Off by $3? See which $3.

Why reconcile at all?

The forecast starts from today's balance. If Money's records and the bank's disagree, every number after it is off by the same amount. Reconciling once a month, when the statement arrives, keeps the starting point honest, and catches the fee or the double charge you'd otherwise miss.

The statement does the ticking

Enter the statement's end date and ending balance, and attach the PDF if you have it. Money reads the statement's lines and pairs each with a transaction by date and amount, then ticks the matches. You look at the handful left over, with the PDF beside them.

"Why it's off"

When the difference isn't zero, Money lists the reasons it can find:

• Tick it: a statement line whose transaction is in Money but isn't ticked.
• Add it: a statement line with no transaction at all, like a fee. One click adds it.
• Untick it: a ticked transaction that isn't on the statement, which usually means it cleared after the closing date.

Without a PDF it still helps: it looks for an unticked transaction of exactly the difference. If you decide to accept a small difference, "Finish with adjustment" records it as its own transaction, so it's visible later.

Statements, kept

Each account keeps its statements with their PDFs, so you can look back at what the bank said in March. Undo the last reconciliation if you finished one too soon. For a card, the statement also feedsthe payment: the balance, the minimum and the due date.