cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 
netdweeb
Level 3

QBDT 2020: Cannot delete a customer job.

An office user mistakenly added a job to an existing customer. We don't use jobs. When I try to delete the job, there is a warning

"You cannot delete an item that has subitems. Delete or move the subitems first."

See attached screenshot attached

The customer (and now the job) has a number of invoices and payments. Are these the subitems? If I delete these for the job, will they be deleted for the customer as well - which I don't want to do?

I would be happy merging the two but I have not been able to get that to work.

 

Thanks in advance.

13 Comments 13
Rubielyn_J
QuickBooks Team

QBDT 2020: Cannot delete a customer job.

I've got you some steps to help delete customer jobs in QuickBooks Desktop, @netdweeb.

 

We have to move the transactions first to another customer. This way, the sub-customer will be empty, and we'll have the option to delete the job. 

 

To move the transactions, here's what you need to do:

 

  1. In your QuickBooks file, go to the Customers menu.
  2. Choose Customer Center, select the customer you wish to modify.
  3. In the Transaction section, double-click the entry you want to edit.
  4. Change the name of the customer.

  5. Click Save and Close.
  6. Lastly, select Yes to confirm the changes.

 

Once done, let's proceed in deleting the customer jobs. 

 

In addition to that, let me share this link that includes a video on how you can manage your customer transactions in QuickBooks: Add, Edit & Handle Sales entries.

 

Feel at ease to comment down below if you have additional questions in handling customer transactions in QuickBooks. I'll be happy to help you again. Stay safe and have a pleasant day!

netdweeb
Level 3

QBDT 2020: Cannot delete a customer job.

I took the oldest invoice (for $10) and moved it to a test record. Then I took the payment that had been applied to that invoice and tried to move it as well but got an error that I couldn't do that as it was part of a deposit. This goes back to 2013 and I do not want have to deposits and reconciliations for 8 years ...

I then moved the invoice back but now the customer balance is what it should be while the job balance is off by $10, so Ive just made a bigger mess than what I already had. So this didn't work, and in fact it made things even worse.
I'm open to a better idea ... thanks!

netdweeb
Level 3

QBDT 2020: Cannot delete a customer job.

As an update, I moved the $10 invoice back under the job record (rather than the customer record) and now the job and invoice and job have the same balance. But the problem is while I can easily move invoices from one customer (or job) to another, I cannot move the payments without undoing and redoing deposits (and reconciliations) that go back to 2013. Please advise as to another approach. Thanks!

RCV
QuickBooks Team
QuickBooks Team

QBDT 2020: Cannot delete a customer job.

Thanks for coming back, netdweeb. 

 

I appreciate you for performing the troubleshooting steps provided by my colleague. If you created a backup company file prior to a job accidentally added to an existing customer, then we can restore it in QuickBooks. If not, we'll need to move the transactions first to another customer and delete the job. Just follow the steps and details provided by Rubielyn_J on this thread. But before doing this one, create a backup company file just in case if you ever run into problems, we can use your backup to restore your data.

 

Once done, we can do a special reconciliation, also sometimes called a "mini reconciliation," to fix these issues. This method uses an "off-cycle" reconciliation date to make a correction in QuickBooks. Before doing so, please consult your accountant about this one. Here's how:

  1. Go to the Banking menu and select Reconcile.
  2. Choose the bank account with the transactions you need to reconcile.
  3. In the Date of Statement field, enter the date for an "off-cycle reconciliation." This date can be any date between your last reconciliation and the next scheduled one.
  4. When entering an "off-cycle" date, QuickBooks will remind you that you're doing a mini reconciliation. This puts previously unreconciled transactions back without affecting the "cycle" that they follow.
  5. In the Ending Balance field, enter the balance of your last successful reconciliation. Then tap Continue.
  6. In the Reconcile window, check off the transactions you are fixing and re-reconciling.
  7. Make sure the Difference field shows $0.00.
  8. Press Reconcile Now.

 

Here's an article you can refer to for more details on mini reconciliation. Feel free to visit our Banking page for more insights about bank feeds and reconciling accounts.

 

Do you have other questions you want to add here? Just post them in the reply section and I'll be there to help you out. You have a good one. 

netdweeb
Level 3

QBDT 2020: Cannot delete a customer job.

Hello,

I'm still trying to understand this:

Are you saying I have to find deposits over 8 years to delete them, keep track of all of these until I get the mess straightened out, and then redo the deposits and then do this mini reconciliation? It sounds like a nightmare.

Is there really no other way to get past this? Is there some way to just merge the customer and the job?

Maybelle_S
QuickBooks Team

QBDT 2020: Cannot delete a customer job.

Hello there, @netdweeb.

 

Yes, you can merge jobs in QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT). I'll share with you the steps you need to take.

 

Here's how:

 

1. Go to the Customers menu.

2. Select Customer Center.

3. Search for the customer in question. 

4. Right-click on the job you want to keep, then choose Edit Customer:Job.

5. Copy the name of the job, then close the window.

6. Right-click on the job you want to merge, then choose Edit Customer:Job.

7. Paste the name of the job, then click OK.

8. When asked to merge, tap Yes.

 

If you have other questions about the merge process in QBDT, check out this article: Merge list entries in QuickBooks Desktop

 

Let me know if you have other questions in the comments below, and I'll take care of them for you.

netdweeb
Level 3

QBDT 2020: Cannot delete a customer job.

Actually I want to merge a job with its customer. I don't want to end up with any jobs. How do the steps differ? The name of the job is already the name of the customer.

