Quicken for Mac 2016 Release 3.5.1 Discussion

M C Crockett

Don Keninitz said:

This reply was created from a merged topic originally titled Mac 2016 update 3.5.1 probem with bank reconciliation.


Since I downloaded this update it has completely screwed up my bank reconciliation process.  Previously all I had to do was enter the ending balance per my register, and then "backfill" in the starting balance to whatever would make the account balance.  I did this once a week or so with no problems.  Most transactions are automatically cleared as I download them, but I've always cleared some manually; say, for example, a correction of an error or a voided check with a zero charge amount (because the Mac version doesn't have a feature for marking a check "void').

The 3.5.1 update introduces a totally new reconciliation process that is reporting my bank account register as being $39K out of balance (which is ridiculous)!  Why is this?  I don't see any option but to accept Quicken's proposed $39K adjustment if I want my transactions to be marked as reconciled, but that's hardly a solution because then my register balance is going to read a ridiculous $39K higher than it actually is?

Why did Intuit "fix" something that wasn't broken?

@dkeninitz1:  I doubt that anyone participating in this forum would suggest that allowing Quicken to add $39,000 to a transaction register balance is "a good thing".

However, it does indicate that there are some serious errors in your QM2016 3.5.1 database.  The Quicken 2016 Help file does provide a clue of one possible reason for the discrepancy involving transfer transactions.  Quicken notes that during an import or a database conversion that a transfer transaction in Account A may fail to match the corresponding transfer transaction in Account B.  This results in the transfer transaction being duplicated in both Account A and Account B.

I believe that the Quicken database schema has been changed at least 4 times since the release of QM2015.  If you include your original import, a transfer transaction has the possibility of being duplicated 5 times.  The reconciliation logic prior to QM2016 3.5.1 would have provided no indication of the errors.

I recall a woman posting a portion of her reconcile transaction register in this forum.  It showed several potentially duplicated transfer transactions along with transfer transactions with no amount specified.  I have no idea if the questionable transfers were in her original QM2007 database or the result of one or more QM2015/QM2016 database conversions.

What is the Beginning Balance on the statement you receive from your financial institution?  It is the accumulated value of all transactions posted to your account since the account's inception.  The Ending Balance?  It is the Beginning Balance plus all transactions posted to your account during the current period.

The new QM2016 3.5.1 reconciliation logic, in effect, uses the same logic as your financial institution uses to generate your statement.  This seems to me to be a far better approach and one that should have been implemented long ago.

Unknown

Don Keninitz said:

This reply was created from a merged topic originally titled Mac 2016 update 3.5.1 probem with bank reconciliation.


Since I downloaded this update it has completely screwed up my bank reconciliation process.  Previously all I had to do was enter the ending balance per my register, and then "backfill" in the starting balance to whatever would make the account balance.  I did this once a week or so with no problems.  Most transactions are automatically cleared as I download them, but I've always cleared some manually; say, for example, a correction of an error or a voided check with a zero charge amount (because the Mac version doesn't have a feature for marking a check "void').

The 3.5.1 update introduces a totally new reconciliation process that is reporting my bank account register as being $39K out of balance (which is ridiculous)!  Why is this?  I don't see any option but to accept Quicken's proposed $39K adjustment if I want my transactions to be marked as reconciled, but that's hardly a solution because then my register balance is going to read a ridiculous $39K higher than it actually is?

Why did Intuit "fix" something that wasn't broken?

There may be "errors" in my database as Quicken reckons them, but there aren't any true errors.  I've been using Quicken since the mid-90's.  I've reconciled my bank account regularly and scrupulously since I first started using it.  I think my credentials speak for themselves insofar as my ability to reconcile my bank account properly.  I never had a problem in over twenty years until 3.5.1 came along.  I can assure you that the integrity of my register is beyond impeccable.  Even reconciling every few days as I've been doing for the last few years since my bank implemented online banking, I still print my paper statement monthly and use the "review" feature to double-check ever transaction and mark it "reviewed" to indicate there are no - and I mean no - discrepancies.  I do the same for other non-income & expense accounts, e.g., other bank accounts, loan accounts, credit card accounts, etc.  There are no duplicate entries, or those balances wouldn't reconcile to the relevant account statements or independent schedules I keep to support them.

In any event, it seems clear there's no solution to the issue unless one counts adding a phantom $39,000 to one's bank account register as a solution.  Thanks, Intuit.

