How to mark a check as cleared in QuickBooks Online

Cleared versus reconciled

The account register shows one of three statuses next to each transaction. Blank means not cleared. C means cleared: the bank has processed it, but it is not yet in a finished reconciliation. R means reconciled: it was included in a reconciliation you completed.

Marking a check as cleared gives it a C. It turns into R when you finish the reconciliation that includes it. For month-end, R is what you want, because only R items are locked into a reconciliation report.

Method 1: tick the check in the reconcile window (recommended)

Work from the statement, not from the list in QuickBooks. Go down the checks on the statement in order and find each one in the reconcile window, rather than ticking what looks familiar on screen. Ticking from the QuickBooks side is how checks that never cleared get marked as cleared.

1. Open Reconcile. In the current layout it is under Accounting, reached through All apps if it is not pinned. In older layouts look under Transactions or the Settings gear.
2. Choose the bank account. Enter the ending balance and ending date exactly as they appear on your statement.
3. Select Start reconciling.
4. Find the check in the Payments column (sort by check number or amount) and tick the box next to it.
5. Repeat for every item on the statement until the difference reads 0.00.
6. Select Finish now. The ticked check is now R. If you need to stop partway, use the Save for later option next to Finish now; ticked items stay C until you finish.

Method 2: set the status in the account register

Use this for a one-off correction, such as a check you know cleared that was not ticked. Do not set R by hand: an R that did not come from a finished reconciliation is not on any reconciliation report, and it shifts the beginning balance of your next reconciliation.

1. Open Chart of accounts (under Accounting, Transactions or the Settings gear, depending on your layout).
2. Select View register on the bank account.
3. Click the check to open it in the register row.
4. Click the reconcile status cell until it shows C. If the column is missing, turn on the reconcile and banking status option in the register settings.
5. Select Save.

Method 3: match the check in Bank transactions

Matching links the bank's copy to your existing check and sets it to C. Do not select Add or Post on a check you already recorded: that creates a second transaction and leaves the original blank.

1. Open Bank transactions (under Accounting in the current layout) and select the bank account.
2. On the For review tab (Pending in the newer layout), find the cleared check that came from your bank.
3. If QuickBooks shows a suggested match to your recorded check, confirm it with Match.
4. If not, expand the item and search for the check by amount, date or payee, then match it.

Which method to use

Whichever method you use, the reconciliation report is the record your accountant or auditor will look at. A check marked cleared by any route only appears on that report once a reconciliation that includes it is finished, which is one more reason to end every month in the reconcile window.

• You reconcile monthly against a statement: use the reconcile window. It gives you a report and a 0.00 difference as proof.
• Your bank account is connected to QuickBooks: match in Bank transactions as items arrive, then confirm in the reconcile window at month-end.
• You are fixing one check that should have been ticked: use the register, then reconcile as normal.
• You are not sure the check cleared: do not mark it. Check the bank statement or online banking first.
• You are catching up several months: reconcile one statement at a time, oldest first, so each reconciliation report matches one statement and the checks cleared in each month are easy to trace later.

Common problems when marking checks as cleared

• The check is not in the reconcile window. It is probably recorded in another bank account or dated after the statement ending date. Open the check and confirm both.
• Every check is ticked but the difference is not 0.00. Re-read the ending balance you typed, then look for a check ticked twice through a duplicate, or a past reconciled item that was edited. QuickBooks flags a changed beginning balance before you start.
• A check was ticked automatically but has not cleared. With recurring checks of the same amount, such as rent, the bank feed can be matched to the wrong month. Compare the check number on the statement with the one in QuickBooks and untick or rematch it.
• QuickBooks warns about a closed period. A closing date has been set. Ask whoever closed the books before changing anything dated before it.

Unmarking a check you cleared by mistake

If the check is C, untick it in the reconcile window or set it back to blank in the register. If it is R, changing it alters a finished reconciliation, so your next beginning balance will not match. Intuit's current help says the Primary Admin and accountant users can undo a whole reconciliation from History by account; older guidance limited undo to accountant users, so ask your accountant if you do not see the option.

Clearing hundreds of checks at once

All three methods mean finding and ticking checks one by one. Kyriq does the finding: upload the bank statement PDF and it extracts each check, including handwritten ones, with a confidence score, then compares them with your QuickBooks Online register and scores each match.

Exact matches are grouped so an authorized user can approve them in bulk. Duplicates and discrepancies go to Needs Attention. After approval, Kyriq clears the approved matches in the QuickBooks Online reconciliation, and nothing is cleared without that approval. A Chrome extension shows the same results inside QuickBooks Online. The trial covers 14 days or 250 checks, no card needed.