Skip to main content
April 24, 2020
Question

My QBO won’t connect to my Navy Federal buisness account anymore. Does anyone else have this issue?

  • April 24, 2020
  • 8 replies
  • 0 views
Original commenter did not share additional details

8 replies

MaryLurleenM
April 24, 2020

Hello there, flatridgelawncar,

 

You'll want to check your bank's website first to see if there's a bank maintenance or a notification that needs your attention. Once confirmed that it's working fine, go back to QuickBooks Online and manually update the connection.

  1. Click Banking on the left pane.
  2. Select Update.
  3. If asked, enter your Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) credentials. Then select Continue update.

Here are some articles on connecting your bank accounts in QuickBooks Online:

I'll be around if you need more help.

April 30, 2020

I am having the same problem.  This does not help.  I've re-connected the account several times and every time I log off and go back on it gives me the Error 185 message.  I've used the MFA each time. It works ok until I log out and log back in.

How do i resolve this?

Rubielyn_J
April 30, 2020

Hi there, @SunnyBrooks.

 

Let me share some information about error 185. This error happens as a result of the bank requiring a one time passcode (OTP) when accessing the account. Some banks require verification from a third-party application to connect or download data. 

 

I suggest contacting your bank to get transaction history in a CSV file format. In that way, you can manually import transactions inside QuickBooks. 

 

Here are some helpful articles you can refer to when connecting bank accounts in QuickBooks Online:

Please fill me in if you have additional queries. I'd be glad to help. Have a nice day!

September 15, 2020

Navy Federal now has a mandatory 2 step verification that can not be turned off 

 

We will have to download the transactions and upload them manually. 

September 15, 2020

Hi there, KC Accounts. 

 

I'm happy to provide you with the steps to follow in order to manually upload your transactions. Please, follow along below:

 

Step 1: Pick a date range

 

To make sure you don’t import transactions you’ve already recorded, you’ll need to get the date for the oldest transaction in your account. This prevents duplicates.

  1. In QuickBooks, go to the Accounting menu, then select Chart of Accounts.
  2. Find the bank or credit card account you want to upload more transactions into. Then select View register.
  3. Scroll to the bottom of the list.
  4. Write down the date of the oldest transaction. In many cases, the oldest transaction is the opening balance.

Step 2: Download transactions from your bank

  1. Sign in to your bank or credit card’s website.
  2. Follow your bank’s instructions for how to download transactions to your computer. Some banks call this WebConnect. Every financial institution has different stepsHere are steps for Bank of AmericaChase, and Wells Fargo.
  3. Make sure the date range for the download is at least one day before your oldest transaction.
  4. Download your transactions. Save the file somewhere you can easily find it, like your desktop.

Step 3: Review the file format and size

 

Your bank might give you options for how to download/export your transactions. Pick one of these so you can upload the file into QuickBooks Online:

  • Comma-Separated Values (CSV)
  • QuickBooks Online (QBO)
  • Quicken (QFX)

If you can, use the QBO format. QBO files from banks should already be formatted for QuickBooks. If your file isn’t formatted, you can reformat and upload it. The maximum file size is 350 KB. If your file is too big, shorten the date range and download your transactions in smaller batches.

 

Step 4: Start your upload

 

For accounts connected to online banking

If your account is connected to online banking, here’s how to start your upload:

  1. In QuickBooks Online, go to the Banking menu or Transactions menu. Then select the Banking tab.
  2. Select the blue tile for the account you want to upload the transactions into.
  3. Select the Update ▼ and then File upload.

 

For accounts not connected to online banking

 

If you don’t plan to connect your account, or your bank can’t connect to QuickBooks, here’s how to start your upload:

  1. In QuickBooks Online, go to the Banking menu or Transactions menu.
  2. Select Upload transactions.

Step 5: Upload your file into QuickBooks

  1. Select Browse and select the file you downloaded from your bank, then select Next.

    See an error message? Here’s what to do if you see an error message while uploading your transactions.

  2. From the QuickBooks account ▼ drop-down menu, select the account you want to upload the transactions into, then select Next.

    If you haven’t connected your account to QuickBooks, you might not have an account to upload the transactions into. If you don't see one, select Add New ▼ from the dropdown to create a new bank account.

  3. Follow the onscreen instructions. Match the columns on the file with the banking fields in QuickBooks, then select Next.
  4. When you’re ready, select Let's go. QuickBooks will add the transactions to your account.

