How do I enter a positive value in the Amount column for a new payee?

sd_mark

In Q 2014, I always used the Payment and Deposit columns in my checking and credit card registers. Now that I'm starting with Q Classic Premier (R60.15), I'm trying to use the simplified "Amount" column. The problem is, I can't figure out an easy way to change the sign to indicate a deposit. For example, I want to enter a deposit for a new payee (not a memorized payee). In the Amount field:

• Enter "1000" - amount is -1000.00.
• Enter "+1000" - amount is blank (apparently adding 1000 to -1000?)
• Enter "+1000" again - amount is -1000.00.
• Enter "* -1" to try to multiply by -1 - calculator pops up - amount is -999,999.00

The only workaround I've found is to pop up the calculator, hit the "C" button, and then enter "1000".

What am I missing? Surely it's not this difficult to enter deposits in an accounting program?

P.S. It seems that once the payee is memorized, THEN I can use +/- to set the amount. Why not before?

volvogirl

Don't use the Amount column. Turn on the Payment and Deposit columns and delete the amount column. That is the best for all registers.

volvogirl

Don't use the Amount column. Turn on the Payment and Deposit columns and delete the amount column. That is the best for all registers.

NotACPA

@sd_mark As @volvogirl suggests, the use of the Amount column in Q is error prone, usually by getting the +/- sign of the transaction wrong.

Go with her suggestion.

splasher

While I agree with Volvogirl in the it is best to use the two columns versus the single Amount column, I tested this in a credit card account thinking it might be whether the category was an income or expense.

It worked for me with a memorized payee of a grocery purchase that if I entered "1", it made it a payment and if I made it "-1", it made it a charge as expected.

So my question to you is, what type of account was this happening in?

sd_mark

Thanks for the suggestions. Pity that 30 (?)-year-old accounting software doesn't allow entering deposits by using a + sign. If I can discover this within 8 days, it can't be a new problem…

@splasher, I'm using a 2-line register. There was no memorized payee, so no category set. I entered the payee name, tabbed to the amount column, and was unable to make it positive unless I fumbled with the calculator. Can you duplicate that? As I noted, once I memorized a payee (with a category), I was able to use +/- as expected. Ironically, it's when setting up from scratch, as I am doing, that one needs to enter many transactions that are not memorized.

Chris_QPW

@sd_mark I tried to reproduce this problem, and I can't. I tried in both checking and credit card accounts, and with 1 and 2 line modes. I tried with and without a category. I tried with the Payment/Deposit columns showing and not showing… I'm using R60.20 (not that I would think it would be different than R60.15).

The only time I have seen where Quicken has a problem with the amount sign is if the user does something like the following.

Put in the payee's name and then select to split the transaction and then put in the amount in the amount column here. It still will allow you to put in a positive or negative amount, but when you select Enter to finalize the split it will pop up this dialog:

This is because this Amount field is ambiguous to Quicken. You will notice that it isn't possible to have the Payment/Deposit columns here. And this Amount field pre-dates when they put in the single Amount field in the register. And as such, it is still using what you will see at different parts of Quicken like in the reminders that starts with the assumption that the transaction is either a Payment or Deposit and then the positive and negative signs are in reference to that assumption.

Given that isn't the case, I would have to guess at some kind of internal conversion error from your old data file is making Quicken react like this.

I would try this with a new data file. Also, I would try running Validate and Repair.

BTW Quicken is closer to 40 years old now, but the adding of the Amount field is probably something like 10 years ago.

sd_mark

@Chris_QPW I created a new file on January 1, 2025. I wanted to start fresh rather than import my old data. Here's the behavior I'm seeing, with only the Amount column and no Payment or Deposit columns :

https://youtu.be/b4mpNkMumXA

Maybe you would see this on an empty file. Or maybe there is some setting or default that I could adjust that would fix it.

Chris_QPW

@sd_mark that is really weird…

I found it! This is a bug when this setting is on:

Edit → Preferences → Setup → Use New Subscriber settings for new files and accounts

I pursued that idea that it is in a "new file/new subscriber" that you suggested. Note that when you create a new data file while in your existing one, it will transfer this setting the new data file and as such you will not see it if it is off.

But once you change it in the data file it will immediately cause this bug in the current data file.

I thought for a bit it might be that it turns on automatic memorizing of the payee, but I turned that setting off and it didn't fix it.

Chris_QPW

Also, a warning to anyone that might try this setting. Make sure you turn it on in a new data file, not your old one, and make sure that you turn it off before switching back to your real data file. I just had it change all kinds of things in my data file that didn't revert back when I flipped the setting off.

Note that this setting is saved outside of the data file, so will carry to any data file that you open with it on. As an example, it changed from Classic Home view to the new one and blew away my "Home view" in the process. I of course just recovered by going back to an older copy of my data file.

Chris_QPW

One more observation. I noticed a definite slowdown in Quicken when in this "new subscriber mode".

I played with it some more, and I think the slowdown is just due to the fact they it turns on things like the new user videos and tabs and starts One Step Update at start, and things like that.

sd_mark

Thanks @Chris_QPW for tracking that down. I hadn't realized I was in dumbed-down "new subscriber" mode. I have not opened my 2014 yet—my plan is to keep using Q2014 on another computer for until I finish my 2024 taxes. After that, I'll probably try opening it under Q Classic and see if it survives the conversion. I'm nervous now though that there are settings saved outside a data files, so opening an old file could affect a new one.

You're right, clearing that New Subscriber checkbox makes the Amount column assume positive unless you enter negative. For reference, here are the specific messages:

I suspect it is the "simpler register views" that has the bug, but I can't figure out which specific setting controls it. I found that when I disabled New Subscriber mode, "Account registers display all default columns" means you have to go back in to each register type to re-remove the Amount ant Tag columns and shrink the Status column. Also, "One Step Update" is not called One Step Update in Preferences. It's under Startup and called "Download transactions when Quicken starts".

Still takes over 30 seconds to start Quicken (Windows 10, Core i7, 16GB RAM, SSD, local data file not on OneDrive).

splasher

There are not a lot of things that Quicken stores outside of the data file, but most make sense like the "list of recent files" on the file menu, it has to be global vs local to a single data file.

I'm not condoning or condemning Q's having the "new" vs "experienced" flag as global, just explaining that there are some that are global that couldn't work if they were local.