SkyStem ART
by SkyStem · Financial Close & Consolidation
Cloud-based software for month-end financial close and balance sheet account reconciliation.
Updated August 2026 · By the ERP Research Editorial Team · Independent and vendor-neutral.
- Works with
- Any ERP or general ledger system
OracleFiservJack Henry - Deployment
- Cloud
- Company size
- SMB, Mid-market, Enterprise
- Pricing
- Quote-based
- Founded
- 2009
- Headquarters
- New York, NY, United States
Overview
SkyStem ART (Account Reconciliation Tool) is a cloud-based, software-as-a-service platform for month-end financial close and balance sheet account reconciliation. It is built by SkyStem, a New York-based accounting technology company founded by CPA and auditor Shagun Malhotra, and is aimed at CFOs, controllers and accounting teams looking to replace spreadsheet- and email-driven close processes with a structured, auditable workflow.
The platform is organized around five connected modules: account reconciliation, with system-driven auto-reconciliation, multi-currency support and electronic sign-off; a close-checklist and task manager; balance-sheet flux analysis and P&L variance analysis against configurable dollar or percentage thresholds; a multi-level certification workflow for balance-sheet sign-off; and real-time reporting with executive dashboards. ART is designed to be ERP-agnostic: rather than shipping prebuilt native connectors for specific ERPs, it ingests trial-balance and general-ledger data exported and uploaded from the customer's existing accounting system, with a custom automated data feed available on request.
SkyStem states that ART is used by accounting teams in more than 15 countries, with a customer base that includes financial services, credit unions and community banks alongside healthcare, retail, hospitality and utilities organizations. The company has won several industry awards, including Stevie Awards recognition and a 2019 Most Innovative Month-End Close Platform award from US Business News.
Screenshots & demo
Demo video from the vendor's YouTube channel. Screenshots sourced from SkyStem.
Features & capabilities
Account Reconciliation
Automated, workflow-driven balance sheet reconciliation with electronic sign-off.
- Standard reconciliation form templates, usable across multiple currencies
- Reconciliation of multiple periods simultaneously
- System-driven auto-reconciliation intended to cut manual reconciliation volume by up to 40% per month
- Transactional matching between data sets
- Electronic sign-off and a paperless review process
- Real-time dashboards showing reconciliation status and exceptions
- Electronic document attachment for supporting evidence
Task Master (Close Checklist)
Close-checklist and task management tying activities to specific balance sheet accounts.
- Automated close checklist for the financial reporting process
- Task assignment to team members with owners and due dates
- Linking of task activity and documents to balance sheet accounts
- Email notifications on task assignment, completion and approval
- Archiving of close documents such as analyses and journal entry support
- Real-time tracking of checklist and task status
Flux & Variance Analysis
Balance sheet flux and P&L variance analysis against configurable thresholds.
- Period-to-period, quarter-to-quarter and year-to-year variance thresholds by dollar amount and/or percentage
- Automatic identification of accounts that exceed management thresholds
- Owner assignment to explain variances and attach supporting documentation
- Up to two levels of review and approval with electronic sign-off
- Customizable email alerts on status changes and due dates
- Central repository of flux and variance activity and documents
- Real-time personal dashboards
- Export of flux/variance work to PDF or email
Certification
Multi-level balance sheet certification and sign-off workflow.
- Macro-level validation of the balance sheet reconciliation process
- Certification of account ownership, balances and exceptions by level (staff, manager, controller)
- Mandatory sign-off on custom data points: unusual balances, delinquencies, account status, open items, quality score
- Optional mandatory CEO/CFO certification
- System-enforced segregation of duties (a preparer cannot also review their own reconciliation)
- Role-based access governing visibility of balance sheet data
Reporting & Dashboards
Real-time reporting and executive dashboards across the close and reconciliation process.
