Financial Management

Accounting Dashboard

The Accounting Dashboard provides a real-time overview of your church's financial health. It's the first page you see when navigating to Accounting.

Current Period

At the top of the dashboard, you'll see the current open accounting period. The system automatically selects the most recent Open period.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

The dashboard displays four main financial metrics for the current period:

Year-to-Date (YTD) Summary

Below the period metrics, you'll find YTD totals showing cumulative income, expenses, and net income for the current fiscal year. This helps track progress against annual budgets.

Monthly Trend Chart

A bar chart displays income vs. expenses over the last 6 months, helping you visualize financial trends and seasonality in giving and spending patterns.

Alerts Panel

The alerts section highlights items that may need your attention:

• Draft Journal Entries - Entries saved but not yet posted
• Draft Expenses - Expenses saved but not yet posted
• Pending Approvals - Items awaiting approval workflow
• Unreconciled Items - Bank reconciliations in progress

Recent Activity

The dashboard shows the 5 most recent journal entries, including their entry number, description, date, status, and amount. Click any entry to view its full details.

Quick Actions

Buttons at the top of the dashboard provide quick access to common tasks:

• New Journal Entry - Create a new accounting entry
• Add Expense - Record a new expense
• Run Reports - Navigate to financial reports

Chart of Accounts

The chart of accounts organizes your church's financial transactions into categories for accurate reporting.

Account Types

Managing Accounts

1. Navigate to Accounting → Chart of Accounts
2. Click Add Account to create a new account
3. Enter the account number, name, and type
4. Optionally set a parent account for sub-accounts
5. Click Save

Fund Mappings

Configure how donations to each fund are recorded in your general ledger. Fund mappings connect your donation funds to specific asset and revenue accounts, enabling automated journal entry creation.

Why Fund Mappings Matter

When a donation is recorded, the system needs to know:

• Which asset account receives the cash (debit)
• Which revenue account records the income (credit)

Without a fund mapping, donation journal entries cannot be created automatically and will show a "Pending Mapping" status.

Creating a Fund Mapping

1. Navigate to Accounting → Fund Mappings
2. Click Add Mapping
3. Select the Fund (e.g., General Fund, Building Fund)
4. Select the Asset Account (typically your main checking account)
5. Select the Revenue Account (e.g., Contribution Revenue)
6. Optionally specify a Campus for campus-specific mappings
7. Click Save

Example Mappings

Accounting Periods

Organize your financial data by periods (months, quarters, or fiscal years) and close periods to prevent changes to historical data.

Period Status

How Transactions Are Assigned to Periods

The accounting period for a transaction is automatically determined by its date. When you create an expense, journal entry, or donation:

1. The system looks at the transaction date (e.g., January 15, 2026)
2. It finds which accounting period contains that date
3. The transaction is assigned to that period

Changing a Transaction's Period

You cannot directly select an accounting period for a transaction. To move a transaction to a different period, change its date to fall within the desired period's date range.

Closing a Period

1. Ensure all transactions are entered for the period
2. Complete bank reconciliation
3. Review financial reports
4. Navigate to Accounting → Periods
5. Click Close Period

Financial Close Center

The Financial Close Center is a guided, step-by-step workspace that walks bookkeepers through every task required to close an accounting period — all in one place. Instead of jumping between pages, the Close Center evaluates your data in real time, shows exactly what needs attention, and lets you fix most issues without ever leaving the screen.

How It Works

1. Navigate to the Close Center from the sidebar
2. Select a campus and an open accounting period
3. The system evaluates 8 close-readiness tasks and displays them as an ordered stepper with a weighted close score
4. Work through the Required Steps in order — each step unlocks only after its predecessor is complete
5. For tasks with a Fix Now button, a bulk-action modal opens inline — no page navigation needed
6. For tasks with a Go to Page button, you are taken to the relevant page; the score refreshes automatically when you return
7. Review the Advisory Reviews section — these are warnings only and never block the close
8. When all required steps are complete, a Ready to Close banner appears — click Close Period to finalize

Progress Summary

At the top of the evaluation results, a progress bar shows the current close score (0–100%), the period status, how many of the 8 tasks are complete, and when the evaluation last ran. The score ring turns emerald green when all required steps are complete and the period is ready to close.

Required Steps & Dependency Order

The 5 required steps are presented in a fixed order that reflects financial dependencies. A step is locked until all steps it depends on are complete — you cannot reconcile Stripe Clearing before donation entries are posted, because those entries directly affect the Stripe Clearing account balance.

