direct connect

I can share some information about connecting your online banking account to QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT), @CB2022.

When trying to set up your bank connection through Direct Connect, you'll need to secure a bank-provided PIN or password. If they can't provide you with the necessary PIN that QuickBooks is asking for, I suggest you use the Web Connect method. You'll download the transactions from your online banking account and import them into your QBDT account. 

Here's how to download your bank transactions:

1. Go to your online banking account to get your file.
2. Check or follow your bank’s instructions to get a copy of the data and then save it on your computer.
3. Ensure that the data range is at least one day before your oldest transaction to avoid duplicates.
4. Please take note of the supported file format. It should be a QuickBooks Online (QBO) file. 
5. Download your transactions and save the file to your desktop.

To import it to QBDT:

1. Go to the Banking menu, select Bank Feeds and click on Import Web Connect Files.
2. Find the QBO file that you've downloaded and click Open.
3. When prompted to select your bank account, use a QuickBooks account that exists if the account you're importing transactions into is already set up in QuickBooks, or create a new QuickBooks account if the account you're importing transactions into isn't in QuickBooks yet.
4. Click on Continue and then OK.
5. You can now proceed to the Bank Feeds Center to review your transactions.

Refer to this article for more information about connecting your bank account to the bank feeds center and getting your transactions: Set up bank accounts for Bank Feeds in QuickBooks Desktop.

From here, you can now review, match, and categorize your transactions: Add and match Bank Feed transactions in QuickBooks Desktop.

If you have other questions about adding your bank transactions, I'm happy to answer them for you. Just post it here as a reply and I'll take a look at it. Have a good one.

Thanks for your reply. Unfortunately, since I already made account inactive then recreated it will not let me go any further. I have the updated account activated; it just will not let me reset the pin. The pin required by bankfeeds with SunTrust was 4 digits however, BB&T is 5 digits.  

Therefore, I am just stuck.

Spoke with BB&T (now Truist) twice and both times I was told they do not require a pin for direct feeds Just username and passwords that entered during original set up of active account - referred me back to QuickBooks support again stating this QB's requirement. Which years ago, when I was with SunTrust and originally set up my bank feeds the 4-digit pin was something I created myself (Not SunTrust).  

However, I can’t change the pin when prompted because QuickBooks will not accept the original old 4-digit pin.

When I click change pin/password - it requires me to enter the old password (4 digits) but when I type that I just get box saying it has to be 5 digits. Please reference below: 

Thanks for sharing additional details of your concern, CB2022.

When connecting banks to QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT), some of the banks require a pin. This is the reason why you're getting the message to enter a pin when setting up your account in the Bank Feeds Center.

I understand that you've already called your bank regarding this one. However, only our bank can provide the pin so you're able to proceed.

Once you have it, you can continue the process of updating your direct connect pin in QBDT. 

Feel free to refer to this article for more information about connecting your bank account to the bank feeds center and getting your transactions: Set up bank accounts for Bank Feeds in QuickBooks Desktop.

If you need guidance in performing the whole process, you can asklhelp from our Support Team so they can further assist you with it.

1. Go to Help, then select QuickBooks Desktop Help.
2. Select Contact Us and enter the error message.
3. Choose a way to connect with them.

With the current global pandemic of Coronavirus, we have limited staffing. To ensure you'll get to address your concern immediately, please check out our support hours availability. 

Anything else you need help with can be answered in the Community. Feel free to visit us again for more questions. Stay safe and have a good one

We have gone through the same thing with Truist and Bank of America since the merger of Suntrust and BB&T, and still do not have Direct Connects working. Have you found another bank or institution where you can get your Quick Books Direct Connect working as it should?

And ... to the moderator, there doesn't seem to be a workable solution with the banks or quick books.

I understand that you've been through a lot already with the direct connect issue, Ally88.

I like to share a fix that one of our users found effective in resolving direct connect that you might want to try. Go to your Chart of Accounts, locate the bank and deactivate all online services. After deactivating your online banking from your current checking account, you'll enable/add Direct Connect to your Truist account. 

Here are the steps:

1. Go to Bank Feeds to set up new access.
2. Search for the bank BB&T -Online.
3. Go to the next screen/page ( don't log in through the QuickBooks web browser).
4. The next page will give you a place to enter your customer id & password. Use your online login credentials.
5. After logging in, your data file has been associated and you can click Confirm.

If you need help with other banking-related tasks, you can visit this article for details and a guide on how: Find help with banking and reconciling accounts in QuickBooks Desktop.

