Export what each side has. From online banking, download the account’s transactions for the period as a CSV file; most banks offer it beside the statement. From your bookkeeping software, export the register or general ledger detail for the same account and dates as CSV or Excel. LedgerPair opens both from the Windows file dialog and works from the files alone, with no bank sign-in.
Choose a key both files carry. The key is whatever identifies one transaction in both files: a reference, a check or cheque number, or a transaction ID. LedgerPair suggests an identifier-like column the two files share. If the headings differ, such as Reference in the bank file and Ref in the ledger, tick each one under its own file. Two columns can form the key together, such as Date and Reference, when a reference repeats from month to month.
Let formatting stop mattering. Columns that share a heading, such as Amount and Date, are compared value by value. Amounts compare as exact decimals, so 1,250.00 equals 1250, (45.10) equals -45.10, and CAD 45.10 equals 45.10. Dates compare as calendar dates across ISO, slashed, and named-month notations. When a date such as 03/01/2026 could be read either way, LedgerPair says how many it found and which order it used; tick Dates are day first when your bank writes the day first, and the comparison runs again.
Read the result as a reconciliation. Rows only in the bank file are usually items the books have not recorded yet, such as fees, interest, or direct deposits. Rows only in the ledger are usually outstanding checks and deposits in transit. Changed rows are entries both sides have, with an amount or a date that disagrees. A duplicate key points at an entry recorded twice.
Near-miss references. A reference typed INV-2026-0O42 in one file and INV-2026-0042 in the other will not pair, but LedgerPair shows each as a fuzzy candidate for the other, in its own column. A candidate is a suggestion to check, and it is never counted as a match.
Keep the evidence. Export evidence workbook saves a new .xlsx file with a Summary sheet of counts, keys, compared columns, and the date order used, and separate sheets for additions, deletions, changes, and duplicates. File it with the month’s reconciliation. The bank and ledger exports themselves are never modified, and nothing leaves your PC.