Steps 3, 4, and 5 all unlock simultaneously once Step 2 is complete — they are independent of each other and can be completed in any order.

Advisory Reviews

Below the required steps is a collapsible Advisory Reviews section containing 3 best-practice checks. These are warnings only — they never block the close. The section expands automatically when any advisory task is failing, and collapses when all three are passing.

Close Score

The close score is a weighted percentage summarizing how ready a period is to close. Each task contributes a different weight based on its financial importance:

Task completion is proportional — posting 5 of 8 draft journal entries gives 63% on that task, not 0%. The score will never display 100% while any required task is still incomplete.

Ready to Close

When all 5 required steps are complete, a full-width green Ready to Close banner appears at the bottom of the page showing the period name and a prominent Close Period button. Clicking it opens a confirmation dialog before finalizing. Once confirmed, the period status changes to Closed and balance snapshots are calculated.

Auto-Refresh

The Close Center runs a fresh evaluation every time you open the page or return to it after navigating away (e.g., after completing a reconciliation). There is no need to manually refresh — the score and step statuses update automatically. You can also click Re-evaluate at any time to force a fresh check.

Multi-Campus Support

Each campus has its own close status and score for every period. One campus can be fully ready to close while another still has outstanding steps. Use the campus selector at the top of the Close Center to switch between campuses. You will only see campuses you have access to.

Budgets

Create and manage annual budgets by fund and campus. Track budgeted amounts per account for each accounting period to compare against actual spending.

Creating a Budget

1. Navigate to Accounting → Budgets
2. Select the Fiscal Year you want to budget for
3. Select a Fund (required) and optionally a Campus
4. Enter budgeted amounts for each revenue and expense account by period
5. Click Save to save your changes

Budget Interface

The budget interface uses a spreadsheet-style layout:

• Rows - Revenue and expense accounts from your chart of accounts
• Columns - Each accounting period in the fiscal year (typically 12 months)
• Cells - Enter the budgeted amount for that account/period combination
• Annual Total - Automatically calculated sum across all periods
• Net Budget - Revenue minus expenses shown at the bottom

Copy Prior Year

Use the Copy Prior Year button to populate the current budget with last year's budgeted amounts. This provides a starting point that you can then adjust as needed.

Fixed Assets & Depreciation

Track and depreciate your church's fixed assets including buildings, vehicles, equipment, and furniture. Ecclesly calculates monthly straight-line depreciation and automatically generates journal entries to keep your books accurate.

What are Fixed Assets?

Fixed assets are long-term tangible items your church owns that are used in operations and not expected to be sold within a year. Common examples include:

• Buildings - Church sanctuary, fellowship hall, offices
• Vehicles - Church vans, buses, utility vehicles
• Equipment - Sound systems, projectors, computers
• Furniture - Pews, chairs, desks, office furniture
• Land Improvements - Parking lots, landscaping, signage

Adding a Fixed Asset

1. Navigate to Accounting → Fixed Assets
2. Click Add Asset
3. Enter the asset details:
   • Name - Descriptive name (e.g., "2024 Ford Transit Van")
   • Category - Building, Vehicle, Equipment, etc.
   • Fund - Which fund the asset belongs to
   • Campus - Optional campus assignment
4. Enter the financial information:
   • Acquisition Cost - What you paid for the asset
   • Salvage Value - Estimated value at end of useful life
   • Useful Life - How many months the asset will be used
   • Acquisition Date - When you purchased the asset
   • Placed in Service Date - When depreciation should start
5. Configure the GL account mappings:
   • Fixed Asset Account - Asset account (e.g., 1500 Equipment)
   • Accumulated Depreciation Account - Contra-asset account
   • Depreciation Expense Account - Expense account
6. Click Save to create the asset

How Depreciation Works

Ecclesly uses straight-line depreciation, which spreads the cost evenly over the asset's useful life:

Example: A computer purchased for $2,000 with a $200 salvage value and 36-month useful life:

Running Monthly Depreciation

Each month, you'll run depreciation to create journal entries for all active assets:

1. Navigate to Accounting → Fixed Assets
2. Click Run Monthly Depreciation
3. Select the accounting period to depreciate
4. Review the assets that will be processed
5. Click Run Depreciation
6. Journal entries are created for each asset

Depreciation Journal Entry

Each depreciation entry follows this pattern:

The debit to Depreciation Expense records the cost of using the asset that month. The credit to Accumulated Depreciation reduces the asset's book value on your balance sheet.

