Your reconciliation won't balance and you're stuck? This step-by-step guide will get your accounts reconciled fast.
Nothing is more frustrating than spending hours on reconciliation only to find your QuickBooks accounts won't balance. Whether you're off by a few cents or hundreds of dollars, this guide will help you identify and fix the most common causes of reconciliation imbalances.
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Reconciliation imbalances typically stem from a few common issues. Understanding these causes helps you fix them faster and prevent future problems.
The most common cause of reconciliation imbalances. QuickBooks often imports the same transaction multiple times, especially when bank feeds are involved.
Sign: Your difference equals exactly one transaction amount
Transactions posted to the wrong period can cause reconciliation to fail, especially around month-end or year-end.
Sign: Large discrepancies at period boundaries
Bank feeds can import transactions before they clear, causing temporary imbalances until the transaction officially posts.
Sign: Pending transactions showing as cleared
Simple typos in amounts, transposed numbers, or wrong account assignments can throw off your entire reconciliation.
Sign: Differences that don't match any transaction amounts
Go to Banking → Bank Feeds → Downloaded Transactions. Look for identical transactions and delete duplicates. This fixes 60% of reconciliation issues.
Review all transactions in your reconciliation period. Ensure they're posted to the correct month and year.
Look for transactions marked as "pending" that shouldn't be included in your reconciliation. Uncheck them if they haven't cleared.
Double-check your bank statement ending balance. Make sure you're using the correct date and amount from your bank.
Look for any manual journal entries or adjustments that might be affecting your account balance.
If your difference is divisible by 9, you likely have a transposed number error. For example, if you're off by $63, check for transactions where you might have entered $36 instead of $63.
Example: Difference of $27 = 2+7=9 ✓ | Difference of $45 = 4+5=9 ✓
Add up your bank statement transactions manually and compare to QuickBooks. This often reveals the source of the discrepancy.
If you've tried all the steps above and your reconciliation still won't balance, it might be time to consider professional help or alternative solutions:
Large discrepancies ($1,000+)
May indicate serious accounting errors
Persistent monthly imbalances
Could indicate systematic issues
Multiple account problems
May require professional review
QuickBooks reconciliation imbalances are frustrating but usually fixable with systematic troubleshooting. Start with the most common causes and work through the steps methodically. If problems persist, consider using automated reconciliation tools that can catch errors before they become major issues.
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