In recent bank feeds in my QB Online account, all checks are now recorded as expenses and do not include check numbers. This is a change in Jan 2022. How to change back?

Hello there, @hammerstrom-ccr. I'm here to provide information about your concern.

When adding or categorizing a check transaction, QuickBooks Online (QBO) will show it as an expense. This is how the system works. This is also why it displays as Expense in your bank register with no check number instead of CHECK in Ref No. Type. 

As a workaround, you can manually record the check transaction in QBO and then match this to the downloaded entry. This will show the entry as Check in the Register. Here's how:

1. In your QBO account, click the + New button and select Check.
2. Next, choose the Payee from the drop-down list.
3. Select the Bank Account where the money will be withdrawn.
4. Then, complete the check fields. 
5. Once done, select Save and close.

For more information about the process, please see this article: Enter and write checks in QuickBooks Online.

You can also utilize the memo or description field in the transaction to indicate that it was a check. 

In case you need helpful articles and links to guide you in your QBO tasks, please visit our QuickBooks Help Articles page.

I'm always around here in the Community if you have any other concerns about managing your check transactions. Feel free to post again here. Have a good one. 

But checks were recorded as checks in the bank register until about Jan 5, 2022. Prior to that the register included the check number and if I printed out a detailed transaction report the check number was included in a check column. Why did that change and how can I get it changed back? 

Prior to about Jan 5, 2022, checks were recorded as checks in my bank feed on the Banking page and the check number appeared in the description column as "Check XXXX." Now all the description column says is "check" with no check number. In the Chart of Accounts in the Ref No. Type column the word Check and the check number used to appear but now it says only expense. During the long history of our QB account check numbers always appeared but now they don't. Why did this change? And how can I get it back?

Thank you for your prompt reply, @hammerstrom-ccr. I’ll provide another way to sort out your concern regarding checks in QuickBooks Online (QBO).

I understand the importance of seeing check numbers to easily track your transactions. Let’s perform the following steps to isolate this matter and get you back to business in no time.

This concern could be a browser-related issue. Stored cache can cause unexpected behavior while using the application. To help you sort out this issue, we can perform some basic troubleshooting steps.

Here are the keyboard shortcuts to open a private browser:

• Google Chrome: press Ctrl + Shift + N
• Mozilla Firefox: press Ctrl + Shift + P
• Microsoft Edge: press Ctrl + Shift + P
• Safari: press Command + Shift +N

If it works, kindly proceed with clearing your cache. This helps improve the performance of the application.

If the issue persists, you can refer to this article for other supported browsers while using QBO.

Furthermore, you can utilize the following articles to learn more about printing checks and reconciling your account in QuickBooks Online.

• Print a check in QuickBooks Online.
• Reconcile an account in QuickBooks Online.

Let me know if you need further assistance with your transactions. The Community always has your back. Have a great day!

I have run into the opposite problem... all of my categorized expenses from the bank feed are showing up as created checks in the register, with random check numbers. What is going on?!

Thanks for joining the thread, @Heather-Starr. I'll share some information about your concern.

It depends on what category you selected upon creating the check. What you can do is open each check and review them. Or manually change them, if necessary. In case you'd like to edit the check number, these are the steps:

1. Go to Expenses from the left menu, then select Vendors.
2. Locate the name of the vendor, then click it to open the profile.
3. Find the check and then open it.
4. Enter the correct check number.
5. Once done, click Save and close.
   
   

If you need to reset the check numbers sequence to whatever you need, you can easily change it. Here's how:

1. Go to the Gear icon and select Account and Settings.
2. Choose the Sales tab.
3. Click Sales form content and then click Custom transaction numbers.
4. Click Save, then Done to finalize the changes.
   
   

Additionally, I'll be leaving these articles to help you in the future:

• Categorize and match online bank transactions in QuickBooks Online
• Reconcile an account in QuickBooks Online
• Create and record checks in QuickBooks Online
  
  

Feel free to leave a comment down below if you have any additional QuickBooks-related questions. The Community is open 24/7 to provide additional assistance. Keep safe and enjoy the rest the week!