Unknown

For what it's worth, I think users should consider starting a new file from time to time. I began using QM about a year ago, and started with my converted Windows file that went back to 1999. It took a lot of work, and a lot of time on the phone with PNC Bank (fabulous support, btw) to get Direct Connect to function properly. Somewhere along the way a PNC guy suggested that I start a new file. In fact he said he starts a new file every year, which seems a little extreme considering how much work it is to set up all the accounts from scratch.
Anyhow, I have had no problems reconciling with 3.5.1, so I'm kind of glad now that I started the new file at the beginning of 2016. My wife and I retired this year, so with that major change in our financial situation, I figured it was a good time to do it. Now after reading about all the problems folks are having, I'm glad I did. My file is much simpler now, and problems are easier to track down. If I need to see older transactions, I can always open the old file on the Mac, or even fire up the old Windows machine.
I know this won't be an attractive option for many; I just wanted to throw the idea out there. My reaction was "No way!" - until I thought it through.

Doug Blakeley

I also have PNC and have also received the same suggestion. I have not done so myself as I continue to not have reconciliation problems (my current register goes back to 2010), however, the suggestion does make a lot of sense. For reconciliation to operate cleanly it helps tremendously if you have a known starting value. With a restart each year you have a known starting value and a much simpler register to decipher if you do find an issue.


I do think that many of the issues that people are having is related to the registers being very large having moved them over from version to version of QM and not being fully diligent in reconciliation over the years. (No offense intended to the CPAs in this blog!).

Eagle22

Don Keninitz said:

This reply was created from a merged topic originally titled Mac 2016 update 3.5.1 probem with bank reconciliation.


Since I downloaded this update it has completely screwed up my bank reconciliation process.  Previously all I had to do was enter the ending balance per my register, and then "backfill" in the starting balance to whatever would make the account balance.  I did this once a week or so with no problems.  Most transactions are automatically cleared as I download them, but I've always cleared some manually; say, for example, a correction of an error or a voided check with a zero charge amount (because the Mac version doesn't have a feature for marking a check "void').

The 3.5.1 update introduces a totally new reconciliation process that is reporting my bank account register as being $39K out of balance (which is ridiculous)!  Why is this?  I don't see any option but to accept Quicken's proposed $39K adjustment if I want my transactions to be marked as reconciled, but that's hardly a solution because then my register balance is going to read a ridiculous $39K higher than it actually is?

Why did Intuit "fix" something that wasn't broken?

@dkeninitz1: With so many years in your database and coming from windows quicken (and sense I feel sure there are no amount errors in your database) do you have any transactions that you know are reconciled but don't have the green circle around the cleared column? That is maybe have been just marked cleared but not reconciled. The new reconcile method would go back and pickup those transactions if so. This can also be seen in the second reconcile window as you would see some transactions to be reconciled that already have been reconciled.
 
Also, have you looked into the "start fresh" option of reconciling to possibly get your accounts reconciled they way they need to be.

Unknown

rolandwalkenhors said:

For what it's worth, I think users should consider starting a new file from time to time. I began using QM about a year ago, and started with my converted Windows file that went back to 1999. It took a lot of work, and a lot of time on the phone with PNC Bank (fabulous support, btw) to get Direct Connect to function properly. Somewhere along the way a PNC guy suggested that I start a new file. In fact he said he starts a new file every year, which seems a little extreme considering how much work it is to set up all the accounts from scratch.
Anyhow, I have had no problems reconciling with 3.5.1, so I'm kind of glad now that I started the new file at the beginning of 2016. My wife and I retired this year, so with that major change in our financial situation, I figured it was a good time to do it. Now after reading about all the problems folks are having, I'm glad I did. My file is much simpler now, and problems are easier to track down. If I need to see older transactions, I can always open the old file on the Mac, or even fire up the old Windows machine.
I know this won't be an attractive option for many; I just wanted to throw the idea out there. My reaction was "No way!" - until I thought it through.

I'm in the no-way category.  Again, as a 35-year accounting professional, the idea of starting a new file to accommodate the idiosyncrasies of an accounting program seems entirely backward.  The idiosyncrasies are all on Intuit.  While I only rarely deal with clients small enough to consider Quicken's sister product QuickBooks, my advice to them invariable is "Just don't do it."  In the end, both are amateurish programs.  I'm no Microsoft fanboi in the slightest, but I've long wished they'd resurrect Money, a much more solid and stable platform when it was available.

