Reconcile transactions across your accounts
Hand Cowork your bank exports and ledger files. It matches transactions across sources, flags discrepancies, and outputs an annotated reconciliation report.
- AuthorAnthropic
- CategoryFinance
- ModelSonnet 4.5
- Features
- ShareCopy link
1
Describe the task
Reconciling bank statements means matching what your bank says happened with what your books say happened—transaction by transaction. It's the kind of work that benefits from a second set of eyes, one that stays fresh through the whole list.
I need to reconcile my January 2024 bank statement. I've uploaded my checking account statement export and my current chart of accounts.
Can you analyze the transactions, match them to the right accounts, and flag anything that doesn't line up? If there are discrepancies, I'd love journal entries to fix them.
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Give Claude context
Cowork is a workspace in Claude for desktop where Claude works directly with your local files. Upload your bank statement and chart of accounts — Claude cross-references transactions and identifies what's off. CSV exports tend to parse more cleanly than PDFs, though Claude can work with either.
Required context
To get started:
- Download Claude for desktop and start a Cowork session
- Grant folder access to your bank exports and ledger files
- Upload your bank statement (CSV or PDF) and chart of accounts
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Optional context
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What Claude creates
Claude analyzes both files, matches transactions to accounts, and surfaces exactly what needs fixing. The response shows the reconciliation logic, specific discrepancies found, and correctly-formatted journal entries ready for review.
From Claude
Bank Statement Summary
I've analyzed your January 2024 checking account statement:
- Total transactions: 147
- Total deposits: $45,230.00
- Total withdrawals: $38,892.45
Transaction Matching Results
- 128 matched to existing categories (87%)
- 13 need new categorization
- 6 have discrepancies requiring journal entries
Discrepancies Identified
- Bank fee not recorded - $35.00
- Interest income missing - $12.45
- Duplicate payment - $234.00
Journal Entries to Correct
I've prepared 13 journal entries totaling $2,563.23 in adjustments. All entries balance and use your chart of accounts IDs.
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Follow up prompts
Continue the conversation with Claude to refine, expand, or explore further.
Export journal entries as CSV
Get a CSV file you can import into your accounting system.
"These entries look correct. Please export them as a CSV file I can import."
Create a reconciliation summary
Generate a formal reconciliation report for your records or auditor.
"Create a reconciliation summary document I can save for my January records."
Analyze adjustment patterns
Identify recurring issues in how transactions are recorded so you can fix the root cause.
"Which expense categories needed the most adjustments? Are there patterns I should address in how I record transactions?"
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Tricks, tips, and troubleshooting
Use the sidebar panels to track progress
The Artifacts panel shows files Claude creates—like your journal entries spreadsheet—as they're generated. The Context panel shows which source files Claude is referencing.
Grant folder access for seamless file output
Before starting, point Cowork to the folder where you want the final journal entries saved. Claude can write the reconciliation output directly there.
Let Claude work through multiple months in parallel
If you're catching up on several months of reconciliation, Claude can coordinate parallel workstreams—analyzing January while also working on February.
Ready to try for yourself?
Give Cowork your source files and let Claude do the cross-referencing. Review the matches, refine as needed, and export the result when you're ready.