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.
Select
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the Add
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Account icon on the top right of
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the Account Bar.
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Alternatively, go to Tools → Add Account
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in the top menu.
Enter the name of your brokerage and select it.
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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. Expand a section below for more information.
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title | What is the difference between simple investing and complete investing? |
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Investment Tracking: Simple Investing vs. Complete Investing
Simple Investing: Tracks Positions Only
With Simple Investing, Quicken
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tracks the positions (number of shares for each security)
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and
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cash balances
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based on information
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from your broker.
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This method shows your portfolio value, net worth, and investment returns over time
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. However, it does not calculate capital gains
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, losses, or investment income.
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When selected, the account displays a summary rather than an investment transaction register
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.
Complete Investing
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: 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,
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investment returns,
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capital gains,
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losses, and
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income
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tracking. When selected, the account displays an investment transaction register
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Select the type of account you would like to add to Quicken. |
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If your bank or brokerage is listed on the screen, click it. If your bank or brokerage is not listed on the screen, start typing its name. After you type a few characters Quicken displays a list of possible matches. If you see what you are looking for, go ahead and click the name of your bank or brokerage. If you don't see what you are looking for, click Back and try again.
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If you have set up Quicken to track multiple currencies, select one from the list. If you decide you need to change the currency for the account, you can do so only if you haven't entered any transactions except the opening balance. |
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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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Sometimes Quicken needs more information to determine what type of account you have, or at what branch the account resides at before it can access it. If you are not sure, here are some tips that may help you: Account TypeIf different types of accounts are shown, such as checking (Chequing in Canada), savings, or credit card, choose the account type that applies to you. State or LocationSome banks and brokerages use a state or region to classify accounts. If you see your state listed, this is probably the option to select. Bank MergersDid your local bank or credit union merge with a larger bank? If you see your old or pre-merger bank name listed, this is probably the option to select. Having trouble? Contact your bank or brokerage for instructions. |
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After you tell Quicken how to access your bank or brokerage, it goes online and downloads information about the accounts you hold there. Quicken then asks you to provide a bit more information about the accounts. We have found the followingThis is a list of your accounts that Quicken has detected at your bank or brokerage. Account TypeYou may see various items in this list: Checking, Savings, Credit Card, Brokerage, IRA or Keogh plan, or 401(k). Choose one that best matches the purpose of your real-world account. Add, Ignore, or LinkQuicken needs to know what you want to do with the accounts it has found. Keep in mind that you don't need to set up all of the accounts it finds; just the ones that you want to track in Quicken. Choose Add to create a new Quicken account in which to download your transactions. If you are new to Quicken, this is probably the option that you want. Choose Link to download your transactions into an existing Quicken account. If you have previously set up the account in Quicken, but are not yet downloading transactions into it, this is probably the option you want. Choose Ignore to disregard one of the accounts that Quicken has found. No account will be created, and transactions for that account will not be downloaded into Quicken. Nickname (Optional)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. If you don't enter a nickname, Quicken will use the name provided by your financial institution for the account. Used mostly forIf you are using Quicken Business & Personal, 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. |
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You will receive confirmation that your account, or accounts, have been added to Quicken. Depending on the type of account you are adding there may be other steps you need to take. This screen will tell you what you need to do, if anything, to start using the accounts. Congratulations! If you have chosen to use mobile as a part of your Quicken Registration, on this screen, you will get an option to sync the added account to the cloud. If you wish to add this account to the cloud, select the Sync to Quicken cloud for Mobile / Alerts check-box next to the account that you have added. |
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You will see this option only if you have chosen to Use Mobile as part of the registration. If you wish to view your accounts in mobile or to receive custom account notifications, click the Mobile and Web tab and follow the instructions. |
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.
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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. |
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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. |
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title | What is this account primarily used for? |
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.
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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
Select the type of account to add.
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
Choose whether to download transactions or enter them manually.
Enter a nickname (optional) for the account. This name appears in reports and the interface.
If using Quicken Business & Personal, choose the primary use
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: Personal
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, Business, or Rental Property.
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If you know the ending date and balanceEnter the appropriate date and balance from your statement, and then click Done. If you don't know the ending date and balanceLeave 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 can edit the opening balance later. |
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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. |
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title | About this account—401(k) and employer information |
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- Enter a name for this account.
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. - 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.
- Enter the name of your employer and whether this is your current employer or a previous one.
- Identify the owner of this account: you or your spouse.
Quicken uses this to assign the correct tax-related category to transactions.
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title | What is the ending cash balance for this account? |
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- 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).
- In the Cash field, enter the cash balance in this account.
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. - In the Money Market Fund field, enter the share balance for your money market fund security, if any.
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.
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Do the following for each security you hold in this account:
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Do the following for each security you hold in this account:
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Review the information you entered on the previous pages. If you need to change anything, click Back. |
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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:
Enter cash transfer transactions with the correct date and tax year.
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.
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Note for our Canadian CustomersThe following terms will be different in the Canadian releases of Quicken. Canada: "Cheque" / United States: "Check" |