Reconciliation

Reconciliation

Perform account reconciliation for "$ARGUMENTS". Compare internal records against external statements or related accounts to identify and resolve differences.

Prerequisites

None — utility skill, run anytime. Most commonly used after Phase 3 (ledger) when account balances are available.

Process

1. Identify accounts to reconcile:

   • What internal account is being reconciled? (e.g., cash, accounts receivable, accounts payable, intercompany)
   • What is the external source or related account? (bank statement, customer statement, sub-ledger, vendor statement)
   • What period is being reconciled?

2. Gather balances:

   • Record the internal book balance (per general ledger)
   • Record the external or comparison balance (per bank/vendor/customer statement)
   • Note the difference to be explained

3. Identify reconciling items:

   • Timing differences — items recorded in one set of books but not yet in the other
     • Outstanding checks (issued but not yet cleared)
     • Deposits in transit (recorded but not yet credited)
     • Unrecorded transactions (bank fees, interest, direct deposits)
   • Errors — mistakes in either set of records
   • Adjustments needed — entries required to correct the book balance

4. Prepare reconciliation:

   • Start with one balance, add/subtract reconciling items to arrive at the other
   • Every dollar of difference must be explained
   • Flag any aged or unresolved reconciling items

5. Write the artifact to .metapowers/accounting/$ARGUMENTS/reconciliation.md with sections:

   • Reconciliation Summary — account name, period, book balance, external balance, difference
   • Reconciliation Detail — step-by-step reconciliation with each reconciling item
   • Adjusting Entries Needed — journal entries required to correct the books
   • Aged Items — reconciling items outstanding for more than one period

Output

The reconciliation written to .metapowers/accounting/$ARGUMENTS/reconciliation.md. Present a summary highlighting:

• Book balance vs. external balance and the difference
• Number and total of reconciling items
• Any required adjusting entries