A matching rule says "when a bank line looks like this, do that". Rules handle the lines that matching leaves open: matching looks for invoices and bills first, then your rules fill in the rest. Use them for regular lines with no document, such as bank charges, salaries or electricity bills.
Create the rule
Go to Banking → Matching Rules and click New rule.
Enter a Rule name, for example "Bank charges".
Under Action, choose what the rule does:
Auto-assign (post-ready) gives the line the ledger, ready to post. It is never posted by itself. Suggest ledger proposes the ledger and leaves the line in Needs review for you to accept. Confirm AI suggestion accepts the document SmartLedger.AI recommends on a suggested line when its confidence reaches your percentage.
Add Keywords to look for. Press Enter or type a comma after each one. A line fits if its narration or reference contains any of them as whole words.
Narrow it down if you need to:
Type limits the rule to Money out (debit) or Money in (credit). Bank account limits it to one account. Min amount and Max amount set an amount range, both ends included.
For Auto-assign or Suggest ledger, pick the Ledger the lines go to. For Confirm AI suggestion, enter the Min AI confidence as a percentage.
Check the Preview. It shows how many open lines the rule would act on, with a few examples.
Click Save rule.
If the rule fits open lines, SmartLedger offers to apply it straight away. Click Apply now, or Not now to wait for the next matching run.
Rules to know
- An Auto-assign or Suggest ledger rule needs at least one keyword or an amount range, so it only catches the lines you mean. Type and account alone aren't enough.
- The ledger can't be the bank account's own ledger, Accounts receivable or Accounts payable.
- A rule can have up to 20 keywords.
Order, pause and edit rules
Rules are tried from the top of the list down, and the first enabled rule that fits a line wins. A new rule goes to the bottom.
- Use the arrows in the # column to move a rule up or down. Clear the search and status filter first.
- Turn the switch in the On column off to pause a rule. A paused rule is skipped until you turn it back on.
- Use the pencil to edit a rule, or the bin to delete it. The Activity column shows how many lines a rule has acted on and when it last ran.
What happens next
- Rules run whenever matching runs: after you start reconciliation for a statement, or click Run matching in Bank Reconciliation.
- Run matching on the Matching Rules page applies your enabled rules to every open line at once.
- Lines a rule handled show Rule: and the rule's name in Bank Reconciliation. Lines given a ledger still need Create journal entry to reach your books.
Tips
- In Bank Reconciliation, click Save as rule on a line you've just settled. The rule is filled in from that line and goes to the top of your list.
- The Open to match card shows the same count as Needs review in Bank Reconciliation.
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