Better Transaction Matching Between Register and Downloaded Transactions

teendoc
teendoc Quicken Windows Subscription Member ✭✭✭
I'm trying to figure out whether there is a way for Quicken to better match transactions from the register and the back downloads. I have weekly transactions that are entered into the register, for example a weekly transfer to a joint account. But when the downloads come in, they are not matched by date. A November register transaction could be matched to a January download for the same amount. It is frustrating to have to go in a manually match so many transactions to the correct dates. I am wondering whether I have set something up wrong to cause this.

Any help would be appreciated.

Best Answer

  • Sherlock
    Sherlock Quicken Windows Subscription Member ✭✭✭✭
    Answer ✓
    teendoc said:
    > @NotACPA said:
    > Are you reconciling this account monthly?  Because a downloaded transaction shouldn't match to a previously reconciled transaction.It WILL however match to the earliest, otherwise identical, unreconciled transaction.
    @NotACPA:  My understanding is downloaded transactions may match previously reconciled transactions if the previously reconciled transactions have not been previously matched.
    I sometimes go a couple of months between downloading and the matching does not usually occur by the earliest identical unreconciled transaction. It can match with a transaction 1-8 weeks later. There doesn't seem to be a rhyme or reason to it.

    Also, is there a way to have Quicken not match an identical amount but a different payee, or is that just going to happen? I make a transfer to an account every 2 weeks and also pay my housekeeper the same amount weekly using Zelle. It always matches her transactions with the account transfers.

    Thanks!
    I suspect the issue may be that you go a couple of months between downloading.  I suggest you import the transactions more frequently.  In my experience, Quicken's automatic matching algorithm only matches transactions within the previous 30 days.

    If the downloaded payee/memo are unique, you should be able to use renaming rules to coerce Quicken to match the payees in the entered transactions. 

Answers

  • NotACPA
    NotACPA Quicken Windows Subscription SuperUser ✭✭✭✭✭
    Are you reconciling this account monthly?  Because a downloaded transaction shouldn't match to a previously reconciled transaction.
    It WILL however match to the earliest, otherwise identical, unreconciled transaction.

    Q user since February, 1990. DOS Version 4
    Now running Quicken Windows Subscription, Business & Personal
    Retired "Certified Information Systems Auditor" & Bank Audit VP

  • teendoc
    teendoc Quicken Windows Subscription Member ✭✭✭
    > @NotACPA said:
    > Are you reconciling this account monthly?  Because a downloaded transaction shouldn't match to a previously reconciled transaction.It WILL however match to the earliest, otherwise identical, unreconciled transaction.

    I sometimes go a couple of months between downloading and the matching does not usually occur by the earliest identical unreconciled transaction. It can match with a transaction 1-8 weeks later. There doesn't seem to be a rhyme or reason to it.

    Also, is there a way to have Quicken not match an identical amount but a different payee, or is that just going to happen? I make a transfer to an account every 2 weeks and also pay my housekeeper the same amount weekly using Zelle. It always matches her transactions with the account transfers.

    Thanks!
  • NotACPA
    NotACPA Quicken Windows Subscription SuperUser ✭✭✭✭✭
    There is No Way, within Q, to adjust the matching algorithm.

    Q user since February, 1990. DOS Version 4
    Now running Quicken Windows Subscription, Business & Personal
    Retired "Certified Information Systems Auditor" & Bank Audit VP

  • teendoc
    teendoc Quicken Windows Subscription Member ✭✭✭
    > @NotACPA said:
    > There is No Way, within Q, to adjust the matching algorithm.

    Okay, well I get to continue manual matching. Sigh... I just wish it would match on date and amount.

    Thanks.
  • Sherlock
    Sherlock Quicken Windows Subscription Member ✭✭✭✭
    Answer ✓
    teendoc said:
    > @NotACPA said:
    > Are you reconciling this account monthly?  Because a downloaded transaction shouldn't match to a previously reconciled transaction.It WILL however match to the earliest, otherwise identical, unreconciled transaction.
    @NotACPA:  My understanding is downloaded transactions may match previously reconciled transactions if the previously reconciled transactions have not been previously matched.
    I sometimes go a couple of months between downloading and the matching does not usually occur by the earliest identical unreconciled transaction. It can match with a transaction 1-8 weeks later. There doesn't seem to be a rhyme or reason to it.

    Also, is there a way to have Quicken not match an identical amount but a different payee, or is that just going to happen? I make a transfer to an account every 2 weeks and also pay my housekeeper the same amount weekly using Zelle. It always matches her transactions with the account transfers.

    Thanks!
    I suspect the issue may be that you go a couple of months between downloading.  I suggest you import the transactions more frequently.  In my experience, Quicken's automatic matching algorithm only matches transactions within the previous 30 days.

    If the downloaded payee/memo are unique, you should be able to use renaming rules to coerce Quicken to match the payees in the entered transactions. 
  • teendoc
    teendoc Quicken Windows Subscription Member ✭✭✭
    Thanks, @Sherlock. I used to be better about regular downloads but it has been quite intermittent in the past couple of years. I'll see if this gets better with more frequent downloads.
  • rreality85237
    rreality85237 Quicken Windows Subscription Member
    @teendoc I also have the same issue. It seems that it should be a really simple match if the date and amount on the download matches the transaction in the register. If a $20.00 transaction is downloaded with a date of 4/23/21 and the transaction is entered in register with same date and amount it should match to the 4/23/21 date and not 5/7/21 or 3/19/21, etc. You shouldn't need to download transactions every week or even every month in order to avoid this from happening. This has been a problem for many years and hasn't been fixed. I used to download monthly and still had the same issue (but maybe it works now) - one positive though is there were fewer transactions so fewer manual matches needed.