The term outstanding checks refers to those checks that have been recorded by a company as being written, but not yet cleared and posted to the account’s statement by the company’s bank. Outstanding checks are typically identified as part of the bank account reconciliation process. Checks that are outstanding for a long period of time are known as stale checks. In the U.S., outstanding checks are considered to be unclaimed property and the amounts must be turned over to the company’s respective state after several years. Therefore, rather than allowing checks to become stale and then remitting the amounts to a state government, companies should contact the payees of any checks that have been outstanding for several months. To reconcile outstanding checks with your bank statement, compare the checks issued but not yet cleared with the information provided on the statement, ensuring that both records align.

• Our review course offers a CPA study guide for each section but unlike other textbooks, ours comes in a visual format.
• Writing checks makes it possible for organizations and individuals to make payments without requiring instantaneous cash or electronic transactions to be completed.
• Writing off outstanding checks typically refers to the process of resolving checks that were issued but never cashed or deposited by the recipient within a reasonable time period.
• Furthermore, checks that are never cashed may constitute “unclaimed property” that is turned over to the state.
• Adjust your records by subtracting the outstanding deposit from your small business ledger.
• Accounting inconsistencies may arise if outstanding checks are not reported and tracked in the appropriate manner.

However, this check has not been cashed or deposited by SupplyPro, and it still appears as an outstanding check in EduCo’s bank reconciliation. Before the reconciliation process, business should ensure that they have recorded all transactions up to the end of your bank statement. Businesses that use online banking service can download the bank statements for the regular reconciliation process rather than having to manually enter the information. Match the deposits in the business records with those in the bank statement. Compare the amount of each deposit recorded in the debit side of the bank column of the cashbook with credit side of the bank statement and credit side of the bank column with the debit side of the bank statement.

How Outstanding Checks Work

The check that was voided is also removed from the list of outstanding checks. Proper management of outstanding checks involves tracking, reconciliation, timely communication, and ensuring sufficient funds are available to honor the checks when presented for payment. If an outstanding check has not yet cleared the bank by the end of the month, it does not appear on the month-end bank statement, and so is a reconciling item in the month-end bank reconciliation prepared by the issuing entity.

The bank statement also includes a debit memorandum describing a $253 automatic withdrawal for a utility payment. On the bank reconciliation, add unrecorded automatic deposits to the company’s book balance, and subtract unrecorded automatic withdrawals. Therefore, each transaction on the bank statement should be double‐checked. If the bank incorrectly recorded a transaction, the bank must be contacted, and the bank balance must be adjusted on the bank reconciliation. If the company incorrectly recorded a transaction, the book balance must be adjusted on the bank reconciliation and a correcting entry must be journalized and posted to the general ledger. This error is a reconciling item because the company’s general ledger cash account is overstated by $63.

Keep Records

This could happen for several reasons, like the check was lost, forgotten about, or the recipient no longer exists. The State of Delaware’s unclaimed property reporting period is on a calendar year cycle (January 1st – December 31st). If outstanding checks reach 5 years of dormancy during the calendar year, the unclaimed property report and related payment are due by March 1st of the following calendar year.

• Some businesses print “Void after 90 days” on their checks to encourage recipients to deposit checks more promptly.
• This can help prevent any unnecessary NSFs if the payee decides to cash the check at a later date.
• If payments to employees or vendors remain uncashed, they eventually must turn over those assets to the state.
• When this happens, the bank returns the check to the depositor and deducts the check amount from the depositor’s account Therefore, NSF checks must be subtracted from the company’s book balance on the bank reconciliation.
• Therefore, a $345 debit is made to increase the accounts receivable balance of Hosta, Inc., and a $345 credit is made to decrease cash.
• If an outstanding check is cashed after you asked a bank to stop the payment, you will be responsible for proving that you took the necessary steps to complete the payment.
• They are not tax efficient and an investor should consult with his/her tax advisor prior to investing.

When this happens, the bank returns the check to the depositor and deducts the check amount from the depositor’s account Therefore, NSF checks must be subtracted from the company’s book balance on the bank reconciliation. The Vector Management Group’s bank statement includes an NSF check for $345 from Hosta, Inc. The ending balance on a bank statement almost never agrees with the balance in a company’s corresponding general ledger account.

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After all, you still owe the money, and you’ll have to pay it sooner or later. Your first step should be to use an accounting system that deducts any uncashed checks from your available funds. After that, there are a few more steps you can take to track down an old check. Businesses must track outstanding items to avoid breaking unclaimed property laws. If payments to employees or vendors remain uncashed, they eventually must turn over those assets to the state. This typically occurs after a few years, but timetables vary from state to state.

To reconcile a bank statement, the account balance as reported by the bank is compared to the general ledger of a business. Individuals can reduce surprise withdrawals in personal accounts by using online bill payment instead of issuing paper checks. If a check remains outstanding for an extended period, it may become stale-dated, and the bank may refuse to honor it.

How Do I Reconcile Outstanding Checks with My Bank Statement?

But before sending one, ask the payee to return the old check in order to eliminate the possibility that they’ll deposit both checks either intentionally or unintentionally. Before sending one, ask the payee to return the old check to eliminate the possibility of both checks being deposited, either intentionally or unintentionally. If a check is destroyed or never deposited, the money remains in the payer’s account. At first glance, this may seem like a positive turn of events for the payer.

Oftentimes, a check may have been written by a company, recorded in the general ledger, but not yet shown on the company’s bank account statement. Because reconciling items that affect the book balance on a bank reconciliation have not been recorded in the company’s books, they must be journalized and posted to the general ledger accounts. The $1,565 credit memorandum requires a compound journal entry involving four accounts. Cash is debited for $1,565, bank fees expense is debited for $25, notes receivable is credited for $1,500, and interest revenue is credited for $90.

What to Do About an Outstanding Check

Even if the checkwriter has sufficient funds, any delay from the depositor simply means higher interest revenue on the capital balance waiting to be drawn down. An outstanding check remains a liability of the payer until such time as the payee presents the check for payment, which then eliminates the liability. Ideally, you should reconcile your bank account each time you receive a statement from your bank. This is often done at the end of every month, weekly and even at the end of each day by businesses that have a large number of transactions. The difference between the balances of the cash book and bank statement caused by unpresented checks is only temporary. The interest revenue must be journalized and posted to the general ledger cash account.

To keep your small business’s finances on track, reconcile your books and bank account statement. Sometimes, transactions are only recorded in one financial record when you reconcile the balances. If your books and bank account balances don’t match, you might have an outstanding deposit. A check that a company mails to a creditor may take several outstanding checks days to pass through the mail, be processed and deposited by the creditor, and then clear the banking system. Therefore, company records may include a number of checks that do not appear on the bank statement. These checks are called outstanding checks and cause the bank statement balance to overstate the company’s actual cash balance.

Rachel R. Mulderrig, CPA

Usually, you reconcile your bank statement with your books at the end of each month. Check that the balances of your books and your bank statement are equal. To remedy these situations quickly, be proactive with outstanding checks.