Page Comparison

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Adding an Account in Quicken

When you add an account, Quicken

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includes it in the Account List (

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Tools menu > Account List). In most cases,

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you’ll want to add all your accounts

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to the same Quicken data file

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to track all your finances in one place.

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1. Select the

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1. Add Account

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1. icon on the top right of the

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1. Account Bar.

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1. Alternatively, go to Tools → Add Account in the top menu.

2. Enter the name of your brokerage and select it.

3. Follow the on-screen instructions.

Simple Setup wizard

As you move through the account setup process, you may not see all the pages described below—these depend on the type of account you are adding and how much information Quicken can download from your financial institution. Click a link below for more information.

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Quicken needs this information so it can download your account information. For most banks and brokerages, you can use the same user ID and password you use to log in to their website. If you don't have a user ID and password right now, add the account manually. You can always activate it to update transactions or send payments later on.

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Your password will be saved in the Quicken Password Vault.

Quicken's Password Vault is a secure and convenient way to store multiple financial institution passwords that you can then access with a single master password.

• You can open the Password Vault to add, remove, or change stored passwords at any time.
• When the Password Vault was developed, it went through a rigorous security review.
• The Password Vault uses industry-standard encryption to save your passwords, and it is careful to remove them from memory when they are no longer being used.

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Advanced Setup wizard

For most users, Simple Setup is all they will need to add their accounts. If you need to use Advanced/Manual Setup you will see a few additional screens. Click a link for more information.

• Image Removed  Do you want to download transactions, or enter transactions manually?

  If you want to download transactions into Quicken, enter the name of your bank, brokerage, or credit card company and click Next.

  If you don't want to download transactions into Quicken, select I want to enter my transactions manually and click Next. This option means that you will need to update your account transactions by hand.

• Image Removed  What is the name you'd like to use for this account?

  Enter the name you want to use to refer to the account in Quicken. This name will appear in reports, and in the Quicken interface.

• Image Removed  What is this account primarily used for?

  If you are using Quicken Home, Business & Rental Property, choose the primary use of the account: Personal (which is the default), Business, or Rental Property. Your selection determines where in the Quicken interface (on which tab) the account appears. You can change this from the Account List later if you wish. the account appears. You can change this from the Account List later if you wish.

• Image Removed  What is the statement ending date and balance?

  If you know the ending date and balance

  Enter the appropriate date and balance from your statement, and then click Done.

  If you don't know the ending date and balance

  Leave the settings as they are (today's date, with a zero balance), and then click Done.

  The new account will be added with an opening balance of $0.00, as of today. You canedit the opening balance later.

• Image Removed  Which connection method should be used?

  The following options are not available for every account. The connection methods you see in the wizard will be customized to your financial institution and the account you are setting up.

  Express Web Connect (Free)

  Express Web Connect provides an integrated way to update transactions and account balances for financial institutions that do not currently connect directly to Quicken. With Express Web Connect, you can use One Step Update to update multiple accounts, and you no longer have to go to a financial institution's website to retrieve transactions.

  Direct Connect (Fees may apply)

  Direct Connect is a service some banks use to connect to Quicken. You will know if you have Direct Connect if you specifically signed up for it and/or your bank sent you a special user ID and password to use with Quicken. Some financial institutions require Direct Connect to use services such as bill pay, or transfers via Quicken.

  Web Connect (Free)

  Many financial institutions offering Web banking also let you download your Web transactions into Quicken. If you already have a password, and if the website displays the Quicken logo or a button or link that says Download to Quicken, this means that your financial institution supports the Web Connect protocol for downloading and importing transactions into Quicken.

• Image Removed  About this account—IRA accounts
  1. Next to Who owns this IRA? select either yourself or your spouse.
  2. Next to IRA Type select:
     • Traditional IRA
     • Roth IRA
     • Coverdell ESA
     • Keogh plan
     • SEP IRA
     • SIMPLE IRA
• Image Removed  About this account—401(k) and employer information
  1. Enter a name for this account.
     • Image Removed  Tell me more
       Account names usually appear in alphabetical order in Quicken. If you and your spouse both have a 401(k) account, or you have 401(k) accounts from previous employers, begin each account name with something similar, such as "401(k) for Terry" and "401(k) for Chris." This way, all your 401(k) accounts will appear next to each other in lists throughout Quicken.
  2. Enter the ending date from your statement.

     Caution

     If you're entering information from your financial institution's website instead of from a paper statement, and if this date is today's date, then don't download transactions for this account until tomorrow. This is necessary to reconcile your Quicken account data with account data posted by your financial institution.

  3. Enter the name of your employer and whether this is your current employer or a previous one.
  4. Identify the owner of this account: you or your spouse.
     • Image Removed  Why is this important?
       Quicken uses this to assign the correct tax-related category to transactions.
• Image Removed  What is the ending cash balance for this account?
  1. In the Statement Date field, enter one of the following:
     • If you're entering this information from a statement, enter the statement ending date.
     • If you're entering this information from your financial institution's website, use the date the information was posted (usually today or yesterday).
  2. In the Cash field, enter the cash balance in this account.
     • Image Removed  Tell me more
       If your broker sweeps your cash balance into a money market fund, then the amount that is actually held in cash may be a very small amount—usually only equal to the amount of a recent dividend, security sale, or other transaction that resulted in a positive cash amount.
  3. In the Money Market Fund field, enter the share balance for your money market fund security, if any.
     • Image Removed  Tell me more
       Your broker may call this a sweep fund. The cash balance and the sweep fund together make up your total cash balance. For example, if you have $200 in cash and $1,200 in shares of a money market fund, your total cash balance would be $1,400.
• Image Removed  What securities are in this account?

