Why do corrections cause a problem when trying to reconcile?

Thanks for visiting the Community today, Tncklas.

This isn’t the kind of experience I want for you, especially when reconciling an account. I’m here to help and guide you on how to perform the reconciliation process smoothly.

The message indicates that there’s an issue with the beginning balance. Here are the reasons why this is happening:

• Someone entered an incorrect opening balance when they created the account in QuickBooks.
• Someone added transactions that are older than the opening balance but didn't edit the original opening balance entry to reflect the change.
• Previously cleared and reconciled transactions were voided, deleted, or modified.
• The transaction is manually reconciled so it didn't show up on the next reconciliation.  

To rectify the issue, let’s review the original opening balance since it’s the starting point for accounts in QuickBooks. If the information is incorrect, it affects all of your reconciliations.

Here’s how:

1. In QuickBooks Online (QBO), tap the Accounting menu on the left panel to choose Chart of Accounts.
2. This will show all accounts added to the company.
3. Look for the bank or credit card account you’re working on and click View register under the Action column.
4. Search for the opening balance entry. It should have “Opening Balance” in the Memo column.
5. Take note of the date and balance.

Next, compare the opening balance with your actual account. To accomplish this task, log in to your bank’s website or find your bank statement.

If the opening balance in QuickBooks doesn’t match your bank records, make sure to correct it. Perform Steps 2-3 in this article: Fix issues the first time you reconcile an account in QuickBooks Online.

Once done, you can now reconcile the account. Let me share this link for more insights into the process: Learn the reconcile workflow in QuickBooks. It provides information on how to edit a completed reconciliation.

Additionally, the resources below contain solutions on how to troubleshoot reconciliation issues. These articles contain screenshots and a video to visually guide you through the steps.

• Fix issues for accounts you've reconciled in the past in QuickBooks Online
• Fix issues at the end of a reconciliation in QuickBooks Online

Keep me posted in the comment section below if you have clarifications about reconciling an account. I’ll jump right back in to make sure you’re taken care of. Have a good one.

I went through the video Fix issues for accounts you've reconciled in the past in QuickBooks Online.  The video does not address my problem.  I deleted items that were duplicates.  Adding them back will be an error.  So what do I do?

Thanks for the information, @Tncklas.

Let me share some information about correcting your accounts. Duplicate transactions in your bank register might be a result of added downloaded transactions instead of matching them with QuickBooks transactions.

To resolve this, you can undo the duplicate transactions from the Banking page. Here's how to do it:

1. Go to the Banking menu.
2. Select the appropriate bank account.
3. Go to the Categorized tab, then find the duplicate transactions and click Undo under the Action column. 

After you undo the transactions in question, you can Exclude them to prevent duplicates in your register. See the image below on how it looks like.

Once you're done, continue with the reconciliation of your account. Refer to this guide for details: Reconcile an account in QuickBooks Online.

I'm attaching this link here in case you want to generate a reconciliation report: How do I view, print, or export a reconciliation report?

Please know that you're always welcome to swing by if you have follow-up questions or concerns. Take care and have a great day ahead.