Viewing the Depreciation Schedule

Each asset has a depreciation schedule showing all past and future depreciation entries:

1. Navigate to Accounting → Fixed Assets
2. Click on an asset to view its details
3. Scroll to the Depreciation Schedule section
4. View each month's depreciation amount, accumulated total, and book value

Posting Depreciation Entries

Depreciation journal entries follow your automation level settings:

• Manual Mode - Entries are created as drafts; post each one individually
• Assisted Mode - Entries appear in batch approval for review
• Automatic Mode - Entries auto-post if below the threshold

Asset Lifecycle

Disposing of an Asset

When you sell, donate, or retire an asset, use the disposal workflow to properly remove it from your books:

1. Navigate to the asset's detail page
2. Click Dispose Asset
3. Select the disposal type (Sale, Donation, Write-off, etc.)
4. Enter the disposal date and proceeds (if any)
5. The system calculates gain or loss automatically
6. Click Record Disposal to create the journal entry

Gain or Loss Calculation

Example: Selling a vehicle with $15,000 original cost and $9,000 accumulated depreciation for $7,500:

• Book Value: $15,000 - $9,000 = $6,000
• Proceeds: $7,500
• Gain: $7,500 - $6,000 = $1,500 gain

Editing Assets

You can edit asset details, but some restrictions apply:

• Before any depreciation posted - All fields are editable
• After depreciation posted - Financial fields and dates are locked to maintain accounting integrity; you can still edit name, description, category, and location

Typical Useful Life by Category

While useful life varies by asset and organization policy, here are common guidelines:

Journal Entries

Record accounting transactions using double-entry bookkeeping. Each entry must have debits equal to credits.

Creating a Journal Entry

1. Navigate to Accounting → Journal Entries
2. Click New Entry
3. Enter the date and description
4. Add line items with account, debit or credit amount
5. Verify debits equal credits
6. Click Post to record the entry

Journal Entry Status

• Draft - Entry is being prepared, not yet posted
• Posted - Entry is recorded and affects account balances
• Voided - Entry has been reversed

Donation Entries

Review, approve, and post journal entries that were automatically created from donations. This is the central workspace for managing donation-to-accounting integration.

Accessing Donation Entries

Navigate to Accounting → Donation Entries to view all journal entries generated from donations. This page shows entries across all processing statuses.

Entry List

Each entry displays:

• Entry Number - Unique identifier (e.g., JE-2026-001)
• Date - The donation date
• Donor - Name of the donor
• Fund - Which fund received the donation
• Amount - Donation amount
• Status - Draft, Posted, or Voided
• Processing Status - Ready, Pending Mapping, Period Blocked, or Voided

Filtering Entries

Use the filter options to focus on specific entries:

• Ready - Entries that can be posted immediately
• Pending Mapping - Entries waiting for fund mapping configuration
• Period Blocked - Entries where the accounting period is closed
• All Drafts - All unposted entries regardless of status

Batch Posting

Post multiple entries at once using batch selection:

1. Filter to show Ready entries
2. Use the checkbox to select entries you want to post
3. Click Select All to select all visible entries
4. Click Post Selected
5. Confirm the batch post operation

Retrying Blocked Entries

When entries are blocked due to missing mappings or closed periods:

1. Fix the underlying issue:
   • For Pending Mapping: Create a fund mapping in Accounting → Fund Mappings
   • For Period Blocked: Reopen the accounting period or change the entry date
2. Return to Donation Entries
3. Select the blocked entries
4. Click Retry Selected
5. Entries will be re-evaluated and moved to Ready status if eligible

Accounting Automation

Control how journal entries are posted to your general ledger. Automation applies to donation entries, depreciation entries, and Stripe clearing entries. Choose from three automation levels based on your organization's needs and comfort with automated posting.

