How do I standardize payee names with renaming rules?

When you download transactions from your financial institution, the payee names may not appear the way you expect. For example, a coffee shop purchase might download as ATC LLC 005 PLEASANTON instead of the more recognizable Anytown Coffeehouse. Renaming rules let you substitute a cleaner, consistent name automatically when you download future transactions.

Renaming rules don’t change transactions already in your register. They only apply to future downloads.

Ways to create a renaming rule

From a register

1. Open the register that contains the transaction.

2. In the Payee field, enter the name you want to use instead of the downloaded name.

3. Save the transaction. If needed, Quicken will prompt you to review and confirm the renaming rule.

From the Renaming Rules dialog

1. Go to Tools > Renaming Rules.

2. Click Add a Rule.

3. In Change payee to, enter the payee name you want to use.

4. Choose one of the following match types:

   • Payee contains: Looks for your search text in the downloaded payee and memo fields.

   • Quicken name is: Matches exactly with a name from Quicken’s known merchant database.

5. Enter the search text to trigger the rename.

6. Click OK to save the rule.

From the Memorized Payee List

You can create renaming rules by merging similar payees in the Memorized Payee List:

1. Select Tools > Memorized Payee List.

2. Use CTRL+click or SHIFT+click to select multiple payees with similar names (for example, Anytown Coffee 005 and Anytown Coffee Pleasanton).

3. Click Merge/Rename.

4. Enter the payee name you want to use (such as Anytown Coffeehouse).

5. Check Apply to future downloaded transactions to create a renaming rule.

6. Click OK.

This helps you clean up multiple variations and ensures future transactions use the name you prefer.

Example

You regularly visit different locations of the same coffee shop, and the downloaded names are inconsistent. To standardize them:

• Use Payee contains, and enter “Anytown Coffee”

• Or, merge similar entries in the Memorized Payee List and rename them all to Anytown Coffeehouse

• Select Apply to future downloaded transactions so the renamed version is used going forward

How to view or revert a renamed payee

1. Open the register containing the renamed transaction.

2. Right-click the payee name.

3. Look for the Revert to [original name] option and select it to restore the original name.

Frequently asked questions

How do I turn off renaming rules?
Go to Tools > Renaming Rules, click Preferences, and deselect Use my existing renaming rules.

How do I stop Quicken from suggesting renamed payees?
In the same Preferences dialog, deselect Automatically apply Quicken’s suggested name to payee.

How do I see all my renaming rules?
Go to Tools > Renaming Rules.

How do I edit or delete a renaming rule?
Select a rule in the Renaming Rules dialog and click the pencil icon to edit or the red circle to delete.

How do I prevent Quicken from renaming specific payees?
In the Renaming Rules dialog, go to the Do-Not-Rename Rules tab. Click Add a Rule, enter the payee details you want to exclude, and click OK.

What types of accounts support renaming rules?
Renaming rules work only with online-enabled accounts and are not available for online bill payees.