A checkbook register is a handwritten record of all debits and credits made in a checking account for any given accounting period. By maintaining an internal record of how much money you are depositing and withdrawing from a checking account, you not only maintain a complete historical record & track of your finances to help you budget better, you are also in a position to reconcile your own daily financial records with the official bank statement of your account to identify any outstanding or unprocessed sums of money, say, checks still in clearance.
Our print-ready Checkbook Register template is designed in a standard page size so you can print and make your own register as per your preference. Simply download and print the Word file. We have also added a separate ledger sheet for automatic payments where you can record all periodic withdrawals and deposits in your checking account as well as a calendar to help you track transactions by date until 2030.
Account Overview
Here, you will provide key details about the account you want to track, including the name of the account holder (preferably in block letters to avoid confusion), the Account Number, Title, and the Account Type (say, a checking, current, or saving).
In the remaining sections, confirm the currency your account operates in, mention the bank your account is registered in, and assign a number to each transaction register for easier future reference and tracking (say, 1, 1.1, 1.2).
In the date placeholder below, mention the date you started tracking your transactions with our Checkbook Register followed by the date of the last transaction recorded in it.
The Register
Date, check no. & nature of the transaction
In the first column, you need to specify the exact date when a transaction was made.
Now record the check number associated with each transaction. Having a record of this will ensure you have the proof necessary to establish that a certain withdrawal or deposit was made and when.
Under the next heading, add a brief description of each transaction in your checking account. For example, you may include a payee’s name, small description of the transaction, the type of deposit or withdrawal made, or any fees or interest in cases where such is applicable.
Debit/credit and balance
Here, you specify whether the transaction you are recording is a withdrawal (in the left column) or a deposit (in the right column). Based on this value, you will calculate your remaining balance – that is, how much money is still left in your checking account after each transaction.
Fee
For some types of financial transactions, you might also have to pay a processing fee. This transaction fee may be charged when money is transferred from one account to another or when a product or service is purchased online.
In this column, you simply have to specify the amount of fee charged against each transaction.
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In the next column, you need to specify if your transaction has been reconciled or not – that is, whether your internal checkbook records for the transaction match your official bank statement at the end of a business day. If they do, place a tick under this column; if they don’t, leave it empty until it is reconciled. A reconciliation tracker allows you to compare these two sets of records for any given accounting period, helping you identify and take up any discrepancies or unprocessed transactions with your bank.
Automatic Payment Reminder
While most transactions in a checking account are unique and one-off, there are also those that are regular and recurrent.
For instance, if you subscribe to a streaming service like Netflix, you can expect a deduction of subscription charges every month through a standing order. Similarly, if you own a rental property, you may be receiving a certain amount of money that is automatically deposited in your checking account at the start of every month.
To accommodate these transactions, we have attached a separate ledger at the end of our template where you can record all automatic withdrawals and deposits. When tracking your running account balance, make sure to deduct all authorized automatic payments from your account balance and add all automatic deposits on the date they are received.
User instructions
We have also included a short instructional guide for template users to explain all terms used in our Checkbook Register and the purpose they serve.
Who Is Our Template For?
- Individuals who want to keep track of their personal finances and ensure that their bank account balance is accurate.
- Business owners who need to manage company funds and maintain accurate financial records for accounting purposes.
- Accountants and financial planners use it to manage or review financial accounts on behalf of their clients.
Wrap Up
Use our WordLayout Checkbook Register template to find the best solution to your financial management troubles at home or at work.
You can easily convert our print-ready template into a book with as many individual sheets as you need to suit your personal or business needs!
Our editable template can be downloaded for free as a PDF, Google Docs, and WORD file!