  Do the following for each security you hold in this account:

  1. In the Ticker field, enter the ticker symbol for the security. If you know the security ticker, Quicken will download the name for you.
     • If you don't know the ticker symbol, click Ticker Symbol Lookup.
     • If the security doesn't have a ticker symbol (for example, a proprietary security sold by your financial institution), enter a security name in the Security Name field.
     • Don't enter bonds on this page. When you're finished setting up securities, open the transaction list, click Enter Transaction, and then choose Bond Purchase.
  2. When you've finished for each security, click Next.
• Image Removed  Enter your current holdings information
  Do the following for each security you hold in this account:

  1. Enter the number of shares for each security you own. If this is a 401(k) account only, enter the number of shares and total market value. (If your financial institution doesn't report the number of shares, you can enter the market value.)
  2. Select the appropriate security type: Stock, Mutual Fund, or Other.
  3. Click Next.
• Image Removed  Summary
  Review the information you entered on the previous pages. If you need to change anything, click Back.
• Image Removed  Note for IRA accounts
  If this is an IRA account, Quicken identifies the entire opening balance as a contribution in the year that the account is added. If you want to edit the opening balance to assign contribution amounts to specific prior tax years, you can do so now:

  1. Scroll down to the blank transaction line at the bottom of the transaction list.
  2. Click Enter Transaction.
  3. In the Enter transactions field, select Cash Transferred into Account. Follow the on-screen instructions to create a cash transfer into the account for a prior tax year. Be sure to use the correct date for both the transaction and for the tax year assignment.
  4. Click Enter New if you need to repeat step 3 for prior tax years. When you're finished, click Enter Done.
  5. Go back to the top of the transaction list and change the Opening Balance to equal just the amount you actually contributed this year.
• Image Removed  Next steps
  1. Decide whether to enter historical transactions.
  2. Resolve placeholder entries.

Notes

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Investment Tracking: Simple Investing vs. Complete Investing

Simple Investing: Tracks Positions Only

With Simple Investing, Quicken tracks the positions (number of shares for each security) and cash balances based on information from your broker. This method shows your portfolio value, net worth, and investment returns over time. However, it does not calculate capital gains, losses, or investment income. When selected, the account displays a summary rather than an investment transaction register.

Complete Investing: Tracks Positions and Transactions

Complete Investing tracks both transaction details and positions over time using broker-provided data. This method offers portfolio value, net worth, investment returns, capital gains, losses, and income tracking. When selected, the account displays an investment transaction register.

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Why Don’t I Have a Complete Investing Option?

If Complete Investing isn’t available for a specific account, Quicken defaults to Simple Investing. This ensures you can monitor securities, positions, and balances, even without transaction data. This limitation usually results from the financial institution’s data integration level. To enable detailed tracking, you can manually set up the account and enter transaction details.

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Account Setup: Simple and Advanced Options

Simple Setup

1. Select the type of account to add.

2. If your bank or brokerage appears, click it. If not:

   • Start typing its name to see potential matches.

   • If the name still doesn’t appear, click Back, try again, or select Advanced Setup to enter transactions manually. Manual setup allows activation for downloads later if supported.

Advanced Setup

1. Choose whether to download transactions or enter them manually.

2. Enter a nickname (optional) for the account. This name appears in reports and the interface.

3. If using Quicken Business & Personal, choose the primary use: Personal, Business, or Rental Property.

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Key Setup Details

• Financial Institution Login: Use the same credentials as the financial institution’s website unless Direct Connect credentials are specified.

• Direct Connect: Some institutions require this for features like bill pay.

• Password Vault: Quicken’s secure storage for financial institution passwords, accessed with a master password.

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Account Confirmation and Sync

After adding an account:

• Quicken may prompt for additional steps to start using the account.

• For mobile access, enable Sync to Quicken Cloud for Mobile/Alerts.

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Account Types and Securities

• For IRA accounts, specify the owner and type (e.g., Traditional IRA, Roth IRA).

• Enter securities information:

  • Use ticker symbols or lookup tools.

  • Specify share balances and security types (e.g., Stock, Mutual Fund).

Notes for IRA Contributions

To assign contributions to prior tax years:

1. Enter cash transfer transactions with the correct date and tax year.

2. Adjust the opening balance to reflect only the current year’s contribution.

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Connection Methods

• Express Web Connect (Free): Automatically updates transactions for supported institutions.

• Direct Connect (Fees May Apply): Requires a unique ID and password for some services.

• Web Connect (Free): Download transactions from your financial institution’s website if supported.

Additional Information

• Decide whether to enter historical transactions.

• Special investment account types.