Checkbook help

When you see

• Transfers require two different accounts in the same currency.
• A transfer account is no longer available.
• The destination transfer number is already used.

What it means

A transfer needs two available, different accounts with the same currency and matching entries in both. Checkbook does not convert currencies.

What to do

1. Keep your draft and note its details before leaving the editor. Check the From and To accounts and their currencies in Accounts; wait for missing accounts to finish appearing if you use iCloud.
2. Review both accounts for a transfer already saved before trying Save again. If a number collision appears, compare the source account and the proposed number with its existing entries.
3. If your version shows Use T#… (the suggested number), select it only after checking the number and both accounts; then choose Save separately. Otherwise preserve the draft and ask for help. Do not renumber existing financial history.

When you see

• T# is already used in the destination account.
• This transfer cannot be moved with its current number or selected account. Its original number was preserved. Keep it in the original account, review the destination account's transfer entries, and contact support from Settings if the correct move remains blocked. Do not renumber history to bypass this check.
• Its original number was preserved.

What it means

A number already belongs to another transfer in the destination account. The attempted move did not change the existing transfer or its original number.

What to do

1. Keep the transfer in its original account and note its details before leaving the edit screen.
2. Review that same T# in the proposed destination account, and compare both accounts' entries before making another change.
3. If the move is still needed, use Settings → Get Help or Provide Feedback or email support with the exact message and app version, without financial records.

When you see

• Schedule Not Saved
• History unavailable
• This schedule is an expense and must be managed in Bills.

What it means

An assigned account, schedule type, or older posted history may be unavailable. A recurring transfer's saved account route cannot simply be changed without risking its history.

What to do

1. Open Settings → Manage Recurring for an income or transfer schedule; use Bills for a recurring expense. Compare the assigned account and existing posted entries first.
2. If an account or history is still syncing, wait and reopen the affected schedule. If your version shows an account issue or pause switch, review the warning before making a deliberate change.
3. Only retry a due-entry action after checking both the schedule and ledger for entries already created. Leave older history intact.

When you see

• A pending scheduled entry has an unavailable or different posting account.
• No account assigned. Choose an account explicitly or pause this schedule.
• Retry scheduled entries
• History unavailable: debit or transfer type is unresolved.

What it means

The assigned account or historical schedule type may be unavailable, or a previous processing attempt may have posted only some due entries. Automatic clearing may also occur for active schedules.

What to do

1. Open the affected account and Settings → Manage Recurring (Bills for an expense). Compare the due date, assigned account and existing entries, including pending and cleared ones, with your records.
2. Wait for missing accounts or history to sync. If your version shows Account review required or Edit schedule, inspect the issue; choose an account explicitly or pause the schedule only after confirming the intended route.
3. If your version shows Retry scheduled entries, choose it only after confirming which due entries are already present. Review the account again afterward; retry can generate entries and automatically clear due entries.

When you see

• Show Transaction IDs
• My check and transfer numbers disappeared after updating.

What it means

Transaction IDs are hidden in account lists by default. Your numbers are still saved, and new entries still receive automatic numbers. If you turned Show Transaction IDs on or off yourself, Checkbook keeps your choice.

What to do

1. Open Settings → General and turn on Show Transaction IDs.
2. Return to the account to confirm the numbers appear again. Nothing was renumbered or removed while they were hidden.

When you see

• Save Failed
• Change Not Saved
• Account Not Saved
• An unknown database error occurred.
• This draft identifier is already stored.

What it means

A failed or uncertain save does not establish whether an entry was already stored; repeating a financial action can make a duplicate.

What to do

1. Preserve the draft or note its details before leaving the editor. Note the exact message without sharing personal financial details.
2. If the result of Save is uncertain, leave the editor only after preserving the draft, then check Accounts and the affected account's entries (or Bills for a bill) for the same item. For an edited transfer, check both accounts. If you cannot safely leave the draft, stop and contact support instead.
3. Only for a clearly invalid input, correct it in the still-open draft when the app explicitly says nothing was saved. Otherwise, retry only after confirming no saved equivalent exists; choose Save once and verify the resulting row.

When you see

• Enter a valid positive amount with at most two decimals.
• Choose a valid Start Date and frequency.
• Enter a starting balance from 0 to 9,999,999.99 with at most two decimal places.
• Enter a positive transaction number below the maximum value.

What it means

The draft has a value outside the supported range or a date/frequency that cannot make a valid schedule. A validation message saying nothing was saved is not permission to alter older entries.

What to do

1. Keep the draft. Check the original source for the actual amount, date, frequency, and number; do not round a value just to pass validation.
2. If no record was saved and the intended value fits the displayed limits, correct the current draft and choose Save once.
3. Check the account or schedule afterward for exactly one intended record.

