Auto-locks closed/reconciled periods by default
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Alexandra Preston
Please add an option to auto-lock closed periods and reconciled transactions by default in QBO. If a user tries to change something in a closed/reconciled period, show a clear warning and log the change in an Accountant Review area. This would prevent accidental changes, protect reconciliations, and save a lot of cleanup time for accountants.
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Tommy Wang
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Tommy Wang
Hi everyone — thanks for all the detailed feedback. This is something we’re aware of and actively considering. We understand the pain this causes for Accountants and something I'd love to eventually offer. It’s not prioritized at least the next two months due to existing commitments, but we’ll reevaluate soon. I’ll share an update here as soon as I have more clarity. Appreciate all the input — it’s very helpful.
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Alexandra Preston
Hi! Yes — I’m aware of the existing “Close the Books” feature in Advanced Settings and the ability to password-protect prior periods. That functionality is helpful, but if it was able to be set up in advance for future months it would be better. Many issues arise after a reconciliation is completed, even if the period itself remains open. By having it auto lock ( after a reconciliation is completed and by a certain date in the following month) on a set date each month, it does not have to then be done manually each month. It would need to be for any transaction that affects the financial statements
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Pamela Kyle
It makes no sense to me why Estimates can't be changed when the books are locked. We end up having to leave the books unlocked (aka exposed to changes) just so clients can go about their normal sales/quoting processes. If Estimates could be excluded from Books locks, that would be so helpful.
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Tommy Wang
Hey! A follow up question on my side. QuickBooks currently has functionality in its Advanced Settings where accountants can 'Close the Books' and password-protect historical transactions from being modified. Are you all aware of this existing feature, and if so, where does it fall short? What specific functionality would be most important? Is it a more a granular, account-specific safeguard that activates immediately upon reconciliation?
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Kristina Edmondson
Tommy Wang for me, it is having to remember to activate it each month. The issue also arises when a bookkeeper has to make adjustments, they also have to put in the password when in reality we mostly need it to keep the client from making changes. If I have more than one or two changes to make back dated, I turn the lock off, then make my changes, then back on.
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Tommy Wang
Kristina Edmondson: Awesome. Given all the feedback would a solution that automatically locks all reconciled transactions for the client, while remaining open for the accountant, be the ideal fix?
Also, should this be a blanket setting for the entire company file, or something you would want to enable for each specific account in the Chart of Accounts that can be reconciled? cc Alexandra Preston Pamela Kyle CC Gernand
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Kristina Edmondson
Tommy Wang I'd make it company wide rather than account specific. That way when we send off the file for Tax to process and the like, they cant change anything without us knowing about it. Ideally we want them to reach out to us to ask what to do/if it needs to be done so the bookkeeper can keep up with what is going on. Some clients get quite creative with how they enter things that have us like ?????
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Pamela Kyle
Kristina Edmondson this could get real complex very quickly. sounds like there needs to be a matrix of options. Sometimes you have to lock the books just so that integrated apps don't float in old transactions.
Aditi Sahani
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in discovery
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Tommy Wang
Acknowledged. Will look into this and start discovery next week. This is something that has previously bubbled up
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Alexandra Preston
Hi Jim, yes correct - if you reconcile an account, the transactions for that reconciled period would then be locked and have tracked/restricted changes.
A setting that could be applied to all bank/loan/lease liability accounts that are reconciled to third party statements.
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Pamela Kyle
So you want the books to be locked in stages? Every time a bank account is reconciled, you lock only those transactions, but leave unreconciled things open? What about the other end of transfers to other bank accounts that aren't reconciled yet? Can just one end of a transaction be locked? What about journal entries that don't touch cash at all? We still have to be able to tell QB when we're finally done with a given period and have it unlocked until then.
CC Gernand
I agree with Alexandra. So many times I reconciled all the bank accounts and made the needed adjustments to find out that a check was voided or a transfers were duplicated. This not only causes clean up but it changes the financials that were sent for Audits.
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