Eagle22

@dkeninitz1: With so many years in your database and coming from windows quicken (and sense I feel sure there are no amount errors in your database) do you have any transactions that you know are reconciled but don't have the green circle around the cleared column? That is maybe have been just marked cleared but not reconciled. The new reconcile method would go back and pickup those transactions if so. This can also be seen in the second reconcile window as you would see some transactions to be reconciled that already have been reconciled.
 
Also, have you looked into the "start fresh" option of reconciling to possibly get your accounts reconciled they way they need to be.

Unknown

Don Keninitz said:

This reply was created from a merged topic originally titled Mac 2016 update 3.5.1 probem with bank reconciliation.


Since I downloaded this update it has completely screwed up my bank reconciliation process.  Previously all I had to do was enter the ending balance per my register, and then "backfill" in the starting balance to whatever would make the account balance.  I did this once a week or so with no problems.  Most transactions are automatically cleared as I download them, but I've always cleared some manually; say, for example, a correction of an error or a voided check with a zero charge amount (because the Mac version doesn't have a feature for marking a check "void').

The 3.5.1 update introduces a totally new reconciliation process that is reporting my bank account register as being $39K out of balance (which is ridiculous)!  Why is this?  I don't see any option but to accept Quicken's proposed $39K adjustment if I want my transactions to be marked as reconciled, but that's hardly a solution because then my register balance is going to read a ridiculous $39K higher than it actually is?

Why did Intuit "fix" something that wasn't broken?

No, I have none of the items you mention.  Keep in mind that the Windows version (from which I ported a few years ago) had (and may still have) a feature that allows you to show only items that are either uncleared or unreconciled (as well as a variety of other useful filters for tracking errors, like items with no category).  I never went more than a week without running both of those to ensure no uncleared or unreconciled items.  In the Mac version, I use a cumbersome but necessary  manual process to accomplish this, i.e., I reconcile using the built-in feature (or at least I used to, before 3.5.1 broke it) and then I manually used my monthly bank statement to back and manually match transactions and indicate the match by setting the "reviewed" flag.

Unknown

Don Keninitz said:

This reply was created from a merged topic originally titled Mac 2016 update 3.5.1 probem with bank reconciliation.


Since I downloaded this update it has completely screwed up my bank reconciliation process.  Previously all I had to do was enter the ending balance per my register, and then "backfill" in the starting balance to whatever would make the account balance.  I did this once a week or so with no problems.  Most transactions are automatically cleared as I download them, but I've always cleared some manually; say, for example, a correction of an error or a voided check with a zero charge amount (because the Mac version doesn't have a feature for marking a check "void').

The 3.5.1 update introduces a totally new reconciliation process that is reporting my bank account register as being $39K out of balance (which is ridiculous)!  Why is this?  I don't see any option but to accept Quicken's proposed $39K adjustment if I want my transactions to be marked as reconciled, but that's hardly a solution because then my register balance is going to read a ridiculous $39K higher than it actually is?

Why did Intuit "fix" something that wasn't broken?

Also, for people suggesting my (and their) accounts have errors, how would my online bank balance on any given day reconcile to the penny to my register after making allowance for the typically half-dozen reconciling items readily identifiable (in the register, uncleared transactions, in my online activity, items with "pending" status).  How could I have $39K of errors and still do a manual paper reconciliation every week or so in Excel (I literally do this) and always reconcile to the penny.  Duplicate items, for example, will permanently cause an account to be out of balance until corrected.  It's not possible for me to have even on and still be able to do the manual weekly reconciliation exercise I do and not be out of balance.

Unknown

J. Atwood said:

I am having the same as other. I have been reconciling for years (20?) and when I got to do it now, my account Start / Prior Balance is off. Not the same as the statements and when I last reconciled (a month ago). What is the fix?

I've been "reconciling for more than 20 years too", and as I've noted I'm a CPA of 35 years.  I followed every STEP advised by Intuit when I imported my data from the Windows version - as an audit partner in a national firm for nearly 30 years I had lots of techniques for both accelerating the process while making it fail-safe, though it was still cumbersome- and there were ZERO errors/mismatches when I completed it.  This glitch only appeared in 3.5.1 and is on Intuit, not users.

