Transaction dates

saldy

I use Quicken to update my credit card account with new transactions, then reconcile at the end of the billing cycle. The account would always reconcile perfectly until 4-5 months ago, when several transactions would not appear in the reconciliation window. I am able to find each transaction in the entry register, and it shows cleared but not reconciled, but it's always posted with a date one day after the billing cycle closed. Even if i manually change the transaction date, the original date imported with the update is used "behind the scenes" and it still won't show up. The only solution i've found is to manually create a duplicate transaction with the date of the end of the billing cycle and delete the original automated entry. Any ideas as to what may be going on? Thanks.

Sherlock

If you haven't already, you may want to review: FAQ: How does Quicken determine which transactions qualify for a reconcile?

saldy

Good article, and thanks for providing.

I guess my next question is why the Quicken "downloaded posting date" from the financial institution is outside the reconciliation date from the same financial institution .... when my online account and statement from the same institution shows the posting date within the reconciliation date? It seems to be a disconnect between the downloaded posting date and actual posting date.

My only options appear to be: 1: manually enter a new transaction with the correct posting date (so it falls within the reconciliation window); 2: manually adjust the reconciliation date to one after the actual date. Both solutions have their own issues.

I'm hoping there is a bug that is repaired, fixing the disconnect i note above.

NotACPA

The FI determines the date of the statement and the FI determines the "Downloaded Transaction Date".  I fail to see how Q can do anything about the issue.  Complain to your FI.

Sherlock

saldy said:

Good article, and thanks for providing.

I guess my next question is why the Quicken "downloaded posting date" from the financial institution is outside the reconciliation date from the same financial institution .... when my online account and statement from the same institution shows the posting date within the reconciliation date? It seems to be a disconnect between the downloaded posting date and actual posting date.

My only options appear to be: 1: manually enter a new transaction with the correct posting date (so it falls within the reconciliation window); 2: manually adjust the reconciliation date to one after the actual date. Both solutions have their own issues.

I'm hoping there is a bug that is repaired, fixing the disconnect i note above.

I suggest you consider modifying the Posting Date as described in the FAQ.

As to why the Downloaded Posting Date is beyond the Ending Statement Date, please provide the full name of the financial institution and the connection method being used: open the register, press Ctrl + Shift + E and select the Online Services tab

saldy

Thanks.

Changing the posting date does not change the Downloaded Posting Date, which, if the the transaction has such (Downloaded Posting Date), is what Quicken uses to determine if the transaction falls within the reconciliation date window. I've tried changing the posting date, but the reconciliation still doesn't recognize the transaction (due to the Downloaded Posting Date). I an also add the Downloaded Posting Date as viewable within the register, but it cannot be changed.

Financial Institution: Bank of America-All Other States
Connection Method: Express Web Connect

Sherlock

saldy said:

Thanks.

Changing the posting date does not change the Downloaded Posting Date, which, if the the transaction has such (Downloaded Posting Date), is what Quicken uses to determine if the transaction falls within the reconciliation date window. I've tried changing the posting date, but the reconciliation still doesn't recognize the transaction (due to the Downloaded Posting Date). I an also add the Downloaded Posting Date as viewable within the register, but it cannot be changed.

Financial Institution: Bank of America-All Other States
Connection Method: Express Web Connect

As explained in the FAQ, Quicken uses the Posting Date (not the Downloaded Posting Date) to determine if the transaction should appear in the reconcile.  The reconcile has functioned this way for over a decade and I have just confirmed it is still functioning this way in R39.23. 

Regarding why the Downloaded Posting Date is beyond the Ending Statement Date, I suggest you contact Quicken Support and request the issue be escalated to Intuit's Express Web Connect scripting team: select Help > Contact Quicken Support

saldy

Thanks. I'll escalate, as my version of Quicken is using the Downloaded Posting Date to determine if the transaction is in the reconciliation window. I've changed posting dates over and over for several specific transactions and doing so does not bring the transaction into the reconciliation window. Not sure what's going on. Thanks for your help.

Sherlock

saldy said:

Thanks. I'll escalate, as my version of Quicken is using the Downloaded Posting Date to determine if the transaction is in the reconciliation window. I've changed posting dates over and over for several specific transactions and doing so does not bring the transaction into the reconciliation window. Not sure what's going on. Thanks for your help.