Automation Levels Overview

Manual Mode

In Manual mode, you have complete control over every journal entry:

• Donations are recorded but no journal entries are created automatically
• Create journal entries yourself via Accounting → Journal Entries → New Entry
• Post each entry individually after review
• Best for organizations with complex accounting needs or custom workflows

Assisted Mode (Default)

Assisted mode automates entry creation but keeps you in control of posting:

1. Donation recorded → Draft journal entry is created automatically
2. Entry appears in Accounting → Donation Entries for review
3. Review entries individually or in batch
4. Click Post Selected to post approved entries to the general ledger

Automatic Mode

Automatic mode provides hands-free journal entry posting for eligible donations:

1. Donation recorded → Draft journal entry is created
2. System checks eligibility criteria (see below)
3. If eligible → Entry is posted immediately to the general ledger
4. If ineligible → Entry remains as draft for manual review

Auto-Post Eligibility Criteria

For a journal entry to be automatically posted, ALL of the following must be true:

• Eligible source type - The entry must be a donation, depreciation, or Stripe payout clearing entry
• Fund mapping exists - The donation's fund must have an account mapping configured
• Period is open - The accounting period for the entry date must be Open (not Closed or Locked)
• Below threshold - The entry amount must be at or below your configured auto-post threshold (default: $5,000)
• Entry is balanced - Debits must equal credits

24-Hour Activation Delay

When enabling Automatic mode, there is a mandatory 24-hour waiting periodbefore it takes effect. This safety feature ensures:

• Time to verify fund mappings are correctly configured
• Opportunity to reconsider if needed
• All administrators are notified of the pending change
• Accidental enablement can be easily canceled

Activation Flow

1. Navigate to Accounting → Settings → Automation
2. Select Automatic mode
3. Configure the auto-post threshold (max $10,000)
4. Review and check all three confirmation boxes:
   • Verified all fund mappings are correctly configured
   • Understand that eligible entries will post without review
   • Confirm you want to enable Automatic mode
5. Click Enable Automatic Mode
6. A pending activation banner appears showing the activation time (24 hours from now)
7. After 24 hours, Automatic mode becomes active

Configuring Automation

1. Navigate to Accounting → Settings → Automation
2. Select your desired automation level (Manual, Assisted, or Automatic)
3. If selecting Automatic mode:
   • Set the auto-post threshold amount ($0 – $10,000)
   • Complete the confirmation checkboxes
4. Click Save Changes

Processing Status

Draft journal entries from donations have a processing status indicating why they haven't been posted:

Posting Method Tracking

Posted journal entries record how they were posted for audit purposes:

• Manual - Posted individually by a user
• Batch Approval - Posted as part of a batch review in Assisted mode
• Automatic - Auto-posted by the system in Automatic mode

Recording Expenses

Track church expenditures with a streamlined expense entry form.

Adding an Expense

1. Navigate to Accounting → Expenses
2. Click Add Expense
3. Fill in the expense details
4. Click Save or Post

Expense Fields

Expense Status

• Draft - Expense is being prepared, not yet posted to the general ledger
• Pending Payment - Expense is posted and recorded, awaiting payment
• Paid - Expense has been paid
• Voided - Expense has been reversed

Managing Vendors

Track the businesses and individuals your church pays. Manage vendor information, track payment history, and handle 1099 reporting requirements.

Adding a Vendor

1. Navigate to Accounting → Vendors
2. Click Add Vendor
3. Enter the vendor name and contact information
4. Add tax information if the vendor requires 1099 reporting
5. Optionally set a default expense account
6. Click Save

Vendor Fields

Viewing Vendor Details

Click any vendor card to view their complete information, including:

• Contact information and address
• Total amount paid to the vendor
• Number of expenses recorded
• Recent expense transactions

1099 Reporting

For vendors who require 1099 forms (typically independent contractors paid $600 or more):

1. Mark the vendor as 1099 Required when creating or editing
2. Enter their Tax ID (EIN or SSN)
3. At year-end, run the 1099 Report from Accounting → Reports
4. The report shows all 1099 vendors and their total payments for the year

Vendor Auto-Detection

Automatically identify vendors from your bank transactions and streamline expense creation. When transactions sync from your connected bank accounts, Ecclesly analyzes them to detect vendor names, suggest matches with existing vendors, and optionally create expense records.

How It Works

The auto-detection engine processes bank transactions through several stages:

Vendor Verification Center

The Verification Center is your command center for reviewing auto-detected vendors. Navigate to Accounting → Vendor Verification to access it.

