How to Delete Sales Tax Accounts

dal1cas2 · ‎February 15, 2021

On our "Chart of Accounts" we have several Sales Tax Accounts listed, but only one that we actually use. I don't think the person who had my job before me really understood how to set them up and the result is that I now have accounts that I want to make inacctive. I have already gone through and made sure that there are no transactions linked to these accounts and the account we do use to track sales tax is not linked to them either. I know that there are not any more transactions linked because that error message no longer comes up. Now when I try to make the accounts inactive, I receive an error message that tells me "You can't change or delete this account because it is used to track Sales Tax amounts" - which it is not. I already have another account set up for the Sales Tax and finally after 1 1/2 years have gotten it to work properly. I think that these accounts may be throwing off the other related info for Sales Tax and need to inactivate them. Is there any way to do so?

MorganB · ‎February 16, 2021

Ahh, I see. Thanks for letting me know.

After a bit more digging I was able to find that other users have previously reported the same behavior. I recommend reaching out to a member of the QuickBooks Online Support Team to get this taken care of. Agents have specialized tools, like screen-sharing, to take a closer look to determine what's causing this issue. Here's how to get in touch with the team:

1. Click the Help button in the top right corner.

2. Select Contact Us.

3. Enter Support in the field and choose Let's talk.

4. From here you can select to message an agent or set up a callback at a time that's convenient for you.

You can find these steps here if you ever need them again in the future: QuickBooks Online Support

With this info you'll be able to get the accounts back in working order in no time. I'm only a comment or post away if you have any other questions.

View solution in original post

Rea_M · ‎February 15, 2021

Hello there, @dal1cas2.

I'm here to share details about deleting sales tax accounts on your Chart of Accounts in QuickBooks Online (QBO). This way, you can manage your accounts and sales taxes accordingly.

QuickBooks uses certain accounts as default ones for features. Sales tax accounts (i.e., Sales tax [agency name] Payable) are automatically created when you utilize and set up the sales tax feature in QBO. They are default ones that there isn't an option to delete them.

To find out which default or special account can be deleted, edited, or merged in QBO, I'd recommend checking out this article:

Manage default and special accounts in your chart of accounts. It also includes a helpful link about removing accounts you no longer use.

Let me know in the comments below if you have other sales tax concerns in QBO. I'm just around to help. Take care always.

dal1cas2 · ‎February 16, 2021

Okay - I get that the one account I'm trying to delete is one that was set up by the system and cannot be deleted. How can I change the ones that are linked to this account as "Sub-Accounts" that were generated but us and no longer used? I still receive the same message You can't change or delete this account because it's used to track sales tax amounts. even though there is nothing linked to them. And the message appears even when I try to change the account to a different Type and remove the Sub-Account.

MorganB · ‎February 16, 2021

Good morning, dal1cas2.

Thanks for following up with those additional details. I want to make sure you're able to make the desired changes to your sub-accounts in QuickBooks Online.

Since the same message is showing for the sub-account, it sounds like there's something causing the system to snag and think you're still trying to edit the default account. I recommend clearing the browser cache to get this cleared up. The cache collects frequently used data to make loading web pages quicker and easier. It can potentially cause viewing and performance errors if it gets too full. Here's how to clear it if you're using Chrome:

1. Click the three vertical dots in the top right corner.
2. Select More Tools, then Clear Browsing Data.
3. Change the time range to All Time.
4. Only check Cached images and files.
5. Click Clear data.

This linked article provides similar steps for other browsers: Clear cache and cookies to fix issues when using QuickBooks Online

You may also want to check out this link that offers info about deleting an account on your chart of accounts in QuickBooks Online.

Please let me know how things look after giving this a try. I'll be here to help if you need me.

dal1cas2 · ‎February 16, 2021

It is doing it on both the online version and the desktop app

MorganB · ‎February 16, 2021

Ahh, I see. Thanks for letting me know.

After a bit more digging I was able to find that other users have previously reported the same behavior. I recommend reaching out to a member of the QuickBooks Online Support Team to get this taken care of. Agents have specialized tools, like screen-sharing, to take a closer look to determine what's causing this issue. Here's how to get in touch with the team:

1. Click the Help button in the top right corner.

2. Select Contact Us.

3. Enter Support in the field and choose Let's talk.

4. From here you can select to message an agent or set up a callback at a time that's convenient for you.

You can find these steps here if you ever need them again in the future: QuickBooks Online Support

With this info you'll be able to get the accounts back in working order in no time. I'm only a comment or post away if you have any other questions.

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How to Delete Sales Tax Accounts