Before Automatic Batch Reconciliation (ABR) can post journal entries, it needs to know which QuickBooks accounts play which role. This article walks through the accounts ABR uses, how to map them, how to read the balance display, and how activation works, including what happens if you have open batches or are upgrading from the earlier version of the add-on.
Before you start
- Your accounting software must be connected: QuickBooks Online, or QuickBooks Desktop through MagicCarpet.
- A payment gateway must be connected for each payment type (credit card, ACH, or check) you want to activate.
The accounts ABR uses
Accounts are mapped per payment type (credit card, ACH, check) where relevant:
| Account | What it is | QuickBooks account type |
|---|---|---|
| Settlement Sweep Account | The clearing account. Holds funds in transit between your gateway and your bank. Should return to zero once everything reconciles. | Other Current Asset |
| Settlement Account | Your real deposit (bank) account. | Bank |
| Merchant Fees Account | Expense account for daily discount fees. Required only if you use Daily Discount. | Expense |
| Chargeback Sweep Account | Credit card only. Parks disputed funds while a chargeback is being arbitrated. | Other Current Asset |
| Returned Payments | Where chargeback and reject losses are recognized; also the line item used on rebill invoices. | Other Current Asset |
| Undeposited Funds Account | Used only by the one-time entries posted when you activate or deactivate the module. | Your existing QuickBooks account |
The Settlement Sweep and Settlement accounts are hard prerequisites: a payment type cannot be activated until both are mapped and synced. Daily Discount additionally requires the Merchant Fees account.
Mapping your accounts
Account roles are assigned in the Chart of Accounts Mapping Tool in your accounting settings. On the ABR module screen, each mapped account name is a blue link, so you can jump straight to the mapping or to the account itself.
Viewing current account mappings on the Automatic Batch Reconciliation add-on
Editing account mappings from the Sweep, Settlement, or Chargeback Sweep links
Reading the balance display
The module screen shows each mapped account with a balance pill pulled directly from QuickBooks:
- Grey (zero): the account balance is zero. A grey sweep pill after your batches have synced means everything reconciled.
- Blue (positive): the account holds a positive balance. On the sweep, that usually means a batch has not settled or synced yet, or a transaction needs attention.
- Orange (negative): the account balance is negative. On the sweep, this often points to money that arrived in a batch without a matching record. See Reading Your Batch History for the triage steps.
Hover the pill to see Last Sync, the time the balance was last pulled from QuickBooks. Two things to know about these balances:
- They are read-only. Biller Genie pulls them from QuickBooks at each sync and never writes a balance back.
- The number is the account's own balance and does not include sub-accounts. If Last Sync is stale, the number may lag what QuickBooks currently shows.
QuickBooks deep links
For QuickBooks Online merchants, the account names on the module screen link directly into QuickBooks, so you can open the register for your sweep, settlement, or chargeback sweep account in one click.
Clicking a listed account opens your connected Chart of Accounts
Example of opening the CC Settlement Sweep account
Activating a payment type
Each payment type (credit card, ACH, check) has its own activation toggle. The toggle stays disabled until the required accounts for that payment type are mapped and synced.
If you have open batches when you activate: payments that have been recorded but not yet settled have a running balance. Biller Genie shows you that open amount and asks you to confirm before activating. On confirmation, a one-time journal entry moves the open balance out of Undeposited Funds and into your Settlement Sweep Account, so the sweep starts telling the truth from day one. If you later deactivate the module, a reversing entry moves the remaining balance back.
Upgrading from the earlier version
If you already use the earlier version of Automatic Batch Reconciliation, both tiles appear in the Add-on Marketplace, and you can migrate to the new version from there. Your mappings carry into the new mapping screen, where you can review them before activating.
The migration is one way. Once you move to the new version you cannot switch back, and the screen shows a prominent warning asking you to confirm before the migration runs. Review your account mappings before you confirm.
Both tiles are shown when migrating from the earlier version
Migrating to the new version
The warning shown before the migration runs: the migration cannot be undone
Related articles
- Understanding Automatic Batch Reconciliation
- Reading Your Batch History: Transaction Linking and Your Sweep Balance
- Daily Discount: Automatic Fee Journal Entries
- Chart of Accounts: Mapping Your Accounts in Biller Genie
- How to Connect QuickBooks Online
- How to Connect MagicCarpet to QuickBooks Desktop