June payments received
Every payment that arrived in June, each matched to an invoice or flagged unmatched.
Receivables · Reconciliation
A simple invoice-to-payment match-up routine
Money comes in throughout the month — transfers, app payments, the occasional cheque — and the question at month-end is always the same: does every payment line up with an invoice, and is every paid invoice marked Paid? Doing this by hand once a month keeps your receivables truthful without any bank connection. Cash Workspace gives you the invoice list on one side and a place to note each match, so you can walk down your payments and tick them off against invoices.
The problem
Why manual reconciliation drifts
Without a regular pass, payments and invoices fall out of sync: invoices stay marked unpaid after the money arrived, and stray payments sit unexplained.
- A client paid two weeks ago but the invoice still shows Sent because nobody updated it.
- A payment landed with no obvious invoice — a deposit? a different client? — and never got explained.
- One transfer covered two invoices, but only one got marked Paid.
- A rounding difference between invoice total and amount received is never noted, so the balance looks off.
- Month-end arrives and you can't say with confidence which invoices are genuinely still open.
The workflow
Run a monthly match-up pass
Once a month, list what came in and walk each payment back to an invoice.
- 1
List payments received
Note every payment that arrived this month — date, amount, and who it appears to be from — in one list.
- 2
Match each to an invoice
For each payment, find the invoice it settles and note the match against both.
- 3
Mark the invoice Paid
Update the matched invoice's status to Paid and record the date paid and method noted.
- 4
Flag the unmatched
Any payment with no matching invoice gets flagged for review — it may be a deposit, an overpayment, or a different client.
- 5
Note short or partial payments
Where the amount received differs from the invoice, note the difference and whether a balance remains.
Record structure
What to record on the match-up sheet
Each line ties one payment to one invoice and captures anything that doesn't cleanly match.
- Payment date
- When the money arrived, used to scope each monthly pass.
- Amount received
- The figure that actually landed for this payment.
- Apparent sender
- Who the payment seems to be from, to start the matching.
- Matched invoice number
- The invoice this payment settles, linking the two records.
- Invoice total
- The invoiced amount, to compare against what was received.
- Difference note
- Any shortfall, overpayment, or rounding gap between invoice and payment.
- Status after match
- Paid in full, partially paid, or flagged unmatched.
- Review flag
- Marked when a payment has no matching invoice and needs a closer look.
Example setup
An example reconciliation setup
One way to lay out a monthly match-up inside your workspace.
Matched and marked Paid
Invoices reconciled this month, now showing Paid with date and method noted.
Unmatched — review
Payments with no clear invoice, held here until you identify what they relate to.
Common mistakes
Mistakes to avoid
- Skipping months, so a backlog of unmatched payments builds up.
- Marking an invoice Paid without confirming the amount received matches.
- Ignoring a payment that doesn't fit any invoice instead of flagging it.
- Splitting a single payment across two invoices without noting it on both.
- Leaving a partial payment recorded as paid in full, hiding the remaining balance.
How it helps
How Cash Workspace helps
Invoices in one list
See every invoice with its status and amount so you can match payments against them by hand.
A place to note each match
Record which invoice each payment settles, and mark the invoice Paid with the date and method noted.
A flag for the unexplained
Tag any payment without a matching invoice so it stays visible until you resolve it.
Related
Related receivables workflows
Payment confirmations
Attach proof to each invoice as you mark it Paid during reconciliation.
Monthly receivables summary
Summarize what's matched and what's still open each month.
Weekly invoice review
Catch matches sooner with a lighter weekly pass.
Partial payment records
Handle payments that only partly settle an invoice.
All finance workflows
Browse the full Cash Workspace workflow library.
FAQ
Reconciliation FAQ
- Does Cash Workspace reconcile payments automatically?
- No. You match payments to invoices yourself during a monthly pass. Cash Workspace does not connect to your bank or import transactions — it gives you the invoice list and a place to record each match.
- How often should I reconcile?
- A monthly pass works well for most solo operators, with an optional lighter weekly check. The key is a regular cadence so unmatched payments don't pile up.
- What do I do with a payment that matches no invoice?
- Flag it for review rather than ignoring it. It might be a deposit, an overpayment, or a payment for a client you haven't invoiced yet — note it until you can identify what it relates to.
Organizing help — not tax, accounting, or legal guidance
Cash Workspace is a free workspace for organizing invoices, expenses, receipts, clients, and documents. This page is organizing guidance only — not tax, accounting, legal, or bookkeeping guidance. Cash Workspace does not connect to your bank, does not scan or read your receipts for you, and does not move or collect payments. Whether an expense is deductible depends on your situation, so confirm it with a qualified accountant or tax professional.
Match every payment to its invoice
Start a free workspace and run a monthly match-up so each payment lands against the right invoice and any stray payment gets flagged for review.