I have had QBO for about 5 years and have not linked my checking account. I am now unable to reconcile without linking the account. what am I missing?

Hello, wpfeiffer. 

Thank you for reaching out to the Community. If you've been using QuickBooks Online (QBO) for five years without linking your checking account, it's possible that you've been manually entering your transactions during the reconciliation process. However, QBO offers a feature called Bank Feeds that allows you to automatically import your bank transactions into the software, saving you a lot of time and making the reconciliation process more efficient.

If you're unable to reconcile without connecting your checking account, it could be because QBO relies on the bank feed feature to match your imported transactions with the ones you manually entered. By linking your checking account,   it helps ensure that everything is recorded accurately and that your accounts are correctly reconciled.

To link your checking account in QBO, you'll need to follow these steps:
 

1. Log in to your QBO account.
2. Go to the Banking tab in the left-hand menu.
3. Under the Link account drop-down, click the Upload from file button.
4. Please search for your bank and select it from the list.
5. Enter your online banking credentials (username and password) to establish a secure connection between QBO and your bank.
6. Follow the prompts to complete the account linking process.

Once you've linked your checking account, you can import your bank transactions directly into QBO. This will make the reconciliation process a lot easier and more accurate. Just make sure to review and categorize your transactions regularly to ensure your financial records are always up to date.

I found some helpful resources that could guide you in categorizing your transactions and reconciling your accounts flawlessly. These links might be helpful for you: 

• Categorize and match online bank transactions in QuickBooks Online.
• Reconcile an account in QuickBooks Online.

If you have any other banking concerns, please don't hesitate to let me know by leaving a comment below. I'm always happy to help and can assist you once more in just a few clicks. Keep safe!