Unknown

rolandwalkenhors said:

For what it's worth, I think users should consider starting a new file from time to time. I began using QM about a year ago, and started with my converted Windows file that went back to 1999. It took a lot of work, and a lot of time on the phone with PNC Bank (fabulous support, btw) to get Direct Connect to function properly. Somewhere along the way a PNC guy suggested that I start a new file. In fact he said he starts a new file every year, which seems a little extreme considering how much work it is to set up all the accounts from scratch.
Anyhow, I have had no problems reconciling with 3.5.1, so I'm kind of glad now that I started the new file at the beginning of 2016. My wife and I retired this year, so with that major change in our financial situation, I figured it was a good time to do it. Now after reading about all the problems folks are having, I'm glad I did. My file is much simpler now, and problems are easier to track down. If I need to see older transactions, I can always open the old file on the Mac, or even fire up the old Windows machine.
I know this won't be an attractive option for many; I just wanted to throw the idea out there. My reaction was "No way!" - until I thought it through.

Fair enough. I'm an amateur, and have been doing the bookkeeping for our small church for about 17 years. For my own business, I started with Quicken DOS, added a payroll module to that, and then switched to QuickBooks 1.0 when it became available. I thought the 99 version was the best, and it's been downhill from there. I now use QuickBooks Online for the church stuff, and I like it a lot. Payroll and taxes are a breeze, and their support is excellent. Of course for a very small business, the subscription is a significant expense.

Unknown

rolandwalkenhors said:

For what it's worth, I think users should consider starting a new file from time to time. I began using QM about a year ago, and started with my converted Windows file that went back to 1999. It took a lot of work, and a lot of time on the phone with PNC Bank (fabulous support, btw) to get Direct Connect to function properly. Somewhere along the way a PNC guy suggested that I start a new file. In fact he said he starts a new file every year, which seems a little extreme considering how much work it is to set up all the accounts from scratch.
Anyhow, I have had no problems reconciling with 3.5.1, so I'm kind of glad now that I started the new file at the beginning of 2016. My wife and I retired this year, so with that major change in our financial situation, I figured it was a good time to do it. Now after reading about all the problems folks are having, I'm glad I did. My file is much simpler now, and problems are easier to track down. If I need to see older transactions, I can always open the old file on the Mac, or even fire up the old Windows machine.
I know this won't be an attractive option for many; I just wanted to throw the idea out there. My reaction was "No way!" - until I thought it through.

QuickBooks became wildly popular overnight because it eliminated - or at least bypassed and made optional - the numbering schema common to every "real" accounting software application.  Users didn't have to know a thing about accounting theory, developing an optimal chart of accounts, or creating an account hierarchy and numbering schema, and good on Intuit for that.  The danger of course is that anyone can use it without even understanding the logic of the accounting equation (an actual concept taught in every first year accounting principles course).  I've seen people create complete trainwrecks wherein every account technically "balanced" while the overall reporting made no sense.  But that's off-topic.  The most sophisticated accounting systems from companies like Oracle and SAP, or even more downstream like Micorosoft's Dynamics SL and GP, contain powerful reconciliation tools, including bank accounts (public companies can literally have hundreds or even thousands of bank accounts) and NONE forces a user to create a fictitious "balancing" entry to reconcile an account - an entry that actually forces the account out of balance - the way 3.5.1 does.  Since it would violate GAAP, users would abandon any such system.

Unknown

Eagle22 said:

@dkeninitz1: With so many years in your database and coming from windows quicken (and sense I feel sure there are no amount errors in your database) do you have any transactions that you know are reconciled but don't have the green circle around the cleared column? That is maybe have been just marked cleared but not reconciled. The new reconcile method would go back and pickup those transactions if so. This can also be seen in the second reconcile window as you would see some transactions to be reconciled that already have been reconciled.
 
Also, have you looked into the "start fresh" option of reconciling to possibly get your accounts reconciled they way they need to be.

No, I have none of the items you mention.  Keep in mind that the Windows version (from which I ported a few years ago) had (and may still have) a feature that allows you to show only items that are either uncleared or unreconciled (as well as a variety of other useful filters for tracking errors, like items with no category).  I never went more than a week without running both of those to ensure no uncleared or unreconciled items.  In the Mac version, I use a cumbersome but necessary  manual process to accomplish this, i.e., I reconcile using the built-in feature (or at least I used to, before 3.5.1 broke it) and then I manually used my monthly bank statement to go back and manually match transactions and indicate the match by setting the "reviewed" flag.

Eagle22

Eagle22 said:

@dkeninitz1: With so many years in your database and coming from windows quicken (and sense I feel sure there are no amount errors in your database) do you have any transactions that you know are reconciled but don't have the green circle around the cleared column? That is maybe have been just marked cleared but not reconciled. The new reconcile method would go back and pickup those transactions if so. This can also be seen in the second reconcile window as you would see some transactions to be reconciled that already have been reconciled.
 
