Quicken H&B Mileage rate problem (all versions)

Js_TechX

Mileage rates not properly handled in Quicken H&B 2018, and have been overlooked now for this and prior versions for past 10 years. ESPECIALLY if the user has a non-standard Windows time format (or other than mm/dd/yyyy).

I'm using a format of yyyy-mm-dd (looks better in a file listing sorted by date) and always have to find the latest "MileRate.txt" file and edit it myself.  Not only for the latest mileage rates (yet another common problem) but also listing them per my Windows format.  I'm hoping Quicken can take a few minutes and finally resolve this as its annoying to have to find this method seemingly every time there is an update.

Until such time, here's the method for those who must do as I do:
- In Win10 "File Explorer", go to folder "C:\ProgramData\Intuit\Quicken\Inet\Common\Localweb\Biz" (note this folder changed as of Quicken 2018 as it was "C:\ProgramData\Intuit\Quicken\Inet\Common\Localweb\Biz" prior).
- Open the file "MileRate.txt" in Notepad/etc.
- Add or modify line entries to match your date setting in Windows.  In my case the line for Biz2018 miles is "2018-01-01  0.545" for most others (Windows default) its "01/01/2018  0.545"
- See http://www.gsa.gov/mileage for latest rates

Unknown

I don't have H&B so I don't know exactly how it is in Quicken, but given your explanation it seems to me that they should just provide a dialog for the user to be able to change these settings with the default being what they "think" is the right rate.

UKR

Ummm, no. I disagree.
The code reading milerate.txt into Quicken should read it correctly as delivered, in mm/dd/yyyy format, regardless of the date format your computer uses.
There should be no need for the customer to have to edit milerate.txt to make the tables work if the customer's computer uses a different date format.

Hello, Quicken programmers, are you listening?

About the file paths ... you made a typo. Your text should read:

• In Win10 "File Explorer", go to folder
  "C:\ProgramData\Quicken\Inet\Common\Localweb\Biz" (note this
  folder changed as of Quicken 2018 as it was
  "C:\ProgramData\Intuit\Quicken\Inet\Common\Localweb\Biz" prior).
  
• I'm adding this note: You may need to configure File Explorer to enable View / Hidden items. The ProgramData folder structure normally is hidden.
  

Unknown

UKR said:

Ummm, no. I disagree.
The code reading milerate.txt into Quicken should read it correctly as delivered, in mm/dd/yyyy format, regardless of the date format your computer uses.
There should be no need for the customer to have to edit milerate.txt to make the tables work if the customer's computer uses a different date format.

Hello, Quicken programmers, are you listening?

About the file paths ... you made a typo. Your text should read:

• In Win10 "File Explorer", go to folder
  
  "C:\ProgramData\Quicken\Inet\Common\Localweb\Biz" (note this
  
  folder changed as of Quicken 2018 as it was
  
  "C:\ProgramData\Intuit\Quicken\Inet\Common\Localweb\Biz" prior).
  
• I'm adding this note: You may need to configure File Explorer to enable View / Hidden items. The ProgramData folder structure normally is hidden.
  

I agree the date should just "work".

I what I was getting at is that the updated mileage numbers always lag (from what I have seen on the posts on here), and as such they should make it something that the user can override if need be.

Js_TechX

UKR said:

Ummm, no. I disagree.
The code reading milerate.txt into Quicken should read it correctly as delivered, in mm/dd/yyyy format, regardless of the date format your computer uses.
There should be no need for the customer to have to edit milerate.txt to make the tables work if the customer's computer uses a different date format.

Hello, Quicken programmers, are you listening?

About the file paths ... you made a typo. Your text should read:

• In Win10 "File Explorer", go to folder
  
  "C:\ProgramData\Quicken\Inet\Common\Localweb\Biz" (note this
  
  folder changed as of Quicken 2018 as it was
  
  "C:\ProgramData\Intuit\Quicken\Inet\Common\Localweb\Biz" prior).
  
• I'm adding this note: You may need to configure File Explorer to enable View / Hidden items. The ProgramData folder structure normally is hidden.
  

Good catch on the typo (technically double-copy/paste w/o edit of 2nd). But it should be this folder:
C:\ProgramData\Quicken\Inet\Common\Localweb\Biz
(note that Quicken is no longer a subfolder of  Intuit)

But yeah, us millions of users (read lots of $$$) on something sacred to lots of biz users (the mileage) should not have to be the experts here. I say, as a programmer myself, this should be a 10min fix for a good Quicken engineer.

For Quicken users (probably all versions of Quicken with mileage support), It is recommended to make your own copy of the "MileRate.txt" file and keep that updated so you can easily copy it over the next useless updated file until they get this right.

Chris12

Me Too on this issue.  H&B within my subscription tells me that One Step Update will update the rate.  Nuh Uh.  And i really don't feel like i should be expected to hack MileRte.txt

GeoffG

A SuperUser has already reported this issue to support (not that one should have to). So this should be corrected in the next release.

NotACPA

I was the SuperUser that reported that ONCE AGAIN, Q has failed to provide a timely update of the Milerate.txt file.

I complain about this almost every year ...  and they eventually get it done.

My complaint NOW, is why do I have to complain about MileRate.txt every year???

NotACPA

MileRate.txt is a simple text file, that's used as a lookup table.  The dates in that file, as provided by Q, are in mm/dd/yyyy format.  If someone wants another format, it would seem to me that that user is responsible for maintaining the table (i.e., "we've got any color of car that you want ... as long as it's black".)

The MileRate.Txt table not getting updated in a timely manner (say, late in the year prior to the effective dates of the update), is a separate issue ... that has gone on for, probably, as long as the Mileage function has been available in Q.

BTW, Q2019 R 18.15 does NOT have the 2019 rates in it.

Js_TechX

And yet here we are again, another few updates later, another few needs to squash the updated MileRate.Txt file with my self-edited & maintained file. 

[rant redacted]

markus1957

The mileage rate is current in the latest update posted on Quicken website. R19.44

NotACPA

@Js_TechX  I can pretty well promise you that Q is NOT going to spend time and effort to support your non-traditional use of the product.

They have more than enough on their hands managing problems with updated.

AND,  why don't you just keep a copy of your non-traditional MileRate.txt file someplace else on  your computer ...  and then just copy it back whenever Q updates the file for the rest of us?

Js_TechX

IMO wud be a pathetic dodge if Q did not support valid use of the product. I simply changed my date format IN WINDOWS SETTINGS to a YYYY-MM-DD format. Quite simple for Q to support any time/date format as the software APIs pretty much support things like that & the app shud simply inquire from the OS the date format & handle it accordingly.

And, I have been keeping a copy of the MileRate.txt file to suit my needs for probably close to 10 years (seems ridiculous to put that in writing for an app used by millions, no?).

For those who must resort to this same nonsense (having to keep ur own file updated & copy over the Q updated version), you simply need to have the line show the date format you have in Windows. Following example for YYYY-MM-DD format (a few lines):
2017-01-01 0.535
2018-01-01 0.545
2019-01-01 0.580