How to Retrieve and Identify Reconciled Transactions in QuickBooks Online API

September 12, 2025 2 min read

QuickBooks API data flow diagram showing how reconciled transactions are identified and displayed in transactions table

Introduction

When working with accounting automation, one common requirement is to pull all transactions and check whether they are reconciled, cleared, or UnCleared.

At first glance, QuickBooks Online’s TransactionList API seems perfect for this.

However, when I began experimenting, I discovered a limitation that every developer integrating QuickBooks should be aware of.

In this post, I’ll walk you through the process of retrieving and identifying reconciled Transactions in QuickBooks Online API, using real examples, screenshots, and API calls, so you know exactly what to expect.

Step 1: Fetch Transactions using TransactionList API

QuickBooks provides the TransactionList report API:

GET /v3/company/{companyId}/reports/TransactionList

You can pass parameters like:

start_date / end_date → Filter by transaction date range
columns → Choose fields like txn_date, txn_type, doc_num, account_name, etc.
cleared → Possible values are Reconciled, Cleared, UnCleared

👉

According to QuickBooks Online API documentation, the cleared parameter is only usable as a filter, not as a column in the result.

That means:

You can fetch only Reconciled transactions, or only UnCleared ones,
However, you cannot retrieve all transactions with their status in a single call.

Step 2: Example Reconciled Transaction

In my sandbox, I created a Bill Payment transaction and reconciled it.

QuickBooks bill payment entry showing vendor payment of $50 with reconciled status and updated account balance

QuickBooks API JSON response showing bill payment check from savings account to accounts payable with $50 entry

Here’s the API call I used:

GET .../reports/TransactionList?start_date=2025-09-11&end_date=2025-09-11&cleared=Reconciled

QuickBooks API GET request in Postman with TransactionList report, start date, end date, and reconciled cleared filter- Satva Solutions

The result included the transaction confirming that the API can detect reconciled entries, but only when filtered.

Step 3: Example UnCleared Transaction

Next, in QuickBooks, I created an Invoice Payment and left it uncleared.

QuickBooks receive payment screen showing customer payment of $100 applied to invoice with cash deposit to savings account

When I ran:

GET
.../reports/TransactionList?start_date=2025-09-11&end_date=2025-09-11&cleared=Uncleared

QuickBooks API request with parameters showing start date, end date, columns, and cleared status set to uncleared

QuickBooks transaction list showing payments and bill payments with accounts receivable and accounts payable details

It showed up correctly in the API response.

QuickBooks API JSON response showing bill payment and payment transaction details without reconciled or uncleared status field

Step 4: Mixed Transactions on the Same Day

Here’s where it gets tricky. On the same date, I had multiple transactions:

One reconciled bill payment
One uncleared payment
One cleared bill

But when fetching via API, you must query them separately by status.

There’s no way to retrieve a single dataset that contains the cleared status for every transaction.

Key Limitation

This is the main takeaway:

✅You can retrieve transactions by filtering status (Reconciled, Cleared, UnCleared).

❌But QuickBooks does not return the status field in the dataset itself.

For auditors, accountants, or SaaS developers building reconciliation tools, this creates extra complexity because you must run multiple API calls and merge results manually.

Why This Matters

If you’re building automation to audit or reconcile accounts across hundreds of QuickBooks clients, this limitation can slow down your process.

I explored a similar challenge in my previous blog post, “QuickBooks Online Reconciliation API Solutions,” where I discussed how a CPA firm with over 200 clients needed automation for reconciliation, but QuickBooks’ API restrictions forced them to build workarounds.

That experience directly informed my findings in this regard.

Conclusion

Use the TransactionList API to fetch transactions.
Apply the cleared filter when you need only one type of status.
Be aware: QuickBooks does not provide status per transaction in bulk results.
For large-scale reconciliation projects, you’ll need to run multiple API calls (Reconciled, Cleared, UnCleared) and stitch them together.

Until QuickBooks improves this endpoint, this is the only way to identify reconciled transactions via the API. For firms managing reconciliation at scale, dedicated reconciliation software may offer a more streamlined alternative to building custom solutions.