BALANCING YOUR CHECKBOOK
to their checkbook balance to match the bank's balance. If the difference between the two is tolerable to you, this is definitely the easy way to balancing. All you have to do is determine the difference between the bank's ending balance and your ending balance. If the bank's balance is lower than yours, subtract the difference. If the bank's balance is higher than yours, add the difference.
If, however, you want them to match to the penny, then it's time to start over. Start the entire process from the beginning again. Pay attention to the amounts of each item on the bank statement to be sure that what you wrote down for that transaction is what happened. Since you've already gone through and check marked items once, either use a different color pen for this round or make the check mark into an X. Take each step again. If you still don't balance, you may have to go back to last month's statement to make sure that there was no error that was missed there.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU FIND AN ERROR
If you find that you made an error in your calculations, it's very easy to fix. Simply make the adjustment and keep going. If, however, you find the bank made an error, be prepared to pay the bank a visit or spend some time on the phone.
Disputing the bank is not hard, it just takes some time. Hopefully, you know exactly what error they made. For instance, if you wrote a check for $10.00 but they cleared that check for $100.00, you will have to make a formal dispute to the bank. They will then pull the check and compare the actual check with what they did. They will make their corrections from there. If you made a deposit and the wrong amount was credited to your account, hopefully, you have a copy of the deposit slip. Present to the bank all of the information and let them start the research procedure. The research procedure may take a few days but the bank wants to clear up the issue just as much as you do. Stay calm and bank personnel will keep helping. Remember, you attract more flies with sugar.
TIPS
Once you're in the habit of balancing your checkbook on a monthly basis, you will find that it is quite easy and only takes about ten minutes. There are some sure ways to
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