Creating a rule, can QBO be programmed to read more than the first 20 characters?

Hi there, Farmdog57. I want to make sure we're on the same page for us to achieve your goal for today.

Allow me to share some insights about when programming a rule to read more than the first 20 characters in QuickBooks Online.

In QuickBooks Online, creating conditions in rules is necessary to automate the categorization of transactions efficiently. You can use these rules in QuickBooks Online to set up conditions that will automatically categorize transactions based on specific criteria. 

I can help you create a condition specific to your transactions so we can ensure that QuickBooks categorizes them accurately based on the predefined rules and criteria you set. These conditions make it easier to review and categorize your entries from bank downloads, ensuring that each transaction is assigned to the correct account. Let me walk you through how:

1. Create a New rule or Edit the Rule you created
2. Enter a name in the What do you want to call this rule? field.
3. From the Apply this to transactions that are ▼ dropdown, select Money in or Money out.
4. From the ▼ dropdown, select a bank or credit card account, or select All bank accounts.
5. Set the rule conditions. You can set a single rule with up to 5 conditions. Set and include the following to Any, then select + Add a condition.
6. In the Conditions fields, specify whether the rule applies to Description, then select Contains, to decide how QuickBooks applies the rules.
7. Select the settings for the rule. Select the Transaction Type, Category, Tags, and the Payee to apply.
8. Select Save.

QuickBooks automatically applies your rules to transactions in the For Review tab. These are the ones you need to review every day.

Here's a photo for your reference:
 

Furthermore, you can use these following articles to help you review and reconcile your accounts in QuickBooks.

• Categorize and match online bank transactions in QuickBooks Online.
• Reconcile an account in QuickBooks Online

I'm only a comment away if you have any questions while processing your rules in QuickBooks Online. Take care and enjoy your weekend!

thank you for the response.  When creating a rule, I do use the "description", "contains"; however, in the third box, only the first approx. 20 characters are imported (displayed).  Since we have several descriptions that start the same way (BUSINESS TO BUSINESS ACH), I am unable to create an unique rule.  Back to my original issue, is there a way to force QBO to import more than the first 20 characters. 

I'm delighted to have you back here, @Farmdog57.

Currently, the display box in creating bank rules is too small to show a complete description of your rule, which makes users think that QuickBooks only accepts 20 characters or less. 

I understand that viewing more details of your imported bank transactions is important for detailed info. We can submit direct feedback to our Product Engineers and raise this suggestion. They might add this to our future product updates. Here's how:

1. Go to Settings, and select Feedback.
2. Type in your product suggestions. Then select Next to submit feedback.

To answer your question, yes, QuickBooks can accept more than 20 characters and be shown in the Bank Details once you import it. You just need to hover your mouse on the right side of the bank detail column until the Adjust column tab is shown. Then, drag it to the left corner. The same goes for the opposite side, to widen the display field and show the full description.

You might want to know the acceptable and invalid characters when you import info in QuickBooks Online (QBO). Feel free to read this article: Acceptable Characters in QuickBooks Online.

After you categorized all your imported transactions, check out this article to help you match your bank and credit card statements in QBO: Reconcile an account in QuickBooks Online.

Leave a comment below if you have additional suggestions or questions about importing bank transactions. I'll be willing to help. Keep safe always.

I did submit this request via the Feedback link you provided.  Thank you. 

Your tip in viewing the bank description is not applicable for the issue of creating a unique rule using the "Description">"Contains" "text field".  Even when the Bank description on the transaction page is very wide (accommodating all characters in that field), only the first approx. 20 characters are imported to Description>Contains>"text field" when "create a rule" is selected. 

Looking at the attached screenshot, the yellow highlighted area shows the "text field" only imports the first approx. 20 characters - not enough to create a unique description.