- Real-time executive dashboards (CFO/Controller) that drill down to individual accounts and owners
- Standard reports covering unusual balances, exceptions, SOD violations, completion dates and account ownership
- Real-time reconciliation quality scoring
- Role-based access to key reports
- Electronic report sign-off and archiving
- Report export to PDF or spreadsheet
Common use cases
- Automating monthly balance sheet account reconciliations to reduce manual reconciliation volume
- Building and tracking an automated month-end close checklist across an accounting team
- Running balance sheet flux analysis against dollar or percentage thresholds to flag anomalies for review
- Running P&L variance analysis against budget or prior periods
- Multi-level balance sheet certification to support SOX and internal-controls compliance at public and private companies
- Centralizing close documentation and an audit trail to reduce external audit preparation time
- Giving smaller accounting teams (fewer than 200 accounts per month) automated tools without adding headcount
Strengths & considerations
Strengths
- ERP-agnostic: designed to work with virtually any general ledger or accounting system via uploaded data rather than requiring a specific ERP
- Single connected suite spanning reconciliation, close checklist, flux/variance analysis, certification and reporting, rather than a general-purpose workflow tool adapted to close
- Implementation pitched in weeks rather than months (vendor states its Classic Set Up is typically live in two to five weeks) with free, unlimited customer support included
- System auto-reconciles a portion of the balance sheet against rules before accountants begin manual work
- Notable concentration of customers in financial services, credit unions and community banks (vendor-reported ~40% of its customer base)
Considerations
- Integration with source ERPs and accounting systems is primarily via manual file upload (CSV/Excel export into ART) rather than prebuilt native or API connectors; a custom automated data feed can be built on request but is not standard
- Pricing is not published; obtaining a quote requires a sales conversation or demo
- SkyStem is a small vendor (11-50 employees per its LinkedIn profile), which may be a consideration for enterprises comparing vendor scale against larger financial-close automation platforms
ERP integrations
ART is described by the vendor as ERP-agnostic; trial balance and GL data is exported from the source system and uploaded into ART. A custom automated data feed can be built on request.
Named by the vendor's FAQ as one of the accounting systems most commonly used among its customers.
Named by the vendor's FAQ as commonly used among customers; a core banking platform, consistent with SkyStem's financial-services and credit-union customer base.
Named by the vendor's FAQ as commonly used among customers; a core banking platform, consistent with SkyStem's financial-services and credit-union customer base.
Pricing
No pricing is published. SkyStem requires a 'Request a Quote' form or a sales demo; the vendor states its Classic Set Up can often be implemented without separate implementation fees. Get an independent shortlist with pricing guidance below.
Technical & security
- Hosting
- SaaS
- Compliance
- SOC 1, SOC 2
About the vendor
- Founded
- 2009
- Headquarters
- New York, NY, United States
- Employees
- 11-50
- Ownership
- Private
- Notable customers
- Unify Financial Credit Union, Milford Federal Savings & Loan, University of Wisconsin Credit Union (UWCU), AM Retail Group, Lake Health, Aquarion Water Company
Alternatives to SkyStem ART in Financial Close & Consolidation
SkyStem ART — frequently asked questions
What is SkyStem ART?
ART is SkyStem's cloud-based (SaaS) software for month-end financial close and balance sheet account reconciliation. It covers reconciliations, a close checklist and task manager, flux and variance analysis, certification, and reporting.
Which ERPs or accounting systems does ART integrate with?
ART is ERP-agnostic and compatible with virtually any accounting system, according to SkyStem's FAQ, which names Fiserv, Microsoft, Jack Henry and Oracle as commonly used among its customers. Data is exported from the source system and uploaded into ART; a custom automated data feed can be built on request.
How is ART priced?
Pricing is quote-based and not published. SkyStem requires a 'Request a Quote' form submission or a sales demo to provide pricing.
How long does implementation take?
SkyStem's 'Why Choose ART' page states its Classic Set Up is typically live within two to five weeks, using the customer's existing chart of accounts without heavy IT involvement. The service is delivered as SaaS with no hardware or software installation required.
Does ART automatically reconcile accounts?
Yes. SkyStem states that system algorithms perform a portion of the balance sheet's reconciliations automatically each period, which it describes as reducing manual reconciliation volume by up to 40%, so some accounts are already reconciled before accountants begin their own work.
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