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pintadrew
November 11, 2024
Question

My Monthly Cash Flow Statements do not roll properly from month to month (beginning does not equal ending).

  • November 11, 2024
  • 1 reply
  • 0 views

Hello.  I am having the following very confusing issue hoping for some guidance.

 

I am using fake numbers for simplicity:

 

  • If I print a cash flow statement for the month of September it gives me a an ENDING cash balance of $1,650,000.
  • If I print a Cash flow statement for the month of October it gives me a BEGINNING cash balance of $1,000,000.
  • I would expect these two numbers to be the same.  Note: While these are fake numbers, the real numbers do indeed reflect an EVEN $650,000 difference. 
  • I perform this same exercise for August rolling into September and October Rolling into November.  The differences are an even $200,000 and $300,000 respectively. 
  • In my example above.  The $1,000,000 Beginning represents the TRUE AMOUNT of cash we had sitting in all our bank accounts at the end of the period prior.  This is true for my subsequent examples.  It is the ENDING amounts in each SOCF that are off by this very even amount. 

 

There is something being incorrectly included in Ending Cash each time I print a SOCF that is correctly being excluded in Beginning Cash on the following period's SOCF.   

 

Does anyone have any idea how I might be able to track down what is causing this?  I have tried digging into each item on my SOCF that changes cash month to month and I can't find it.   Does anyone know what kind of item can cause this. 

 

Thanks so much in advance. 

 

 

1 reply

S
ShangY
November 11, 2024

Thank you for providing the details regarding the issues with your Cash Flow statements, @pintadrew. I truly appreciate your effort in sharing this information. No worries, I'll help you understand the factors that are causing discrepancies in your ending cash balance.
 

Just a quick reminder: the Cash Flow report uses information from reconciled transactions recorded in QuickBooks, not from online balances. It relies on historical data from your bank accounts listed in the All Accounts section of the cash flow hub.
 

Here are a few potential causes for the discrepancies:
 

1. Duplicate transactions or transactions that were entered incorrectly. 
2. Transactions that aren’t properly categorized or are left uncategorized. 
3. Any bank errors or discrepancies that could be affecting your cash flow.
 

I recommend reviewing the transactions in QuickBooks to ensure they are accurately categorized and to check for any bank errors.  
 

Additionally, I'm sharing a helpful resource for future reference if you encounter issues while reconciling: Fix issues when you're reconciling in QuickBooks Desktop.
 

If you have any questions or need assistance with running a cash flow statement in QuickBooks, please don’t hesitate to ask. I'm here to help you with any challenges you might face. 

P
pintadrewAuthor
November 11, 2024

Thanks but this doesn't really explain it.   I can't find what transactions are causing the issue. 

Let me describe another side effect of this issue: 

Using Fake numbers again:

 

  • If I print a Statement of Cash Flows for 09/01 - 09/30 my ending cash balance is $1,650,000, which is incorrect. 
  • If I print a Cash Flow statement for 09/29 - 09/30 my ending Cash balance is $1,000,000, which is correct.  (The $650,000 part of this number is a real number).
  • There should be NO REASON why my ending cash balance is different in these two reports.  They both have the same end day.  Their beginning amounts will be different, sure, but their ending should not be. 
  • Now, if I keep printing reports going backward one day at a time:
    • 09/28 - 09/30
    • 09/27 - 09/30
    • 09/26 - 09/30
    • etc
  • My ending balance stays the same as $1,000,000 until my report for 09/19 - 09/30.  Where it is shown as $1,100,000. (The $100,000 part of this umber is a real number). 
  • I thought I had isolated part of the problem.  Whatever $100,000 transaction happened on 09/19 is causing the issue.  Right?  Well, there is no $100,000 transaction on 09/19.  And no, there is not a combination of transactions that add up to $100,000 (There are very few transaction on this day.   I also check 09/18 and no explanation for this $100,000 there either. 

 

Do you have any idea what can cause this?

 

 

C
Carneil_C
November 11, 2024

The reporting period of the reports can cause discrepancies, @pintadrew. I'll lay down some troubleshooting steps below.

 

To ensure that the balances match on both reports, you'll want to run them with the same reporting period, 09/01-09/30, for statement cash flows to see if they have the same problem.

 

If the ending cash balance isn't equal, I recommend utilizing the Verify and Rebuild Data tool to identify and resolve the most commonly known data issues.

 

Before proceeding, let's ensure we always have our QuickBooks Desktop to the latest release to keep your software up-to-date, so you always have the latest features and fixes. Then, create a backup company file to secure your data if you ever encounter problems. 

 

Here's how:

 

  1. Choose Window, then Close All.
  2. Go to the File menu, and then click Utilities.
  3. Select Rebuild Data.
  4. Follow the onscreen instructions to back up your data.
  5. When the tool finishes, select OK.
  6. Navigate to the File menu, then click Utilities.
  7. Click Verify Data, then choose Rebuild Now once QuickBooks finds an issue with your company file.

 

To learn more about tracking your cash flows in QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT), check out this reference: Cash Flow Hub for QuickBooks Desktop.

 

Moreover, you can also combine reports in QBDT to have an organized and better overview of your company’s financial behavior. Please refer to this article: Combine reports from multiple company files.

 

Feel free to get back to this thread if you still have questions about the cash flow hub in QBDT. I'll do everything I can to help here in the Community.

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