Batch control totals for bank statements are simple counts you take before a run and again after it: files, statements, pages, and the money in and out per account. If a number going in does not match the number coming out, something was dropped, split or doubled, and you find out before the export reaches a client's books.
What are batch control totals for bank statements?
A batch control total is a count or sum recorded for a group of items before processing, then compared with the same count after. For bank statements, the group is the batch and the items are files and statements. The idea is old: a total that should not change is the cheapest way to notice that something did.
A balance check and a control total do different jobs. A balance check works inside one statement: opening balance plus transactions should equal the closing balance. It proves that statement is whole. A control total works across the batch. It proves every statement you put in came out the other side. A batch can pass every balance check and still be missing a file, because a file that never got converted has no balance to check.
Which control totals should a statement batch record?
A statement batch should record four control totals going in and the same four coming out: the number of files, the number of statements, the number of pages, and the number of accounts per client. After conversion, add one money total per statement, the sum of credits and the sum of debits, and compare it with the statement's own summary.
Each count catches a different failure:
- Files catches an upload that skipped something, such as a locked PDF or a file with an unsupported name.
- Statements catches a combined PDF that holds two months or two accounts, which shows up as one file but two statements.
- Pages catches a statement that lost its last page, where the transactions might still balance if the missing page held only a summary.
- Accounts per client catches a whole account that was never sent, such as a second card.
- Debit and credit sums catch a misread sign or a dropped line inside a statement whose printed summary shows totals.
Five numbers is not much to keep. For a large batch, the post on converting hundreds of bank statements shows how the same counts scale when the run covers many clients.
A control totals sheet for one statement batch
A control totals sheet is a small table with one row per client, counts in, counts out, and a column for the difference. Fill the "in" side while preparing the folder and the "out" side after the batch finishes. The example below is for a made-up batch of three clients.
| Client | Files in | Statements in | Pages in | Statements out | Pages out | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Example Bakery | 3 | 3 | 11 | 3 | 11 | None |
| Example Plumbing | 2 | 4 | 14 | 4 | 14 | None |
| Example Studio | 4 | 4 | 9 | 3 | 7 | 1 statement, 2 pages |
Example Plumbing has two files but four statements, because one PDF held a checking and a savings account. That is expected, and the "statements in" column records it. Example Studio is the one to chase: a file went in and nothing came out for it. Looking at the run's flagged list for that client is the next step.
The counts on the "in" side are easier to take when files are named consistently. A bank statement file naming convention that puts the client, account ending and month in each name lets you count statements per account by reading the folder.
Statement control totals that differ for harmless reasons
Statement control totals sometimes differ without anything being lost. Before chasing a mismatch, check whether the batch did something you would want. A difference has a harmless cause when the totals still reconcile once you account for what happened.
Common harmless differences:
- A combined PDF was split into its accounts or months, so statements out exceed files in.
- A duplicate was set aside, so statements out are one fewer than files in, and the removed file is listed.
- Blank pages or cover sheets were in the page count going in, but carry no transactions.
- Email attachments brought extra files, such as a bank's notice letter. If you save bank statement email attachments in bulk, count only statements on the "in" side, not every attachment.
Write the reason next to the difference on the sheet. A difference with a reason is closed. A difference with no reason is an open item.
Where control totals sit in a statement batch run
Control totals sit at two points in the run: after you prepare the folder and before you upload, and after conversion and before export. Counting at those two points means a lost file is found while it is still cheap to fix, not after a client's books are posted.
- Prepare the folder and record the "in" counts.
- Upload and convert the batch.
- Record the "out" counts from the batch results.
- Explain or chase every difference.
- Export only when every row is closed.
AutoBankConvert holds back any statement that fails its balance check instead of exporting it, which covers the inside of each statement. The control totals sheet covers the edges of the batch. Clients sometimes ask what is done with their statements along the way, and the guide to client consent for bookkeeping software covers what to tell them. To run a batch with these checks, Get started has the details.