages of transactions.
Check numbers and payees in a batch with images
A check line on a statement usually gives the check number and amount but not the payee, so categorizing it needs another source. The check images are one source, the client's check register is another, and the client's memory is the last resort. In a batch, settle the payees once per client and turn the repeats into rules.
Here is a worked example for one fictional client, with invented check lines matched to their images:
| Statement line | Amount | Image shows payee | Memo on check | Coded to |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHECK 2214 | 1,450.00 | Hollis Property Group | August rent | Rent |
| CHECK 2215 | 310.00 | D. Ferreira | Window cleaning | Contract labor |
| CHECK 2217 | 82.40 | City Water Dept | (blank) | Utilities |
Check 2216 is missing from the sequence. It may not have cleared yet, or it was voided. Ask the client which, and put it on a watch list so its clearing line is coded when it appears on a later statement.
Repeats are where time is saved. A client who writes the same rent check every month needs its payee looked up once. After that, a check for the same amount around the same date can be coded the same way, while the review step confirms it.
When check lines from several banks land in the same batch, their wording differs ("CHECK 2214", "CHK #2214", "2214 CHECK PAID"), which can stop a rule from matching. The guide to bank statements from multiple banks in one batch covers normalizing that wording.
Do check image pages count toward page limits?
Check image pages are pages of the statement, so under a plan priced by pages they may count the same as transaction pages. That can make an image-heavy client cost far more pages than their transaction count suggests. Count the image pages for those clients separately when you size a plan.
AutoBankConvert's plans are measured in pages a month: 500, 2,000 and 6,000 on the three early-access plans shown on its homepage. The homepage does not say whether image-only pages count toward that figure, so ask before assuming either way.
A quick way to size the effect: for each client whose statements include images, note the transaction pages and the image pages in one recent month. A client with three transaction pages and nine image pages uses twelve pages, not three.
If image pages push a client's monthly total up, the extra effort that client needs is worth reflecting in your fees. The cost of setting up their check rules in the first month is the kind of work an onboarding fee is meant to cover, as the post on charging a bookkeeping onboarding fee explains.
Keeping check image pages from slowing batch review
Check image pages slow review only when someone pages through them looking for something. Keep them out of the routine by using them for one task, finding payees for uncategorized check lines, and only when the payee is not already known. Every other review step works from the transaction pages.
Habits that keep review moving:
- Go to the images by check number, not by scrolling. Note the uncategorized check numbers first, then find only those pictures.
- Build a payee list per client. Record check number ranges and recurring payees after the first month.
- Ask the client for a check register. If they keep one, it is faster than reading pictures.
- Track which months had image lookups. A statement conversion tracker can carry a column for "checks pending payee", so open items survive into next month.
Converted output stays lean too. The check number and amount come through as an ordinary line, and the payee you add becomes part of the description or a note. If the batch is going out as spreadsheet files, keep a check number column; the column layout in batch converting bank statements to CSV includes one.
Should you strip check images before a batch?
Do not strip check images from the original statement. The original is the bank's record and should stay whole. If image pages cause problems in a batch, such as hitting a page limit or slowing upload, make a working copy without them, run that, and keep the full statement filed as the source.
A working copy without images has two risks to manage:
- Losing a transaction page. Some banks put the last transactions and the image grid on the same page. Cut only pages that hold nothing but images.
- Losing the summary. Account totals sometimes print after the images, on the final page. Check that the closing balance is still in the copy, or the balance check has nothing to compare against.
For most clients, the simpler answer is to leave the statement as the bank sent it. AutoBankConvert reads every page of each statement in the run and checks the running balance against the statement totals, so the image pages travel with the statement while the transactions do the work.