When you see

• Unable to Open Your Ledger
• Unable to Open Database
• Checkbook could not open its saved records.
• Checkbook will not open.

What it means

Device storage or the local data store may be temporarily unavailable; this does not mean your records should be erased.

What to do

1. Unlock your device. In the device Settings app, open General → iPhone Storage (or iPad Storage) and check available space.
2. Close and reopen Checkbook once. If it opens, compare your accounts and recent entries before making changes.
3. Keep the device and any other synced device's data intact while seeking help if the error persists.

When you see

• Import Needs Attention
• This file cannot be read as UTF-8 or Latin-1 text.
• Add a column header row and at least one transaction row to the CSV.

What it means

The chosen file, column mapping, dates, amount format, currency, or duplicate preview needs review. CSV import/export is available to everyone and is a transaction exchange tool, not a full backup.

What to do

1. Keep the original CSV. In Settings → Import CSV, choose a CSV text file with a header and transaction rows; if necessary export as CSV from your spreadsheet app.
2. Review Import Into, date order, column mapping, and Global Currency. If your version shows a number convention in Preview, select the convention that matches the file.
3. Choose Preview Import and inspect Will Import, Duplicates, Errors, and individual rows. Possible matches are skipped by default; include one only when you have verified it is not already in the account or file.
4. Do not import a Checkbook export as a backup or to restore pending entries or transfers. Import assigns rows to one selected account as cleared and does not restore their original account or transfer links; keep the original data and seek help instead.
5. For an intended new import, only after the preview matches your source and intended account, choose Import Transactions once (or Import 1 Transaction).

When you see

• Check Import Result
• Review Account Entries
• Undo This Import
• Check the account for saved entries before importing again.

What it means

An import or undo may have partly completed or its result may be unknown. Another import or undo can change the wrong rows.

What to do

1. Keep the original CSV. Use Review Account Entries if offered; otherwise close Import and open Accounts to compare entries after sync.
2. If your version shows Check Import Result, use that read-only check and compare the displayed result with the actual account before any new action.
3. Use Undo This Import only if the app confirms the original batch and you have checked which entries remain. Otherwise leave the entries alone and ask for help.

When you see

• Export CSV
• CSV is not a full backup
• I need to move my Checkbook data.

What it means

Settings → Export CSV shares transaction data; it is not a complete, lossless account or iCloud backup and cannot recreate every status, transfer, bill, receipt, or app setting.

What to do

1. Open Settings → Export CSV and choose a private destination you control.
2. Check that the file opens and compare a sample of entries with the account and source records. Keep your original records and the app's existing data.
3. Before moving devices, let iCloud finish and compare the accounts and entries on both devices; a CSV alone cannot prove a full transfer.

When you see

• Bill Not Saved
• Bill saved. Its reminder could not be refreshed
• This bill has already been saved.

What it means

The bill may already exist even when a reminder fails. Reminder delivery and saving the bill are separate outcomes.

What to do

1. If the save result is uncertain, note your draft details privately before closing the editor; then check Bills and the assigned account for the bill and any payment. Do not save again while the result is uncertain.
2. If the message says Bill saved but reminder refresh failed, do not create a second bill. If your version shows reminder controls, check notification permission in device Settings, then reopen Checkbook to review the reminder.
3. For an unsaved bill, correct a clearly invalid name or amount in the draft only after confirming no existing bill or payment matches.

When you see

• Schedule warning
• Payment status unknown
• Some entries have conflicting or incomplete identities
• This bill already has payment or processing history.

What it means

Local bill and payment evidence may be incomplete, especially while another device is syncing. A processed marker alone is not proof of bank payment.

What to do

1. Open Bills and the affected bill; compare its schedule and linked account entries with your bank statement.
2. Wait for other devices to sync before drawing conclusions about missing or duplicate payments. If your version shows a schedule warning or evidence details, read them before any edit.
3. Keep the original due day, frequency, and start date when payment history exists unless you have confirmed the intended change. Never delete a payment just to clear a warning.

When you see

• Category is in use.
• Payee is in use.
• Unable to Delete
• More than one category uses this name.

What it means

Saved transactions, bills, schedules, transfers or payees still refer to this item. Account deletion can also remove associated transactions and cannot be undone.

What to do

1. Cancel the deletion. In Accounts, Bills and Settings → Manage Recurring, Manage Payees or Manage Categories, review the item's saved references and compare financial history with your records.
2. Only if you intentionally need a different category or payee, reassign each affected item explicitly and verify it; choose a unique available category or None where offered. Do not change an account or transfer just to make a warning disappear.
3. If two categories have the same name or a reference cannot be identified safely, leave both unchanged and contact support.

