Help, Canceling out of Reconciliation adds random dollar amounts to account
Ok, to start this issue has been randomly happening to various accounts checking, savings, credit cards within my Quicken account/ data file…. this issue has been happening for a couple of years now and I'm tired of just "adjusting the balance" in order to balance the accounts.
For example my current issue is, I was auto reconciling to my online account, one of my savings accounts. I had to go do something so I decided to cancel the reconciliation. Quicken asks "… are you sure you want to cancel… without saving…" I clicked YES. After I clicked yes, this random $3000++ dollar BALANCE amount shows up for the account. I click reconcile again, and the actual account balances with the bank balance, but this random $3k balance amount is still siting there. There are NO open, unaccounted for transactions within the account. The only way for me to get that random $3k cleared/removed is to click adjust.
I am NOT syncing to the cloud
I have gone to preferences and signed out and back in, didn't help
I have reset and deactivated the account, didn't help
I've gone to the Online Center and refreshed… the accounts, didn't help
I am NOT using an app on my phone
All my Quicken transactions are on done on my Windows PC
This is a QUICKEN issue, not a bank issue
This happens randomly even if i go back and use a previously, well functioning data file and it is happening even in a brand newly recreated clean data file.
Again as a reminder, this issue has been happening for a couple of years
Anybody have any suggestions on how to fix this???????
Answers
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Hello @deex2,
To assist with this issue, I tried to see if I could replicate it, but wasn't able to do so. You mentioned it happens randomly, about how often does it happen? Does this happen exclusively with accounts set to auto reconcile? You mentioned a balance amount shows up. Is that balance amount a transaction that shows up? Are you able to post a screenshot of it (with any personal information redacted)? If needed, please refer to this Community FAQ for instructions on how to attach a screenshot. Alternatively, you can also drag and drop screenshots to your response if you are not given the option to add attachments.
I look forward to your response!
Quicken Kristina
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about how often does it happen?
It happens randomly, it could happen twice in one week as in last week, to my checking and one of my several savings. It could happen once every couple of months.
Does this happen exclusively with accounts set to auto reconcile?
None of my accounts are "set" to auto reconcile, i manually click on the tool icon, then click reconcile.
"… balance amount shows up. Is that balance amount a transaction that shows up? "
Im not sure if "balance amount is the correct term" but as i mentioned there is no corresponding transaction. For example, lets say I have $100 in the account, I click the tool icon, click reconcile and the account might balance correctly with the bank and or lets say my quicken account in question is off by lets say $5.00. So at that point i click YES i want to exit reconcile without saving anything (because i hadn't done anything), so randomly after i click YES to exit my $100 savings account shows a random $3000.00 in the Accounts List column, which is to the left of my register, BUT if you look in the actual register for that account there are no new entries, nothing for $3000.00. I don't think a screen shot will help but I will try. Again this happens to any of my accounts.
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In your original post you said:
" ... I was auto reconciling to my online account ....".
Now you say:
"None of my accounts are 'set' to auto reconcile ....".
Perhaps you can see how that might confuse those trying to help.
And the fact that: "[t]he only way for [you] to get that random $3k cleared/removed is to click adjust" and that "this has been happening for a couple of years" means that you have not been truly "reconciling" for all those years. All you have been doing is changing the "Cleared status" of your transactions to "R".
Reconciling means that you insure that your Quicken transactions match your real-world transactions, and that therefore your Quicken account balance matches your real-world account balance. Anything else is NOT reconciling.
The first time you experienced the problem you describe here, you should have made sure you were "reconciling to a "Paper statement" and followed through with the process until you discovered - and fixed - what was causing the out-of-balance condition.
Now that you have ignored the out-of-balance condition and allowed multiple balance adjustment transactions to be entered over "a couple of years", you have actually made matters worse. I suspect that you will never be able to get a "reconcile" to balance in that account until you correct the underlying problem ... likely including removing those adjustment transactions you allowed over the years.