Also, have you looked into the "start fresh" option of reconciling to possibly get your accounts reconciled they way they need to be.

What about the start fresh option? Will that help you any? Also, since you reconcile so often you must be reconciling to online balance. Is this correct? And are you having trouble with more than one account?

At any rate when you get to the second window and see the $39K out of balance, how big is the list of unreconciled transactions and do you see some that should not be in the list?

Also, have you upgraded to 3.5.2 and still have same problem?

Eagle22

Eagle22 said:

@dkeninitz1: With so many years in your database and coming from windows quicken (and sense I feel sure there are no amount errors in your database) do you have any transactions that you know are reconciled but don't have the green circle around the cleared column? That is maybe have been just marked cleared but not reconciled. The new reconcile method would go back and pickup those transactions if so. This can also be seen in the second reconcile window as you would see some transactions to be reconciled that already have been reconciled.
 
Also, have you looked into the "start fresh" option of reconciling to possibly get your accounts reconciled they way they need to be.

One last question, I know you are probably tired of thinking/talking about this... Are you willing to sent your database to quicken development for them to take a look at this? You could create a copy and remove all other accounts except the one with the $39k error. I am sure they would like to solve this issue. Or have they already offered this?

Unknown

Eagle22 said:

@dkeninitz1: With so many years in your database and coming from windows quicken (and sense I feel sure there are no amount errors in your database) do you have any transactions that you know are reconciled but don't have the green circle around the cleared column? That is maybe have been just marked cleared but not reconciled. The new reconcile method would go back and pickup those transactions if so. This can also be seen in the second reconcile window as you would see some transactions to be reconciled that already have been reconciled.
 
Also, have you looked into the "start fresh" option of reconciling to possibly get your accounts reconciled they way they need to be.

I'm not sure what you mean by fresh start option, unless you mean the suggestion that I simply start over by purging my historical data, which is a non-starter for me.  If it helps, here are two screen shots (btw, the difference is $29K, the $39K figure I've been citing is Quicken's notion of my online balance, which is actually $11K right now.  I have no idea where Quicken is getting the $39K figure from.  And I've updated to 3.5.2, no change.

Unknown

Eagle22 said:

@dkeninitz1: With so many years in your database and coming from windows quicken (and sense I feel sure there are no amount errors in your database) do you have any transactions that you know are reconciled but don't have the green circle around the cleared column? That is maybe have been just marked cleared but not reconciled. The new reconcile method would go back and pickup those transactions if so. This can also be seen in the second reconcile window as you would see some transactions to be reconciled that already have been reconciled.
 
Also, have you looked into the "start fresh" option of reconciling to possibly get your accounts reconciled they way they need to be.

I've heard nothing from Quicken, and based on my experiences over the past 20 years, I don't expect to.  They never acknowledge issues in their software in my experience.  In this thread there are several instances of a Quicken employee denying there's any issue with the reconciliation feature, despite people's numerous complaints to the contrary.

Unknown

Eagle22 said:

@dkeninitz1: With so many years in your database and coming from windows quicken (and sense I feel sure there are no amount errors in your database) do you have any transactions that you know are reconciled but don't have the green circle around the cleared column? That is maybe have been just marked cleared but not reconciled. The new reconcile method would go back and pickup those transactions if so. This can also be seen in the second reconcile window as you would see some transactions to be reconciled that already have been reconciled.
 
Also, have you looked into the "start fresh" option of reconciling to possibly get your accounts reconciled they way they need to be.

Would I be willing?  Yes.  Do I expect them to make the offer?  Not in a million years.  I regard Intuit as one of the worst customer service companies ever.  Remember, they're the ones who once introduced the DRM virus C-dilla in their TurboTax program and denied it was a problem despite tens of thousands of complaints.

Unknown

Eagle22 said:

@dkeninitz1: With so many years in your database and coming from windows quicken (and sense I feel sure there are no amount errors in your database) do you have any transactions that you know are reconciled but don't have the green circle around the cleared column? That is maybe have been just marked cleared but not reconciled. The new reconcile method would go back and pickup those transactions if so. This can also be seen in the second reconcile window as you would see some transactions to be reconciled that already have been reconciled.
 
Also, have you looked into the "start fresh" option of reconciling to possibly get your accounts reconciled they way they need to be.

