Checking account reconciliation on Mac

daviddef

I have been a Quicken PC user for nearly 15 years. In the PC version, I was able to reconcile my checking account to an online balance with uncleared checks and result in a reconciliation with zero differences between my Quicken balance and the bank's online balance, accounting for my open items. I just switched to Quick Mac due to getting a new laptop. When I try to reconcile using the online balance in this version, it shows the uncashed check as a Difference or reconciling item. I contacted support and they insisted I need to void the check, but why would I do that for a check that is intended to be cleared? Anyone else having this issue? Support said that what I expect only occurs with reconciling to a monthly statement, but I know that is not true. Wish I had kept my old version so I could present a recon report showing this but unfortunately I have wiped that computer already.

See attached screenshot with example. I have an (rather old) outstanding check of $75.00 which is showing as a Difference. If hit the Finish button, it will post and adjustment to offset the outstanding check which is not the correct manner to account for an outstanding check.

jacobs

So this issue here is when that $75 check actually cleared the bank "in the real world". I first thought you were saying this was showing as unreconciled when it had been reconciled long ago, but upon re-reading your post, it seems you're saying this check has never cleared the bank, and that it's correct for it to show as outstanding from 23 months ago. Is that correct? And you want to keep it as an outstanding check going forward?

In your post, you said you were reconciling to an online balance, but in your screenshot, it's showing you're reconciling to a statement balance you entered yourself. Is that correct? Since you're off by the exact amount of this old check, the first thing I have to ask is if you are certain this check has never cleared the bank? I'd suggest logging into your bank and searching to see if this check ever cleared sometime during the past 23 months, as that would account for your discrepancy with Quicken. Next, I'd check your Quicken account for $75 transactions to see if you (or Quicken) at some point in the past made any sort of adjustment you don't remember or aren't aware of. Check all the way back to the beginning of this account's history to see if Quicken inserted a placeholder transaction.

daviddef

Yes, this check has never cleared the bank that it's correct for it to show as outstanding from 23 months ago. And I want to keep it as an outstanding check going forward.

I am reconciling to online balance as indicated by the Current Balance, Self Reported which is what shows for online balance, not the statement balance. I know for a fact that this check has not cleared the bank and it has been showing as an outstanding item when I reconciled in the PC version (clicking the daily cleared items and leaving this unchecked always resulted in a complete reconciliation on which I would complete with Finish and no adjustment journal was ever proposed as a part of the reconciliation process).

jacobs

Did you do as I suggested to look at the account — in Quicken — for $75 transactions to see if you (or Quicken) at some point in the past made any sort of adjustment. Specifically: check all the way back to the beginning of this account's history to see if Quicken inserted a placeholder transaction.

Second: try using "Use Statement Balance" with today as an ending date and the correct balance for today; any difference?

Quicken's reconciliation screen is simply adding up all the transactions in your account, so it's just a matter of finding out why it's off. It's not a bug in the software.

When you visit Accounts > Reconciliation History for this account, do you have a list of monthly reconciliation snapshots going back in time (e.g. they transferred from Quicken Windows) or not? (I'm guessing not.) If they did transfer, it might give us a quick way to jump around in the past to see where the discrepancy came into being.

daviddef

Appreciate your help here, but as I stated, I was always able to reconcile this account as is with this detail in the PC version, with that $75. Unfortunately, I already wiped the PC that had the recon information so I can’t go back to that to show it as proof. There is never been any sort of adjustment posted for this transaction in the past to make it reconcile believe it or not, I am a train to Compton and I’ve been doing bank reconciliation for over 30 years with automated software this one just perplexes me.

jacobs

@daviddef Well, I've recommended several things for you to try in order to find the source of the problem, and you haven't indicated you've tried any of them. All you said in your most recent post is that you never had a problem with the account int the past and that you've been doing bank reconciliations for 30 years. But that doesn't indicate you've taken the suggested actions to find the problem, so I'm afraid I can't offer any additional help.

daviddef

Yes, I did look for any duplicate or adjustment transcations, but there aren't any. I also checked the bank and confirmed that the check never cleared.

daviddef

We can close this ticket. I located some missing transactions during my transition which netted to the $75. Thanks for your input.