Solved

Why don't my QuickBooks Online bank rules run automatically when new transactions download, and how do I get them to apply?

Forum|Forum|3 years ago
April 12, 2023
28 replies
118 views

After transactions are updated, all rules should be run automatically on new transactions. This doesnt work and hasnt worked in years. Every time, I have to manually go to rules, edit an auto-confirm rule, save it, then ALL of the rules get processed. It doesnt matter which rule I choose, ie it can be the rule that didnt work or some other random rule created. I have tried this in incognito mode to avoid any cache issues. I also tried clearing cache etc.

QuickBooks Online

Best answer by sofiamdc-2341

Bank rules in QuickBooks Online are set up to run automatically at specific moments: when you sign in, when you upload a transaction file, and whenever you create or edit an auto-post rule. If your rules don't seem to apply as soon as transactions download, don't worry! That's actually just how auto-post rules are designed to work.

When do auto-post rules run?

Auto-post rules apply to transactions in your Pending tab during these specific moments:

When you sign in to QuickBooks Online
When you upload a transaction file
When you create or modify any auto-post rule

Because of this, opening a rule and saving it (even if you didn't change anything) counts as a modification. That triggers all of your auto-post rules to process right away, which is why that handy workaround works!

If your rules still aren't categorizing correctly

Another common reason rules might not apply as expected is a mismatch between bank text and the description. QuickBooks Online shows a simplified description by default, but rules set to look at bank text need to match the raw text sent directly from your bank, which can look quite different.

Here's how to check the bank text for any transaction:

Go to All apps, select Accounting, and then pick Bank transactions.
Select the Settings gear icon inside the Bank transactions section.
Check the box for Show full bank description.

If your rule is set up to look for Bank text but the transaction shows a simplified description (or vice versa), simply update the rule condition to match what actually appears on the transaction.

How to check and update your rules

Head to All apps, choose Accounting, and select Rules.
Take a quick look at each rule's conditions, paying extra attention to whether it's set to match Description or Bank text.
If two or more rules look for the same transaction details, the rule with the highest priority will win out. You can easily reorder rules by selecting the reorder icon and dragging them into your preferred order.

Got more questions about bank rules in QuickBooks? We're always happy to help!

Helpful Resource: Set up bank rules to categorize online banking transactions in QuickBooks Online

Z

ZackE_

Moderator

Thankw for joining the Community, accounts-kindata. I appreciate your detailed information.

Sine the rules you've created still aren't working properly, I'd recommend trying to delete and recreate one of them.

Here's how:

In your left navigation bar, go to Banking, then Transactions.
Access the Rules.
Find one that isn't working and click its Drop-Down Arrow (▼) icon.
Select Delete, then Yes.
Recreate your rule.

After recreating it, check if it's working. In the event it's still not functioning, you'll want to check each rule and look for any which may be causing a conflict. For example, some users have reported if two rules are set to look for "withdrawal" transactions, one (or both) of them won't work. The solution these customers have found to such a situation is to edit them and assure each rule is uniquely set up to not search for the same things.

If it's still not working, since you've already tried clearing cached data and Intuit-specific cookies, I'd recommend trying to switch to another browsing application.

Here's a list of supported browsers

Google Chrome - version 78 or newer
Mozilla Firefox - version 76 or newer
Microsoft Edge - version 75 or newer
Opera - version 68 or newer
Samsung - version 10 or newer
Safari - version 12 or newer

You can also check a browser's compatibility with QuickBooks by utilizing our browser health checkup tool. QuickBooks supports the current and two previous versions of browsers. If you find that you're using an unsupported version, make sure to update it to its latest release. Steps for doing so can be found on the particular company's website.

In the event you've found no problems that could be causing this with your browser, you'll want to check the operating system and internet speed you're working with.