You can get back into this thread if you need more help. The Community is always here to help.

Another question on Direct Connect with Truist. I send checks via Quickbooks register. When I send a check, who actually sends the check? Truist or Intuit?

Hi @BuilderOne,

I'm glad to see you in the Community space for your banking concern. I'm here to provide clarification about sending a check within QuickBooks Desktop.

The Direct Connect method is for downloading bank transactions to QuickBooks. If you send checks via the Pay Online option, QuickBooks act as a portal for processing the payment.

To answer your question, it's Truist who sends the funds. We only help with the process so you can send the transactions directly within the program.

Also, did you know you can create a user role to write checks without seeing confidential information? For more information about the process, I've attached this article: Create, modify, and print checks.

Let me know if you have more questions about QuickBooks Banking or sending payments. I'll be happy to help you some more. Have a great day.

How do I set up QuickBooks Direct payment to pay bills directly out of QB desktop Pro Premier 2023?

Does it have to be through Melio?

I appreciate your interest in setting up QuickBooks direct payment to pay bills directly out of QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT), @Tampacpa6476. I'm here to give you insights about this feature.

The setup depends on the application you're using. Melio is just one of them. If you're using this app, the steps below will help you set up the Bill Pay service powered by Melio.

1. Head to Vendors and then Vendor Center.
2. Select the vendor and then the bill you like to pay.
3. From the Enter Bills window, click Schedule Online Payment. This will connect you to the QuickBooks Bill Pay service.
4. Sign in as the admin and click Continue.
5. Enter your user ID and password, then Sign in.
6. Click Continue to set up how you want to pay.
7. Enter your payment details and Continue.
8. Enter any missing info and click Complete and save, then Done.
9. Select the matching payment account in QuickBooks to link with your payment method, then Link my debit card.
10. Choose how your vendors will receive your payments. Then, follow the on-screen instructions.

Your vendor will receive an email when you schedule a payment. Then, you'll get an email when it's paid. These materials will provide more details about this feature and include detailed steps to pay your vendors using the Pay Bills and Write Checks window:

• Pay bills online from QuickBooks Desktop
• Use Online Bill Pay in QuickBooks Desktop

On the other hand, if you want to utilize other supported apps, you can look for one from here: Apps for QuickBooks Desktop.

Thank you for your first visit here in the Community. If you have follow-up questions while working with your bill payment entries, let me know by leaving a comment below. I'm always here to help. Have a good one!

I'm totally unclear why this feature is so misunderstood by so many including the banks themselves. Direct Connect is a feature that connects DIRECTLY and ONLY with a bank. Through it, I just write a check in the register and type "SEND" in the check number slot. Then I go to bank feeds and sync with the bank. Out goes my new checks that had "SEND" on them and in comes any new transactions directly to my register.

My issue is TRUIST has an incredibly bad Direct Connect superset. I canNOT put a message in the memo field of the check (HUGE downside because that's where I normally put the invoice number of the bill I'm paying) AND I never get a check number back. Instead it says "CHK" in the check number slot. I'm looking for a bank with both of these features intact. That was my question.

We are experiencing the exact same issue with QB and TRUIST. We have used Direct Connect since 2007 without any issue. We paid our bills online via Direct Connect, downloaded transactions which included check numbers all while using SunTrust Bank. When SunTrust and BB&T merged, we had to recreate our bank feeds and chaos has ensued ever since. We do not have the ability to included vendor invoices numbers so they do not know how to properly apply our bill payments. We do not receive check numbers back so reconciliation is a nightmare and can only be matched up via amounts. I have spent countless hours on the phone with QB and the bank. Are you still experiencing this issues? We are trying desperately to find a fix...

Hi there, timk540. 

I understand how simple and straightforward it was to manage bank transactions before the two banks (SunTrust and BB&T) merged. Particularly when applying bill payments to vendor bills. 

However, QuickBooks is dependent on the amount of information provided by your financial institution, whether you use Direct Connect or Web Connect to download your transaction. Also, banks offer one of two ways to download transactions. Here's an article for more information: Download bank feed transactions in QuickBooks Desktop.

As a result, I recommend that you manually enter your vendor bills and checks and refer to the bank statement provided by your financial institution. This way, you can properly match your bill payments and other transactions in QuickBooks.

I'm also adding this link for more details about the different bank feed modes you can use to add and match transactions: Add and match Bank Feed transactions in QuickBooks Desktop.

Keep me posted for any follow-up questions about banking. I'll be here to assist. Keep safe!