Gather every statement and supporting file
Start by pulling the statement for each account that had activity: checking, savings, credit cards, merchant accounts, and any loan or line-of-credit accounts. Confirm the statement period matches your close period, since some banks cut statements mid-month.
Download statements as PDFs and, when available, a machine-readable file like CSV, OFX, QFX, or QBO. If your accounting software supports a direct bank feed, the feed still needs to be reconciled against the official statement, not treated as a substitute for it.
Keep a short list of accounts so you can check each one off. Missing an account is one of the most common reasons a close drags on, because the imbalance only shows up later during reconciliation.
Convert and import transactions cleanly
If you only have a PDF statement, you will need to turn it into structured data before you can import it. Convert the PDF to CSV or Excel, then map columns to date, description, amount, and running balance so the import matches your software's format.
For QuickBooks, Xero, and Wave, you can import transactions from CSV or from bank-specific formats such as OFX, QFX, or QBO. QuickBooks Desktop also uses QBO files with an INTU.BID identifier; if your file is rejected, the bank ID or file type is the usual culprit. QIF is an older format still accepted in some tools.
Before importing, scan the data for split lines, wrapped descriptions, and negative signs applied inconsistently. Fix these at the file stage. Cleaning data before import is far faster than untangling miscategorized entries after they hit your ledger.
Reconcile against the statement
Reconciliation means matching every transaction in your books to a line on the bank statement, then confirming the ending balance agrees. Enter the statement's ending balance and closing date, then clear each matched transaction.
Investigate anything that does not match. Common differences include outstanding checks that have not cleared, deposits in transit, bank fees or interest you have not recorded yet, and duplicate entries from an overlapping import or bank feed.
Do not force a reconciliation to balance by adding an adjustment you do not understand. A stubborn difference usually points to a real error: a transposed amount, a missing transaction, or a payment posted to the wrong account. Resolve the root cause before you close.
Review, document, and file
Once each account reconciles, review the categorized transactions for anything coded to a suspense or uncategorized account. Reassign those before finalizing, because they distort your profit and loss and balance sheet.
Save a reconciliation report or a snapshot of the reconciled balances for each account. Keep the original PDF statements and any converted files together in a folder named for the period, so an auditor or your accountant can trace every number back to source.
Finally, lock or close the period in your accounting software if it supports it. Locking prevents accidental edits to closed months and gives you a clean starting point for the next close.