Resolve common issues on the Previous Reconciliation report

Is the Previous Reconciliation report showing as blank, or are you worried about cleared transactions showing up as unclear? Here’s a list of the common issues you may encounter while running the Previous Reconciliation report in QuickBooks Desktop, along with recommended solutions to get you back to business in no time.

Important: It's a good idea to back up the QuickBooks company file before you proceed with the recommended solution for each of the issues.

Reports not available

Scenario: You are not able to view previous reconciliation reports, and the report options and types are grayed out. This may be caused by a corrupted or damaged QuickBooks PDF converter when the previous reconciliation were done.

Solution 1: Ensure your version of QuickBooks Desktop is up to date.

Solution 2: View Previous Reconciliation Reports without displaying them as a PDF file.

1. From the Reports menu, select Banking, then select Previous Reconciliation.
2. Under In this report, include section, select the Transactions cleared plus any changes made to those transactions since the reconciliation radio button.

Solution 3. Repair the PDF Converter. For details, see Troubleshoot PDF and Print problems with QuickBooks Desktop.

Blank reports

Scenario: You can generate Previous Reconciliation PDF reports, but they are blank or missing certain columns.

Solution 1: Edit the Internet Preferences in Adobe Acrobat Reader.

1. Open Adobe Reader.
2. Select the Edit menu.
3. Choose the Preference option, and from the Preference list, select Internet.
4. Uncheck the first check box labeled Display PDF in Browser, or if the box is already unchecked, check the box instead.
5. Open the Previous Reconciliation report.

Solution 2: Update, repair or reinstall Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Solution 3: Recreate the previous reconciliation report. The particular previous reconciliation report being selected may be damaged. Try opening up reports for the same account further back in history. If one of the other reports opens, that suggests that the desired report is broken, and needs to be recreated.

1. Undo each previous reconciliation up to and including the broken reconciliation.
   1. From the Banking menu, select Reconcile.
   2. In the Begin Reconciliation window, select the appropriate account, then select Undo Last Reconciliation.
   3. A message to backup the company file before undoing a previous reconciliation is displayed. If you have already created a backup, select Continue.
   4. Select Ok when the message Undo Previous Reconciliation has completed displays. Note that the last reconciled on date has reverted to the previous date.
2. Reconcile the transactions again.

Cleared transactions appear as uncleared

Scenario: Reconciled/cleared transactions are showing as uncleared. This occurs when a future date is entered in the Statement Date field of the Begin Reconciliation window.

Important: QuickBooks Desktop assigns the Statement Date (future or otherwise) to each transaction as it is cleared. When you run a reconciliation report, cleared transactions with a future date assigned to them can appear in the Uncleared Transactions section.

To help prevent this issue in the future, check the date in the Statement Date field of the Begin Reconciliation window before continuing with the reconciliation. Make sure the date does not occur in the future.

Solution 1: Undo the previous reconciliation and then reconcile the transactions again using the correct date.

1. From the Banking menu, select Reconcile.
2. In the Begin Reconciliation window, select the appropriate account, then select Undo Last Reconciliation.
3. A message to backup the company file before undoing a previous reconciliation is displayed. If you have already created a backup, select Continue.
4. Select Ok when the message Undo Previous Reconciliation has completed displays. Note that the last reconciled on date has reverted to the previous date.
5. Reconcile the transactions again.

Solution 2: Leave the reconciliation as it is. The transactions will appear as cleared on the report once the statement date has been reached.

The beginning and ending balances on the report are incorrect

Scenario: When you generate the report, it gives incorrect beginning and ending balances. This is caused by an incorrect statement date used on a reconciliation, or a later reconciliation entered in QuickBooks Desktop before the current one.

Important: QuickBooks Desktop associates the statement date with each transaction you reconcile. At the end of the process, when you print a reconciliation report, the beginning balance is the sum of all cleared transactions that have a statement date prior to the one used for the current reconciliation. So, if the statement date from a prior reconciliation was later than the statement date for the current reconciliation, the transactions associated with the later date are not included in the beginning balance.

For example, with a prior reconciliation statement date of 09/30/23, and a current statement date of 08/31/23, transactions associated with the 09/30/23 statement date will not be included in the beginning balance on the current 08/31/23 reconciliation report.

Whether the prior reconciliation had a future date, or the current reconciliation has a past date (for example, if you go back to reconcile a past bank statement after reconciling the most recent one), transactions assigned a date later than the statement date in the current reconciliation will not be included in the beginning balance on the report. And because the ending balance is derived from the beginning balance:

Beginning Balance + Deposits and Other Credits - Checks and Payments = Ending Balance

If the beginning balance is incorrect, the ending balance will be incorrect as well.

If the statement date for the current reconciliation is incorrect:

1. Undo the reconciliation.
   1. From the Banking menu, select Reconcile.
   2. In the Begin Reconciliation window, select the appropriate account, then select Undo Last Reconciliation.
   3. A message to backup the company file before undoing a previous reconciliation is displayed. If you have already created a backup, select Continue.
   4. Select OK when the message Undo Previous Reconciliation has completed displays. Note that the last reconciled on date has reverted to the previous date.
2. Delete all statement services charges, interest adjustments and balance adjustments from the register or journal.
3. Reconcile again using the correct date.

If the statement date for the previous reconciliation is incorrect:

1. Undo all the reconciliations back to and including the one that is incorrect.
   1. From the Banking menu, select Reconcile.
   2. In the Begin Reconciliation window, select the appropriate account, then select Undo Last Reconciliation.
   3. A message to backup the company file before undoing a previous reconciliation is displayed. If you have already created a backup, select Continue.
   4. Select OK when the message Undo Previous Reconciliation has completed displays. Note that the last reconciled on date has reverted to the previous date.
2. Delete all statement service charges, interest adjustments, and balance adjustments for each statement period from the register or journal.
3. Reconcile each statement again separately and in sequential date order.

Report shows a future statement date

Scenario:  When you generate the report, it shows a future statement date. QuickBooks Desktop remembers the last calendar date entered on a reconciliation, so if a future date was entered, the Reconcile window and the reconciliation reports will default to that future date until it has passed.

Important: You need to undo last reconciliation to reset the account register’s last reconciliation, last reconciled date and remove the Previous Reconciliation report for the corresponding date.

1. From the Banking menu, select Reconcile.
2. In the Begin Reconciliation window, select the appropriate account, then select Undo Last Reconciliation.
3. A message to backup the company file before undoing a previous reconciliation is displayed. If you have already created a backup, select Continue.
4. Select OK when the message Undo Previous Reconciliation has completed displays. Note that the last reconciled on date has reverted to the previous date.
5. Reconcile the transactions again. Make sure the correct dates are entered.

PDF-related errors

Scenario: When trying to view previous reconciliation reports in QuickBooks Desktop, this error occurs:

The Adobe Acrobat/Reader that is running cannot be used to view PDF files in a web browser. Adobe Acrobat/Reader version 8 or 9 is required. Please exit and try again.

The error occurs if the Adobe installation is corrupt. Please see this Adobe support article to resolve this issue in QuickBooks Desktop.