Here's our recommended operating systems and internet speeds:

Windows PC - Windows 10, Intel Core i3 or a comparable processor (2013 or newer) with at least 2 GB of RAM, or Windows 10, Intel Core i5 or comparable processor with at least 4 GB of RAM.
Mac - OS X El Capitan 10.11, OS X High Sierra 10.13, or newer.
Linux - QuickBooks works with Linux, but you'll want to make sure you're using a supported browser and our recommended internet speeds.
Internet connection - 1.5 Mbps to 3 Mbps or higher.

If you meet our system requirements, but are still noticing rules which aren't working correctly, I'd recommend using a different device and/or internet connection. If it continues happening on other devices and/or internet connections, you'll want to get in touch with our Customer Care team. They'll be able to pull up your account in a secure environment, conduct further research, and create an investigation ticket if necessary.

They can be reached while you're signed in.

Here's how:

Use the Help (?) icon.
Click Contact Us.
Enter a description of your situation in the What can we help you with? field, then hit Let's talk.
Select Start messaging or Get a call.

Be sure to review their support hours so you'll know when agents are available.

I've also included a detailed resource about system requirements for QuickBooks which may come in handy moving forward: System requirements

Please feel welcome to send a reply if there's any additional questions. Have a wonderful Wednesday!

A

accounts-kindataAuthor

So I think you may be misunderstanding or not actually testing this yourself...Just to give you some more proof of this bug.

1. I disabled ALL of my rules (94) of them except for one. I then edited the rule to include only a SINGLE condition. So at this point we can agree that there can be no possibility of confusion between or within any rules right?

2. I did an undo on one of the transactions that matched the rule still active.

3. I then ran "update" which should have recognized the transaction and auto-confirmed. It did not.

4. I then went to the active rule, clicked edit, and save, did not change any details, and poof, the transaction has been confirmed.

5. Its clear that "updating accounts" and "editing a rule" are different processes but, its also clear that the end result should be the same, a confirmed transaction...

6. Now you may claim that since I undid this transaction, the system marks it somehow and doesnt allow it to be auto-confirmed, I would ask you to prove that with the engineers. I would then ask well...why then does editing a rule auto-confirm it...?

7. While I do have 94 rules, i do not have any obvious "duplicates." If your claim is that there are duplicates, the system should have logs that can show us exactly what is causing the problem so that we can actually FIX THE ISSUE, what a novel idea...

8. Your answer is super vague at best "some users have reported if two rules are set to look for "withdrawal" transactions, one (or both) of them won't work." Even you are admitting that this is a bug! This should work, it should process based on priority.
9. And lastly, I cannot confirm 100%, but to me it looks like the rules are categorizing EVERYTHING properly, however, they are just not auto-confirming. I changed the category for a transaction and ran "Update" and it changed the category back based on the rule, but didnt auto-confirm. This is why I came to this conclusion.

10. Quickbooks support should actually push these claims to engineering to FIX an obvious bug instead of providing work arounds to all their paying customers.

11. This was all tested in multiple supported browses cleared cache etc, nothing fixed the problem.

Bryan_M

QuickBooks Team

Thanks for bringing this to our attention. We understand the importance of resolving this as quickly as possible, Kindata.

Also, we appreciate your patience in this matter and for performing troubleshooting steps to fix this.

Currently, an investigation (INV-77219) is ongoing about rules not automatically running after updating transactions. Rest assured that our team is working to identify the cause to provide you with a solution to this issue.

While we're unable to tell you when this issue will be resolved, I recommend contacting our phone support again to add you as one of the affected users. You'll receive an email notification once an update is available. Here's how:

Sign in to your QuickBooks Online, then click the Help (?) icon.
Choose either tab to get started: Assistant or Talk to Human.
Select Contact Us.
Click the Start a chat with a support expert or Get a callback from the next available expert.

If you have other questions about managing your transaction or any QuickBooks-related concerns, never hesitate to reply to this thread. I'll be willing to extend a hand. Take care always.

D

damons

The wheels turn very slowly at Quickbooks it would appear. I have been putting up with this same issue for close to a year now. Today, I decided to look into the cause and came across this thread. The exact same 'solution' works for me to:

1. The rules are identifying my transactions and you can see which ones have the 'Rule' text against the transaction, however, they are not being automatically added even though this feature is turned on.

