Skip to main content

Get 50% OFF QuickBooks for 3 months*

Buy now
Switch to QuickBooks and 70% off for 3 Months
Talk to Sales: 877-683-3280
Hours
Mon - Fri, 5am - 6pm PST
Sat - Sun, 7am - 4pm PST
Product support & help
Need help signing in?
N
njsherry
October 28, 2018
Solved

Delete a GL account

  • October 28, 2018
  • 4 replies
  • 22 views

I'm new to QBO.
How do I delete an account on the Chart of Accounts?
Client using Simple Start.

Thanks,

    Best answer by lynda11_2

    Hello @njsherry:

     

    This is a great question and the answer is only obvious when someone shows you where to look.  I call this one of the hidden things in QBO.

     

    Basically, you go to:

    1. accounting>chart of accounts>find the account you want to remove
    2. then go to run report.  There is a drop down list where you will find "edit" or "delete". 
    3. There are accounts that you cannot delete, which I mention in the video.

    It is that simple when you know where to look.  So thank you for asking this question, as I am sure there are other people who don't know how to do this either.

     

    Remember, in QuickBooks Online or any web based product, there is never anything deleted.  So if you accidentally delete something, you can always bring it back.  There is a small gray gear at the right side of the Chart of accounts list.  Click that and show inactive. Find your accidentally deleted account and reinstate it by making it active again (same drop down).

     

    I hope that helps.  There are help articles right here to help you learn QBO.  My favorite is this one.

     

    As always, if you have more questions, we are here to help you!

     

    Have a wonderful weekend.

     

    @lynda

    @ParkwayInc

     

     

    4 replies

    lynda11_2
    lynda11_2Answer
    Level 5
    October 28, 2018

    Hello @njsherry:

     

    This is a great question and the answer is only obvious when someone shows you where to look.  I call this one of the hidden things in QBO.

     

    Basically, you go to:

    1. accounting>chart of accounts>find the account you want to remove
    2. then go to run report.  There is a drop down list where you will find "edit" or "delete". 
    3. There are accounts that you cannot delete, which I mention in the video.

    It is that simple when you know where to look.  So thank you for asking this question, as I am sure there are other people who don't know how to do this either.

     

    Remember, in QuickBooks Online or any web based product, there is never anything deleted.  So if you accidentally delete something, you can always bring it back.  There is a small gray gear at the right side of the Chart of accounts list.  Click that and show inactive. Find your accidentally deleted account and reinstate it by making it active again (same drop down).

     

    I hope that helps.  There are help articles right here to help you learn QBO.  My favorite is this one.

     

    As always, if you have more questions, we are here to help you!

     

    Have a wonderful weekend.

     

    @lynda

    @ParkwayInc

     

     

      N
      njsherryAuthor
      October 28, 2018

      Lynda - you are my HERO!!

      Thanks so much.

        N
        NikiPatt
        May 8, 2019

        I'm using Quickbooks Online and there is no option to delete an account -- only inactivate.  Even when the account has not been used.   I finally tried the merge trick in which you create a new account like "Dummy" then rename the account you want to delete with the same name and merge them and THEN try to delete the account --  but that still didn't work.  QB wants to remember these accounts for some reason and so STILL created a 'ghost' of the merged account.  This is incredibly frustrating.   I' m an experienced user and I want to clear up my GL --   NOT inactivate but delete accounts that should be able to be deleted.  How do I do that? 

          JaneD
          JaneD
          Level 6
          May 8, 2019

          Allow me to jump into this conversation, NikiPatt.

           

          I'm here to provide further details about inactivating an account in QuickBooks Online (QBO).

           

          Since we want to make sure your transactions are intact and reports unchanged, deleting an account hasn't been made available in QBO. You only have the option to make accounts inactive so they remain as part of your company data. You also have the option to restore inactive accounts at anytime.

           

          If this isn't something beneficial for you, please know that we are constantly improving our product's features to meet your needs. I encourage checking our website for any updates and feature enhancements through this link: https://quickbooks.intuit.com/blog/.

           

          We hear you, NikiPatt. I'll be sure to update this thread if I hear any changes about the option you're looking for. 

           

          Should you have further questions, just leave a comment below. I'll get them answered for you. Have a nice day.

          N
          NikiPatt
          May 8, 2019
           

          If I'd known that I wouldn't have added  experimental accounts to try something with a new client who had some specific requests for tracking.  Note that there are advisors who will tell you how to delete  - so if it doesn't work please broadcast that. (That's where I got the merge trick.) .  You need to make it clear from the get go that you can't.  I also understand that there are now a lot of laymen users with no experience in accting or bookkeeping who are using QB Online and so might just 'delete' an acct because they made a mistake -- thus throwing everything into chaos.  Not allowing delete prevents that.  So here's what I recommend:  Allow admins and master admins to access a box which allows deletions of accounts for them.  That means those who post only could not delete an account but an admin could.  The standard QB desktop prompts of "You cannot delete an account with transactions"  and "Are you sure you want to delete this account?"   are plenty for any experienced user.  I have renamed the experimental accts as "Dummy" and inactivated them but it is still unacceptable  that I cannot clean up the General Ledger to my satisfaction.

            A
            Anonymous
            May 13, 2019

            It's nice to have you back, @njsherry,

             

            I appreciate you sharing your thoughts and feedback with us. I want to make sure you get the best experience with our products.

             

            I understand how helpful it is to be able to entirely delete accounts in the QuickBooks Online to expedite the process of removing unuseful accounts. Our developers are constantly working to meet our customer's needs and demands. To complete your work, you can delete the transactions one at a time then make an account inactive.

             

            While we don't have any information on when this will be available, I'm taking note of this preference. Rest assured, I'll pass this along to our developers for review.

             

            You can also visit our QuickBooks Online Blog to be updated about our latest news, features, and updates about QuickBooks Online and what our Product Care Team is working on.

             

            That should do it, @njsherry. The Community always has your back, so please feel free to post an update by leaving a comment below. Wishing you a great and productive week ahead!

            P
            pgsla
            September 9, 2019

            What if there is no "delete" option in the drop down?

            MichaelDL
            MichaelDL
            Level 4
            September 9, 2019

            Hello there, @pgsla.

             

            I'm here to provide some information regarding the process of removing a ledger account from your Chart of Accounts. The option you'll see on the drop-down actually reads Make Inactive. I'm including some detailed steps as well as a visual example of this process below:

             

            Deleting an Account in QBO

            1. From QuickBooks Online, click the Gear icon (⚙) and select Chart of Accounts.
            2. Next to the Account you'd like to remove, click the drop-down ▼ and select Make Inactive.
            3. You'll be prompted about the circumstances of deleting certain accounts. If you understand and wish to continue, select Yes.

            Check out our awesome guide on deleting accounts here for more information. I've also included a brief video demonstration I made on this below:

             

            That's all there is to it! With the help of these instructions, you can remove any unused or unneeded accounts from your QuickBooks Online company. It is worth noting that, if there is a non-zero balance in the account whenever it's deleted, the balance will be written off to the Opening Balance Equity account. This is the only way such an account can be removed due to the double-entry style of accounting that QuickBooks uses.

             

            Please feel free to keep in touch with me here anytime you need a helping hand with QuickBooks, that's what I'm here for. Thanks for coming to the Community, wishing you a safe and productive week ahead.

            P
            pgsla
            September 9, 2019

            I've already done that.  This doesn't delete it though, it just makes it in active.  

            Need QuickBooks guidance?
            Log in to access expert advice and community support instantly.
            Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement