Choose the boundary of the review
Crypto recordkeeping becomes manageable when every total has a defined scope. List the wallets, exchange accounts, networks, and assets included, then choose a period and cutoff. An internal transfer is a movement between locations inside that boundary; the same movement looks different if only one location is tracked.
Establish supported opening quantities before importing the period's activity. A recent history export cannot reconstruct assets already held before the export begins. Preserve the evidence behind both opening and closing snapshots so they can be compared at consistent points in time.
Understand what each source actually reports
An exchange trade report and its account ledger can describe the same action from different perspectives. Kraken's explanation of ledger and trades history illustrates the distinction between execution details and balance changes. Gather the records needed for your question rather than assuming one file covers everything.
Keep original exports intact. In working copies, normalize time zones, units, account names, and asset identifiers while retaining original row references. Document whether each amount includes a fee so a later calculation does not subtract that charge twice.
Use matches to explain movements
Connect an outgoing transfer with its destination evidence using the network, asset, transaction reference, addresses, timing, and quantity. A matching amount alone is not enough when similar payments occur repeatedly. Allow for the service's documented treatment of fees and processing status.
Check quantities at each location, then check the combined view. Internal movements should explain where assets went without creating additional combined holdings. Keep network fees in the asset actually charged; a token transfer can incur a fee in a separate native coin.
The complete reconciliation guide follows an example across three locations. The ledger foundations article provides the core fields and explains why a balance snapshot is different from a complete transaction history.
Retain unresolved differences as useful findings
Document a discrepancy with its account, asset, amount, supporting evidence, and next question. Duplicate imports, missing periods, incorrect decimal assumptions, or omitted accounts can produce superficially similar mismatches. An unexplained adjustment hides the distinction instead of resolving it.
When ordinary transfers lead into an application position, the DeFi records overview helps expand the review to position evidence. Keep quantity reconciliation separate from any later currency valuation so a price change is not mistaken for an asset movement.