Cannot match transaction

Thanks for all the help!  This is an awesome culture Intuit has going here.

Hi there @MichaelOD, I can see why this situation is confusing. Dealing with an old transaction that's reappeared and tied to a feature not in your subscription is certainly a puzzle. Let's work together to get this sorted out.

The issue you're running into is a classic "mismatch" scenario. The original bill from 2012 is still showing as unpaid because the check used to pay it was incorrectly applied as a purchase of inventory. Since QuickBooks Online Simple Start doesn't have the full inventory management features, you can't edit those old transactions to correct them. The reappearance of the bill is likely due to a recent update that has re-indexed and highlighted old, unresolved transactions in your Accounts Payable. Don't worry, we can fix this without deleting anything. The best way forward is to create a Journal Entry to manually clear the open bill. This will correctly zero out the bill in your accounts payable without touching the original transactions.

Here's a step-by-step guide:

1. Find the details. Locate the original bill and the incorrectly entered check. Make a note of the bill amount and the vendor name. This information is crucial for the next step.
2. Create a new Journal entry.

• Click + Create.
• Select Journal entry.

3. Enter the transaction details.

• On the first line, Debit an expense account. Since the original transaction was a mistake, a good practice is to use an account like 'Ask My Accountant' or another 'Other Expense' account. Enter the amount of the bill in the Debit column. This balances the entry.
• On the second line, Credit the Accounts Payable (A/P) account for the exact same amount. This is the most important step: In the Name column for the Accounts Payable line, be sure to select the vendor associated with the bill. This is what tells QuickBooks that this journal entry is meant to "pay" that specific bill.

4. Save and close. Once the debit and credit amounts match and you've selected the correct vendor, click Save and close.

After you've saved the entry, go back and check the vendor's transaction history. The bill should now show as paid, and it will no longer be listed in your accounts payable. The original check and bill will remain on your books, but the balance will be corrected.

I hope this helps you get back on track! Please let me know if you have any other questions.

That doesn't fix anything.  It just moves the issue to another account.  My accountant has no idea what to do with an intuit generated software error.  I asked her.  Whatever account I create, it will either appear on my balance sheet causing inaccurate results or appear on my profit and loss creating inaccurate results.  How is moving the issue from one account to another a solution?  Not for nothing, you guys suggest this to everyone, and it solves absolutely nothing.  It just moves the error to another account.  Either way, it's still generates a trash P&L or a trash Balance Sheet, which will get you audited, because it's wrong.

Please reply as to how Intuit expects us to deal with the unbalanced accounts.  The journal entry solution just moves it to another account.  This isn't the only account with this issue.  QuickBooks sales tax is completely broken and has created multiple unrepairable accounts.  Ask my accountant is not a solution.  My accountant doesn't like QuickBooks either.  Regardless, She's a CPA, not a broken Intuit file repair person.  Intuit needs to supply that.  Please give me whatever tools I need to repair my file.  Whatever magic you think an accountant can accomplish, I need that ability.  Please direct me how to fix this issue caused by intuit.  I didn't cause it.  My accountant didn't cause it.  Intuit did it.  I'm paying an exorbitant monthly fee for this "software."  Please tell me how to fix it.