How can I open a register for income or expense accounts? Option is only available for bank, assets and liability accounts.

Hello there, @jonsisk.

The register is only available for accounts that have balances. Let me share some information how you can view your income and expense account details.

Most balance sheet accounts except the equity account listed in the chart of accounts have a register. You can access it by double-clicking the account. For more detailed information, you can read through this article: Understand the chart of accounts in QuickBooks.

On the other hand, income and expense accounts don't have any balance. You can run a specific report to view your account details. Here's how:

1. Go to the Reports menu.
2. Choose Accountant & Taxes.
3. Select Transaction Detail by Account report.
4. Click the Customize Report.
5. Choose the Filter tab.
6. From the Filter box, locate Accounts.
7. Pick All income/expense accounts from the drop-down menu.
8. Click Ok.

Meanwhile, you need to be the company Admin so you'll be able to view your account's register.  If you're just an authorized user, you'll want to contact the Master Admin so they can add you as a new user with the ability to view the account's register. You can refer to this article for more detailed steps: Understanding user types and permissions.

Swing by here if you have other questions. I'm always here to help.

Thanks for your reply and the detailed information, but this doesn't appear to be an issue with the company file. Rather Quickbooks doesn't allow the register view for income and expense accounts like it did in previous versions. I'm just wondering if there is a way to enable those?

Thanks for your reply and the detailed instructions, but this doesn't appear to be a problem with the company file. Rather Quickbooks no longer allows the "register view" for income and expense accounts like it did in previous versions. Is there a way to enable these?

Hello @jonsisk.

Thank you for posting here in Intuit Community. Let me share some information about the "Use Register" option in QuickBooks Desktop.

This preference is only available for Balance Sheet Accounts. Bank, Asset, and Liability have registers to track their balances. The ending balance for these accounts is carried over at the end of the year and becomes the beginning balance for the next fiscal cycle.

On the other hand, income and expense accounts don't have registers because their balance is zeroed out once books are closed. The difference after deducting expenditures to income will be moved to the Retained Earnings the following year.

You can check this link for more details: Understand the chart of accounts in QuickBooks.

Let me know if you have any questions about this. I'm always here to help whenever you need one.