Paycheck split deposit transactions duplicating (QWin)

System

This discussion was created from comments split from:

Duplicate Transactions After Download

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tgafney

I am having the same issue. I've had five paycheck split deposit transactions that have been duplicated.

Quicken Kristina

Hello @tgafney,

To clarify, are you seeing the exact same scenario, where the only transactions that are doubling are ones that are transfers between accounts that have 1 or more days delay between when they post? If not, then please provide more information exactly what is happening when your paycheck split deposits are duplicating. Providing screenshots of what you're seeing, with any personal information redacted, would also be helpful. 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 reply!

tgafney

I downloaded my activity a few days ago. The highlighted transactions on the attachment appeared and are apparent even after multiple additional downloads. This same thing happened on other accounts that are part of a split paycheck transaction, too. They are not, however, included on the transactions for the account that gets the balance of the paycheck after all deductions and transfers, if that makes sense. I cannot delete the transactions because they are part of split transaction. The software wants me to delete the original transaction, which does not exist.

Duplicate Transaction Entry - 072924.pdf

Quicken Kristina

Thank you for your reply,

Since the screenshot you attached is from a report, it's not possible to see what is downloaded and what is manual. When you look in your account registers, are all of the duplicate transactions downloaded transactions, or do any of them have a pencil icon next to them (which would indicate either manually entered or a reminder that's been entered to the register)?

Do you have income reminders set up for these paychecks? Are you manually entering the paycheck transactions into your register, or waiting for them to download?

If I'm understanding correctly, the account the paychecks should be going to prior to money being split out to different accounts isn't reflecting the paycheck transaction at all? If that is the case, have you checked your other accounts to see if the paycheck transaction is downloading someplace else?

I look forward to your response!

tgafney

None of them have a pencil icon next to them.

Yes, I have income reminders set up for these paychecks. I manually enter the paycheck transactions in the register since some items change monthly.

The account the paychecks go into show the original transaction that I entered, but not the duplicate transactions. The duplicate paycheck is not being downloaded someplace else.

Thanks for your help.

Todd

Quicken Jasmine

Hello @tgafney,

Thank you for providing more information.

To start with, I suggest that you please try validating and/or super validating your data file. However, I do recommend that you first save a backup file prior to performing these steps.

Validate: 

1. File
2. Validate and Repair File...
3. Validate File
4. Click OK
5. Close the Data Log
6. Close Quicken (leave it closed for at least 5 secs)
7. Reopen Quicken and see if the issue persists.

If the issue persists, proceed to Super Validate. If the issue is resolved after performing validation, then please disregard the instructions to Super Validate.Super Validate:

1. File
2. Hold CTRL + Shift and click Validate and Repair File...
3. Super Validate File
4. Click OK
5. Close the Data Log
6. Close Quicken (leave it closed for at least 5 secs)
7. Reopen Quicken and see if the issue persists.

I hope this helps!

tgafney

I followed the instructions to Validate and Super Validate the file. Neither solved the duplication problem.
Todd

Quicken Kristina

Thank you for your reply,

The next step is to restore a backup from before the issue started, if possible, and test to see if the issue happens in that newly restored file.

Please let me know how it goes!

mshiggins

Since we cannot see, much less take steps to investigate, your problem on our own, it might help if you supply some additional information. There's no guarantee the additional information will point the way to the cause of, or a workaround for, the problem; but it's worth trying.

First make a backup; don't overwrite any existing backup.

Then:

- Validate your data. File > Validate & Repair File. Note whether the result relates in any way to your problem.

- If you check the box to "Show hidden accounts" in the Account List, do you find any accounts you don't recognize (such as accounts with a name that begins with "ACCT_ ...."?

- Make sure the involved Quicken account registers are displaying at least one of the "Downloaded ..." columns. I suggest "Downloaded ID" as it is what allows Quicken to screen out duplicate downloaded transactions (and a blank Downloaded ID means the transaction was not downloaded - or matched by a downloaded transaction).]

- When you say, "The software wants me to delete the original transaction, which does not exist"; what is the exact wording of the message, and exactly what are you doing when you get that, message?

- What happens when you right-click the transaction that Quicken won't let you delete, and select "Go to transfer" (or "Go to matching transfer")?

- What happens if you right-click, then Cut, a duplicate transaction that you are able to "delete". While that transaction is (temporarily) removed from the account, does that have any impact on the unwanted duplicate - or the issue in general? You should be able to right-click in the account register and Paste that Cut transaction back into the account.  - note any changes after the transaction has been Pasted back into the account.

