Verify and Rebuild

Let's make sure to fix your unpaid bills report, Toni. 

Technically, the old items appear on the report once you filter the dates to All transactions. You'll have to select the current transactions so it will only show those entries for a specific period. I've added this article for reference:

On the other hand, to ensure we're on the same page, may I know if these old bills you've mentioned are supposed to be recorded in QuickBooks? If so, you can go to the Pay Bills window to settle the payables and clear them in your books or create a credit memo for the vendor and then apply them to clear the old bills.

If it's not supposed to be in your books, you can void or delete the bill. However, I still recommend reaching out to your accountant to help you check if it won't affect the accuracy of your financial data. 

Furthermore, learn how you can add or delete columns, and add or remove information on the header and footer. I've added this article for more information: Customize Reports In QuickBooks Desktop.

You can always keep in touch if you have any concerns about unpaid items or deposits. The Community is always here to help.

@toni1 

You can run Condense Data utility to remove old data.

Thank you for your response.  The date is set for "today", but we're still getting a lot of old bills.  I'm not sure what you mean by "if these old bills you've mentioned should be recorded in Quickbooks".  These bills from prior years were recorded in those prior years and those years have been closed out.  Not sure if that's what you meant.  We will probably have to go into these bills, one by one, and delete them.  However, I was hoping there might be a less time consuming way to fix this.  It seems crazy that we spend a lot of money to upgrade our Quickbooks software and then have to spend all this time trying to get the our correct info.  Thanks again for responding.  If you can think of anything else, please advise.

I was hoping there might be a less time consuming way to fix this.

Run the Condense Data utility.

I have another way how you can correct these transactions, toni1.

You can restore your backup copy and double-check that those previous transactions were indeed closed out. If they have been previously closed out, and yet they are still showing as unpaid items after the upgrade, I recommend reaching out to our support team so they can take a look and investigate further. They have the tools to pull up your account in a secure environment. To contact them, follow the steps outlined below:

1. Open QuickBooks.
2. Go to Help, then select QuickBooks Desktop Help/Contact Us
3. Select Contact Us.
4. Give a brief description of your issue, then select Continue.
5. Sign in to your Intuit account and select Continue and then Continue with my account.
   • If you don't already have an account, make sure to Create a new account.
6. We'll email you a single use code. Enter your code and select Continue.
   • If you have more than one account, select the account you want to use and then Continue.
7. Select to chat with us or Have us call you.

Furthermore, learn how to streamline your company data file and improve its performance. Check out this article for more information: Use The Condense Utility.

Post your comment below if you have any other concerns about unpaid bills or QuickBooks. We're always right here to help you anytime.

I've tried to get help through the support team.  I was on the phone with someone yesterday for over an hour and a half.  She had me do verify and rebuild twice, but it didn't solve the problem.  She suggested we delete the old bills.  I just went in and deleted one, then looked at the customer's account, and it now shows a credit balance in the amount of the bill I deleted, which should not be.  I've tried to reach support again, but the "Have us call you" option is not available.  I called the number listed in the contact us screen, and got an automated voice who was no help at all. It did not seem to understand anything I said.   I tried saying "representative", but the auto voice wanted more info and would not transfer me.  I'm not sure how the Condense Utility would help, but I'm willing to try it with the assistance of a member of the support team.  

I don't want you to have this kind of experience, @toni1. Let me further explain your situation.

Based on my understanding from your first post, the balance displayed in the report is accurate. However, the past unpaid bills are still showing on the current report even if it's already closed.

Please note not to delete old bills in QuickBooks to prevent inaccurate balances on your account. Before making any changes, always create a backup copy of your file. This way, you can restore it in case of data loss or issues.

To fix the balance showing on the customer's account, you need to re-enter and link the existing payment/credit to correct the balance and make sure the dates and information match the one you deleted.

Here's How to enter the bills:

1. Go to the Vendors menu, then select Enter Bills.
2. Select a vendor from the dropdown, and enter the correct date, amount, and due date.
3. Add the appropriate Expenses and Items.
4. Then Save and close.

To link the existing credit, follow the steps below:

1. Click on Pay Bills from the Vendor menu.
2. Select the bill you want to apply the credit to. 
3. Click on Set Credits.
4. Select the open payment/credit that matches the date of your bill.
5. Click on Done.
6. Click on Pay Selected Bills to link the bill.

After linking, verify the customer's account to ensure the balance is now accurate. If the old unpaid bills still show on the report, I recommend contacting an accounting professional to better guide you with the steps to correct the situation. If you don't have one, you can find a professional through this link: Find an accountant.

Also, refer to this article for guidance in receiving payments for an invoice in QuickBooks Desktop:  Record an invoice payment.

I know this might require effort, but we're ensuring your information will not be compromised. I'm here to assist with any other inquiries regarding bills. Take care.

Also, our unpaid bills report was showing old items as far back as 2019.

For the first troubleshoot, run the Condense Data utility to remove all data prior to 1/1/2020. If you can find any unpaid bills in 2020, you can run another condense session to remove all data prior to 1/1/2021.