Deleted a transaction that was reconciled, now my beginning balance is off

Welcome to the Community, @jklandry.

I'm here to share information about fixing reconciliation errors in QuickBooks Online,

Editing reconciled transactions can cause discrepancies in your previous and next reconciliation balances balance. Remember that even little adjustments can put make your accounts out of balance. You can unreconciled one transaction at a time to lessen the impact. I advise getting in touch with an accountant so they can assist you in handling the reconciled transaction and prevent messing up your accounts.

When you know which transaction you need to change, here is how to edit and unreconciled the transaction:

1. Go to Bookkeeping or Accounting, then select Chart of accounts.
2. Find the account that has the reconciled transaction. Then select View register.
3. Locate the transaction. If the transaction is reconciled, you’ll see an “R” in the checkmark ✔ column.
4. Select the transaction to expand the view.
5. In the checkmark ✔ column, choose the box with the “R” until the box is blank. It removes the transaction from the reconciliation.
6. Click Save.
7. Close the account register.

Once done, try to reconcile the new month and check if there are any other issues. If there are any discrepancies, you can check this article to help you fix them: Fix issues for accounts you have reconciled in the past in QuickBooks Online.

Let me know if there is anything else I can assist you with about Reconciliation. Add a comment below, and I will be sure to get back to you.

Thank you Ethel, problem is I deleted the transaction already, but it had been reconciled.  (apparently I should have addressed the 'R" at that time but didn't).  So it is not a transaction in my register currently.  I do need it deleted, but need to correct the reconciliation problem as it is making my beginning balance off.  thanks

Thanks for getting back, @jklandry.

My colleague above is correct. Once you make changes to the transaction that has already been reconciled, this will cause discrepancies in the entire reconciliation. Since you mentioned that you had deleted this as you needed. I recommend you undo reconciliation as a whole. This way, you can start over with reconciling this and re-enter the new beginning balance excluding the transaction you are referring to.

If you have an accountant that uses QuickBooks, you can let them undo your entire reconciliation. QuickBooks Online Accountant (QBOA) has the option to do this at once. However, if you prefer to do it by yourself, you can follow the steps below: 

1. Go to the Accounting menu. Then select Chart of Accounts.
2. Find the account and select View register.
3. Review the check column. If the transaction is reconciled, you’ll see an “R.”
4. Tick the box and keep clicking it until it's blank. It removes the transaction from the reconciliation.
5. Select Save. Then close your register.

Once done, you can edit the opening balance to enter the correct one. Here’s how you can do that:

1. Go to the Chart of Accounts.
2. Look for the account and press View register.
3. Find the Opening Balance Entry. It should have an Opening Balance in the memo column.
4. Tap this to expand the details. Then, click the Edit button to make changes.
5. Edit the amount and click Save.

That should give you a fresh start on the reconciliation once you have the correct opening balance. You can proceed to reconcile your account again.

Moreover, I still recommend you get in touch with your professional advisor. This is to ensure that your books are accurate. Also, to avoid messing up your books.

Feel free to comment if you have more concerns about reconciling your account. The Community always has your back. Have a good one!

I have the same issue, except the deleted transaction is from 2020 and I'd have to undo years of monthly reconciliations, which I am not willing to do.  There HAS to be a way to fix this some other way. 

Thanks for contacting us, @GeoZero.

I understand the inconvenience of undoing years of monthly reconciliations. Since the deleted transaction is from 2020, I'll route you to the department that handles this situation best.

You'll want to contact our Support Team for other ways of fixing this issue. They can assist you with the necessary steps to correct the beginning balance. I'll show you how:

1. Go to the Help icon and choose Search.
2. Click the Contact Us button and enter your concern.
3. Press Continue.

Please bear with us as we're receiving several calls and messages. For other ways of connecting with us, refer to this article: QuickBooks Online Support. It contains the contact number you can use to call us directly.

Feel free to visit this page to review the amount of your account before reconciling: Fix issues for accounts you've reconciled in the past in QuickBooks Online.

Be reassured the Support Team will help you figure out why there's a sudden change in your 2020 transactions. Get back to me anytime you have any other questions in QuickBooks. Stay safe.