This template is part of the intercompany reconciliation guide. Fill it after one conversation with the controller, and mark anything not confirmed as an estimate or "unknown".
The ten fields to fill
Copy the fields into an email or document. Each entry should be one line.
| Field | What to write | Where the answer comes from |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Group | Industry, full-time headcount at peak, countries of each entity | Controller or org chart |
| 2. Task | The reconciliation and elimination work in one sentence | Controller |
| 3. Entities in scope | How many entities trade with each other, and which pairs trade most | Group accountant |
| 4. Record classes | Paired postings, mapping versions, open items with reason codes, fixes and their sign-offs, consolidation entries | Group accountant |
| 5. Systems | ERP or ledgers by type, matching tool or spreadsheet, where sign-offs live | System administrator |
| 6. Years of coverage | First year each record class can be followed, per entity | Controller |
| 7. Volumes | Reconciliation items a year, share with a reason code, as ranges | Group accountant's close summary |
| 8. Open question | The join or record you do not yet know exists | Your notes |
| 9. Access event | A documented ERP rollout, tool cancellation or read-only date | Project plan or contract |
| 10. Owner, sponsor and signer | Which entity holds the records, who sponsors, who can approve | The who-can-say-yes tree |
Add one fixed closing line to every brief: what is deliberately not shared.
Completed example: a three-entity services group (Illustrative)
The values below describe a fictional group. They are Illustrative, not a real company, case or deal.
Subject: Intercompany reconciliation history across our three entities (Illustrative)
- Group: engineering and consulting services, about 260 full-time staff at peak; U.S. parent, Dutch and Irish subsidiaries.
- Task: monthly matching and elimination of service charges, cost recharges and intercompany loans between the three entities.
- Entities in scope: three; most volume between the parent and the Dutch subsidiary.
- Record classes: paired invoices and journals with document numbers, a mapping sheet per year, open items with reason codes, fixes with sign-offs, quarterly consolidation entries.
- Systems: one cloud ERP for all three entities since 2021, separate ledgers before; matching spreadsheets on a shared drive; sign-offs in the ERP since 2021, email before.
- Years of coverage: about seven years for the parent and the Dutch entity; the Irish entity since its formation four years ago.
- Volumes: a few hundred open items a year; the controller estimates most carry a reason code since 2020.
- Open question: before 2021, does each fix quote the spreadsheet item it closed, or only a free-text memo?
- Access event: a matching tool arrives next year; spreadsheets to be archived, date not yet set.
- Owner, sponsor and signer: each entity's ledger belongs to that entity, spreadsheets to the parent's shared-services team (to be confirmed by counsel); group controller sponsors; group CEO would decide for all three wholly owned entities.
Not shared: no ledgers, spreadsheets, entity financials, staff names or logins.
Note what the example leaves out: no amounts, no invoice numbers, no counterparties outside the group. Field 7 gives ranges, and field 10 flags an ownership question rather than answering it.
How to fill the fields without opening a workbook
Every field can be answered by asking, which is the point. Three tips for the harder ones.
Years of coverage (field 6). Ask when the group began matching item by item rather than by balance, and when reason codes began. Those two dates often differ, and the later one usually marks where the useful history starts.
Volumes (field 7). The controller's close summary or a spreadsheet's tab count gives a range without anyone reading an item. Ask for "roughly how many open differences at a typical month-end" and "how many a year end with a reason code".
Open question (field 8). Pick the one link that decides whether a difference can be traced to its fix: document numbers across entities, item IDs quoted on fixes, or versioned mappings. The system map for this workflow lists each join. Groups using NetSuite's Automated Intercompany Management have system-generated eliminations and next-period reversals for flagged lines, so the open question often moves to the years before it was switched on.
NetSuiteWhat the controller should strike before forwarding
Ask the controller to read the draft once and remove anything that names a person or exposes a figure.
| If the draft contains | Replace it with |
|---|---|
| An approver's or accountant's name | The role, such as "controller approves" |
| A balance or difference amount | The number of items a year |
| An entity's legal name | Its country and role in the group |
| A screenshot of a spreadsheet | The tool type and where it sits |
| A guess at what the data is worth | Nothing |
Names matter beyond politeness: under the EU General Data Protection Regulation, personal data is any information relating to an identified or identifiable person, including by name, and the Dutch and Irish entities in the example fall under it. For the covering note, the warm introduction brief and the email to a group CFO about a U.S. subsidiary help with tone and disclosure.
Check eligibility before you send
For SourceX, an introduced company needs 50+ full-time employees at peak (contractors excluded), a documented operating history, rights to license and an authorized contact. Companies in the U.S., Canada and the EU qualify, as do companies in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, India, Singapore, South Africa, Latin America, the UAE and Saudi Arabia when at least 90% of the data is in English. Partners sign the Channel Partner Agreement first, and the first valid introduction within the 90-day window is credited when the company submits a verified application. Rights, buyer interest and any offer stay unknown until SourceX reviews the opportunity. The guide for fractional CFOs identifying data opportunities covers how to raise the topic in the first place.
Next step
Refer a company. Earn up to $100,000. Default reward: 25% of Actual Supplier Payout, capped at $100,000 cumulatively per referred company. Eligibility and payment conditions apply, and a signed Schedule A or addendum can differ. A lead, meeting or signature alone does not trigger payment.
When all ten fields are filled or marked unknown and the controller has cleared the wording, register as a partner, confirm the group on who qualifies and read the program terms before you send the brief.