Posted transactions not being automatically matched to the bank download.

Janfromearth

I have a vendor I pay by hand written check every other week on a Friday and for the same amount. I have this scheduled to post in Quicken for Mac but when the check is cashed and the withdrawal is downloaded, it does not automatically match. I suspect I have an incorrect setting so I am hoping for feedback.

Quicken Anja

Hello @Janfromearth,

We appreciate you bringing this issue to our attention!

To further investigate this issue, I will need to gather some additional details.

1. Is the transaction a Scheduled Transaction (showing a Clock icon in front of it), or a Manually Entered Transaction (showing an orange pencil in front of it)? If the former, is the Scheduled Transaction marked as "Manually Entered" before the download?
2. When the automatic match doesn't happen, do you manually match the transactions? If Quicken fails to recognize that a downloaded transaction matches a scheduled transaction, you can match them manually by dragging and dropping one onto the other, and going forward, the matched information should be retained for future downloads.
3. Do other scheduled transactions with similar setups (same payee, recurring payments) match automatically, or is this issue only happening with this vendor?

Check back and let us know!

Quicken Anja

Hello again,

We haven't heard back from you in a while. Do you still need assistance?

Thank you!

Janfromearth

The problem is still there. I use QBO all the time and the matching is great. Different company now. Thanks for following up

Quicken Anja

Thanks for following up!

Could you please review my initial response and provide answers to the questions I asked? This will help us better understand the issue and assist you more effectively.

Thank you!

Janfromearth

This is a scheduled transaction which posts to Q automatically. When the bank sync posts it separately, I usually delete the scheduled one and categorize the bank sync transaction. Nothing matches automatically

jacobs

This is a scheduled transaction which posts to Q automatically. When the bank sync posts it separately, I usually delete the scheduled one and categorize the bank sync transaction. Nothing matches automatically

Have you tried simply dragging one of the two transactions (your scheduled one created manually, and the downloaded one from the bank) over the other? This makes them match, and retains the categorization you created in the scheduled transaction. You shouldn't need to delete your scheduled transaction and edit the one from the bank.

Janfromearth

I will try it in a week when the vendor comes by again. Probably a few days after as she has to cash the checks.

Janfromearth

An I correct that Quicken will not perform this matching and I will have to do it manually every time?

jacobs

@Janfromearth Quicken should automatically match transactions, but no one knows the exact details of the algorithm it uses to identfy which transactions match. If the dollar amounts are identical, and the transactions are within a few days, it should (and does generally) match. But if it doesn't, it can be hard to figure out why not.

One key thing is whether you have any older scheduled transactions for the same amount which haven't been marked as Paid. If Quicken sees the matching amount, but the first instance of the schedule transaction is more than a few days from the downloaded date, it won't auto-match.

JT97

Quicken doesn't match many of my transactions, either. Even if I have a scheduled transaction that I pay early but then adjust the scheduled transaction to the exact same amount and date it literally prevents me from manually matching them. I am tired of having to delete a scheduled transaction because it will not automatically match and will not allow me to manually match it, either.

It seems this is a similar problem of the original poster. What is preventing transactions from me manually matching them if they don't auto-match and how do I fix that?

Thanks!

Janfromearth

I seem to have been able to click-and-drag one of the scheduled transactions to the bank downloaded withdrawal but not the other. Interesting.

jacobs

Even if I have a scheduled transaction that I pay early but then adjust the scheduled transaction to the exact same amount and date it literally prevents me from manually matching them.

If it prevents you from matching a downloaded transaction to an existing transaction, it's because one of them is already a matched transaction. Right click on each of the transactions you are trying to match and see if "Unmatch Transaction" is grayed out (meaning it hasn't been matched) or black meaning it has been matched). Unmatch the transaction to see which two transactions Quicken matched. (You can then drag on back over the other to re-match it.)

This can sometimes happen if you have a recurring scheduled transaction and get out-of-sync: Quicken matched with a prior instance of the schedule transaction, preventing your current one from matching. If you find that's the case, then deleting one instance of the scheduled transaction should get you back in sync, so that the next time this transactions downloads, it matches with the next instance of the scheduled transaction.

Janfromearth

I checked both of the transactions and the "Unmatch Transaction" is grayed out on both of them. I may have manually deleted the scheduled transaction posting but I don't remember.

Still, I think I need to wait until after the 28th when I have another scheduled transaction and it will clear the bank when the check is cashed. Stay tuned. Thank you for spending this time with me.

jacobs

I checked both of the transactions and the "Unmatch Transaction" is grayed out on both of them.

You can only match a downloaded transaction with a manual transaction (scheduled or regular).

You cannot match:

• a manual transaction (scheduled or regular) with another manual transaction (scheduled or regular)
• a downloaded transaction with another downloaded transaction
• any transaction with a transaction which is already a match of a manual and downloaded transaction

So if you drag a transaction over another and you see the the gray-circle-with-a-line-through-it icon, Quicken is telling you you're doing one of those invalid things.

Hopefully the next time you get a scheduled transaction you can test with, you'll be able to figure out what's going on. Before trying to drag the scheduled transaction over the downloaded one (or vice versa), check the downloaded transaction: does it have a blue dot (not matched) or blue pencil (matched)? If it has matched, Control-click to unmatched it to try to figure out what it merged with instead of the scheduled transaction you intended it to merge with.