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csoffice
Level 3

I set up a loan account incorrectly - how to I fix it?

I recently tried to set up an account for a new loan my company just got but I accidentally set it up as a bank account rather than a loan. I entered an opening balance and a couple transactions but then realized it was set up as an income account rather than a liability. I tried to delete it so I could start over but QB won't let me do that.

 

How can I fix this?

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Best answer Wednesday

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FishingForAnswers
Level 5

I set up a loan account incorrectly - how to I fix it?

@csoffice   Judging by your picture, you did not set the opening balance correctly. This may be a result of using the function to create an opening balance when you originally set up the account as a bank account instead of a liability account, but until I see the details of the entry you made, that is just speculation on my part. Bottom line is that the entry that created your original balance for the loan is debiting the Liability account when it should be crediting it.

 

While you may create a Fixed Asset at the same time you create a loan, they are not one and the same. The Fixed Asset is what you spend the loan money on and represents an asset. The loan is the amount you owe somebody as a result of them giving you the money to buy whatever it is you wanted to buy and represents a liability.

 

As far as short-term or long-term, it's just a matter of whether you expect to pay it off in a year (short-term or current) or if you expect to take longer than a year to pay it off (long-term).

 

In this case, there are two ways you would generally account for your transaction depending on how you handled the loan money.

 

If the loan money was deposited into your bank account first and then you wrote a check for the vehicle, you would first create an entry setting the Loan against the Bank. The appropriate GJE would credit the Loan by the loan amount ($93,327 in this case) and debit the Bank by the loan amount, increasing the balance of the Loan and Bank.

 

You would then use the Write Checks window to write a check out of the Bank account in question choosing the Fixed Asset account at the bottom.

 

If you took the loan money and handed it to a car dealer directly for the vehicle such that the loan money never touched the bank, the GJE would be the same, only with the Fixed Asset being debited instead of the Bank.

 

If your previous loans were somehow actually set up as fixed assets and not loans, I would suggest getting in touch with your accountant; that sounds like things may need sorted out with the history of your books.

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3 Comments 3
FishingForAnswers
Level 5

I set up a loan account incorrectly - how to I fix it?

@csoffice   If you go to the List menu at the top of the QuickBooks window, you will see the Chart of Accounts as the first option.

 

If you right click on the name of the account you want to fix (the bank account in this case), you can choose the 'Edit Account' option.

 

At the top of the window that opens, you will see a button that you can click for a drop-down menu. It should be set to Bank, but you can change it to the appropriate Liability account, whether short- or long-term.

csoffice
Level 3

I set up a loan account incorrectly - how to I fix it?

Thanks for responding. I did try changing the account type from Bank to Long Term Liability but something is still off. I entered the first payment on the loan but when I looked at the register, the balance increased not decreased. I'm attaching a screen shot so you can see.

With our other loan accounts, each payment reduces the balance by the amount of the payment.

 

Also, I should have mentioned that the loan is for a vehicle so should that be listed as a Long Term Liability or a Fixed Asset? Unfortunately, looking through our chart of accounts, our  previous vehicle loans were sometimes set up as Fixed Assets and some as Long Term Liabilities - not much consistency.

FishingForAnswers
Level 5

I set up a loan account incorrectly - how to I fix it?

@csoffice   Judging by your picture, you did not set the opening balance correctly. This may be a result of using the function to create an opening balance when you originally set up the account as a bank account instead of a liability account, but until I see the details of the entry you made, that is just speculation on my part. Bottom line is that the entry that created your original balance for the loan is debiting the Liability account when it should be crediting it.

 

While you may create a Fixed Asset at the same time you create a loan, they are not one and the same. The Fixed Asset is what you spend the loan money on and represents an asset. The loan is the amount you owe somebody as a result of them giving you the money to buy whatever it is you wanted to buy and represents a liability.

 

As far as short-term or long-term, it's just a matter of whether you expect to pay it off in a year (short-term or current) or if you expect to take longer than a year to pay it off (long-term).

 

In this case, there are two ways you would generally account for your transaction depending on how you handled the loan money.

 

If the loan money was deposited into your bank account first and then you wrote a check for the vehicle, you would first create an entry setting the Loan against the Bank. The appropriate GJE would credit the Loan by the loan amount ($93,327 in this case) and debit the Bank by the loan amount, increasing the balance of the Loan and Bank.

 

You would then use the Write Checks window to write a check out of the Bank account in question choosing the Fixed Asset account at the bottom.

 

If you took the loan money and handed it to a car dealer directly for the vehicle such that the loan money never touched the bank, the GJE would be the same, only with the Fixed Asset being debited instead of the Bank.

 

If your previous loans were somehow actually set up as fixed assets and not loans, I would suggest getting in touch with your accountant; that sounds like things may need sorted out with the history of your books.

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