When you see

• Balance unavailable
• Cleared balance unavailable. Entries need review.
• Available credit unavailable.
• Net worth unavailable · Needs review

What it means

An opening balance, ledger entry, pending/cleared status, or credit limit needs review. Checkbook's manual balance is not a live bank balance.

What to do

1. Open Accounts and the affected account. Compare opening balance and dated ledger entries with your bank records; distinguish cleared from pending entries.
2. If your version shows Review Opening Balance, use it to inspect the saved amount; otherwise open Edit Account. Check a credit limit in Edit if available.
3. Correct only a verified mismatch after preserving the original bank records. Recheck totals after the change.

When you see

• Budget unavailable
• Budget could not be saved
• Currency Needs Review
• This budget uses
• Your saved budget was not replaced.

What it means

The saved budget, source bill, or ledger currency needs confirmation. Changing a currency label does not convert amounts.

What to do

1. Check Settings → Global Currency and the currency shown on affected accounts. If your version shows Refresh Review, use it to inspect current evidence before making an explicit currency choice.
2. In Budget, compare bill and income amounts and the displayed total with Bills. If your version shows Try Again for a failed budget load, use it only after checking the ledger currency; do not replace an existing budget to hide an error.
3. Keep your existing budget while an imported bill is skipped or a currency mismatch remains; correct only verified source information.

When you see

• App Store Unavailable
• The App Store could not confirm this restore.
• The App Store price is unavailable.
• Restore Purchases

What it means

Pro access must be verified by the App Store. Restoring a purchase never restores financial records, and an unverified or revoked purchase cannot grant new access.

What to do

1. Check your connection and the Apple Account used for the purchase. In Checkbook's purchase screen, choose Restore Purchases; if your version shows Retry Restore after a failed attempt, use it when the App Store is available.
2. If only the price is missing, use Reload Price if offered; this does not start a purchase. Check Apple's purchase history before buying again.
3. Reopen the Pro feature to verify access. For a revoked purchase or Apple billing dispute, contact Apple Support or reportaproblem.apple.com.

When you see

• Budget Is a Pro Feature
• Upgrade to Pro
• The free version supports up to two accounts.

What it means

The free version includes two active accounts and every feature except Budget. Checkbook Pro is a one-time purchase that adds unlimited accounts and budget planning. If you bought Pro in an earlier version, it already includes both.

What to do

1. If you already bought Pro, see the restore steps above; do not buy again before checking Apple's purchase history.
2. To upgrade, tap Upgrade to Pro in the Budget tab or in Settings → Checkbook Pro and confirm the price on Apple's purchase sheet.
3. A budget you saved earlier is kept while Budget is locked and reappears once Pro is active.

When you see

• iCloud Sync · Signed In
• iCloud Sync · Off
• An account is no longer available.

What it means

Signed In only indicates an iCloud account is available on that device; it does not prove every Checkbook record has finished syncing.

What to do

1. Keep Checkbook installed and existing records on both devices. In Checkbook Settings, inspect iCloud Sync; on each device check its iCloud account, network, and storage availability.
2. Allow time for sync, then compare the same account and a few recent entries on both devices. Avoid editing the affected items while one device has missing history.
3. If a record remains absent, preserve both devices as they are and ask for help before making a replacement entry.

When you see

• Authentication did not complete. Your ledger remains locked.
• This device cannot offer Face ID, Touch ID, or passcode authentication right now.

What it means

The device did not complete owner authentication; Checkbook stays locked to protect your ledger.

What to do

1. Unlock the device with its own passcode and check in device Settings that a device passcode is configured.
2. If your version shows Unlock, tap it to try Face ID, Touch ID, or your device passcode again.
3. If the device cannot offer authentication, leave the ledger locked and contact Apple/device support for device authentication, or Checkbook support for an app-specific error.

When you see

• Photo Not Added
• Camera Access Needed
• Receipt photos changed while this editor was open.

What it means

A photo can fail to load or save, camera permission may be off, or the transaction's photos changed elsewhere while you edited it.

What to do

1. Keep the transaction draft. If the camera is blocked, check Checkbook's camera permission in the device Settings app; alternatively use Choose Photos if available.
2. Try another smaller image or retake the photo, then review the transaction and photo before saving once.
3. If the photos changed while the editor was open, preserve your non-photo notes, cancel and reopen that transaction to inspect current photos before editing them.

When you see

• Unable to Open Mail
• No mail app opened.

What it means

The device may not have a usable mail app set up. Contacting support does not require sending financial data.

What to do

1. If Get Help or Provide Feedback cannot open mail, email support@mckittrick.co from a mail app or another device.
2. Share the app version, device model, exact error text, and non-financial steps to reproduce; keep account numbers, bank credentials, exports, receipts, and unredacted screenshots private.