• Dashboard Stats - See pending vendors, auto-created today, and queue statistics
• Vendor Table - View each pending vendor with source bank, original description, and transaction count
• Quick Actions - Verify or reject vendors with one click
• Bulk Operations - Select multiple vendors and verify them in batch
• Run Detection - Manually trigger detection on unprocessed transactions

Verifying a Vendor

When you verify a vendor, you confirm it's a legitimate payee and optionally configure defaults:

1. Click the checkmark button on a pending vendor
2. Review and optionally edit the vendor name
3. Set a Default Expense Account (e.g., Office Supplies, Utilities)
4. Set a Default Fund for expense allocation
5. Review the linked transactions that will become expenses
6. Toggle Auto-Create Expenses on or off
7. Select which transactions to include (all by default)
8. Click Verify to confirm

Rejecting or Reassigning

If an auto-detected vendor is incorrect or a duplicate, you have two options:

• Reject - Delete the auto-created vendor. The linked transactions remain for manual processing.
• Reassign - Merge into an existing verified vendor. Optionally create a match rule so future transactions with similar descriptions automatically map to the correct vendor.

Automation Levels

Configure how aggressively the system processes vendors in Settings → Accounting → Automation:

Match Rules

Create custom rules to improve matching accuracy. Rules help when:

• A vendor name appears differently across banks
• You want to map a generic description to a specific vendor
• Multiple variations should consolidate to one vendor

Rules are automatically created when you reassign a vendor. You can also create them manually:

1. Navigate to Accounting → Vendor Match Rules
2. Click Add Rule
3. Set the Pattern Type (exact, contains, starts with)
4. Enter the Pattern Value (e.g., "AMZN" for Amazon purchases)
5. Select the Target Vendor
6. Save the rule

Best Practices

• Review regularly - Check the Verification Center weekly to keep your vendor list clean
• Set defaults - Configure expense account and fund during verification to speed up future processing
• Use match rules - Create rules for common variations to reduce duplicate vendors
• Link bank accounts to GL - Ensure each bank account is linked to its corresponding GL account for complete expense records
• Verify before period close - Clear pending vendors before closing accounting periods

Banking Integration

Connect your bank accounts via Plaid for automatic transaction import. View all your accounts in one place, match transactions, and reconcile balances.

Connecting Bank Accounts

1. Navigate to Accounting → Banking
2. Click Link Bank Account
3. Search for and select your bank from the Plaid directory
4. Log in with your bank credentials (secure connection via Plaid)
5. Select which accounts to connect (checking, savings, credit cards)
6. Each account will appear as a card on your Banking dashboard

Banking Dashboard

The Banking page shows all your connected accounts with:

• Institution name and account nickname
• Account type (checking, savings, credit card)
• Last 4 digits of the account number
• Connection status (Connected, Error, Disconnected)
• Last sync time showing when transactions were last imported

Transaction Import

Transactions are automatically imported from your connected banks daily. You can also click the Sync button on any account to manually refresh transactions. Imported transactions appear in the Transactions view where you can review and match them.

Transaction Matching

Match imported bank transactions to journal entries in your accounting system:

• Matched - Transaction linked to a journal entry
• Unmatched - Transaction needs to be categorized or matched
• Pending - Transaction is being processed

Matching Rules

Create rules to automatically categorize recurring transactions:

1. Navigate to Accounting → Banking → Rules
2. Click Add Rule
3. Set conditions (e.g., description contains "ELECTRIC")
4. Set actions (assign to Utilities expense account)
5. New matching transactions will be auto-categorized

Manual Bank Accounts

For banks not supported by Plaid, or when you prefer manual control, you can create manual bank accounts and import transactions from downloaded statements.

1. Navigate to Accounting → Banking
2. Click Add Manual Account
3. Enter the Account Name (e.g., "First National Checking")
4. Select the Account Type (Checking, Savings, Credit Card, Other)
5. Enter the Last 4 Digits of the account number
6. Optionally assign to a Campus and link to a GL Account
7. Click Create Account

Importing Bank Statements

Import transactions from bank statement files. Ecclesly supports common export formats from most banks:

• CSV - Comma-separated values (most flexible)
• OFX - Open Financial Exchange format
• QFX - Quicken format (similar to OFX)

Importing Steps

1. Click on a bank account to open the account details page
2. Click Import Statement in Quick Actions
3. Drag and drop your statement file, or click to browse
4. For CSV files, map the columns to the correct fields (Date, Amount, Description)
5. Preview the transactions to ensure they look correct
6. Click Import Transactions

CSV Column Mapping

When importing CSV files, you'll map columns from your file to Ecclesly fields:

• Date (required) - Transaction date
• Amount (required) - Transaction amount (positive or negative)
• Description (required) - Transaction description or memo
• Check Number (optional) - For check transactions
• Reference (optional) - Bank reference number

