The client money statement and the monthly trust reconciliation
Updated · ZA · BW
Two documents prove client money is safe: the statement each client receives, showing what was held and what became of it, and the monthly reconciliation that compares your records with the bank.
The client money statement
- On Money held for clients, choose the period under Statement from and To (or Whole history, This month, Last month, Last 3 months, This tax year), then press Statement on the client's row. The PDF "Client money statement" is saved.
- The statement brings forward what was held before the From date as "Balance brought forward". Blank dates give the whole history.
- It lists every movement on the ledger with the running balance — money received, payments out with who was paid, and each fee with what work it was for.
- On the client's Ledger page, Export CSV gives the same movements as a spreadsheet.
"My statement only shows money in"
The statement shows only what was recorded on the client's ledger. If it shows the deposit but no fee and no payments, those were recorded somewhere else: usually the fee note was marked paid with Record payment, or the payment out was captured as a business expense. Record payments out under Move client money, and take fees with Settle it from trust now on the fee note — then they appear on the statement.
"My statement has no logo"
The statement and the trust deposit request use the same logo as your fee notes. Upload it under Settings › Fee note and quote identity › Logo on this profile's documents › Upload a logo (PNG, JPEG or WebP, up to 5 MB), then print the statement again.
Reconciling every month
The totals at the top of the page add up what was recorded here, so they always agree with themselves. Only the bank's own figure can show money missing. That is what the reconciliation is for.
- At month end, scroll to Client money reconciliation.
- Set As at to the statement's closing date and type the Closing balance on the bank statement (with several trust accounts: the closing balances added together).
- Add a Note (optional) — for example "Bank charges of 85.00 not yet refunded".
- Press Sign it off. The reconciliation is signed and kept, and Last checked against the bank updates.
If the bank held less than the ledger, a red banner says by how much. Look for a payment or bank charge not recorded here, or a deposit recorded that never arrived; record what is missing and reconcile again.
Common mistakes
- Skipping months. Reconcile every month — a shortage found a year late is far harder to explain.
- Using the ledger's own total as the bank figure. Type the bank statement's closing balance.
Where these numbers come from
Current as at for South Africa (SARS) and Botswana (BURS). Rates and thresholds change; the sources below are the authority, not this page.
This guide explains how the rules work. It is not tax advice, and nothing here files anything for you — for your own position, speak to a registered tax practitioner.
Keep the books that answer this
Client money kept the way the rules expect — one ledger per client, every movement explained.
Keep reading
- Client money
Importing your trust bank statement (PDF or CSV)
Allocate a month of trust bank lines at once: suggestions, Decide later, Leave this line out, posting in parts, already-recorded lines, bank charges and the firm's own money.
- Client money
Correcting a mistake in trust: reversing a wrongly posted movement
A client money ledger is never edited. A wrong entry is reversed — with a reason — by an equal and opposite entry that says so.
- Client money
How client money (trust) works in [[brand]]
One pooled trust bank account, a ledger per client, four kinds of movement and the firm's own ledger for bank charges — how [[brand]] keeps client money apart from the firm's.