Chiming in here, I have this problem, I *have* heard from Quicken and I provided some details but haven't heard back. It was Quicken Jeff, though, and I know he's just now returning from vacation. My reason for chiming in: I would be happy to send Quicken development my data file for investigation purposes.

Eagle22

Eagle22 said:

@dkeninitz1: With so many years in your database and coming from windows quicken (and sense I feel sure there are no amount errors in your database) do you have any transactions that you know are reconciled but don't have the green circle around the cleared column? That is maybe have been just marked cleared but not reconciled. The new reconcile method would go back and pickup those transactions if so. This can also be seen in the second reconcile window as you would see some transactions to be reconciled that already have been reconciled.
 
Also, have you looked into the "start fresh" option of reconciling to possibly get your accounts reconciled they way they need to be.

Since, it is no longer intuit, I have found a more focused group now working on the the quicken Mac product.
https://www.quicken.com/about-us/press/quicken-completes-acquisition-hig-capital-and-outlines-vision

Also, I don't understand why you are getting the message about 26840 transactions to mark reconciled again unless you are selecting the button " Mark all as cleared". 
BTW, what is the data range for the 3 deposits and 114 payments quicken is showing? They should all be current dates since you reconcile so often. 

The start fresh option is an option available when you select the gear menu in the bottom right. We may be taking about something you have already looked into and did not want to do because of the adjustment quicken would insert.. as the help has the following:
If using a manual account with an online balance.

1. Start the reconcile process.
2. Choose Use Online Balance.
3. Enter the Ending Balance that you got from your bank.
4. Make sure that Ending Date is set to a date appropriate for the balance that you set.
5. Hit the Next button.
6. Choose the Start Fresh menu item under the Gear icon. This will mark all transactions that are older than two months as reconciled. (Two months is used because it is the amount of time that most banks will honor a check.)
7. Clear any of the remaining transactions that you know aren’t outstanding. Use information on the bank’s web site to know which of the recent transactions have cleared.
8. Hit the Done button (even if Difference is not $0).
9. Quicken will end the reconcile session and insert an adjustment if the difference isn’t zero.

At any rate, I hope the quicken team will reach out to you since you are willing to send them your database.

Eagle22

Eagle22 said:

@dkeninitz1: With so many years in your database and coming from windows quicken (and sense I feel sure there are no amount errors in your database) do you have any transactions that you know are reconciled but don't have the green circle around the cleared column? That is maybe have been just marked cleared but not reconciled. The new reconcile method would go back and pickup those transactions if so. This can also be seen in the second reconcile window as you would see some transactions to be reconciled that already have been reconciled.
 
Also, have you looked into the "start fresh" option of reconciling to possibly get your accounts reconciled they way they need to be.

@dkeninitz1 When you said "I have no idea where Quicken is getting the $39K figure from" in the post above. It should come from you FI when you update this account. Are you using direct connect or quicken connect with this account? Maybe the problem is not with your database at all but with the update from your FI. The quicken logs should help quicken support see if the issue is with the update. Do you have a support ticket open with support?  

M C Crockett

Eagle22 said:

@dkeninitz1: With so many years in your database and coming from windows quicken (and sense I feel sure there are no amount errors in your database) do you have any transactions that you know are reconciled but don't have the green circle around the cleared column? That is maybe have been just marked cleared but not reconciled. The new reconcile method would go back and pickup those transactions if so. This can also be seen in the second reconcile window as you would see some transactions to be reconciled that already have been reconciled.
 
Also, have you looked into the "start fresh" option of reconciling to possibly get your accounts reconciled they way they need to be.

@dkeninit1:  From the image that you posted it appears that you clicked on the Gear icon and selected the "Start fresh ..." option and are attempting to use the Quick Reconcile method to reconcile the account.  Based on my experience with the QM2015 product, the drop-down panel indicating that you are attempting to reconcile transactions that already have been reconciled is only displayed when you use this method.  (I used this feature several times while attempting to discover what had been corrupted in my Quicken Premier database that caused import problems.)

The interesting bit that is not included in your image is what is displayed in the Reconcile transaction register.  It might help those of us participating in this forum understand the problem that you are experiencing.

In addition, the nature of your problem seems to have changed from your earlier statements.  You seem to indicate that the QM2016 balance of $11,342.95 is correct and that the problem is with the $39,910.49 balance purportedly reported by your financial institution.

I only reconcile to paper statements.  To use you financial institution's online balances, I would suspect that QM2016 would have to adjust the online balance obtained from the financial institution to make adjustments to the online balance for any pending or uncleared transactions so that the online balance is equal to the current balance in the QM2016 account register.