I just ran into this problem since I am working on a clean up and started reconciling then noticed that NONE of the checks are showing up as Checks. So if I'm understanding this correctly, QBO changed this feature and there is no quick way to correct it?

Thanks for joining the thread, HDS23.

The data downloaded in QuickBooks program depend on the information shared by your financial institution. Your bank may have changed the way the check is posted.

Let's log in to your financial institution and verify those check transactions. If its posted correctly, I recommend contacting our QuickBooks Online Support. They have the tools to open your account and further a ticket for investigation.

Here's how:

1. Sign in to your QuickBooks Online company.
2. Select Help (?).
3. Enter a brief description of your concern.
4. Click Talk to a human, then Contact Us.
5. Choose a way to connect either Start a chat or Get a callback.

Also, you can use the Find match feature and locate the check transaction from the Select transaction to match section.

Just in case, I've include this article for future reference: Categorize and match online bank transactions in QuickBooks Online.

You're always welcome to post again if you need further assistance with bank feeds. Have a great day.

Anyone find anything out? I know this is a pointless questions since QBO is all robots with no human contact to solve issues, but still had to check. 

I have also run into the opposite problem - same as Heather-Starr who never received a response from QB

... all of my categorized expenses from the bank feed are showing up as created checks in the register, with random check numbers. What is going on?!

This just happened to me also November 2022. Normally add expenses from bank feed and they all show up as checks with random check numbers. How do I rectify these? and prevent from happening????

Thanks for becoming part of the Community, SusanW1.

Since your expenses are showing up as checks and you're not certain why, I'd recommend checking the preferred delivery method that's in place for any relevant customer profiles. If your preferred delivery method for a customer is set to Print later, all associated expenses will save as checks.

You can check while editing a customer's profile.

Here's how:

1. In the left navigation bar, go to Sales, then Customers.
2. Find a relevant customer's profile and click their display name.
3. Use your Edit button.
4. Locate the Payments section and check what your Sales form delivery options setting is set to.
   

If it's set to Print later, this would explain why expenses are being saved as checks. You can change the setting to Send later, Use company default, or None, and then save your changes to prevent expenses from being saved as checks.

I've also included a detailed resource about working with expenses which may come in handy moving forward: Learn the difference between bills, checks, & expenses

If there's any additional questions, I'm just a post away. Have a lovely day!

OK, so the checks I enter manually are still coming up as expenses in my register, with no check numbers. This is very confusing when I am trying to research a specific check. Is there any way to fix this?

Hello, benefitsplusus.

Yes, there is. I would be more than happy to lay down solutions to help you with the issue on your checks and the missing check numbers. 

Did you enter the checks as an Expense (using the Expense function from the + New menu)? This is likely the reason why those checks appear as "Expenses" and without any check number. 

We would want to use the Check function instead. This makes sure that those checks are correctly tagged as a "Check" in your register. 

If you're entering those checks within the register, make sure to use the Add checks function instead of Add expense. To change this, just simply click the drop-down arrow, then select Add check. 

For the missing check numbers, just make sure to uncheck the Print later box. QuickBooks won't automatically assign a print number if you check this. Though, the number would be generated when you're ready to print the check (using the Print check function from the + New menu). 

Going back to the register, when you add those checks, we'll want to make sure to populate the second box (Ref No. column) for the check numbers. This field points to the Check No. field when you open the entire check transaction. 

After fixing the checks, we'll want to delete those expense transactions that were entered incorrectly. This avoids duplicating your expense entries within QuickBooks. 

So when you're ready to close out the current period, we can start the reconciliation process. I'll add this guide in case you need help in the near future: Reconcile an account in QuickBooks Online. 

Would you like some more assistance in managing your expenses? Or do you need help in reconciling your bank or running reports? Let me know and I'll help you out again.