 

Thanks.

TirzahC
QuickBooks Team

QBDT 2020: Cannot delete a customer job.

Hello, netdweeb.

 

Yes, you can merge job to customers in QuickBooks Desktop. Here's how:

 

  1. Right-click the name of the customer that you would like to merge, then select Edit Customer.
  2. Replace the customer name with the one you took note of or copied, then select OK.
  3. A prompt will appear, select Yes to proceed with the merge.

 

However, you'll have to make the job a parent customer first before it can be merged into a different customer. Just place your cursor on top of the small diamond symbol before the name of the job. Then, drag it to the left side.

 

Once done, follow the same steps on how to merge customers. You can also check out this article for more details: Merge Accounts, Customers, and Vendors.

 

In addition, you can also save this guide just in case you need to run sales or customer-related reports: Customize customer, job, and sales reports in QuickBooks Desktop.

 

I'm only a few clicks away if you need assistance with your other QuickBooks tasks, netdweeb. It's always my pleasure to help you out again.

netdweeb
Level 3

QBDT 2020: Cannot delete a customer job.

Hello,

Apologize for the delayed reply but I needed to be able to get a current backup which is hard to do during the week.

I am not able to merge the customer job with the customer.

 

I am attaching two screenshots. The first shows that the job is a parent customer as it is at the same level of the hierarchy.

I then changed the name on the job to be the same as the customer. But I was not prompted to merge the two records. The second screenshot shows both with the same names.

 

I am also including a screenshot of the job record.

 

Apparently I cannot attach more than one screenshot in this post so I am actually attaching a pdf that includes the three screenshots.

 

I would really like to be able to resolve this, and would appreciate any suggestions.

Thanks!

ChristieAnn
QuickBooks Team

QBDT 2020: Cannot delete a customer job.

Hi there, netdweeb.

 

I appreciate you for coming back to the thread to add further details about your concern. With this, I'll be sharing details on how merging customers/jobs works in QuickBooks Desktop. Then, troubleshooting steps to ensure you're able to achieve this goal.

 

To start with, QuickBooks will not allow merging customers if there are payments or deposits recorded in the system. With this, I suggest deleting the payment first before consolidating them. Then, if you're still unable to successfully merge the customer on your end, I suggest running the  Verify and Rebuild Data Utilities to get this sorted out. The Verify Data utility identifies any potential data damage issues that might've caused some memorized reports that don't work. While the Rebuild Data utility repairs damaged data in your company file. Before this, you'll have to secure a backup copy of your company file.

 

 

To Verify data:

 

  1. Go to the File menu.
  2. Scroll down to Utilities.
  3. Select Verify Data.
  4. Click OK.

 

To Rebuild Data:

 

  1. Go back to the File menu.
  2. Choose Utilities.
  3. Select Rebuild Data.
  4. Click on OK when you get the message Rebuild has completed.

 

For further details, you can refer to this article: Verify and Rebuild Data in QuickBooks Desktop.

 

If the issue continues to occur, you can make the job/customer inactive as a workaround. To do this, you'll have to choose the name and right-click so you're able to see the inactive option. 

 

Lastly, you may refer to this article to view different ways you can track customer transactions in QuickBooks Desktop: Get started with customer transaction workflows in QuickBooks Desktop.

 

Feel free to let me know if you have any questions about the merging customers. I'm always around to help. Keep safe!

netdweeb
Level 3

QBDT 2020: Cannot delete a customer job.

Hello ChristieAnn,

You've hit upon the problem. This customer has multiple invoices and payments going back to 2013. Somehow all the invoices and payments are also associated with this job. I can't move the payments without deleting multiple deposits (each payment is in a separate deposit as this was all done over time) and then having to re-reconcile. The whole process sounds like a nightmare, even with what's been described as a mini/off-cycle reconciliation earlier in this thread. There are quite a few deposits to have to undo and redo.

 

My employee created three erroneous job records for this customer. The other two were not associated with data (invoices or payments) so I was able to delete them. I don't seem to be able to get rid of this one. I can "hide" it by making it inactive, but that's only when looking at the active customer list. it will show up on the past due invoices list, in statements, and such. I just want it to go away!.

Jovychris_A
Moderator

QBDT 2020: Cannot delete a customer job.

I recognize the importance of having accurate customer records that reflect the accounting and reporting area, @netdweeb.

 

In this state, we'll have to perform in-depth troubleshooting steps. We have to gather sensitive information to access your account. Since we always value the safety of our customer's data, I recommend you get in touch with our Technical Support Team.

 

They can view the company file in a secure environment. One of our representatives can offer a screen-sharing session to determine the cause and provide extra steps to accomplish your goal.

 

Here's how to contact us:

 

  1. Click the Help menu at the top menu bar to choose QuickBooks Desktop Help.
  2. This action will open the Have a Question window.
  3. Press the Contact us link to see the Contact Us screen.
  4. Hit the Search for something else link and enter the issue or topic in the field box.
  5. Select Search to display the Start a Message menu.

 

I've added a future reference so you can easily bookmark and navigate our Sales and customer page. It contains a breakdown of articles that will help and guide you to perform customer-related processes.

 

Please know the Community is always here 24/7. If you have questions or concerns while recording or keeping your data accurate in QuickBooks, post a comment below. I'll dive right back in to answer them for you. Take care always.

netdweeb
Level 3

QBDT 2020: Cannot delete a customer job.

We have quickbooks premium not enterprise and I don't believe your technical support team can do this for us.

Need to get in touch?

Contact us