WORKED EXAMPLE · CHECKS
A check register example,
built from four real-looking checks.
A check register lists every check written from an account: check number, date, payee, memo and amount, with a running total. Below, ZeraBooks builds one from four bakery checks in a few seconds, matches the amount written in words to the figures on each check, and gives a $4,052.78 total to tie against the bank statement.
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THE EXAMPLE
Four checks, stage by stage
Harlow Street Bakery is a fictional bakery. In January it wrote four checks: flour, the power bill, a weekend worker and a mixer repair. The checks and figures are made up; everything the app did with them is a real run.
Stage 1 · Upload
The check images go in together
Checks are uploaded on their own page in ZeraBooks Convert, separate from bank statements. PDFs or scans both work, and one PDF can hold many checks. The four here came in as one batch called Pinecrest checks.
Every document type on its own page. Stage 2 · Read
Number, date, payee, memo, amount
Each check becomes one row. The check number comes from the top right of the check, the payee from the Pay to the order of line, and the memo from the bottom left. Handwriting is where reading goes wrong, so any field can be fixed by hand. Check 1047 shows the edited tag: someone corrected it after it was read, and ZeraBooks proved it again against its amount in words.
- 1045
- $1,284.60
- 1046
- $412.18
- 1047
- $350.00
- 1048
- $2,006.00
Stage 3 · Prove
The words have to agree with the figures
A check states its amount twice: in figures in the box and in words on the line. ZeraBooks reads both and compares them. On a check, the words are the legal amount, so if they disagree with the box the check gets a warning that names both amounts instead of a guess. Here all four agree, and the total is $4,052.78.
- Checked
- 4 of 4
- Total
- $4,052.78
Stage 4 · Match
Tie the register to the bank statement
The bank statement lists each cleared check by number and amount. Put the register next to the statement for January and every number should appear on both with the same amount. A check in the register but not on the statement is outstanding. A check on the statement but not in the register was never recorded. Converting the bank statement too gives you both lists in Excel.
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THE RESULT
The finished check register
What the download holds once the four checks are proven, with the running total added the way most registers keep it.
| Check no. | Date | Payee | Memo | Amount | Running total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1045 | Jan 8, 2026 | Blue Ridge Flour Mill | Inv 7781 - flour | $1,284.60 | $1,284.60 |
| 1046 | Jan 9, 2026 | Mountain Crest Utilities | Acct 55-1182 | $412.18 | $1,696.78 |
| 1047 | Jan 15, 2026 | Tomas Ellery | Weekend shifts | $350.00 | $2,046.78 |
| 1048 | Jan 22, 2026 | Cardinal Point Equipment Co. | Mixer repair | $2,006.00 | $4,052.78 |
| Total | $4,052.78 |
Fictional business, bank and checks.
READING THE REGISTER
What a bookkeeper does with it next
The memo is the most useful column. "Inv 7781 - flour" ties check 1045 to a supplier invoice, so it can be recorded as paying that bill instead of as a loose expense. "Acct 55-1182" is the utility account number, which tells you the $412.18 is the power bill for that location.
Check 1047 is pay to a person. $350.00 for weekend shifts is wages or contract labour, and that matters at year end. A register that names the payee makes those payments easy to find later.
A gap in the numbers is worth a question. If the next batch starts at 1050, check 1049 was written, voided or lost. Ask before you assume it was voided.
What is a check register?
A list of every check written from one bank account, in check number order, with the date, payee, memo and amount of each and a running total. It is what you compare against the bank statement to find outstanding checks.
Can ZeraBooks read handwritten checks?
Yes, and it checks the amount written in words against the figures on every check. Handwritten payees are the part most likely to need a fix, so any row can be corrected by hand before download.
Can I build a check register from the check images in my bank statement?
Usually. Many banks print images of cleared checks at the end of the statement. Upload those pages on the Checks page like any scan; one PDF can hold many checks, and a check that can’t be read is flagged rather than guessed. The check converter page explains what it reads.
How is this different from the bank statement?
The statement lists checks that cleared, by number and amount only. The register adds the payee and memo, and includes checks that have not cleared yet. A check that paid a vendor bill can then be matched to that bill.
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