
In a bank reconciliation, deposits outstanding are a crucial aspect to understand. Deposits outstanding refer to deposits that have been made to your account but have not yet been posted by the bank.
These deposits may be pending due to various reasons such as a bank holiday, a delay in processing, or a technical issue. This can cause a discrepancy between your records and the bank's records.
A deposit can be considered outstanding if it's been made by a third-party payment method, like a wire transfer or a check. This type of deposit may take longer to clear than a direct deposit or an ATM deposit.
It's essential to account for these outstanding deposits when reconciling your bank statement to ensure accuracy and avoid any potential discrepancies.
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What is an Outstanding Deposit?
An outstanding deposit is an amount of cash recorded by the receiving entity, but which has not yet been recorded by its bank. It's essentially a deposit that's been made, but the bank hasn't had a chance to process it yet.
These deposits are typically only outstanding for one business day, so they tend to be few and far between. Deposits in transit are a type of outstanding deposit, and they can be a reconciling item on the periodic bank reconciliation prepared by the receiving entity.
To illustrate this, let's consider an example from Refill Corporation, which received a $2,000 check from a customer on August 31. The bookkeeper recorded this check on August 31, but deposited it at the bank extremely late in the day, so that the bank didn't record it until September 1. In this situation, Refill should record the cash in its accounting system as of August 31, and list it on the month-end bank reconciliation as a deposit in transit.
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Definition
An outstanding deposit is a cash amount recorded by the receiving entity, but not yet recorded by its bank.
Typically, deposits are only outstanding for one business day, which is why you tend to see few of these deposits listed as reconciling items during a bank reconciliation.
An outstanding deposit is listed as a reconciling item on the periodic bank reconciliation prepared by the receiving entity.
Review Cash Book
Reviewing your cash book is a crucial step in identifying outstanding deposits.
Check your cash book to ensure all transactions are accurately recorded, including recent deposits that may not yet appear in the bank statement.
You should look for checks or payments made late in the period, as these may not have cleared the bank yet.
Related reading: Cash Deposits in Bank Account
Deposits in Transit
Deposits in transit are a common type of outstanding deposit. They occur when a deposit is made after the bank statement was issued, but the bank hasn't yet recorded it in the account.
Typically, deposits in transit are only outstanding for one business day, so they tend to be few in number. You can identify these deposits by checking your cash book or general ledger account for transactions recorded but not yet appearing in the bank statement.
Deposits in transit are also known as outstanding deposits or deposits in transit. This is because the deposit has been made, but the bank hasn't yet acknowledged it.
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Here are some examples of deposits in transit:
- A deposit of $1,500 made on May 31, but the bank didn't record it until June 1.
- A deposit made after the bank statement was issued, but already recorded in the books.
The most common reconciling items in a bank reconciliation are deposits in transit and outstanding checks. Deposits in transit are deposits made after the bank statement was issued but have already been recorded in the books.
Bank Reconciliation Process
The bank reconciliation process is a crucial step in ensuring the accuracy of your bank statements. It's a comparison of your company's records with the bank's records to identify any discrepancies.
The reconciliation process typically starts by identifying outstanding deposits, which are deposits that have been recorded in your company's records but not yet posted by the bank. These can be deposits that were made by customers but not yet cleared by the bank.
Outstanding deposits can be a significant source of errors in the reconciliation process, as they can cause your company's records to appear inaccurate.
Update Bank Balance
To update the bank balance, you need to consider the impact of outstanding deposits and withdrawals on the account. Outstanding deposits will increase the balance.
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Deposits in transit, which are amounts received and recorded by the business but not yet recorded by the bank, must be added to the bank balance. This is because these deposits are already reflected in the business's financial records.
Outstanding checks, on the other hand, will decrease the balance. These are checks that have been written and recorded in the business's financial records but have not yet cleared the bank account.
Bank errors, such as incorrect amounts or omitted transactions, can also affect the balance. These errors can occur on either the bank statement or the business's financial records.
Estimate how the bank account balance will change as these transactions are processed by the bank. This will give you an accurate picture of the current balance.
Common Reconciling Items
Reconciling items can be a challenge, but understanding what they are and how to handle them can make the process much smoother. Deposits in transit are deposits made after the bank statement was issued but have already been recorded in the books.
Outstanding checks are checks that have been written but haven't yet cleared the bank. This can happen when checks are written in the last few days of the month. Bank fees, on the other hand, are charges levied by the bank for services such as monthly maintenance fees or overdraft fees.
Interest income is another reconciling item that needs to be accounted for. If you earn interest from your bank, that interest income will show up on the bank statement and needs to be recorded in your income statement. Non-sufficient funds (NSF) checks are also a reconciling item, where checks are deposited into your bank account but are subsequently returned due to insufficient funds.
Here are the most common reconciling items:
- Deposits in transit: Deposits made after the bank statement was issued but have already been recorded in the books.
- Outstanding checks: Checks that have been written but haven't yet cleared the bank.
- Bank fees: Charges levied by the bank for services such as monthly maintenance fees or overdraft fees.
- Interest income: Interest earned from the bank that needs to be recorded in the income statement.
- Non-sufficient funds (NSF) checks: Checks deposited into the bank account but returned due to insufficient funds.
Related Concepts
An outstanding deposit is also known as a deposit in transit. This is a situation where a company has deposited a check or other payment with the bank, but the bank hasn't yet recorded it.
Refill Corporation's example illustrates this concept, where they received a $2,000 check on August 31, but the bank didn't record it until September 1. In this case, Refill should record the cash in its accounting system as of August 31.
Outstanding deposits can be a common occurrence, especially if a company deposits checks or payments at the end of the day. This can cause a delay in the bank's recording of the deposit, leading to a deposit in transit.
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Comparing and Adjusting
Comparing the deposits in your business records with the bank statement is a crucial step in the reconciliation process.
You'll need to match the deposits in the business records with those in the bank statement, comparing the amount of each deposit recorded in the debit side of the bank column of the accounting records with the credit side of the bank statement and the credit side of the accounting records with the debit side of the bank statement.
Mark the items appearing in both records to identify any discrepancies.
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Comparing and Adjusting