At the end of the day, you may need to un-reconcile all, or most, of the reconciled transactions in the account (and possibly delete the Balance Adjustment transactions); then start re-reconciling past periods from the beginning ... reconciling to a "Printed statement".
[One alternative might be to create a new Quicken account, transferring the correct current balance from the old account (creating a balance adjustment transaction in the old account to zero it out, if necessary). Then De-activating the old account for downloading and Activating the new account for downloading.]
Should you choose to keep the existing account:
Before taking more drastic measures, you could try to do some troubleshooting: first check/verify the Opening Balance transaction in the problem account: make sure it is correct (if necessary, go back to a printed statement for the first period you started tracking the account in Quicken), then make sure the Quicken opening balance transaction has that Amount - and key that opening balance Amount into the Opening Balance Memo field, for future reference.
Try not using "Auto" reconcile (or Reconcile to an online balance). With reconcile to an online balance off, after the next download to the account, first check the account balance. If the account balance is incorrect at this point, then reconcile to an online balance may not be the culprit. The download may have caused the issue - especially if you have the Mobile & Web Preference, "Sync" turned ON. "Sync" has been known to incorrectly alter transactions in Quicken accounts ... especially the account opening balance transaction.
If the account balance is correct immediately after the download, manually initiate a reconcile to the online balance and interrupt it as you have in the past when the problem occurs. Then check the account balance again.
In any event, whenever an account balance for an account that is enabled for downloading "becomes" incorrect, check the account "Opening Balance" transaction.-JP
Quicken user since Q1999. Currently using QW2017.
Questions? Check out the Quicken Windows FAQ list0 -
I know what reconciling is and although i know you are trying to help, your comment was rather condescending.
This issue has been happening on and off for several years, but it has nothing to do with actually reconciling. This new incident, which prompted me to reach out has happened in a BRAND NEW data file. At the first of the year is started from scratch, recreating a whole new file, with all my accounts, budgets…. and each and every one of my accounts reconciled with my "real world" accounts/balances and yet this glitch has happened again.
[Removed - Disruptive]
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Not condescending. You contradicted yourself, and clarification was sought.
Q user since February, 1990. DOS Version 4
Now running Quicken Windows Subscription, Business & Personal
Retired "Certified Information Systems Auditor" & Bank Audit VP-1 -
how did i contradict myself. And why are you chiming in if you aren't going to help
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Joining this conversation because I have recently experience the same issue in manual reconciliation function. I reconcile manually every month and have for too many years to mention. When I opened reconciliation function for December reconciliation, the opening balance was off by~$1,500. I pulled past statement to verify and the Quicken balance was wrong. Frustrated I made the adjustment so that I could pull register reports for tax prep. I use starter version of Quicken and none of my accounts are linked to external sources. This month, the same thing happened the opening balance is again not corresponding to the bank statement. I could start a new account for 2024 but I have 10 years of account information and I am not trusting the software right now.
Would love some reassurance from Quicken on this and a suggestion to fix or patch it?
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That's not really what i have been or am experiencing, but I appreciate you sharing. Quicken/Intuit is constantly messing up. Because of that, that is why this year i created a whole new data file, re-entering all my info again, all new renaming…. across the board re-do new and all of my accounts balanced BUT when i back out of reconciling one of my accounts, not accepting any changes so I could go back and look at something, just after i click yes i want to leave and not save anything as i hadn't done anything, i bounce back to the account and now there is the erroneous dollar amount shows the balance for the one particular account in question now is off by $3++ (no additional transactions were added or removed) just some random amount shows up (and again this is a brand new, clean data base/file).
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@mshiggins explained the contradiction on 2/6. And replies to your misstatements ARE help.
Q user since February, 1990. DOS Version 4
Now running Quicken Windows Subscription, Business & Personal
Retired "Certified Information Systems Auditor" & Bank Audit VP0 -
Look I'm not going to argue with you as you offer no help. @mshiggins did try to help but miss read or miss understood my initial post or question and didn't provide me with any help or suggestions to what I was asking.
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