> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://ombamanual.ombaerp.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Record deposits, payments, and reconcile accounts in OMBA

> Record deposits, payments, and cheques in OMBA's banking module, and reconcile your cashbook against bank statements with the built-in reconciliation tool.

OMBA's banking module is the central hub for all cash movements in your business. Every deposit you receive and every payment you make is recorded here, linked to the chart of accounts, and automatically posted to the general ledger. The module also includes a bank reconciliation workspace where you compare your OMBA cashbook against your actual bank statement and process any outstanding items.

<Note>
  Before you record any banking transactions, make sure you have set up at least one bank account in the **Chart of Accounts** under **Administration > Accounts**. Each bank account is a ledger account with an account type of Bank. The deposit and payment forms pull the bank selection list directly from these accounts. If no bank accounts exist, the Bank drop-down on the transaction forms will be empty.
</Note>

***

## Deposits

A deposit records money received into a bank account — for example, a customer payment, a receipt from a debtor, or any other inflow. In OMBA, deposits use a transaction builder pattern: you add individual line items to a list, review the totals, then process the entire batch as a single transaction.

### Deposit transaction fields

| Field                | Description                                                                   |
| -------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Date                 | The value date of the deposit                                                 |
| Bank (Received Into) | The bank account the funds are being deposited into                           |
| Payment type         | The method of payment (EFT, cash, card, etc.)                                 |
| Payment reference #  | Cheque number, EFT reference, or any other payment reference                  |
| Account – Paid from  | The general ledger account the deposit is coming from (e.g. a debtor account) |
| Overdue invoices     | Optional — link the deposit to an outstanding invoice                         |
| Description          | Narrative describing the transaction                                          |
| Total amount         | Gross amount of the deposit line                                              |
| Withheld amount      | Any tax withholding deducted from the payment                                 |
| Net amount           | Calculated automatically as total amount minus withheld amount                |

### Recording a deposit

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Deposits">
    Navigate to **Banking > Deposits**. The screen shows the list of existing deposit transactions.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click New">
    Click the **New** button in the toolbar to open the Deposit Transaction Builder.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set the date and bank account">
    Select the **Date** of the deposit using the date picker. Then choose the **Bank (Received Into)** — the bank account where the funds will land. This account appears as the debit side of the journal entry.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose the payment type and reference">
    Select the **Payment Type** (for example, EFT, cheque, or cash). Enter the **Payment Reference #** — for a cheque this is the cheque number; for an EFT this is the bank reference number.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select the source account and invoice">
    Choose the **Account – Paid From** from the chart of accounts. This is the credit side of the journal entry (typically a debtor or income account). If the deposit settles an outstanding invoice, select it from the **Overdue Invoices** drop-down — OMBA will link the payment to the invoice for debtor reconciliation.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enter the amount and add to the list">
    Type the **Total Amount**. If a withholding tax applies, enter it in **Withheld Amount** — OMBA calculates the **Net Amount** automatically. Click **Add to List** to stage the line item. Repeat this step for additional lines in the same deposit run.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Attach supporting documents">
    Use the upload area in the footer to attach a PDF copy of the deposit slip or remittance advice. Only PDF files are accepted.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Process the deposit">
    Review the totals row at the bottom of the list. When everything is correct, click **Process**. OMBA posts the journal entries to the general ledger and records the transaction in the cashbook.
  </Step>
</Steps>

***

## Payments (withdrawals)

Payments record money leaving a bank account — supplier payments, expense reimbursements, or any other outflow. The payment form mirrors the deposit form exactly, with the bank account field labelled **Bank (Paid From)** and the account field labelled **Account – Received By**.

Go to **Banking > Payments**, click **New**, and follow the same builder pattern: fill in the header fields, enter each payment line and click **Add to List**, optionally attach a PDF, then click **Process** to post the transaction.

The journal entry OMBA creates credits the bank account (reducing the balance) and debits the expense or creditor account you selected.