2. If you then go to edit any rule but don't actually make any changes and simply save it, all the rules run and the bank feed is cleaned up.

This is quite obviously a software bug. I'm surprised it's been logged months ago and still not resolved. I guess this is why Xero is the market leader. May need to look into a migration to Xero and just pay the extra money for something that works.

W

wegerm

I've found posts about this going back at least two years. I'm also about ready to migrate ASAP. Hell, with the amount of time I spend troubleshooting bugs on the help forum, I'd probably spend less time using a GD spreadsheet.

D

damons

I think there is a growing discontent from a lot of users over the lack of bug fixes. I'm prepared to spend the extra money on Xero and migrate to something that is better maintained. This issue is not the only ongoing bug I've been putting up with for years. One of the biggest issues I have is that I can't use the inbuilt BAS reporting as it doesn't support branches of the same ABN. We have three separate businesses running under the same ABN and I'm constantly being prompted to use integrated BAS reporting but can't as Quickbooks doesn't support it in this situation.

D

damons

This is clearly a software bug. I've been putting up with it for nearly a year now.

Same 'solution' works for me:

1. Go to Rules. Open a rule to edit but simply resave the rule without any changes.

2. All Rules will be applied to the bank feed and all transactions with a rule will be categorised.

It's a shame Quickbooks has let this go on for so long.

Mac OS 12.4

Chrome Version 114.0.5735.198

C

Cristian Andrade

April 22, 2024 and this issue still not resolved.....

C

Candice14

Level 8

Good morning, @Cristian Andrade.

Thanks for chiming in on this thread.

If you're still having issues with this transaction problem, I recommend contacting our Customer Support Team for further assistance. Here's how:

Go to the Help ? icon in the top right-hand corner.
Press the Contact Us button.
Enter you question and click Let's talk.
Scroll down and choose to Get a callback.

Keep us updated on how the call goes. Have a wonderful day!

J

Jrod11

This issue has not been resolved for me either. I have to open an existing rule and save it to get all my rules to run. It’s annoying and definitely a bug

sofiamdc-2341

Answer

Community Manager

Bank rules in QuickBooks Online are set up to run automatically at specific moments: when you sign in, when you upload a transaction file, and whenever you create or edit an auto-post rule. If your rules don't seem to apply as soon as transactions download, don't worry! That's actually just how auto-post rules are designed to work.

When do auto-post rules run?

Auto-post rules apply to transactions in your Pending tab during these specific moments:

When you sign in to QuickBooks Online
When you upload a transaction file
When you create or modify any auto-post rule

Because of this, opening a rule and saving it (even if you didn't change anything) counts as a modification. That triggers all of your auto-post rules to process right away, which is why that handy workaround works!

If your rules still aren't categorizing correctly

Another common reason rules might not apply as expected is a mismatch between bank text and the description. QuickBooks Online shows a simplified description by default, but rules set to look at bank text need to match the raw text sent directly from your bank, which can look quite different.

Here's how to check the bank text for any transaction:

Go to All apps, select Accounting, and then pick Bank transactions.
Select the Settings gear icon inside the Bank transactions section.
Check the box for Show full bank description.

If your rule is set up to look for Bank text but the transaction shows a simplified description (or vice versa), simply update the rule condition to match what actually appears on the transaction.

How to check and update your rules

Head to All apps, choose Accounting, and select Rules.
Take a quick look at each rule's conditions, paying extra attention to whether it's set to match Description or Bank text.
If two or more rules look for the same transaction details, the rule with the highest priority will win out. You can easily reorder rules by selecting the reorder icon and dragging them into your preferred order.

Got more questions about bank rules in QuickBooks? We're always happy to help!

Helpful Resource: Set up bank rules to categorize online banking transactions in QuickBooks Online

When do auto-post rules run?

If your rules still aren't categorizing correctly

How to check and update your rules

When do auto-post rules run?

If your rules still aren't categorizing correctly

How to check and update your rules

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