Deleting an old uncleared entry creates an imbalance

I'll help you in handling that, FajitaShorty.

Usually, this will happen when you delete or modify previously reconciled transactions. To fix this, you can perform a special reconciliation in QuickBooks Desktop. Here's how:

1. Go to the Banking menu, then choose Reconcile.
2. Select the credit card account with the transactions you need to reconcile.
3. In the Date of Statement field, enter the date for an "off-cycle reconciliation." This date can be any date between your last reconciliation and the next scheduled one.
4. In the Ending Balance field, enter the balance of your last successful reconciliation. 
5. Click Continue, then check off the transactions you are fixing and re-reconciling.
6. Make sure the Difference field shows $0.00.
7. When everything looks good, select Reconcile Now.

I'm also adding this article to learn how to correct a zero or incorrect beginning balance: Fix beginning balance issues in QuickBooks Desktop.

Feel free to leave a comment below if you need further assistance in reconciling your other bank/credit card accounts.

Thank you, but I gave you wrong information.

This is a credit card reconciliation, not checking account as i wrote earlier.

There are 2 payments from the checking account to the credit card account from March of 2020.  The payments in checking are for the same amount, but one is cleared and the other isn't.

I deleted the uncleared payment, then saw that same amount as a discrepancy when reconciling.

Not sure how to correct this...

thanks

I got the help you need, FajitaShorty.

It's possible that the deleted transactions were not added back reason why the amount shows an off balance.

If you no longer know the details of those deleted transactions, you can visit the Audit Trail to see them.

I'll show you how to do it:

1. Go to Reports.
2. Under Accountant & Taxes, choose Audit Trail.
3. Locate the deleted transaction and copy the information from there.

Once you were able to add those deleted transactions, you can then proceed to performing a mini reconciliation. This will "off-cycle" reconciliation date to make the corrections. Before this, make sure to know the ending balance from the most recent reconciliation.

Here's how to start the mini reconciliation:

1. Go to the Banking menu and select Reconcile.
2. Select the bank account with the transactions you need to reconcile.
3. In the Date of Statement field, enter date for an "off-cycle reconciliation." This date can be any date between your last reconciliation and the next scheduled one.
4. In the Ending Balance field, enter the balance of your last successful reconciliation. Then select Continue.
5. In the Reconcile window, check off the transactions you are fixing and re-reconciling.
6. Make sure the Difference field shows $0.00.
7. When everything looks good, select Reconcile Now.

The moment you enter an "off-cycle" date, QuickBooks will remind you that you're doing a mini reconciliation. This puts previously unreconciled transactions back without affecting the "cycle" that they follow. For more details about this process, visit this article: Reconcile previously deleted and re-entered checking or credit card transactions.

You might also want to check out this article to learn more about the reconciliation workflow: Learn the reconcile workflow in QuickBooks.

Feel more than welcome to leave me a reply if you have further questions with reconciliation. I'll be here to help. Have a wonderful day.

Thanks for your help.  I found no Audit Trail under Accountant & Taxes in QB Desktop Pro 2021.

I have no reconciliation reports for my credit card, only statements on the card from the bank.

During my last reconcile, I saw an old uncleared payment from 2020.  Clicking on that took me to a duplicate payment for 10/2020 in my check register.  Two payments, one was cleared/reconciled, the other payment was not. I thought it safe to delete the unreconciled transaction from 2 years ago, but no, this changed my credit card opening balance.

From the reconcile screen I tried 'locate discrepancies' and it takes me right to the uncleared payment I deleted from the checking account.

I'm not sure how to proceed from here...

thanks

Thank you for updating us, @FajitaShorty. I'll guide you on how to correct the credit card opening balance.

Once you've located the payment transaction, you'll need to recreate it. Additionally, make sure to enter the same data to prevent messing further errors with the balance.

After that, I suggest performing a mini reconciliation. You can now execute a quick reconciliation after you were able to add those deleted transactions. The reconciliation date will be "off-cycle" in order to make the corrections. Take note of the ending balance from the most recent reconciliation before you continue. Follow these to mini-reconcile:

1. Open the Banking menu and choose Reconcile.
2. Choose the bank account with the transactions you need to reconcile.
3. Fill in the date for an "off-cycle reconciliation in the Date of Statement field. " This date can be any date between your last reconciliation and the next scheduled one.
4. Type in the balance of your last successful reconciliation in the Ending Balance field. Then click on Continue.
5. From the Reconcile window, check off the transactions you are fixing and re-reconciling.
6. Ensure the Difference field shows $0.00.
7. Once done, click on Reconcile Now.

Additionally, to keep getting your books messed up, it's best to seek advice from your accountant about this.

For more information about handling reconciliation discrepancies, check these helpful resources:

• Reconcile previously deleted and re-entered checking or credit card transactions
• Fix beginning balance issues in QuickBooks Desktop

I'm always ready to back you up. Please feel free to comment back if you need extra help with banking or QuickBooks. Don't overwork yourself and keep safe!
 

Thanks, but I'm getting hung up here:

"Take note of the ending balance from the most recent reconciliation before you continue. Follow these to mini-reconcile:"

I don't know how to find the last good reconciliation of the credit card.

This whole mess occurred from deleting a 2020 transaction in the checking register. I had accidentally entered the credit card payment twice in my checking account.  One transaction cleard, theother didn't. I kept seeing the uncleared transaction when I reconciled the credit card, so I deleted it as it was uncleared. The transaction I deleted was in 2020. Not sure how to proceed from here...

thanks for your help!

Thanks for following up with the Community, FajitaShorty.

