Many students receive loads of financial advice from parents and credit card companies, and figuring out what is relevant can be confusing.

Accounting professor Jane Thayer knows that balancing a checkbook is not always the first thing on students’ minds, but it can prevent overdrafts and a lot of hassle.

Following these steps may help clarify the process:

Step 1: Record all checks and card purchases in the checkbook register.

“Most banks have a way to check that you’ve actually reconciled [your balance] from the bank’s balance online to your checkbook,” Thayer said. “You can oftentimes click the check online to make sure that you’ve checked it off in your checkbook.”

Step 2: Compare the checkbook balance to the balance on the bank statement.

“Now we have online banking where we can look to see what our balance is. People aren’t keeping checkbooks as much and there’s a lot more room for error,” she said. “The banks can make mistakes or your debit card number could be stolen. It’s important to not only have everything online but to also have a written down register of what you’ve done.”

Step 3: Keep the balance updated with checks that have not yet cleared the bank.

Subtract uncleared checks from the checkbook balance so that when all checks clear, new purchases won’t overdraft the account.

“My mother always taught me to keep an extra padding in your checkbook,” she said. “Sometimes if you’ll throw an extra $100 or $200 into your checking account, or more than that if you’re not real good about balancing your checkbook, it might help prevent problems like overdrafts.”

Step 4: As with uncleared checks, keep the checkbook balance up to date with deposits that may have not yet shown up in the bank balance.

Remember to include ATM withdrawal fees, other bank fees and accumulated interest in the balance. Little amounts like these can be easily overlooked.

“If you go to an ATM that’s not your bank, and they charge you, you’re not only going to be charged that amount, but your bank’s going to charge you something,” she said. “That would probably be a fee that you wouldn’t see until it hit your statement.”