If this is an ongoing problem, you might try deleting the Paycheck reminder, doing a Validate, then recreating the Paycheck reminder - to try to prevent the problem from recurring.

[When submitting "screenshots" in the future, please follow the instructions in the FAQ Quicken Kristina provided in her July 28 post in this discussion.

And to supply information about transactions, it's often better to submit transactions from an account register - there's information there that is (unfortunately) not available in reports (such as the "Downloaded ..." and "Status" fields.]

-JP

tgafney

@Quicken Kristina @mshiggins Wow. That's quite a list.

I back up my file weekly. Somehow I thought that was a good, conservative idea. Apparently it was not. At this point, since the backup file has captured the Quicken software error, it is no longer useful to help fix this situation. I guess I can go to the annual backup file I do, but then I'm forced to reproduce seven months of information. Not ideal.

@mshiggins

• As you can see from my 8/1 post, I've Validated and Super Validated the file. No positive results came from those actions.
• I see no accounts that I don't recognize.
• I have no idea what this means "- Make sure the involved Quicken account registers are displaying at least one of the "Downloaded ..." columns. I suggest "Downloaded ID" as it is what allows Quicken to screen out duplicate downloaded transactions (and a blank Downloaded ID means the transaction was not downloaded - or matched by a downloaded transaction).]"
• "This transaction is a transfer to a split and cannot be deleted here" is the error message.
• When I right-click, it takes me to a transaction this is a duplicate of the original entry, thus a duplicate.
• "If this is an ongoing problem, you might try deleting the Paycheck reminder, doing a Validate, then recreating the Paycheck reminder - to try to prevent the problem from recurring." OK, I guess. Seems like I am doing Intuit's job, but I can give it a try. At some point, if I'm going to fix Intuit's problems, I might as well just keep track of things with pencil and paper and save the software cost. I didn't create this problem.
• Appreciate the advice on the screen shots. I'll follow that advice next time if needed.

All in all, the software seems like it continues to be more and more unstable. I've used the software since approximately 1994. While my financial transactions have become more complex over that time frame, I'm finding the software to become less and less reliable. At some point, it would be easier to consolidate all of the accounts through one of the larger brokerage firms.

mshiggins

"As you can see from my 8/1 post, I've Validated and Super Validated the file. No positive results came from those actions."

My suggestion didn't propose that the Validate would "solve" the problem, but rather its purpose was to see if the Validate results indicated anything useful. Even when Validate cannot repair a problem, it sometimes discovers useful evidence (*).

"I have no idea what this means '- Make sure the involved Quicken account registers are displaying at least one of the "Downloaded ...' columns."

A Quicken user has the option to select which columns will be displayed in non-investment account registers. To see the available register columns and select the ones you want, click the icon that is directly above the vertical scroll bar in the register heading row.

"When I right-click, it takes me to a transaction this is a duplicate of the original entry, thus a duplicate."

As I asked in my previous post (just following the question your above answer applies to), what happens when you "Cut ... a duplicate transaction you are able to delete" - namely (n this specific instance) the transaction that "go to transfer" landed on?

"Seems like I am doing Intuit's job ...."

If you have corrupted data, there is typically no way to know how it got corrupted (and Quicken is only one possible source of data corruption). More importantly, there is no way that Quicken (on its own) can possibly identify, much less fix, all corrupted data.

"At some point, if I'm going to fix Intuit's problems, I might as well just keep track of things with pencil and paper and save the software cost."

If you can be more effective than Quicken (more or equally accurate, while using fewer or the same resources, including your time), that would be your best choice.

But all humans make errors, whether writing software to do the work, or doing the work manually. There is no error-free software because there are no error-free human beings.

Personally I find that putting in my time to attempt to help collect information that can get problems fixed is worth doing. Sometimes I can fix, or workaround, the problem myself. Other times I have to hope that Quicken will do the job in some future release - something they are more likely to be able to do when they have good information about the problem.

Along those lines, in your case, if nothing directly helpful turns up during the investigation of this problem, I suggest you plan to report the problem to the Quicken developers, using Help > Report a problem. Make sure you send your sanitized data file and all your log files. You might even include a link to this discussion.

[ (*) Here is an example of useful information from Validate even when Validate cannot repair the problem: "The following transaction(s) involving transfers appear to be damaged. You should delete them and recreate as appropriate."]

-JP