It would appear that there might be roughly 4 deposits/transfers recorded in your account's register that haven't been posted to your account at your financial institution plus a few miscellaneous checks.

As I am not employed by Quicken and have no access to their source code, my suppositions could be totally wrong.

Unknown

Eagle22 said:

@dkeninitz1: With so many years in your database and coming from windows quicken (and sense I feel sure there are no amount errors in your database) do you have any transactions that you know are reconciled but don't have the green circle around the cleared column? That is maybe have been just marked cleared but not reconciled. The new reconcile method would go back and pickup those transactions if so. This can also be seen in the second reconcile window as you would see some transactions to be reconciled that already have been reconciled.
 
Also, have you looked into the "start fresh" option of reconciling to possibly get your accounts reconciled they way they need to be.

@ Bob Soule: the $39K figure is automatically populated by QuickBooks as my online bank balance (even though the actual balance is very close to the $11K shown as the register balance).  QuickBooks has been reporting that $39K figure as my online balance since I switched over the to Mac version from Windows.  The difference is that before 3.5.1 I could simply override the $39K figure and enter my REAL online balance, and then finish reconciling with no problem.

Unknown

Eagle22 said:

@dkeninitz1: With so many years in your database and coming from windows quicken (and sense I feel sure there are no amount errors in your database) do you have any transactions that you know are reconciled but don't have the green circle around the cleared column? That is maybe have been just marked cleared but not reconciled. The new reconcile method would go back and pickup those transactions if so. This can also be seen in the second reconcile window as you would see some transactions to be reconciled that already have been reconciled.
 
Also, have you looked into the "start fresh" option of reconciling to possibly get your accounts reconciled they way they need to be.

@M. Crockett, I clicked on the gear icon and chose start fresh simply to generate the result so I could provide a screen shot.  Doing it has ALWAYS shown the result you see, i.e., that all 26,000+ transactions have ALREADY (and long) been reconciled.  I'm not "attempting" to use it, because there'd be no point.  It wouldn't do anything.  If I actually follow it through, all it does is go into the Mac beachball for 15 minutes and report back the same info in the screen shot after it eventually finishes.  And it has ever be thus.

If there are two things that frustrate me more than anything about all this it's 1) the suggestion I'm somehow a novice who simply doesn't know how a bank reconciliation process words (which is nonsense; I'll note one last time I've been a CPA for over 35 years and an audit partner for more than 27, all with Big 4 firms), and 2) that the only possibility is that I'm somehow at fault and not Intuit.  I'll match my credentials against of the Quicken employees I've seen posting in this thread, all of whom I've thus found to be singularly unimpressive, starting with the one who asserted there's no fix in 3.5.2 because there's nothing wrong with 3.5.1.  I go back with Quicken a LONG way, and their attitude toward their deficiencies has NEVER changed.

Unknown

Veronica Puleo said:

I'm getting an Error 324 Account marked as "DEAD".  How do I troubleshoot this?  My Quicken is not updating

After I installed the upgrade for 2016 3.5.2, my account no longer sync and I get an error message.  Please help me.

Unknown

Eagle22 said:

@dkeninitz1: With so many years in your database and coming from windows quicken (and sense I feel sure there are no amount errors in your database) do you have any transactions that you know are reconciled but don't have the green circle around the cleared column? That is maybe have been just marked cleared but not reconciled. The new reconcile method would go back and pickup those transactions if so. This can also be seen in the second reconcile window as you would see some transactions to be reconciled that already have been reconciled.
 
Also, have you looked into the "start fresh" option of reconciling to possibly get your accounts reconciled they way they need to be.

So this is was a issue in Quickbooks and originated when you transferred your data file from windows to Mac.  Important details as not all things are equal in Quicken.

susantjenkins

rolandwalkenhors said:

For what it's worth, I think users should consider starting a new file from time to time. I began using QM about a year ago, and started with my converted Windows file that went back to 1999. It took a lot of work, and a lot of time on the phone with PNC Bank (fabulous support, btw) to get Direct Connect to function properly. Somewhere along the way a PNC guy suggested that I start a new file. In fact he said he starts a new file every year, which seems a little extreme considering how much work it is to set up all the accounts from scratch.
Anyhow, I have had no problems reconciling with 3.5.1, so I'm kind of glad now that I started the new file at the beginning of 2016. My wife and I retired this year, so with that major change in our financial situation, I figured it was a good time to do it. Now after reading about all the problems folks are having, I'm glad I did. My file is much simpler now, and problems are easier to track down. If I need to see older transactions, I can always open the old file on the Mac, or even fire up the old Windows machine.
I know this won't be an attractive option for many; I just wanted to throw the idea out there. My reaction was "No way!" - until I thought it through.

