# Bank reconciliation exceptions memo prompt: free ChatGPT template > A copy-ready prompt that turns a reconciliation's exception list into a short memo for the owner: what each row is, the fix, and who does it. Source: https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/bank-reconciliation-exceptions-memo-prompt · Updated 2026-10-13 · Free from Stepthrough (https://learn.ynteractive.com) [Reports and planning](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts#job-reports-and-planning) · [Accounting](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts#industry-accounting) · [Finance](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts#industry-finance) · Works in ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Copilot Updated October 13, 2026 · By [Robert Breen](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/about) Use this after you have matched a bank statement to the books and have a list of exceptions with amounts. It writes a one-page memo that an owner or reviewing partner can read in two minutes: what each difference is, whether the books or the bank need to change, and who does what next. It does not do the matching and it does not add the numbers for you. Run the match first, as in the lesson, and give this prompt your own totals. It is one step in the [month-end close](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/closing-the-books). **Have a professional review it.** This prompt helps you explain your own numbers, not give financial advice. Have your accountant or financial advisor review anything you will act on. ## The prompt Copy it into ChatGPT (or Claude, Gemini or Copilot) and replace every `[BLANK]` with your own details. It uses the four parts from [Prompt Writing 101](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompt-writing-101-role-context-task-format): Role, Context, Task and Format. Copy prompt ```text Role: You are a staff accountant at [FIRM], writing a short reconciliation memo for the owner of a small client business. Context: We reconciled [ACCOUNT] for [MONTH]. The book and bank balances differ by [GAP]. The exceptions we found are: [EXCEPTIONS]. Use only these figures. Do not recalculate them and do not invent new rows. If a reason is unclear, say "needs review". Task: Write a memo that lists each exception with its amount and its likely cause, says whether the books need an entry, the bank needs to be contacted or nothing needs to be done, and names the next action. Then show in one line that the exceptions add up to the gap, using the figures I gave you. Format: A short table with the columns Exception, Amount, Cause, Fix and Owner. Then three bullet points on what the owner should know. Plain words, under [WORD LIMIT] words, with no accounting jargon the owner would not use. ``` ## Fill in the blanks **`[FIRM]`** Your firm name, or the department if you work in-house. **`[ACCOUNT]`** Which account you reconciled, such as the operating checking account. **`[MONTH]`** The month and year, such as September 2026. **`[GAP]`** The difference between the bank and book balances, copied from your reconciliation. **`[EXCEPTIONS]`** Each unmatched row with its date, name and amount, pasted from your list. **`[WORD LIMIT]`** 250 keeps it to a page. ## Example, filled in **A made-up example** from the free lesson [Month-End Bank Reconciliation with ChatGPT: 20 Minutes, Not 3 Hours](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/chatgpt-bank-reconciliation-month-end). Harbor Lane Studio is the made-up design studio in the Month-End Bank Reconciliation with ChatGPT lesson. After matching September, the bookkeeper has four exceptions and wants a memo for the studio owner. Copy example ```text Role: You are a staff accountant at a small bookkeeping firm, writing a short reconciliation memo for the owner of Harbor Lane Studio, a small design studio. Context: We reconciled the operating checking account for September 2026. The book and bank balances differ by $4,370.50. The exceptions we found are: a Brightwater Dental deposit of $2,315.50 on the bank statement that is not in the books; a monthly service fee of $35.00 charged by the bank; a Granite State Paper bill of $1,240.00 entered twice in the books; and check 1027 to Corbin Tree & Lawn for $850.00 that has not cleared. Use only these figures. Do not recalculate them and do not invent new rows. If a reason is unclear, say "needs review". Task: Write a memo that lists each exception with its amount and its likely cause, says whether the books need an entry, the bank needs to be contacted or nothing needs to be done, and names the next action. Then show in one line that the exceptions add up to the gap, using the figures I gave you. Format: A short table with the columns Exception, Amount, Cause, Fix and Owner. Then three bullet points on what the owner should know. Plain words, under 250 words, with no accounting jargon the owner would not use. ``` ## What a good answer looks like - Every row has a cause, a fix and an owner, and the outstanding check says "nothing to record, it clears next month". - The closing line shows the exceptions summing to the gap and uses only your figures. - The memo reads like something an owner would forward, with no jargon and no filler. ## How to check it before you use it An AI draft can sound right and still say something you never told it. Use the habit from the [Reply Faster lesson](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/chatgpt-reply-to-customer-emails): check every promise, name, date and number against what you gave it before anything goes out. - Add the four amounts up yourself with a calculator. They should equal the gap you gave it. - Check each cause against the bank statement and the ledger, not against the memo. - Make the entries in your accounting software yourself. The memo describes the fix, it does not record it. - Have a reviewer sign off before the memo goes to the client. ## Why this prompt works The Context fixes the numbers and forbids new ones, so the model writes about the figures instead of generating them. The "needs review" rule keeps a guess from becoming a stated cause. ## Practice it in the free lesson **[Month-End Bank Reconciliation with ChatGPT: 20 Minutes, Not 3 Hours](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/chatgpt-bank-reconciliation-month-end)**: Upload the bank statement and the books, let ChatGPT match every row and list the exceptions, then check the answer and paste a reconciliation summary into the month-end file. You do every step yourself in a practice copy of ChatGPT, and nothing touches your real accounts. [Start the free lesson](https://learn.ynteractive.com/modules/chatgpt-bank-reconciliation) ## Terms used here [Bank reconciliation](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/bank-reconciliation) · [Closing the books](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/closing-the-books) · [General ledger](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/general-ledger) ## Related prompts - [Month-end close checklist prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/month-end-close-checklist-prompt): Turn your rough month-end close notes into an ordered, day-by-day checklist with an owner and a "done when" for every step. No… - [Client monthly report prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/client-monthly-report-prompt): Turn your agency's monthly numbers and work log into a client report: what changed, what you did, what's next. Every number… - [Duplicate invoice check prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/duplicate-invoice-check-prompt): Scan the bills in a payment run for likely duplicates: same vendor and amount, near-matching invoice numbers and bills already… ## More reports and planning prompts - [Budget request memo prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/budget-request-memo-prompt): Write a one-page memo asking for next year's budget: the problem, the amount, what it buys, the options you weighed and how… - [Budget variance explanation prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/budget-variance-explanation-prompt): Turn a budget-versus-actual report into a plain-English explanation of what moved and why, using only the reasons you give, plus… - [Campaign results summary prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/campaign-results-summary-prompt): Turn the numbers from a finished marketing campaign into a plain summary: what ran, what each piece did, what to repeat and what… ## Frequently asked questions **Can AI write a bank reconciliation memo?** Yes, if you give it the exceptions and the totals. It drafts the wording. You check the amounts and record the entries. **Should I paste real account numbers?** No. Leave out account numbers and anything the memo does not need, and follow your firm's AI policy. [All free prompt templates](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts) · [AI glossary](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary)