QuickBooks Period Reconciliation Checkpoints

Continuous syncing keeps URBI and QuickBooks in step transaction by transaction, but at period-end you often want proof that the two systems actually agree, account by account, for that fiscal period. A reconciliation checkpoint is that proof. It compares your URBI ledger against QuickBooks for one fiscal period and tells you, per account and per class, whether they tie out to the cent. This guide explains how to run one and how to read every part of the result.

Who this is for: Property managers and board members on the Premium accounting plan whose property has an active QuickBooks Online connection. On any other plan, or with an "All properties" view selected, the checkpoint tool is not available.

What a checkpoint is

A checkpoint is a per-period tie-out. It takes one fiscal period and asks a single question: do URBI and QuickBooks agree for this period? Importantly, it answers that question without interrupting the continuous sync, it is a snapshot you run on demand, not a gate that blocks your day-to-day accounting.

It compares two sources:

• The URBI side is your ledger: every posted journal entry dated on or before the end of the period, summed per account. This is effectively a trial balance as of the period end date.
• The QuickBooks side is QuickBooks' own Trial Balance for those same accounts, read live from QuickBooks.

For each account, URBI computes the difference between its number and QuickBooks' number. If the difference is zero, that account is matched. If not, it is a mismatch. The checkpoint rolls all of these up into a single verdict for the period.

Running a checkpoint

Open the Reconciliation checkpoint report for the property.

1. Pick a fiscal period from the dropdown.
2. Decide whether to turn on "Deep reconcile" (explained next).
3. Click Run reconciliation (or Re-run reconciliation if a checkpoint already exists for that period). The button shows "Running..." while it works.

Re-running is safe: a checkpoint is one row per property-and-period, so re-running simply refreshes that period's result rather than piling up duplicates.

Deep reconcile vs. indicative (cheap) mode

The Deep reconcile toggle is the single most important choice on this screen, because it decides whether the result can actually certify a tie-out.

• Deep reconcile ON (full mode). URBI reads QuickBooks' live Trial Balance and compares it account by account against your URBI ledger. This is the only mode that can prove the trial balance ties, and the only mode that can ever return a Reconciled verdict.

• Deep reconcile OFF (indicative / cheap mode). URBI does not call QuickBooks' Trial Balance. It gives you a quick, lightweight read based on sync counts only. Every per-account line is labeled Indicative, and the checkpoint is never reported as reconciled. This mode exists for a fast sanity check; it deliberately never shows a false green.

The rule of thumb: use indicative mode for a quick glance, but turn on Deep reconcile whenever you need to actually prove the period ties out.

Reading the results

A completed checkpoint shows a header with badges, followed by two tables.

The header badges

• Fresh / Stale. Whether the checkpoint still reflects the current ledger. A Stale badge means the ledger changed after the checkpoint was computed and it needs a re-run (covered in the companion guide on stale checkpoints).
• Reconciled / Not reconciled / Indicative. The overall verdict. Reconciled (green) means everything tied out in a deep run. Not reconciled (red) means a deep run found something that does not tie. Indicative (grey) means it was a cheap-mode run that cannot certify anything.

The per-account tie-out table

Titled Per-account tie-out, this is the heart of the report. Each row is one account with columns for URBI debit, URBI credit, QB debit, QB credit, Diff, and Status. The Status column is where you read the outcome for each account:

• Matched - URBI and QuickBooks agree to the cent for this account. This is the goal.
• Mismatch - URBI and QuickBooks disagree; the Diff column shows by how much. This account needs attention.
• Unmapped - this URBI account has no QuickBooks account mapped to it, so there is nothing to compare it against. This is shown as a visible gap, never silently hidden, because an unmapped account could be hiding a real difference.
• QB only - QuickBooks has a balance on an account that no URBI account tied out to in this run. It is surfaced so you can see money on the QuickBooks side that URBI did not account for. (QuickBooks accounts with a zero balance are not shown; a zero balance is not a gap.)
• Indicative - cheap mode only; no QuickBooks comparison was performed for this line.