Start by matching the deposits in your business records with those in the bank statement. Compare the amount of each deposit recorded in the debit side of the bank column of the accounting records with the credit side of the bank statement.
Deposits in transit are amounts that are received and recorded by the business but are not yet recorded by the bank. They must be added to the bank statement. Outstanding checks are those that have been written and recorded in the financial records of the business but have not yet cleared the bank account. They need to be deducted from the bank balance.
Bank errors are mistakes made by the bank while creating the bank statement. Common errors include entering an incorrect amount or omitting an amount from the bank statement. These miscalculations can also occur on the business’s financial records.
Compare the business’s financial records to the bank statement to spot the errors. This can be accomplished by matching transactions, and then adding or deducting any transactions that do not align to balance the total amounts.

An example of a bank reconciliation statement shows how to add deposits in transit and subtract outstanding checks and bank fees. Here's a breakdown of the steps:
Note that the adjusted bank balance and adjusted book balance should be equal, as they represent the same financial position.
Make Adjustments
Once you have identified all the differences between the two statements, identify the source of the discrepancy. Common sources include deposits in transit that have not yet been deposited in your bank account, as well as bank fees that have been withdrawn by your bank but may have been missed in your company records.
Deposits in transit are amounts that are received and recorded by the business but are not yet recorded by the bank. They need to be added to the bank statement to reflect the true balance.
Bank fees are withdrawn by the bank but may have been missed in the company records. These fees should be deducted from the bank statement to ensure accuracy.

Outstanding checks are those that have been written and recorded in the financial records of the business but have not yet cleared the bank account. They need to be deducted from the bank balance to reflect the actual amount available.
Mistakes made by the bank or the business's internal accounting team can also cause discrepancies. These miscalculations can occur on either the bank statement or the company's financial records.
To adjust the bank statement, add deposits in transit and outstanding deposits, and subtract outstanding checks and bank fees.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the outstanding balance deposit?
An outstanding deposit is money received and recorded by a company, but not yet processed by the bank. This temporary balance is also known as a deposit in transit.
Do you add or subtract outstanding checks in bank reconciliation?
In bank reconciliation, outstanding checks are subtracted from the balance per bank statement. This adjustment ensures an accurate reconciliation of your account.
Sources
- https://juris.com/help/juris/Content/Topics/Juris/00-Tables/03-Bank%20accounts/bank-accounts-recon-advanced-info-ref.htm
- https://www.accountingtools.com/articles/outstanding-deposit
- https://www.freshbooks.com/hub/accounting/do-bank-reconciliation
- https://floqast.com/blog/reconciling-items/
- https://www.thefinanceweekly.com/post/the-guide-for-an-accurate-bank-reconciliation
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