Opening Balance

When you don't import all historical transactions, set an opening balance to ensure your account balance is accurate:

1. Open the bank account details page
2. In the Balance Card, click on the Opening Balance amount
3. Enter the account balance as of your starting date
4. The preview shows your calculated current balance
5. Click Save Opening Balance

Clearing Transactions

If you need to start fresh with a manual account—for example, to re-import with corrected data—you can clear all transactions:

1. Open the bank account details page
2. Click Clear Transactions in Quick Actions
3. Confirm that you want to delete all transactions
4. Import your corrected statement file

Bank Reconciliation

Reconcile your bank statements against your accounting records to ensure your books match your actual bank balances.

Starting a Reconciliation

1. Navigate to Accounting → Reconciliations
2. Click New Reconciliation
3. Select the Account to reconcile (e.g., Checking Account)
4. Enter the Statement Date from your bank statement
5. Enter the Statement Ending Balance
6. Enter the Statement Starting Balance — this auto-populates from the prior period's closing balance and is locked by default. Check Override auto-populated balance only if you need to correct it manually.
7. Click Start Reconciliation

Reconciliation Workspace

The reconciliation workspace shows:

• Uncleared Items - Journal entry lines waiting to be reconciled
• Cleared Items - Transactions you've verified against your statement
• Cleared Total - Sum of items you've marked as cleared
• Difference - Gap between cleared total and statement balance

Where Uncleared Transactions Come From

Uncleared transactions are journal entry lines that affect the bank account being reconciled. They originate from various accounting activities throughout Ecclesly:

The flow from activity to reconciliation:

Completing Reconciliation

1. Review each transaction and mark items that appear on your statement as Cleared
2. The difference should reach $0.00 when all items are matched
3. Click Complete Reconciliation to finalize

Approval Workflow

If your organization has configured a Reconciliation Sign-off approval workflow, clicking Complete Reconciliation does not finalize it immediately — it submits it for review instead.

Reconciliation Assistance

Configure how Ecclesly assists with matching bank transactions to your accounting records. Choose from three assistance levels based on your organization's needs and comfort with automated matching.

Assistance Levels Overview

Manual Matching

In Manual mode, you have complete control over every match:

• No automatic suggestions — all matching is user-driven
• Review each bank transaction and manually select the matching GL entry
• Best for complex accounts with unusual transactions or when you need full visibility

Assisted Matching (Default)

Assisted mode provides helpful suggestions while keeping you in control:

• System suggests likely matches based on amount and date
• High-confidence matches are highlighted for easy review
• Stripe payout deposits are automatically suggested after bank sync — you confirm to create the clearing JE
• You review each suggestion and click to accept or reject
• Bulk accept multiple suggestions at once
• Duplicate transaction warnings help catch errors

Smart Matching

Smart mode automates high-confidence matching for faster reconciliation:

• Very high confidence matches (95%+) are auto-cleared
• Stripe payout deposits are automatically matched and cleared after each bank sync — creating the clearing JE hands-free
• Auto-cleared items are shown in a review list before finalization
• Large transactions above threshold always require manual review
• You must verify all auto-cleared items before finalizing

Match Confidence Scoring

The system calculates a confidence score (0-100) based on:

Large Transaction Threshold

Even in Smart mode, transactions above your configured threshold always require manual review:

• Default threshold: $10,000
• Configure in Accounting → Settings → Reconciliation
• Large transactions are flagged for review regardless of confidence score
• Helps catch unusual activity and prevents auto-clearing significant amounts

Configuring Assistance Level

1. Navigate to Accounting → Settings → Reconciliation
2. Select your preferred Default Assistance Level
3. Optionally set a Large Transaction Threshold
4. Click Save Changes

Per-Account Override

You can override the default assistance level for specific bank accounts:

1. Navigate to Accounting → Banking → Accounts
2. Click on the account you want to configure
3. Select a different Assistance Level
4. Click Save

Finalization & Certification

Regardless of assistance level, completing a reconciliation always requires explicit user certification:

Before finalizing, you must acknowledge:

• You have reviewed the reconciliation summary
• The bank statement balance matches the adjusted book balance
• All auto-cleared items have been verified (Smart mode)
• Finalizing will lock the reconciled entries

Reopening a Reconciliation

If you need to make corrections after finalizing:

1. Navigate to Accounting → Reconciliations
2. Find the completed reconciliation
3. Click Reopen (requires supervisor permission)
4. Provide a detailed reason for reopening
5. Make your corrections and re-finalize

Bank to Books: The Complete Flow

Understanding how bank transactions flow through Ecclesly helps you maintain accurate books and close periods confidently. This section explains the complete journey from bank import to period closing.

