How do I enter employer 401k match

One possibility is to still use the paycheck reminder but set the employer match to zero until the paycheck that has it and then enter it for that one paycheck.

If done in a normal split transaction (in the checking account) this is how Quicken enters it in the paycheck reminder in the hidden split, it creates.

With a normal employer contribution there is a bit of a problem, the money is transferred directly from the employer to the 401K account, it doesn't really pass through your checking account.

The first entry makes a deposit in the 401K (a transfer from the checking account to the 401K account).

The second entry does two things; it offsets the first transactions to zero it out (so that the balance of the checking account doesn't change), and it records the amount in the _401employercontrib/_401employercontribSpouse category so that Quicken can track it.

Just because it is annual, doesn't really change anything. At one time my wife's employer contribution showed as a side note on her paycheck, but in time they dropped showing even that. I still enter it using the paycheck reminder. Like I said the employer match is sort of "invisible" to your finances until it just shows up in the 401K account.

So, why not just enter this amount as a deposit in the 401K account?

Two problems. One is that deposit will appear as income in reports. You can get around this by making a balance adjustment instead. But that brings us to the second problem, you probably would like it to show up in the tax view. That is what the _401employercontrib entry does.

But again, if you just put in a transaction with a category of _401employercontrib you are going to have the problem that "where did the money come from". That is why you can solve both problems with a transfer to the 401K account (the category [401K Account]), and an offsetting entry in the _401employercontrib category.

It really doesn't matter if you do this in a paycheck reminder or a split transaction.