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Tawnytim
June 3, 2024
Question

Should credit card puchases show up as a negative or positive?

  • June 3, 2024
  • 1 reply
  • 0 views

When I'm categorizing transactions in QBO, for a credit card account, when there is a purchase made, should it show up as a minus, or a plus?

 

This credit card does not properly connect online and automatically import transactions, so I must manually import them from .CSV.  I'm given the option to reverse the transactions, meaning that purchases show as (-) and payments show as positive.  I'm not sure which to use.  Considering a $0.00 balance on a credit card account, if a $100 purchase is made, should the balance in quickbooks chart of accounts now be $100.00 or should it now be -$100.00?

The attached image shows a purchase I made.

1 reply

E
Erika_K
June 3, 2024

I appreciate you posting your concerns in the Community forum about categorizing your Credit Card (CC) data and for attaching a screenshot, Tawnytim. I'm here to share information with handling your bank documents.


Credit card payments are usually recorded as positive numbers, while charges are recorded as negative numbers. However, some banks may generate files with this reversed. In this case, I recommend using your bank statement as a reference to determine the accurate classification of your transaction. When importing bank statements, you can also select the Keep original values if the data is accurate, if it's not, click Reverse all values.



Regarding your concern about the Chart of Account balance for your CC, if you have a credit card account with a 0.00 balance and make a $100 purchase, the balance in the Chart of Accounts should now be -100.00. This is due to the purchase representing an amount owed, which is recorded as a negative balance in the credit card account to reflect the liability. 

Additionally, I suggest contacting an accounting professional to provide additional guidance to ensure you're on the right track.    

If you have further questions or need assistance with QuickBooks Online or bookkeeping practices, comment below, Tawnytim. I'll be more than happy to provide you with accurate and actionable guidance to help you streamline your financial processes and achieve your business goals.   

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