Forcing an Account to Balance in Microsoft Money

If, despite all your detective work, you can't find the problem that keeps your account from balancing in Microsoft Money, you can force the account to balance. Forcing an account to balance means entering what accountants call an adjustment transaction -- a fictitious transaction, a little white lie that makes the numbers add up. If the difference between what your statement says and what the Balance Account window says is just a few pennies, enter the adjustment transaction and spare yourself the headache of looking for the error. A few pennies here and there never hurt anybody.

The words Account Adjustment appear in the register on the Payee line when you force an adjustment transaction. Money gives you the chance to categorize the transaction on your own. After you have torn out your hair trying to discover why an account doesn't balance, follow these steps to force an adjustment transaction:

Click the Next button in the balance Account window.

Click this button even though the account has not been reconciled. The Balance dialog box appears and tells you that the account isn't in balance and asks what you want to do about it.

Select the Automatically Adjust the Account Balance option button.

Choose a category from the category drop-down menu.

Click OK.