Merge duplicate accounts

Merging duplicate accounts helps you keep your records organized and prevents potential data entry mistakes. This permanent process moves all past transactions from a duplicate account into the account you want to keep, making the duplicate inactive.

Important: Merging is permanent and can’t be undone. Only merge accounts created by mistake.

If you need help managing your chart of accounts, you can partner with a dedicated bookkeeping expert to feel more confident. Find out more about QuickBooks Live.

For a better experience, open this article in QuickBooks Online. Open side-by-side view

Prerequisites

• Online Banking: Accounts connected to online banking or those created by QuickBooks (like the direct deposit funding account) should not be merged; contact support if you need to merge these.
• Reconciliation Reports: The account being merged will lose its reconciliation history, so you must save those reports first. Transactions will remain in the merged account and stay reconciled.
• Opening Balances: If both registers have an opening balance equity transaction, delete the most recent one before merging; the older transaction will become the new opening balance.
• Accountants: If you are an accountant, use the specific merging process for combining client lists instead.

Step 1: Identify the account you want to keep

Both accounts must have the exact same name, account type, and detail type to merge successfully.

1. Go to All apps , then Accounting, then Chart of accounts (Take me there).
2. Find the account you want to keep.
3. Select the dropdown ▼ in the Action column, then select Edit.
4. Note the Account Name, Account Type, and Detail Type.
5. Check if it is a subaccount or parent account; subaccount names are indented in the list.
6. If it is a subaccount, note which parent account it is tied to.

Step 2: Merge the duplicate account

Once you have the details of the primary account, update the duplicate to match.

1. Go back to the Chart of accounts (Take me there).
2. Find the duplicate account you want to remove and select Edit from the dropdown ▼ in the Action column.
3. Change the Account name and Detail Type to exactly match the account you want to keep.
4. If you are merging a subaccount and a parent account, change the Account Type to match the parent account.
5. If merging two subaccounts, ensure they have the same parent account.
6. If merging two parent accounts, ensure neither has existing subaccounts.
7. Select Save, then select Yes, merge accounts.

Related links

• Connect bank and credit card accounts to QuickBooks Online
• Change the account type of an existing parent account or subaccount
• How do I view, print, or export a reconciliation report?
• Merge duplicate vendors