I agree with Roland about creating a new Quicken file every 3 years or so. Using Quicken since the mid-1990's this was actually recommended to me by Quicken techs after my file had gotten so large that it became buggy (with 7 years of entries). Now I make a clean slate every 2-3 years (in the dead of winter when I can spend a whole day saving detail reports) and have never had the buggy issues arise again. I missed the comparison YoY data only a little bit. However, the reconciling issue noted by at least a dozen of us accountant-types here is not a reason to do this! I've commented elsewhere in this thread about my experience with it. 

Unknown

Doug Blakeley said:

I also have PNC and have also received the same suggestion. I have not done so myself as I continue to not have reconciliation problems (my current register goes back to 2010), however, the suggestion does make a lot of sense. For reconciliation to operate cleanly it helps tremendously if you have a known starting value. With a restart each year you have a known starting value and a much simpler register to decipher if you do find an issue.


I do think that many of the issues that people are having is related to the registers being very large having moved them over from version to version of QM and not being fully diligent in reconciliation over the years. (No offense intended to the CPAs in this blog!).

I agree as my register goes back to 2008 (8yrs) too and I am balanced to the penny every month but I have addressed any out of balance issue at the time and never let it lag into the next reconciliation period or make unreconciled adjustments whether it be my error/bank or the software. Although, I have to admit I used 2007 for mac up to 1/2016 which was a very stable program.  Quicken 2016 for mac has been challenging but I still have balanced without doing adjustments to force Quicken to balance artificially even in 3.5.1 and now 3.5.2.  Once I discovered  a transaction missing from the register and had to re-enter it and another changed to unreconciled.  3.5.2 now shows old dated outstanding transactions in the recon screen which should help those trouble shoot what transactions might actually be cleared but showing in the reconciliation screen as still not cleared by the bank (duplicates or changed).  I should add, I can't speak for the online process as it appears to function differently in the way it approaches a reconciliation and uniquely problematic.

P.S. It would be helpful if people in this forum would identify what quicken product they are using and if they reconcile "online" or "manually by paper statement" since they reconcile very differently and involve different programming.   

Eagle22

Eagle22 said:

@dkeninitz1: With so many years in your database and coming from windows quicken (and sense I feel sure there are no amount errors in your database) do you have any transactions that you know are reconciled but don't have the green circle around the cleared column? That is maybe have been just marked cleared but not reconciled. The new reconcile method would go back and pickup those transactions if so. This can also be seen in the second reconcile window as you would see some transactions to be reconciled that already have been reconciled.
 
Also, have you looked into the "start fresh" option of reconciling to possibly get your accounts reconciled they way they need to be.

@dkeninitz1... So Quicken 3.5.1/2 closed your work around for not having correct online balance. No wonder you can't balance to an incorrect online balance. So, I would agree with Quicken staff that the program is working as designed. 
Why do you get your online balance from Quickbooks instead of the FI?

Unknown

Eagle22 said:

@dkeninitz1: With so many years in your database and coming from windows quicken (and sense I feel sure there are no amount errors in your database) do you have any transactions that you know are reconciled but don't have the green circle around the cleared column? That is maybe have been just marked cleared but not reconciled. The new reconcile method would go back and pickup those transactions if so. This can also be seen in the second reconcile window as you would see some transactions to be reconciled that already have been reconciled.
 
Also, have you looked into the "start fresh" option of reconciling to possibly get your accounts reconciled they way they need to be.

You're wrong.  Quicken INCORRECTLY REPORTS my online balance (my FI certainly reports the right balance to Quicken).  If you call that "working as designed" perhaps you should consider working for Intuit.  My workaround was to get past Quicken reporting the wrong online balance.  Quicken should pick up a new balance from my bank (and report it) every time I update.  After all what could be easier than for a program than to retrieve a balance provided by the FI on demand?  Quicken doesn't pick up the FI's own online balance: it calculates its own version of it.

There's not another serious accounting program out there - from MS Dynamics to Oracle or SAP - that substitutes its judgment of what the online balance IS (not what the program thinks it should be, however it might arrive at THAT) for what the FI reports.