Step 6: Categorize the transactions

 

Now that your transactions are in QuickBooks, it’s time to match and categorize the transactions. They’re not fully in your accounts until you’ve reviewed them.

 

Step 7: Reconcile the transactions

 

Your transactions are in QuickBooks. Now you need to reconcile them. This ensures your books are accurate and there aren’t any duplicate transactions.

For instance, you may need to edit your opening balance if the transactions you just uploaded are older than your opening balance. It’s likely you included some (or all) of the older transactions as part of the opening balance total. You need to reconcile the transactions to make sure QuickBooks isn’t counting them twice.

 

Focus on your business, not your books.

Get a dedicated team of QuickBooks-certified bookkeepers to set up, import, and categorize all your transactions for you. Learn more about QuickBooks Live Bookkeeping.

 

If you have any other questions, we're here night and day. Thank you and have a nice Tuesday evening. 

January 28, 2021

Did you ever find a solution to this problem? After review the entire thread, chances are no. I've been experiencing the same error (185) and connection issues between QBO and my Navy Federal accounts.

 

  • I've reconnected the accounts numerous times.
  • Signed into my bank account to make sure there went any message or prompts that needed to be cleared.
  • Manually downloaded and uploaded the transactions to my QBO.
  • Contacted Navy Federal support for troubleshooting.
  • Contacted Intuit for support.
  • Switched browsers, cleared cookies and cache, tired incognito.

    NOTHING WORKS!! There are transactions missing! 
    Even manually downloading the files in QBO, QFX, and CSV doesn't work!!

    As consumers, paying a premium monthly subscription price for this "software tool" these types of issues should not be happening and it's costing me more money in the long run. 

    Now, I have to either pay my bookkeeping more money to manually input each individual transaction. Or find an alternative solution to QBO and an accountant that works with said alternative.

    Complete and utter nonsense!!

January 28, 2021

Did you ever find a solution to this problem? After review the entire thread, chances are no. I've been experiencing the same error (185) and connection issues between QBO and my Navy Federal accounts.

 

  • I've reconnected the accounts numerous times.
  • Signed into my bank account to make sure there went any message or prompts that needed to be cleared.
  • Manually downloaded and uploaded the transactions to my QBO.
  • Contacted Navy Federal support for troubleshooting.
  • Contacted Intuit for support.
  • Switched browsers, cleared cookies and cache, tired incognito.

    NOTHING WORKS!! There are transactions missing! 
    Even manually downloading the files in QBO, QFX, and CSV doesn't work!!

    As consumers, paying a premium monthly subscription price for this "software tool" these types of issues should not be happening and it's costing me more money in the long run. 

    Now, I have to either pay my bookkeeping more money to manually input each individual transaction. Or find an alternative solution to QBO and an accountant that works with said alternative.

    Complete and utter nonsense!!

KlentB
January 28, 2021

Hi SaylesInd,

 

I know this hasn't been easy for you.

 

Our software engineers are currently investigating the connection issue (Error 185) between Navy Federal Credit Union and QuickBooks Online. I definitely understand that you're in a tough spot right now. Rest assured, we're doing our best to get this resolved as soon as possible.

 

For now, you'll want to give us a quick call or chat again so we can add your contact information to our notification list. Once we get this rectified, you'll receive an email update. Here's how:

 

  1. Go to the Help icon.
  2. Select Talk to a human.
  3. Enter "Talk to a human" again in the search bar.
  4. Choose I still need a human, then click Contact us.
  5. Select Get a callback or Send a message to start a conversation.

You can also provide this investigation number for a faster transaction: INV-49974. Additionally, I've enclosed some articles that you can read to help speed up the review process of your online banking transactions:

 

Just click the Reply button below if you have any other concerns or follow-up questions. The Community is always here for you

February 4, 2021

Thanks for the response. It appears this has been going on for years, is there any timeframe as to when this issue will be resolved? It may be worthwhile for QuickBooks to look into a third-party software solution to help verify bank accounts such as Plaid. Otherwise, I'm certain it will continue to lose more paying customers. 

September 7, 2021

UPDATE: SEPT 2021

I am a Navy Federal Business User with multiple accounts and have an external bookkeeper that does my administration. 

 

Issue Part 1: It needed constant re-authorizations to get balances and sometimes would not connect at all or lose connectivity constantly.  This is NOT A QB issue! It is a Navy Fed issue by design. 

 

Solution Part 1:

(1) You MUST call the "Digital Services Department" (Tel: [Removed]) other departments do not have access to the options needed OR do not know how QB works. 

