Banking & Reconciliation
Connect bank accounts, import statements, match transactions, and reconcile your books.
The Banking page lets you connect your business bank accounts to Helium, import or automatically sync transactions, and match them against your accounting records for reconciliation.
BankingOverview
The page shows:
- Total cash position — A summary of the combined balance across all your bank accounts
- Bank account cards — One card per connected account showing the name, balance, and connection status
- Transaction list — When you select a bank account, its transactions appear below for matching and reconciliation
Connecting a bank account
You can add a bank account in two ways:
Open banking (recommended)
Open banking connects directly to your bank and automatically downloads transactions, providing secure, read-only access to your bank data.
Click Connect Bank
Click the Connect Bank button at the top of the page.
Select your bank
A secure window opens showing a list of supported UK banks and building societies. Find and select your bank.
Authenticate with your bank
You will be redirected to your bank's login page. Sign in using your normal online banking credentials. Your bank may ask you to approve the connection via their mobile app or a one-time code.
Select the account
If you have multiple accounts at the bank, choose which one to connect. You can repeat the process to connect additional accounts.
Connection complete
Once connected, Helium automatically downloads your recent transactions and updates the account balance. The bank account card shows a green "Connected" badge.
Security
Open banking connections are read-only — Helium can view your transactions and balances but cannot make payments or move money. Your bank credentials are never stored by Helium; they are entered directly on your bank's website.
Manual account
If your bank is not supported by open banking, or you prefer to import statements manually:
Click Manual Account
Click the Manual Account button at the top of the page.
Enter account details
Fill in:
- Account Name — A name to identify this account (e.g. "Business Current Account")
- Sort Code — Your bank sort code
- Account Number — Your bank account number
- Currency — The currency of the account (GBP, USD, EUR, or others)
- Opening Balance — The current balance on the account, in pence
Create
Click Create Account. The account appears in your list. You can import transactions by uploading bank statements.
Bank account cards
Each bank account is shown as a card displaying:
| Element | Description |
|---|---|
| Account name | The name you gave the account, or the name from your bank |
| Sort code / IBAN | The account identifier |
| Balance | The current balance, formatted in the account's currency |
| Currency badge | Shown if the account is in a currency other than GBP |
| Feed status | For open banking connections: Connected (green), Feed Error (red), Expired (grey), or Disconnected |
| Sync button | Manually trigger a transaction sync (for open banking accounts) |
| Disconnect button | Remove the open banking connection |
| Last statement date | When the last statement was imported (for manual accounts) |
Click a bank account card to select it and view its transactions.
Managing open banking connections
Syncing transactions
Open banking accounts sync automatically when your bank notifies Helium of new transactions. You can also trigger a manual sync by clicking the refresh icon on the bank account card. The sync downloads any new, modified, or removed transactions since the last sync.
Disconnecting
To disconnect an open banking feed, click the unlink icon on the bank account card. This revokes Helium's access to your bank data. The bank account and its previously downloaded transactions remain in Helium, but no new transactions will be synced.
Feed status
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Connected | The feed is active and syncing normally |
| Feed Error | Something went wrong with the connection. Try disconnecting and reconnecting. |
| Expired | Your bank's consent has expired and needs to be renewed. Reconnect the account. |
| Disconnected | The feed has been manually disconnected. |
Viewing transactions
When you select a bank account, its transactions appear in a table below:
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Date | The transaction date |
| Description | The transaction description from your bank statement or import |
| Amount | The transaction amount — credits (money in) are shown in green, debits (money out) are shown in the default colour |
| Status | Unmatched, Matched, or Reconciled |
Filtering transactions
Use the status filter to show:
- All — Every transaction
- Unmatched — Transactions that have not yet been matched to an accounting record
- Matched — Transactions that have been matched but not yet reconciled
- Reconciled — Transactions that have been fully reconciled
Matching transactions
Matching is the process of linking a bank transaction to its corresponding accounting record (such as a customer payment, supplier payment, or journal entry).
To match an unmatched transaction, click the Match button. Helium suggests potential matches based on the amount, date, and description. You can accept a suggestion or manually select the correct record.
To undo a match, click the Unmatch button on any matched transaction.
Reconciliation
Reconciliation is the process of confirming that your accounting records agree with your bank statement.
Click Reconcile
With a bank account selected, click the Reconcile button.
Enter the statement details
Provide the bank statement date and the closing balance shown on your statement.
Review and complete
Helium compares the matched transactions against your statement balance. If everything agrees, you can complete the reconciliation. Any discrepancies are highlighted for investigation.
Regular reconciliation
Reconcile your bank accounts at least monthly — weekly if you process a high volume of transactions. Regular reconciliation catches errors early and ensures your financial reports are accurate.