You can review your Previous Reconciliation and/or Reconciliation Discrepancy reports to identify which previous reconciliation was an accurate one.

Here's how:

1. In the top menu bar, go to Reports, then Report Center.
2. Access your Banking tab.
3. Run the Previous Reconciliation or Reconciliation Discrepancy report.
4. Edit your date range and any other customizable options as necessary.
5. Review the report(s) to identify which previous reconciliation was an accurate one.

I've also included a couple detailed resources about working with reports which may come in handy moving forward:

• Understand reports
• Customize reports

I'll be here to help if there's any questions. Have a lovely day!

@FajitaShorty 

First, recreate the check that was deleted.  If you need to, use the Audit Trail report (Reports > Accountant & Taxes > Audit Trail).  I'm looking at my QB Desktop Pro 2021 and it is there.  This will ensure your beginning reconciliation balance is correct.

After you recreate the check, create a deposit using today's date for the same amount and assign the deposit to the same account as the recreated check.  Now, you have two offsetting transactions that can be cleared against each other the next time you reconcile and all will be good.

Thanks, but when I'm creating the deposit to offset the uncleared transaction, how do I specify who it's received from, and from what account?

@FajitaShorty 

In the 'Received From' field, use the same name as the payee on the re-created check.  In the 'From Account' field, you have to specify the same account as the re-created check because that account is off by the same amount as your bank account since the check was issued in error. 

Thanks, I did as you instructed. The amount I entered as a deposit in my checking account now shows up as a charge in the credit card account.

When I attempt to reconcile the credit card, it shows a negative balance, as if I had overpaid my bill. I haven't done that, as billing is automatic from my checking account. I saw this same over-payment amount yesterday, before I did as you instructed today.

@FajitaShorty 

Yes, any time you create an entry in QB, you are affecting two accounts, that's the nature of double-entry accounting.

OK, so something's off.  If you created two identical checks back in 2020 to pay down your credit card balance then, in addition to your bank account balance being understated in QB, your credit card liability balance should also have been understated by the same amount.  Somehow, between the date the duplicate check was issued and now, the cc balance has been reconciled and is accurate, correct? 

If that's the case, then what you need to do is to create a bank account called "Clearing Account" in QB.  Then, assign the re-created check from 2020 to the clearing account (not your cc liability account as done previously).  Then, assign the deposit to the same clearing account.  The clearing account entries will net to zero, your beginning bank balance will be correct and you can clear the check and the deposit to offset each other when you reconcile.

Hi Rainflurry,

So I've created the Clearing Balance bank account. 

Then went to my business checking, and in the entry for the uncleared credit card payment, I changed the account from my credit card to Clearing Balance account.

The amount appears as a deposit in the Clearing Balance account. Here's where I'm not sure what to do next. You wrote "Then, assign the deposit to the same clearing account." What do you mean by that?  The amount is already a deposit in the Clearing Balance account.  

You also wrote, "The clearing account entries will net to zero, your beginning bank balance will be correct and you can clear the check and the deposit to offset each other when you reconcile."

But if I add another deposit to the same account, it will be double what it should be?  I'm confused, sorry.

Thanks for your help!

---

@FajitaShorty wrote:

 

The amount appears as a deposit in the Clearing Balance account.  Yes, correct.

 

Here's where I'm not sure what to do next. You wrote "Then, assign the deposit to the same clearing account." What do you mean by that?  The amount is already a deposit in the Clearing Balance account.

Do not deposit into the clearing account, deposit into the checking account the re-created check was from.  Under "From Account" in the Make Deposits screen, choose the clearing account.  This will make a deposit into your checking account and it will withdraw from the clearing account, netting to zero the deposit into the clearing account from the previous step.

 

You also wrote, "The clearing account entries will net to zero, your beginning bank balance will be correct and you can clear the check and the deposit to offset each other when you reconcile."

But if I add another deposit to the same account, it will be double what it should be? See previous step.  The deposit into your checking account will be a withdrawal from the clearing account.

 

---

I tried what you suggested, but I'm still at the same minus value when I try to reconcile the credit card.

Maybe I should send you screen shots of what I've done? Maybe I made a mistake somewhere...

thanks,

@FajitaShorty 

Before posting screenshots, make sure you have re-created the deleted check from 2020 exactly as it was deleted - don't enter it with it assigned to the clearing account.  Make sure to include a screenshot of your cc reconciliation screen with all transactions selected.

Here are screen shots of the check register and the reconcile screen for the CC account/

thank you!

The other screen shot

A screenshot of the initial reconcile screen

Hi Rainflurry,

I posted 3 images to help sort out this issue, could you please take a look and let me know what you think?

thanks

@FajitaShorty 

In a previous post, you mentioned this:

"I thought it safe to delete the unreconciled transaction from 2 years ago, but no, this changed my credit card opening balance."

Deleting an uncleared transaction does not affect your opening balance.  In other words, you must have been showing overpaid on your cc account before deleting this duplicate, uncleared transaction. Your screenshots confirm this - you're overpaid before clearing the duplicate payment.  At this point, you really should have someone take a look at your QB file so they can dig in and see what happened. 

Agreed, but who cold I ask to dig down and figure out what's wrong?

Couldn't I just make a balance adjustment?

thanks

• Fix issues when you're reconciling in QuickBooks Desktop
• Fix beginning balance issues in QuickBooks Desktop.

Hi TizrahC

Thanks for jumping in and helping! I've tried to do a journal entry but it doesn't affect a negative balance on my credit card account when I start to reconcile. Could you take a look a the image below and let me know if I've done this right?

thanks