Service Charge Year-End Reconciliation Sheet

Who this is for

Budget against actual, then flat by flat. The first table compares the year's service charge budget with what was actually spent under each heading; the second applies each flat's share to the actual total to show the balancing charge or credit.

Directors of residents' management companies, volunteer treasurers and small self-managed blocks closing off a service charge year, and leaseholders checking their own year-end statement.

What this helps you track

• Budget and actual spending under each cost heading
• The variance in money and as a percentage of budget
• Each flat's share of the actual spend against what it was charged
• The balancing charge or credit for every flat

How to use it

1. Write the building, the service charge year, who prepared the sheet and the date.
2. Enter each cost heading with the budget figure and the actual spend from the year's accounts.
3. Copy the total actual spend into the header so each flat's actual share can be worked out.
4. List every flat with its lease percentage and what it was charged on account during the year.
5. The variances, shares and balancing amounts are worked out in the browser and the workbook; a minus figure is a credit.
6. Check that the percentages add up to 100 and the balancing amounts net to the overall variance.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser
• Excel / Google Sheets workbook

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The workbook uses plain formulas only — SUM, IF, COUNTIF and the like — so it opens in Excel, LibreOffice and Google Sheets without anything breaking, and every calculated cell is grey so you can see which figures it worked out.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

What is a balancing charge?

The difference between a flat's share of what was actually spent and what it paid on account. If spending ran over budget each flat owes a little more; if under, each is due a credit.

Where do the share percentages come from?

Usually from each lease, which sets out how costs are split. Copy them exactly. If different costs are split in different ways, use one sheet for each schedule.

What about money set aside for the reserve fund?

Treat reserve contributions as their own heading, or keep them off this sheet entirely, depending on how your accounts show them. Be consistent from year to year.

Can we credit a surplus rather than refund it?

Your lease will usually say how a surplus is dealt with. Check it, and the rules where you are, before deciding whether to refund, credit or carry it forward.