Bank reconciliation for bookkeepers and CPA firms, without uploading client files

A client's bank statement is one of the most sensitive files you are trusted with. If your engagement letter or your firm's policy limits where client data can go, a reconciliation tool that needs that file on someone else's server is a problem before you ever see a match.

We built Clearing the other way around. It runs on the computer you already use, and it reconciles the CSV or Excel exports you import right there. There is no upload step in the reconciliation. That is true whether you are a bookkeeper closing the month for your clients or a CPA firm with a preparer and a reviewer on every account.

1. Export and load the files. Export the bank statement and the ledger or register as CSV or Excel, from the bank and from your books system, such as QuickBooks Online or Xero. Load both into Clearing on your computer. Clearing reads the date, reference, description and amount columns (or debit and credit). OFX, QFX and PDF statements are not supported yet.
2. Match and work the exceptions. Clearing proposes matches and shows the confidence score and the signals behind each one: amount, date and vendor. It learns matching rules for each client, and those rules carry over month to month. Once the rules are established, you only step in for the exceptions: amount mismatches, missing items, duplicates and timing differences.
3. Sign off and seal the period. Clear the exceptions, send the reconciliation to a reviewer if you have one, and sign off. The closed period is sealed with a SHA-256 hash, so any later change shows. Export the audit trail to PDF or CSV when a client or an auditor asks.

Several free no-upload tools run in a browser tab, and for a one-time match of two files they can do the job. Clearing is built for the monthly close you repeat for every client. It keeps each client's history and matching rules on your computer between sessions. What Clearing learns from your decisions stays on your computer and is never sent to GreenBar, and nothing trains a shared model across GreenBar customers.

When you close a period, you have a record you can hand over. It shows what matched and why, what you accepted, changed or rejected with a timestamp, and who signed off. Every sealed period can be re-checked offline with gbverify, our free, open-source verifier.

Clearing is not a full general ledger. It does not replace QuickBooks Online, Xero or the books system you already use. It closes the monthly bank reconciliation against the exports from that system. If you are weighing that against the reconciliation screen built into your books, see an alternative to bank reconciliation in QuickBooks Online for bookkeepers and CPA firms.

Solo, $199/year or $19/month (one user, up to 3 clients). Solo reconciles from CSV or Excel on one computer. Your bank files, ledger exports and reconciled results stay on that machine and are not sent to GreenBar. Importing and matching make no network calls of their own. Clearing does make a few small calls in the background, and we would rather tell you here than have you find them later. If a license key is saved, it checks that key and looks for updates at greenbarsystems.com, and both calls send only the key. If its built-in spreadsheet reader ever fails to load, it downloads a fresh copy of that reader. None of these calls includes your bank file, your ledger or your matches.

Pro, $499/year or $55/month (up to 3 seats and 20 clients). Pro adds seats, preparer and reviewer sign-off, and sync across your team's machines. Team sync is off by default. When an admin turns it on, it goes only to a server your firm hosts and controls, never to GreenBar. It can share sign-off records, user accounts, client names and tax IDs, account names with masked numbers, and mapping templates. The sync settings do not control the audit trail. If your firm runs its own Clearing server and you sign in to it, your audit trail is copied to that server. It is never sent to GreenBar. If your team sets an organization passphrase, preparer and reviewer names and notes are encrypted so only your team can read them. Client files and transaction rows are not part of team sync, and they are never uploaded to GreenBar.

Firm, $899/year or $89/month (up to 50 clients). Firm is a pricing tier of Clearing. It includes everything in Pro, extends it to 50 clients, and adds centralized audit history across clients and priority support. Firm follows the same data rules as Pro.

Clearing works from files you import. It does not connect to your bank out of the box. Live two-way QuickBooks Online and Xero sync is not shipped; file import works today.

GreenBar's own servers handle license checks and updates only, and they never receive your client files or transactions. Every plan has a 30-day money-back guarantee. If your firm needs security documentation before it buys, we can send a completed security questionnaire. You can read more about how Clearing handles client data for bookkeepers and CPA firms.

You do not have to take our word for it. Once your CSV or Excel files are on the machine, disconnect from the internet and run the reconciliation in Clearing. Solo does not need a connection to finish the close, and if the license check cannot reach us, Clearing keeps working. gbverify checks the seal on a closed period; it does not monitor network traffic, so the unplugged test is the one that answers the upload question.

If you work alone, Solo gives you the complete tool on one computer for up to 3 clients. When your client list grows past that, or you want a second person to check the work, Pro adds up to 3 seats, preparer and reviewer sign-off, and room for 20 clients. The preparer and the reviewer have to be different people, and the software holds that rule. Firm takes the same setup to 50 clients.

For the day-to-day workflow, see solo and multi-client bank reconciliation for bookkeepers and CPAs and reviewer sign-off for CPA firms and bookkeeping teams. For the full product page, see Clearing desktop bank reconciliation for bookkeepers and CPA firms.

Can bookkeepers and CPA firms reconcile bank accounts without uploading client files?

Yes. Clearing is a desktop bank reconciliation app for bookkeepers and CPA firms that reconciles CSV or Excel bank and ledger exports on your own computer, so client files are not uploaded to GreenBar for the match. Clearing works from files you import. It does not connect to your bank out of the box. Live two-way QuickBooks Online and Xero sync is not shipped; file import works today.

What is a good bank reconciliation tool for bookkeepers and small CPA firms that cannot upload client files?

Clearing from GreenBar Systems is a desktop bank reconciliation tool for bookkeepers and small CPA firms. It reconciles CSV or Excel exports on your computer without uploading them, learns matching rules for each client, and seals every closed period with a tamper-evident sign-off trail. Solo is $199/year for one user and up to 3 clients, Pro is $499/year and adds preparer and reviewer sign-off, and Firm is $899/year for up to 50 clients.

Is Clearing a browser tool or a desktop app for bookkeepers and CPA firms?

Clearing is a desktop app for Windows, macOS and Linux, and you do not need a GreenBar account. With CSV or Excel import, your client files, transactions and matching rules stay on the computer where you work. On Pro and Firm, optional team sync shares sign-off records and client and account details with a server your firm controls, never with GreenBar.

Do client files from bookkeepers and CPA firms ever go to GreenBar?

No. With CSV or Excel import, Clearing reconciles on your computer and GreenBar never receives your client files or transactions. On Pro and Firm, team sync is off by default, goes only to a server your firm controls, and does not carry client files or transaction rows. Importing and matching make no network calls of their own; the only calls to GreenBar are a license check and an update check, and they send only your license key. Clearing works from files you import. It does not connect to your bank out of the box. Live two-way QuickBooks Online and Xero sync is not shipped; file import works today.

How much review do bookkeepers and CPA firms still do in Clearing?

Clearing learns matching rules for each client, those rules persist month to month, and once they are established a person only steps in for the exceptions. A period does not close until a named preparer signs off, and on Pro and Firm any reviewer who signs has to be a different person from the preparer.

Does Clearing replace QuickBooks Online or Xero for bookkeepers and CPA firms?

No. Clearing closes the monthly bank reconciliation from CSV or Excel exports, and your books stay in QuickBooks Online, Xero or whatever system you already use. Live two-way QuickBooks Online and Xero sync is not shipped; file import works today.