Overview

Step 1: Import Bank Transactions

Bank transactions enter Ecclesly through Plaid (automatic sync) or file upload:

• Plaid Sync — Automatic daily sync of transactions from connected banks
• File Upload — Import CSV, OFX, or QFX files exported from your bank

Step 2: Match Bank Transactions to GL Entries

Matching links each bank transaction to its corresponding journal entry in your books. This proves that what the bank shows actually happened in your accounting records.

How Matching Works

1. Click on any Unmatched bank transaction
2. The system shows suggested matches based on amount, date, and description
3. Review the suggested match — it shows the journal entry number, date, and amount
4. Click Confirm to accept the match, or Reject to find a different match
5. The transaction changes from "Unmatched" to "Matched"

Handling Unmatched Transactions

When you click Review on an unmatched bank transaction, the system searches for matching journal entries. If no matches are found, you'll see "No matches found. Click Find Matches to search." This means the transaction exists in your bank but has no corresponding entry in your books — a discrepancy that needs resolution.

Why Transactions Go Unmatched

• Bank fees — Monthly service charges, wire fees, ATM fees not yet recorded
• Auto-payments — Automatic drafts (utilities, insurance) not yet entered as expenses
• Interest earned — Bank interest income not recorded
• Timing differences — Entry exists but date/amount doesn't match closely enough
• Missing entries — Transaction genuinely wasn't recorded in the books
• Fraud/errors — Unauthorized transactions requiring investigation

Resolution Options

Example: Recording a Bank Fee

Your bank charged a $15 monthly service fee. It shows in Bank Transactions as unmatched. To resolve:

1. Navigate to Accounting → Journal Entries
2. Click New Journal Entry
3. Enter description: "Monthly bank service fee - January 2025"
4. Add two lines:
   • Debit: Bank Fees Expense — $15.00
   • Credit: Cash - Operating — $15.00
5. Post the journal entry
6. Return to Bank Transactions and click Find Matches — it should now match
7. Click Confirm to link the bank transaction to your new entry

Step 3: Reconcile the Account

Once matches are confirmed, you start a formal reconciliation session to verify your books match your bank statement:

1. Navigate to Accounting → Reconciliations
2. Click New Reconciliation
3. Enter your Statement Ending Balance from the bank statement
4. Mark transactions as Cleared that appear on your statement
5. Your Difference should reach $0.00
6. Acknowledge the certification checkbox
7. Click Complete Reconciliation

What Happens When You Complete a Reconciliation

• All cleared items are marked as Reconciled in the GL
• Reconciled journal entry lines are locked — they cannot be edited or deleted
• Bank transactions are marked is_reconciled = true
• A complete audit trail is recorded with timestamps and user IDs

Step 4: Close the Accounting Period

With reconciliation complete, you can close the accounting period. The system checks for blocking conditions before allowing closure:

Period Close Workflow

1. Navigate to Accounting → Periods
2. Select the period you want to close
3. Click Close Period
4. If blockers exist, resolve them first
5. Once closed, the period status changes to Closed

The Audit Trail

Every step of this process is logged for compliance and audit purposes:

• Bank sync logs — When transactions were imported, source (Plaid/file)
• Match audit — Who confirmed each match, confidence score, method (manual/suggestion)
• Reconciliation history — All cleared items, auto-clears, completion timestamp
• Period events — Who closed/reopened periods and when

Why This Flow Matters

Stripe Clearing Account Reconciliation

When your church accepts online donations through Stripe, the funds don't arrive in your bank account instantly. Stripe batches charges into payouts that typically settle 2-3 business days later. The Stripe Clearing Account (1050) acts as a bridge between when a donation is recorded and when the money actually hits your bank — ensuring your books accurately reflect funds in transit.

How It Works

The clearing process follows a two-step accounting flow that keeps your general ledger accurate:

The Stripe Clearing Workspace

Navigate to Accounting → Stripe Clearing to access the dedicated workspace for managing your Stripe payout reconciliation. The workspace provides a complete view of your clearing status.

