when the checking account is off a tad? wont balance?

toile · 11-10-2008, 06:00 PM

Do we have any math folks on here?
I have an accounting back ground but it's not helping.

Every few years for some reason my bank account just wont balance?
I like to balance to the penny every single day....
With online banking that is a pretty easy thing to do.

Yesterday and today I am off 43 bucks and some change.
I have gone over the numbers 10 times and they seem perfect?

When this happens I ALWAYS go with the banks #s and jot a note in the register.
Going with their # always fixes it but I want to know where the figures go?

Do you ever just not balance and never find the error?

How can something so easy be off?
It's just debits, checks, and paychecks after all?

**wanderinggrandma** · 11-10-2008, 06:06 PM

Have you tried the old divide amount off by 9 routine? (if it divides evenly you know you transposed a number) I find I don't "see" the transposition error--for some reason my brain sees the correct amount not the transposed numbers.

toile · 11-10-2008, 06:11 PM

I tried that and it's not that.

Plus I always tripple check the register, the receipts, against the website.
Only I can mess up something that easy and still not balance? LOL

**peanut** · 11-10-2008, 06:57 PM

Hmmm....it's not an annual thing is it? I'd be checking for extra bank fees, if that's the case...or something like that. I don't know. Sometimes DH and I just take one day a year to make an entry of the missing money...which is usually from us not getting receipts when we spend money.

Jean

**McD** · 11-10-2008, 07:04 PM

I balance my account every single day and I still get off sometimes. Usually it's a math error on my end--like I keyed something wrong.

Something I have started doing is as things clear, I do a check beside it in ink. When I actually balance the account, I go over that check with a highlighter. If it's a few bucks or a few cents, I don't worry about it, but I wouldn't just write off 43$.

**annertak** · 11-10-2008, 09:36 PM

I would go to the bank with your figures. They should be able to help you. I, too, would not write off $43. I wouldn't write off 43 cents, either! lol

**AmyBoz** · 11-10-2008, 09:38 PM

Is it possible that check didn't clear that you may have marked "cleared?"

Otherwise, I have no idea!

**nodmicks** · 11-10-2008, 09:39 PM

I try and try and get mad and write things such as >97 cant balance in the register.

**McD** · 11-10-2008, 09:42 PM

Originally Posted by annertak

I would go to the bank with your figures. They should be able to help you. I, too, would not write off $43. I wouldn't write off 43 cents, either! lol

Some banks charge for this service--so I'd make sure you ask up beforehand if you decide to do this. Also--you can find a free checkbook register template (excel) on line. If you just balanced your checkbook 2 days ago, Id get that popped up, and input everything afer those 2 days.

**janelane** · 11-10-2008, 09:55 PM

When this happens, it drives me nuts. I'm another that goes over everything everyday and if I'm a few cents off I go bonkers. Its usually a error in what I've written down. I also do a zero balance budget and keep only what I need in checking, so to help with errors I keep a cushion.

I certainly hope it's an error in your favor and you have some found money!

**Ilovesewing** · 11-10-2008, 09:57 PM

Mine was just off by $48 yesterday! I looked that thing over and over and nothing popped out at me. I check it against my account online. All my checks cleared, all my ATM's were accounted for, so I figured it was either a $96.00 debit/credit or a $24 debit/credit error. And it was! Once I looked for that the $24 popped up and waved a flag. Turns out I had done an ATM at the grocery store for about $21 and the same day at the same store had another ATM for $24. I put them both into my register as debits, but actually one of them was a credit from the store. Once I changed it in my register to a credit I was good to go!

Look for an $86.xx or $21.xx debit/credit and see what happens.

**Ms. Clear** · 11-10-2008, 09:57 PM

This happens to me from time to time--probably about once per year. I assume that I made an adding error somewhere and just adjust the balance. I check the balance daily and check things off as they clear, but sometimes, you make an adding mistake.

It's usually 3 or 4 dollars off, sometimes just some cents. If it was more than 10 bucks, I'd look more seriously, but with such a small amount, it's bound to be my error.