Supplier reconciliation template
Match a supplier's statement against your own account for that supplier, one bill, payment or credit note at a time. Anything on only one side, and any charge you dispute, gets its own line and a status, so you know who has to act.
- By Book Keeping Pros
- Sources checked 15 Oct 2026
business.gov.au's glossary describes a creditor as a business you buy from on an agreement to pay later. A supplier you buy from on account keeps its own record of what you owe and usually sends you a statement of it. This template lines that statement up against your account for the same supplier, so you can see which documents match and which need a reason and someone to act.
The statement column shows each item as the supplier has it and the books column shows it as you have it, with bills as plain amounts and payments and credits in brackets. The difference column is the statement amount less yours. A matched line shows zero. Every other line is a bill, payment or credit note that appears on one side only, or an amount the two sides disagree on, and its status says whether it is timing, a gap in your books or an error raised with the supplier.
When a supplier's figure is wrong, business.gov.au's advice on disputes is to check your facts against any written contract, talk the problem through with the supplier and keep records of what was said, and it notes that price and payment terms belong in that contract. Its list of records to keep includes end-of-year lists of creditors, and a supplier reconciliation at 30 June, the last day of the financial year, tests each name and balance on that list. The file is a CSV that opens in a spreadsheet program.
Download the template
The template as a CSV file, which opens in any spreadsheet program.
Download the CSV fileWhat's in the template
| Date | Document | On statement (AUD) | In your books (AUD) | Difference (AUD) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 May 2026 | Balance brought forward | 3,150.00 | 3,150.00 | 0.00 | Matched at the April reconciliation |
| 6 May 2026 | Bill B-4471 | 1,280.00 | 1,280.00 | 0.00 | Matched |
| 12 May 2026 | Payment PAY-0512 for the April balance | (3,150.00) | (3,150.00) | 0.00 | Matched |
| 19 May 2026 | Bill B-4519 | 1,150.00 | 1,030.00 | 120.00 | Supplier: charged above the agreed price; disputed in writing on 3 Jun 2026, undisputed 1,030.00 to be paid when due |
| 22 May 2026 | Credit note CN-118 for returned goods | (310.00) | (310.00) | Your books: credit note not received; copy requested, to be entered when it arrives | |
| 27 May 2026 | Bill B-4530 | 960.00 | 960.00 | Your books: bill not received; copy requested and to be checked before it is entered | |
| 28 May 2026 | Bill C-2207 from Supplier C, entered against Supplier B | 640.00 | (640.00) | Your books: to be moved to Supplier C's account | |
| 30 May 2026 | Payment PAY-0530 for bill B-4471 | (1,280.00) | 1,280.00 | Timing: reached the supplier after the statement date | |
| 31 May 2026 | Balance at the statement date | 3,080.00 | 1,670.00 | 1,410.00 | Columns agree with the statement's closing balance and your balance for Supplier B; the differences on the lines above add up to 1,410.00 |
Illustrative example only: these rows show the method and are not sourced data.
What goes in each column
- Date: The date of the bill, payment or credit note, or the statement's opening date for the balance brought forward.
- Document: The bill, payment or credit note and its number, so the line can be found on both sides.
- On statement (AUD): The amount as the supplier's statement shows it, left blank when it isn't on the statement, with payments and credits in brackets.
- In your books (AUD): The amount as your account for the supplier shows it, left blank when it isn't in your books, with payments and credits in brackets.
- Difference (AUD): The statement amount less the amount in your books.
- Status: Matched, or what the difference is and who acts on it: timing, your books or the supplier.
How to use it
- Take the supplier's statement date and open your account for that supplier at the same date. If the statement lists only unpaid bills, list only your open bills; if it runs from an opening balance, start from your own balance at that earlier date.
- Enter each bill, payment and credit note once, with its amount in whichever columns it appears in. Match on the document number as well as the amount.
- Check that the statement column adds up to the closing balance printed on the statement, and the books column to the supplier's balance in your books. If either total is out, a line is missing or an amount has been copied wrongly.
- Give every line with a difference a status. Change your own books only for your own errors, with the document behind each change, and raise the supplier's errors with them in writing, keeping a copy of what you send.
- Keep paying undisputed bills by their due dates while a query is open, and check at the next statement that each timing item has cleared.
- If your books use cash accounting, unpaid bills won't be in them, because business.gov.au notes that cash accounting doesn't show money you owe. Compare the statement with your file of unpaid bills instead.
Related terms
Sources
- Key financial terms
business.gov.au, Australian Government. Current at 15 October 2026, released 9 July 2024. Checked 15 October 2026.
© Commonwealth of Australia 2020, licensed under CC BY 3.0 AU. Licence: CC BY 3.0 AU.
- Suppliers
business.gov.au, Australian Government. Current at 16 October 2026, released 30 March 2026. Checked 16 October 2026.
© Commonwealth of Australia 2020, licensed under CC BY 3.0 AU. Licence: CC BY 3.0 AU.
- Record keeping
business.gov.au, Australian Government. Current at 15 October 2026, released 7 November 2024. Checked 15 October 2026.
© Commonwealth of Australia 2020, licensed under CC BY 3.0 AU. Licence: CC BY 3.0 AU.
- Choose between cash and accrual accounting
business.gov.au, Australian Government. Current at 15 October 2026, released 13 September 2024. Checked 15 October 2026.
© Commonwealth of Australia 2020, licensed under CC BY 3.0 AU. Licence: CC BY 3.0 AU.
Related guides
How to reconcile accounts payable
How to reconcile accounts payable: agree the payables list with the ledger, check each supplier statement line by line and explain every difference.
How to manage accounts payable
How to handle supplier bills from arrival to payment: check and approve each one, match it to the order and delivery, pay on time and reconcile statements.
EOFY bookkeeping checklist
The bookkeeping jobs for the end of the financial year: reconcile every account at 30 June, count stock, review debtors and creditors, and file records.