Reconciliation mappings

Why it matters

Your cash flow statement is built from net income and the changes in your balance sheet. For some lines (depreciation, fixed asset purchases, loans, a line of credit, owner distributions and the like) Ask Lou needs to know which of your accounts belong to which line. Until those are set, your cash flow statement can't tie out.

You set them up once. After that, every month's cash flow statement uses them.

This is reconciling your cash flow statement, not reconciling your bank accounts.

Where to find it

Reconciliation in the menu, or the Task List step Set up your account mappings, the last step of setup. The first time, the Spotlight Guide walks you through it and the first line still to set up opens for you. When every line is set up or marked not applicable, choose Finish setup; or choose Skip for now and come back whenever you like.

The page

Cash Flow Statement Mappings lists each line, grouped into cash, operating, investing and financing activities, with a count of how many are left to set up. Each line shows Configured or Not set up.

The lines include cash and cash equivalents, depreciation and amortization, gains and losses on assets and investments, fixed assets, notes receivable, other assets and investing activities, the line of credit, notes payable, and your owners' or shareholders' equity lines. Which equity lines you see depends on your type of company: contributions and distributions for an LLC, stock issued for a corporation.

Setting up a line

Open a line to see your accounts, with a short note on what belongs there.

• Recommended (green): Ask Lou's pick for this line. They're already ticked the first time you open it; Select recommended ticks them again.
• Possible match (amber): might belong. Click the badge to ask Lou whether it should be on this line.
• Matches only hides everything else. You can also search your accounts.

Tick the accounts that belong and choose Save.

Lines that don't apply

If your company has nothing for a line, such as preferred stock, save it with no accounts ticked and it's marked Not applicable. It moves to its own list, where Bring back returns it.

When your books and your schedules disagree

Purchases and sales of fixed assets and payments on your loans also come from your asset list and your loan schedules. When those don't match what your books show, the cash flow statement adds an Unrecorded line for the difference, so you can see exactly where to look. Fix the books in your accounting system, or the schedule in Ask Lou, and it goes away.

Mappings change how Ask Lou builds your cash flow statement. They never change your accounting system.