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Intuit

Error: This transaction will cause a deleted account named (name of account) (deleted) to have non-zero balance

Error: This transaction will cause a deleted account named (name of account) (deleted) to have non-zero balance

This error message means that the transaction you are trying to delete is linked to an inactive account.

In QuickBooks Online, you must delete an account to make it inactive, so deleted accounts are actually only inactive, and can be restored.

Note: A deleted account is removed from the Chart of Accounts and you can no longer choose that account, but deleting it does not change reporting or remove the account's transactions. Those transactions are still part of your company data, and you can find them in reports.

How to fix the issue

To resolve this issue:

  1. Make the account active.
  2. Delete the transaction.
  3. If necessary, delete the account you restored.

Activate the deleted account

To make the deleted account active:

  1. Go to Settings ⚙.
  2. Select Chart of Accounts.
  3. Select Settings and select the Include inactive checkbox.
  4. Locate the account to restore in the list and select Make Active in the Action column.

Delete the target transaction

To delete the transaction:

  1. Go to Settings ⚙.
  2. Select Chart of Accounts.
  3. Locate the appropriate account for the transaction.
  4. From the Action column, select Account history.
  5. Locate and select the transaction to open it.
  6. Select Delete.

Delete the restored account

To make the restored account inactive again:

  1. Go to Settings ⚙.
  2. Select Chart of Accounts.
  3. Locate the appropriate account for the transaction.
  4. In the Action column, select Delete from the drop-down menu.
  5. Select Yes to confirm you want to delete the account.