The per-class table

Titled Per sync class, this table breaks the period's posted activity down by the kind of transaction, with URBI count, QB count, URBI debit, and URBI credit columns. It is a useful cross-check on volume: if URBI shows more items of a class than QuickBooks does, that difference often explains a mismatch above.

What "Reconciled" requires

A checkpoint earns the Reconciled badge only when all of the following are true in a deep run:

• Deep reconcile was on and URBI successfully read QuickBooks' Trial Balance.
• No account mismatched (every account tied to the cent).
• No sync items are still failed or unsynced for the period.
• No account is unmapped.
• No QB-only account appeared.

If any one of those is not satisfied, the checkpoint is Not reconciled (or Indicative in cheap mode). In short, "reconciled" is an all-clear across every dollar-affecting condition, not just "the totals happened to match."

The report calls out the blockers explicitly. If there are failed or unsynced items, a red strip reads: "Sync items still outstanding... These explain a mismatch and block a reconciled stamp until resolved." Clear those first, then re-run.

Open drift is informational, not a blocker

You may see a neutral strip noting a number of open drift items (property-wide), with a link to open the sync console. Drift is tracked separately from checkpoints and is property-wide and informational only, it does not affect whether this period is reconciled. The report states this directly: "Informational only. Drift is tracked separately and does not affect this checkpoint's reconciled status." So an open drift count sitting next to a Reconciled period is not a contradiction; the per-account tie-out already catches every dollar-affecting difference for the period, and drift is a separate, broader signal.

A walked example

You want to prove your March period ties out.

1. Open the Reconciliation checkpoint report, pick March, turn Deep reconcile ON, and click Run reconciliation.

2. The report comes back with a Fresh badge and a per-account table. Most accounts read Matched. One account, "Repairs & Maintenance," reads Mismatch with a Diff of $120. A red strip also notes "1 failed, 0 unsynced."

3. You investigate the failed item, discover an expense that never made it to QuickBooks, fix the mapping it was waiting on, and let it sync.

4. You click Re-run reconciliation for March. This time every account reads Matched, there are no failed or unsynced items, and the header shows the green Reconciled badge. March is proven to tie out.

Edge cases and good to know

• Periods before the sync start cannot be tied out. If a period predates when QuickBooks syncing began, or simply has no QuickBooks data, you will see an "Out of sync-window" notice: "This period predates the QuickBooks sync start or has no QuickBooks data, so it cannot be tied out. This is not a mismatch." That is expected, not a failure.
• Excluded entries are expected deltas. Some entries (for example a year-end close) are intentionally excluded from sync. If any exist, a callout tells you how many and notes "An expected delta, not a mismatch."
• Cheap mode never shows green. An indicative run is a fast check only. It cannot certify a tie-out, and it will never display Reconciled. Turn on Deep reconcile to prove the period.
• A checkpoint does not change any numbers. Running or re-running a checkpoint is read-only. It reports on your ledger and QuickBooks; it does not post, adjust, or move anything.
• Ties are to the cent. A "matched" account must agree exactly. There is no rounding tolerance.

FAQs

Does running a checkpoint change my books? No. It is purely a comparison. It reads your URBI ledger and QuickBooks' Trial Balance and reports the differences. Nothing is posted or altered.

Why won't my checkpoint say "Reconciled" even though everything looks fine? The most common reasons are that Deep reconcile was off (cheap mode never reconciles), there is still a failed or unsynced item for the period, or an account is unmapped or QB-only. The report surfaces each of these; clear them and re-run.

What is the difference between a "Mismatch" and an "Unmapped" account? A mismatch means both sides have a number and they disagree. Unmapped means the URBI account has no QuickBooks counterpart, so no comparison is even possible, it is shown as a gap so you can go set up the mapping.

I have open drift but the period says Reconciled. Is that wrong? No. Drift is a separate, property-wide, informational signal. The per-account tie-out already accounts for every dollar-affecting difference in the period, so a reconciled period can coexist with open drift you review elsewhere.

How often should I run a checkpoint? Typically at period close, and any time you want independent proof that URBI and QuickBooks agree. Because re-running just refreshes the single row for that period, there is no harm in running it as often as you like.