What should be subtracted from the ending balance to find the difference in your paper form?

To find the difference in your paper form, subtracting outstanding checks from the ending balance is essential because outstanding checks represent amounts that have been written and recorded in your books but have not yet cleared the bank. Until these checks are processed by the bank and deducted from your account, your account’s ending balance reflects more money than you actually have available for spending.

By accounting for these checks, you can reconcile your records with the bank's records, ensuring that the amount you believe you have aligns with what the bank reflects once all transactions have cleared. This is crucial for accurate financial tracking and helps avoid overdrawing your account.

Other items, such as outstanding deposits and service charges, address different aspects of financial management. Outstanding deposits are additions that have not yet appeared in your bank balance but will increase it once processed, while service charges are deductions that will reduce your balance but don't affect the calculation of the available balance due to outstanding checks.