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Merge duplicate accounts in your chart of accounts
Use this article to merge duplicate accounts in your QuickBooks chart of accounts. The merge moves all past transactions into the account you keep and makes the duplicate account 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.
Prerequisites
Online Banking: Don't merge accounts connected to online banking or accounts QuickBooks creates, such as the direct deposit funding account. If you want to merge one of these accounts, reach out to our support team.
Reconciliation Reports: Save the reconciliation reports for the account you plan to merge before you start. That account loses its reconciliation history after the merge, but its transactions remain and stay reconciled.
Opening Balances: If both registers have an opening balance equity transaction, delete the most recent one before you merge. The older transaction will become the new opening balance.
Accountants: If you're 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 before you can merge them successfully.
Go to All apps
, then Accounting, then Chart of accounts (Take me there).Find the account you want to keep.
Select the dropdown ▼ in the Action column, then select Edit.
Note the Account Name, Account Type, and Detail Type.
Check if it's a subaccount or parent account. Subaccount names are indented in the list.
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.
Go back to the Chart of accounts (Take me there).
Find the duplicate account you want to remove and select Edit from the dropdown ▼ in the Action column.
Change the Account name and Detail Type to exactly match the account you want to keep.
If you're merging a subaccount and a parent account, change the Account Type to match the parent account.
If merging two subaccounts, make sure they have the same parent account.
If merging two parent accounts, make sure neither has existing subaccounts.
Select Save, then select Yes, merge accounts.
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