<Tip>
  You can enter multiple lines in a single payment run — for example, to batch-pay several supplier invoices in one transaction. Each line can reference a different account and invoice. All lines share the same date, bank account, and payment reference.
</Tip>

***

## Cheques and bank reconciliation

The **Banking > Bank Reconciliation** screen (also referred to as cheques in the system) serves two related purposes: tracking cheque numbers on individual transactions, and reconciling your OMBA cashbook against your bank statement.

### How cheque numbers work

When recording a deposit or payment, the **Payment Reference #** field accepts a cheque number. This reference is stored with the transaction and appears in the reconciliation cashbook view under the **Cheque #** column. You can filter the cashbook by cheque number to locate specific transactions quickly.

### Reconciling your cashbook

The reconciliation workspace lets you load all cashbook entries for a selected bank account and date range, then tick them off against your actual bank statement.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Bank Reconciliation">
    Go to **Banking > Bank Reconciliation**. The header section contains all the controls you need.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select the bank account and period">
    Choose the **Bank** account from the drop-down. Set the **From** and **To** dates to match the period on your bank statement.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enter the statement closing balance">
    Type the closing balance from your bank statement into the **Statement Balance** field. OMBA uses this to calculate the difference between the statement and your cashbook.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Load the cashbook">
    Click **Load**. OMBA populates the cashbook grid with all deposits and payments for the selected account and period, showing the date, reference, description, cheque number, deposit amount, and withdrawal amount for each entry.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Match transactions">
    Work through the cashbook entries and click the tick (process) button on each row that appears on your bank statement. OMBA marks the item as confirmed. The **Reconciled** total in the footer updates as you work.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Review the summary totals">
    The footer shows five summary figures: **Cashbook Balance**, **Previous Cashbook Balance**, **Reconciled** (matched total), **Outstanding** (unmatched total), and **Difference** (cashbook balance minus statement balance). When the difference reaches zero, your books agree with the bank.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Handle outstanding statement items">
    Switch to the **Outstanding from Statement** tab to view transactions that appear on the bank statement but not yet in OMBA. For each row, assign an **Account**, add a **Ref**, choose the **Payment Type**, and set the **Withheld** amount if applicable. Click **Process Data** to post these items to the cashbook and general ledger.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Importing a bank statement

The reconciliation screen also supports importing statement data from an Excel file. Before uploading, map the column positions of your spreadsheet to OMBA's fields using the column-number inputs in the import bar:

| Input   | What to enter                                        |
| ------- | ---------------------------------------------------- |
| Date    | Column number containing transaction dates           |
| Debit   | Column number containing debit (deposit) amounts     |
| Credit  | Column number containing credit (withdrawal) amounts |
| Details | Column number containing the transaction description |
| Cheque  | Column number containing cheque or reference numbers |

Upload the Excel file using the **Statement File** uploader, then click **Process Excel**. OMBA reads the file, maps the columns, and loads the statement lines into the Outstanding view for you to assign accounts and process.

<Warning>
  Clicking **Reset** in the reconciliation actions menu will uncheck all currently matched (confirmed) items for the selected period. Use this only if you need to start the reconciliation from scratch. The action prompts for confirmation before proceeding.
</Warning>

***

## How banking transactions post to the general ledger

Every deposit and payment you process in the banking module creates a double-entry journal:

| Transaction type | Debit                             | Credit                     |
| ---------------- | --------------------------------- | -------------------------- |
| Deposit          | Bank account (Received Into)      | Source account (Paid From) |
| Payment          | Destination account (Received By) | Bank account (Paid From)   |

The accounts involved are drawn directly from your chart of accounts. OMBA links the sub-account (classification) to the transaction line, so you can drill from any journal entry back to the originating banking transaction and from there to the supporting document you attached.

Bank account balances shown in the reconciliation cashbook balance field reflect all processed transactions. Transactions that have been entered but not yet processed (still in the builder list) are not posted and do not affect the cashbook balance until you click **Process**.