(2) Ask the Rep to set accounts to "BYPASS 2 STEP VERIFICATION FOR ONLINE BANKING" - This option is ONLY visible and AVAILABLE to this department!

(3) Verify while on the phone that you can now Sync without constant "Re-Authentication" by hitting the accounts Update button.  DO NOT HANG UP UNTIL YOU CAN DO SO...the change is near-instant. 

 

Issue Part 2: The Digital Services Department Rep also discussed another issue that keeps accounts from Sync via 3rd party connections.  The Security Questions for your account are sent to you on a RANDOM schedule.  If by chance the 3rd party app does not "pass" your security questions to you, the bank authentication goes on a "loop".  Because you cannot answer the questions, because 3rd party cannot pass them to the screen for you to answer, it will block you endlessly.

 

Solution Part 2: SAME AS SOLUTION 1

 

Hope this Helps many with Navy Federal...Please hit the CHEER button so the answer comes up for fellow members.

 

 

 

 

 

November 21, 2021

Thank you for posting this. I have a client who banks with navy fed and will be following these steps to get this taken care of very shortly. I will let you know if it works! The number got deleted so I’m assuming he will have to ask around to get to that department. 

December 15, 2021

Just called the main number; The first rep I talked to had the ability (I just kept saying "talk to a person" until I got someone). I'm not sure if business services can disable it forever, but the rep I talked to could only do 12 months max.

With that said; a HUGE shoutout to Trinia who took my call and got it all taken care of!

June 7, 2023

The fact that there are still connection issues between QBO and NFCU is absolutely ridiculous given we pay monthly for these services. It requires me to do more work and manually upload each monthly statement to a shared fold with my bookkeeper just for my accounts with Navy Federal. Here are the best solutions I have:

1) Fix QBO -- needs to fix its system or use a 3rd party system like Plaid which actually works properly with NFCU.
2) Leave QBO -- Why continue to waste more money on a service that does not address and fix issues for its customers? I really despise that most accounts solely work with QBO and not other services.
3) Switch Banks -- This is not ideal whatsoever. It would be less work to switch QBO than banking. NFCU is an exclusive banking service that not everyone has access to with added features. Leaving them is not ideal for me or my business. 

Alternatives: I actually don't use QBO for invoicing clients, I use Wave Apps. Which is fantastic and has an accountant/bookkeeping system in it just like QBO minus the issues. I have not switched to them yet but after reading the new responses on how this issue is still unresolved, I think it's time for me to make a switch away from QBO as well as my current accountants if they refuse to branch away from QBO. Maybe once enough customers drop their subscriptions, QB will finally take this issue seriously and fix the problem. 

June 19, 2023

Yes, I agree, but QB's lack of response or updates is very concerning…. Well, after six months, I finally got an official answer from QB. Bad news thou! Awful news, QB blames the Navy, and they do not have an expected timeline on when this will be resolved if it gets fixed. For those who are canceling QB, what software are you using? Any recommendations are greatly appreciated.

 

Dear Valued Customer,
Our engineers have looked into the issue "Navy Federal Credit Union, Error 324", and our product team has determined that your NAVY FEDERAL is blocking our access. We have opened communication with the Financial Institution and are working to resolve this issue. Unfortunately, we don't have an expected timeline on when issue will be resolved. Our next scheduled update will be 8/4/23.



The QuickBooks Online Support Team

 

Fiat Lux - ASIA
June 19, 2023

@Laura_castro  

 Any recommendations are greatly appreciated.

 

I can recommend 3 cloud based accounting apps to explore and compare. But the real question is how do you convert your data? Will you accept the purchase of conversion services?

November 22, 2023

Apparently, after over 3 years, it appears that neither Quickbooks or Navy Fed gives a crap to fix this issue. Personally, I think it is Intuit's responsibility to resolve it. Their system simply isn't saving the necessary authentication information from Navy Federal, so with each connection, Navy Fed thinks it is a new login from a new browser and keeps asking for MFA.

 

Usually, this would be done with a browser cookie (log in>remember browser>and you won't be asked for MFA for some amount of time), but QBO must not function that way. I've just joined QBO for my business that uses a NFCU business account and I'm already thinking about cancelling it because of this issue. Absolute trash that after 3 years this is still an issue with connecting to the largest credit union in the nation.

April 25, 2024

I am having this issue too. QBO doesn’t care all that much. 

April 25, 2024

NFCU won't connect to QBO anymore. It used to but stopped working for me. I have called QBO multiple times. They opened an "investigation." They don't care.