Dashboard Summary Cards

Payout Table

The main table lists all synced Stripe payouts with the following columns:

• Gross — Total amount collected from donors before Stripe fees are deducted
• Fees — Stripe processing fees (per-transaction fees and platform charges)
• Net — Amount actually deposited to your bank account (Gross minus Fees). This is the amount used for the clearing journal entry
• Charges — Number of individual charges (donations) bundled into the payout
• Status — Stripe payout status: Paid, Pending, In Transit, or Failed
• Clearing — Whether the payout has been cleared: Cleared, Matched, or Uncleared

Click any payout row to open the detail modal, which shows:

• Full payout summary (gross, fees, net, arrival date)
• Linked donations with donor names, amounts, funds, and dates
• Clearing journal entry details (if cleared)
• Matched bank transaction (if matched through banking)

Syncing Payouts

Before you can clear payouts, they need to be synced from Stripe. Click the Sync Payouts button to pull the latest payout data from your Stripe account.

1. Select your campus (required for multi-campus organizations)
2. Click Sync Payouts in the top-right corner
3. The system fetches all payouts from Stripe, updates amounts and charge counts for existing records, and imports any new payouts
4. Donations are automatically linked to their payouts by matching Stripe charge IDs

Clearing Payouts

There are three ways to clear a Stripe payout, depending on your reconciliation assistance level:

1. Smart Auto-Clear (Hands-Free)

When your reconciliation assistance is set to Smart mode, Ecclesly automatically matches Stripe deposits in your bank feed to the corresponding payout records — and creates the clearing journal entry — with no manual intervention required.

Here's what happens behind the scenes after each bank sync:

1. New credit transactions containing "Stripe" in the description are identified
2. Each is matched against uncleared stripe_payouts records by exact amount (within $0.01) and date (within 5 days)
3. If the match confidence meets the threshold and the amount is below your large transaction limit, the system automatically:
   • Creates the clearing JE: Dr Cash (1010) net + Dr Processing Fees (5485) fee / Cr Stripe Clearing (1050) gross
   • Records a confirmed match with auto_exact match type
   • Auto-posts the entry if your automation settings allow it
4. The accountant simply reviews auto-cleared items during reconciliation finalization

2. Manual Clear

Use this when you want to record the clearing entry directly from the Stripe Clearing workspace, without waiting for bank transaction matching.

1. Open the payout detail by clicking the row in the table
2. Review the payout summary, linked donations, and net amount
3. Click Manual Clear
4. A clearing journal entry is created: Dr Cash (1010) net + Dr Processing Fees (5485) fee / Cr Stripe Clearing (1050) gross
5. The entry is auto-posted if your automation settings allow it

3. Bank Match Clear

When Ecclesly's bank matching system identifies a Stripe deposit in your bank feed, it suggests a match to the corresponding payout. Confirming the match automatically creates the clearing journal entry.

1. Navigate to Accounting → Banking and find the Stripe deposit transaction
2. The matching engine suggests the corresponding Stripe payout based on amount and date
3. Review and confirm the match
4. The clearing journal entry is created automatically and the payout is marked as cleared

Automation & Clearing Entries

Stripe clearing journal entries follow your Accounting Automation settings, just like donation and depreciation entries. The behavior depends on your current automation level:

You can configure your automation level and auto-post threshold at Accounting → Automation. See the Accounting Automation section for full details.

Understanding the Clearing Balance

The Clearing Balance on the dashboard represents the current balance of account 1050 from posted journal entries. Here's what different states mean:

Best Practices

• Sync regularly — Run a payout sync at least weekly to keep your clearing records current
• Clear promptly — Don't let uncleared payouts accumulate. Clear them as Stripe deposits appear in your bank feed
• Verify before period close — Before closing an accounting period, ensure all payouts that arrived during that period are cleared
• Use bank matching when possible — The bank match flow provides stronger audit trails since it links the clearing entry to both the payout and the bank transaction
• Review the oldest uncleared — If the oldest uncleared payout is more than a week old, investigate whether the bank deposit was missed or the payout failed

Financial Reports

Generate standard financial reports for your church leadership, board meetings, audits, and regulatory compliance.

Standard Financial Reports

Nonprofit & Analysis Reports

Compliance & Audit Reports

Generating a Report

1. Navigate to Accounting → Reports
2. Select the report type from the list
3. Choose filters: period, fund, campus, or date range (varies by report)
4. Click Generate
5. View on screen or download as PDF