Hey folks,

Having just had this exact same issue and facing the exact same problem, I was just online with a rep and they seem to have solved the issue for me. So I wanted to take you through the steps that I did and that solved the issue for me. It is interesting looking at the online guide as it's ALMOST correct but there was 1 important step that, to me, seemed to be different to the guide and what I believe, ultimately, solved it for me.

Here is the guide ...

"Your next steps depend on your subscription level, and whether you've been using QuickBooks for longer than 60 days.

We noticed you have QuickBooks Online Simple Start, so here's how to start over fresh with QuickBooks Online.

Step 1: Cancel your current company

Follow these steps to cancel your account. If you use payroll, you should cancel your payroll subscription too.

Note: Once you cancel QuickBooks, we delete your data after one year. This gives you some buffer time if you decide to come back to your previous account.

Step 2: Start a new company

1. Sign up for QuickBooks Online.
2. Enter your user ID and password. You can use the same user ID and password as before.
3. Optional: If you use payroll, make sure to add Payroll in Step 2 of the sign-up process.

1. Sign up for QuickBooks Online.
2. Enter your user ID and password. You can use the same user ID and password as before."

Follow step 1. as indicated above in the guide.

As for step 2. sign up online as suggested in the guide. HOWEVER, don't just sign up for a new online account (you'll get the 'username/email is already in use' error), ALSO do not just 'sign in' to your current account, it'll just take you to your account you're trying to purge/delete. You must sort of do BOTH. Start by looking at and selecting a plan as though you are starting new ( I was and still am using the Simple Start plan). Choose whether or not your using payroll. NOW, here is the magic ... at the option where it's asking you to now create your new QBO account, do NOT do this. Look down a little bit, just below the "One more step" option and you should see something like ... 'Adding a company to an existing account? Sign in'

Select that ... sign in via that option. It will still take you to billing and ask for information there but once completed it will now log you into a fresh 'install' of QBO via the same email and password as before. This is the part of everyone talking about 'starting a new company' under a current QBO account. This should work for people. Let me know how you go.

Cheers,

Derek.

Just resubscribed to an acct just over 1 year old. I understand that the info should have automatically purged, but it's still there. I understand I can't purge at this point (0ver 60 days), but need to cancel and restart. But didn't I just do that?! 

Or do I need to cancel and abandon that email/acct and start over with a new one?
Frustratingly too clunky to just delete your info.

Thanks for joining the thread, @LM DeLa. Allow me to help share insights about purging data and canceling your account to start fresh in QuickBooks.

Yes, you're right. We're unable to purge data if it's more than 60 days. Since your account is over one year old, you'll have to option to manually delete the transactions or cancel the subscription. 

Please note that you don't have to abandon or change email. You can have more than one QuickBooks Online company (account) with the same email address. To cancel the subscription, follow the steps below:

1. Go to the Gear icon and then select Account and Settings. 
2. In the left menu, choose Billing & Subscription. 
3. Click Cancel subscription, then Continue. 
4. Complete the short survey. 
   
    

Once canceled, your data will be available in read-only access for a year. Additionally, I've added an article that'll help you save a handy copy of your data: Export or Print My File. For more details about the cancelation, please see this article: Cancel your QuickBooks Online Subscription or Trial.

Then, you can now start a new account:

1. Go to https://quickbooks.intuit.com/choose-country/.
2. Fill up the User ID and password.
3. You can use the same user ID and a password you previously had. If you activated payroll in the account, this is the best option for you.
   

If you have multiple QuickBooks companies, you can use the same login info to save time. This way, you can switch between companies easily.

I've got you this helpful article with different QuickBooks videos that may help you handle and manage your data: Learn about QuickBooks Online with how-to videos. 

I’ll be around to help in case you need further assistance in getting started with your new account or anything else. Leave a reply with more details about it, and I'll get back to you. Have a good one.

I have Simple Start. Is there no way to delete everything and start over? I realized there's a LOT wrong and I just want to start over. I've tried cancelling the account and starting over but it wants to charge me again. That's not right, I've already paid!!! How can I delete everything in simple start?

Dealing with errors and mistakes can be challenging, but a fresh start is possible, pamelastrange.

I'll share some insights to help clean up your existing company and guide you through the process of going back to square one.

As the purge option is exclusive to the Essentials, Plus, and Advanced versions, the steps to start over differ in QuickBooks Online Simple Start. We'll have to cancel your current plan and create a new one. Otherwise, we can manually delete every transaction you've entered. 

I understand your concern about being billed again, and I want to clarify that while there will indeed be a fee associated with setting up another company, this is not an additional charge. It covers the cost of initiating a new subscription. If you wish to proceed, here's how:

1. Sign in to QBO as admin.
2. Click the Gear icon, then choose Account and settings.
3. Head to the Billing & subscription tab.
4. Find the product you wish to cancel, then select Cancel subscription.
5. Fill out the survey and follow the onscreen instructions.
6. Visit our website to add a new plan.

After that, you'll have read-only access to your closed company for one year before they'll be permanently erased. To make use of your existing lists again, you have the option to download and transfer them.

For more resources in setting up your account, check out the articles below:
 

• Get started with QBO
• Manage payroll
• Use automated sales tax

Whether it's about data import, corrections, reentry, or any other accounting-related queries, feel free to reach out to me again. I'm here to help you transition smoothly.