Add a Bank Account & Work the Bank Register

Last updated: 2026-07-09 Summary:

• A bank account maps to a cash/asset GL account — that link is what makes categorized transactions post correctly.
• The Bank Register is one account’s list of transactions; Categorize is the step that posts to the ledger.
• Everything upstream (import, rules) only stages transactions here — categorizing is where the accounting happens.

Banking is available on every plan. Viewing needs the banking:read permission; adding or editing accounts needs banking:write.

Add a bank account

1. Go to Banking → Accounts and click Add Bank Account.
2. Fill in the form:
   • GL account (required) — the asset account this bank account posts through (your “Cash in Bank” account). Everything you categorize here flows against it.
   • Bank name and account name (required).
   • Account number (optional; stored masked).
   • Routing number (US tenants) or SWIFT/BIC and BSP bank code (Philippine tenants).
3. Save. The account appears in the list with its current balance, last-reconciled date, and status. You can Deactivate an account you no longer use (and reactivate it later) from the row actions.

Work the bank register

Click an account to open its Bank Register — the running list of that account’s transactions. From here you can:

• Add a transaction manually, for anything not on an imported statement.
• Import a statement and see the import-history badge — see Import bank transactions & set categorization rules.
• Categorize a transaction — pick the account it belongs to (an expense, income, or other account) and it posts a balanced journal entry: for money in, your bank account is debited and the chosen account credited; for money out, the reverse. This is the step that moves the transaction into your books.
• Exclude a transaction that isn’t business activity (a personal transfer, a duplicate). Excluding removes it from the balance you’re working without posting anything to the ledger.
• Reconcile when you’re ready to tie the register to a statement balance — see Reconcile a bank account.

Filter the register by status, type, date, or search to find what still needs attention.

The one thing to remember

Adding an account, importing a statement, and running rules all just stage transactions in the register. Nothing reaches your financial statements until you Categorize (or record a transfer). If a transaction isn’t showing up in your reports, it’s almost always still sitting uncategorized in the register.

Where people get tripped up

• Wrong GL account on the bank account. Every categorized transaction posts against the GL account you picked when you added the bank account. Map it to your cash/bank asset account, not an expense account.
• Categorizing into a closed period. Categorizing posts a dated journal entry; if that date falls in a closed accounting period, it’s blocked. Reopen the period or date the entry into an open one.
• Excluded isn’t deleted. Excluding hides a transaction from your working balance without posting it — filter by “Excluded” status to find them again.

See also

• Import bank transactions & set categorization rules
• Reconcile a bank account
• Chart of accounts