Do let us know what you learn.

Good luck.

younglife12

Hi... I too have been having problems with the posting date vs the transaction date. This seemed to start around Dec. 2021. As I was searching for my answer I found multiple postings on this issue and most people started having the issue around the same time. I have poured through the discussions and found 2 "work arounds" for this problem.

1) In the reconcile window I just change the "Ending Statement Date" for the month I'm reconciling. For March 31 I'll put in the date April 1 or 2. This seems to catch all the March transactions that were "Posted" after the end of the month. Then anything that is actually an April transaction that is not on my bank statement I leave unchecked.

2) Also mentioned (I think user Sherlock) in my search was the Quicken "hidden" posting date that you can change. You just right click on the transaction, press and hold the ctrl key and choose "copy transaction" This "hidden" data shows the "posting" date which you can change. Changing the posting date here to the current month now makes the transaction appear in the current month's reconciliation. You are not really copying anything but you have to get to the "hidden" data by using the ctrl+copy. Also if you want the actual transaction date in the register to match, you have to change that as well but I think you can't do both of those in one step. Change one then change the other. Probably not necessary.... NOTE: As mentioned above by "saldy" they changed the date (they said posting date but I think they meant the date in the register) and it had no effect. Changing only the date in the register does not have any effect but changing the actual posting date using the hidden data process does in my experience.

I called Quicken support and asked if there was a preference to tell Q not to use posted date and they said there wasn't an option (although they have given me wrong information in the past). It appears there may be that feature on Macs but since I don't have one I'm not sure. (As user "Jacobs" suggested to mac users " check Preferences>Connected Service>Uncheck "use posted date for matched transactions" )

I too have been reconciling my Quicken for many years and this has never been an issue. Quicken seems to want to blame the banks but I'm pretty sure Quicken could fix this issue of "transaction date vs posting date" They clearly have both dates so we should be able to use the one we want and use Quicken reconcile as it was designed. Just my 2 cents....

As user Sherlock suggested I will be requesting the issue be escalated to Intuit's Express Web Connect scripting team: select Help > Contact Quicken Support as this seems to be a widespread issue and how would the general public even know the workarounds?

younglife12

Here's the screen shot for the "hidden" posting date.

saldy

thanks younglife12. Same here, calls to Q have them suggesting that i contact my bank. I believe its a Quicken issue. I did manage to escalate the issue to a supervisor, who spend ~45 minutes with me to better understand the issue. After other dead end troubleshooting attempts we reset the account under the account's "online services" (backup file, then right click account==> edit/delete account==>online services tab==>reset account.) The action doesn't delete the account data. We're not sure it resolved the problem and will find out at the next billing cycle. Thanks again.

NotACPA

younglife12 said:

Here's the screen shot for the "hidden" posting date.

I'd like to know how you got to the dialog posted in your graphic.

And, it's hardly "hidden" when you can turn that column on/off in your account register by clicking the GEAR icon to the far right of your account name,  clicking "Register Columns" and then checking/unchecking "Downloaded Posting Date"

Sherlock

NotACPA said:

younglife12 said:

Here's the screen shot for the "hidden" posting date.

I'd like to know how you got to the dialog posted in your graphic.

And, it's hardly "hidden" when you can turn that column on/off in your account register by clicking the GEAR icon to the far right of your account name,  clicking "Register Columns" and then checking/unchecking "Downloaded Posting Date"

@NotACPA

To open View Posting Date window: right-click on a transaction and press the Ctrl key when you select Copy transaction(s)

The Posting Date register column is the readonly Downloaded Posting Date set when we import the transactions from the financial institution.

The Posting Date in the View Posting Date window is the posting date used when we reconcile and appears in the Posting Date column of the Reconcile window of online banking account registers but is otherwise hidden.

NotACPA

Well, even SuperUsers can learn something all the time.  I'd never known that before.

KathyCoxQuicken

This is a problem with Quicken for Mac - but only for some financial institutions. Since it isn't possible to edit the Posting date, in my opinion, the actual solution is to stop the automatic download of transactions. If the transactions aren't downloaded, there is no longer a posting date and the account can be reconciled.