> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.dualentry.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# How to Create a Bank Match Rule

> Create a rule in Bank Match so recurring bank transactions match automatically to a GL account, vendor, or category before Bank Match AI runs.

A rule matches bank transactions against criteria you define, then assigns them to a GL account, vendor or customer, or category automatically. Rules run before Bank Match AI: if a rule and the AI would both match the same pair, the rule wins. Use a rule for anything recurring and predictable, like a specific vendor charge or a payroll clearing sweep, so you're not reviewing the same match every period.

## Prerequisites

* A DualEntry role with permission to create Bank Match rules. Admin, Controller, and Accountant have this permission by default, but it's configurable, so check with your Admin if you're not sure.
* The GL account, vendor, customer, or category you want the rule to assign to already exists.

## Create the rule

1. Open **Close Management → Close Workflows → Bank Match**, then the **Rules** view, and start a new rule.
2. Define the condition: what the rule matches on. Current options are description or merchant text, amount or amount range, or check/reference number. You can combine multiple conditions on one rule using AND logic, and optionally scope the rule to specific bank accounts.
3. Define the action: which account, vendor/customer, category, or transaction type the rule assigns matching transactions to. Optionally, name the rule and set whether it applies to deposits, withdrawals, or both.
4. Select **Save Rule**.

The rule is active immediately: any unmatched bank line meeting its criteria is flagged with a bolt icon in the **To Match** tab, whether that line has been sitting there since before the rule existed or arrives afterward. Saving the rule doesn't create or match anything on its own, though; select **Create & Match** on the **To Match** tab to apply it to every flagged line at once. It doesn't touch transactions that are already matched or drafted.

## Keep rules narrow

Rule criteria are currently limited to description, amount, and check/reference number, even though you can combine several of these with AND logic; a rule still can't reason about broader context like transaction type or a date range. A narrow rule targeting one specific vendor, description pattern, or amount is far more reliable right now than one rule intended to cover many different transactions at once. If you find yourself trying to write one rule to handle several unrelated cases, that's usually a sign to split it into several narrower rules instead.

## What's next

* Prefer describing the rule in plain language instead of filling in fields? See [How to Use Accounting Intelligence to Create Bank Match Rules](./ai-copilot-rules).
* Rule not behaving the way you expect? See [Common Errors with Bank Match](./common-errors).
* See [Bank Match AI](./bank-match-ai) for how the AI handles whatever your rules don't catch.
* See [Reconciliation](../reconciliation) for where rule-based and AI matching come together.
* Not sure whether a given transaction should get a rule or be left to the AI? See [Rules or AI: Which Should Handle a Bank Match?](./rule-vs-ai-philosophy).