Common bookkeeping problems include recording the same event twice, treating transfers as sales, omitting accounts and leaving payments unmatched to invoices or bills. Investigate the cause using source records before changing balances. A neat-looking report or a zero reconciliation difference can still contain incorrectly classified activity.
Get help with your monthly booksPractical records guidance · Updated October 8, 2026 · Fictional examples
Find the original invoice or bill, any linked payment and the imported bank line. Check whether an integration already posted the event. Equal dates and amounts can be useful clues but do not prove that two entries are duplicates.
Missing statements can leave genuine activity absent. Correct bank matching can still leave a loan receipt recorded as sales or an owner withdrawal recorded as a supplier cost. Complete records and correct treatment require distinct checks.
Illustrative example · Fictional data
Illustrative issue: $500 moves from the business checking account to its savings account. Recording the withdrawal as an expense and the deposit as sales makes both reports wrong. The two sides represent an internal transfer, assuming no other charges or events are involved.
No. Similarity is not proof of duplication, and changes can affect links or closed periods. Assess evidence and the correct method first.
When existing records need investigated corrections. Missing months are catch-up work; routine future closes are monthly bookkeeping.
Discuss your monthly records, missing months or incorrect balances. We’ll agree the work, records and price before starting.
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