Reconciliation in Puzzle is optional. Since we use direct APIs to pull your activity automatically, your transactions are already in the system. However, performing a reconciliation is the best way to ensure every single transaction is accounted for and matches your bank statement exactly—giving you 100% confidence in your financial reports.
The goal is to ensure your Puzzle records match your real-world bank statements. This is the most important step in building high-confidence financials and closing your books each month.
Step-by-Step Guide
Step 0: Select your account
Navigate to the Reconciliation tab. You can select an account from the summary at the top or pick a pre-drafted reconciliation from the list below.
Sequential Reconciliations: You must reconcile periods in order. You cannot complete a reconciliation for a specific month until all previous months for that account are finished.
Step 1: Upload your statement (Optional)
Uploading your PDF statement allows you to view your beginning balance, ending balance, and activity side-by-side with your Puzzle Ledger. While optional, this provides a "source of truth" for your records.
To do this, click the the double arrow button on the top left and upload your statement. Please note, you can only upload 1 PDF so if you need more than 1 statement - please combine them together.
Step 2: Verify balances
Compare the Beginning and Ending balances in Puzzle to your statement.
Beginning Balance: This is automatically pulled from the ending balance of your previous reconciliation.
Ending Balance: If Puzzle’s API balance differs slightly from your statement (often due to timing), don’t worry. Simply edit the field to match your statement exactly.
Step 3: Review transactions
Review the transactions marked with a green checkmark. Do they match your statement activity?
To remove a transaction: Uncheck it if it doesn't belong in this specific period.
To add a transaction: If a transaction is listed but unchecked, click checkmark box to include it.
If a transaction is missing:
1. Check your connection on the Integrations page.
2. Check for any time zone differences.
3. Go back to the reconciliation page and Click "+ Add transaction" on the top right to enter it manually.
Step 4: Reach a zero "Remaining" balance
As you match transactions, your "Remaining" balance will update in real-time. Once your Puzzle activity matches your statement perfectly, the Remaining balance will hit $0.00.
At this point, the Complete button in the top right corner of your screen will become clickable.
Step 5: Finalize and Review
Click Complete. This action finalizes your work for the period and triggers Puzzle’s auto-validation check. You will be redirected back to the main Reconciliation dashboard.
Step 6: Verify the Reconciliation Status
On the main Reconciliation page, look at your account list. A successful reconciliation will now show:
Reconciled through: The end date of the period you just finished (e.g., 02/28/2026).
Auto-validation check: A green checkmark indicating that Puzzle has verified your ledger against the bank's data.
Step 7: Repeat and Refresh
Repeat this process for all bank and credit card accounts. Once finished, head over to the Transactions page to ensure everything is categorized correctly.
Modifying or Redoing a Reconciliation
If you need to change a past reconciliation, click on the account you'd like to adjust and click the three-dot menu in the upper-right corner of that specific reconciliation to un-approve and then you can either edit or delete a reconciliation.
Restarting: You can choose to restart a reconciliation if you made a mistake.
The Chain Effect: Because reconciliations are sequential, deleting or re-opening one will automatically re-open all subsequent reconciliations for that account.
Transaction Lock: Transactions are "locked" once reconciled. > If a transaction was used in a previous reconciliation, it will not appear as an option for a new one. If you need to include a transaction that is missing, or if you need to redo a period, you must first un-approve and delete the previous reconciliation for those transactions to become available again.