How do I merge accounts in current version of QuickBooks online?

bobleilich · ‎February 10, 2024

I have several accounts that I want to merge into a single account, such as "advertising" and "promotions." I cannot find how to do this with the current version of QuickBooks Online.

Rasa-LilaM · ‎February 10, 2024

I'm glad to see you in the Community today, bobleilich.

Maintaining a well-organized list helps to speed up your bookkeeping process and simplifies the task. Allow me to guide you through the process of merging your accounts.

The task mentioned above can be carried out in all QuickBooks Online (QBO) versions. However, you need to switch to the Accountant view to complete the action.

Merging accounts is a permanent process, and the option to reverse it is unavailable. Additionally, accounts linked to online banking can't be merged or deleted.

When the accounts you're working on have reconciliation reports, it's essential to first save them. Please note that the reconciliation history of the merged account may not be maintained, but the transactions will remain reconciled on the merged account.

When you're ready, let's proceed to the Chart of Accounts page to carry out the task. Here's how:

In your company, head to the Gear icon ⚙ and choose Chart of accounts.
Look for the account you wish to keep and click the dropdown ▼ in the Action column to select Edit.
Take note of the Save account under (Account Type), Tax form section (Detail Type), and Account name (Name) of the account.
Make sure the information is the same between the accounts you want to merge.
Check if the account is a subaccount or a parent account. Their names of subaccounts are indented in the Name column of the Chart of accounts list and note the parent account it's linked to.

Now that we have all the details, let's handle the duplicate account. Simply follow these steps:

In your company, head to the Gear icon ⚙ and choose Chart of accounts.
Look for the duplicate account (one you won't keep).
Press the dropdown ▼ in the Action column and choose Edit.
Edit the Account name (Name), and Tax form section (Detail Type) so the duplicate's information exactly matches the one you wish to save.
Click Save and Yes, merge accounts to confirm the action.

For additional information, you can browse through this reference: Merge duplicate accounts, customers, and vendors in QuickBooks Online. From there, you'll learn how to handle the parent and subaccounts.

Explore these resources to learn which accounts you can delete, modify, or merge. From there, you'll gain insights into the importance of using the appropriate account types and detail types. Browse each link to view the full details:

If you run into any roadblocks while merging the accounts or need further assistance navigating through QBO, let me know in the comment section below. I'm always ready to assist you further. Enjoy your weekend, bobleilich.

View solution in original post

Rasa-LilaM · ‎February 10, 2024

I'm glad to see you in the Community today, bobleilich.

Maintaining a well-organized list helps to speed up your bookkeeping process and simplifies the task. Allow me to guide you through the process of merging your accounts.

The task mentioned above can be carried out in all QuickBooks Online (QBO) versions. However, you need to switch to the Accountant view to complete the action.

Merging accounts is a permanent process, and the option to reverse it is unavailable. Additionally, accounts linked to online banking can't be merged or deleted.

When the accounts you're working on have reconciliation reports, it's essential to first save them. Please note that the reconciliation history of the merged account may not be maintained, but the transactions will remain reconciled on the merged account.

When you're ready, let's proceed to the Chart of Accounts page to carry out the task. Here's how:

In your company, head to the Gear icon ⚙ and choose Chart of accounts.
Look for the account you wish to keep and click the dropdown ▼ in the Action column to select Edit.
Take note of the Save account under (Account Type), Tax form section (Detail Type), and Account name (Name) of the account.
Make sure the information is the same between the accounts you want to merge.
Check if the account is a subaccount or a parent account. Their names of subaccounts are indented in the Name column of the Chart of accounts list and note the parent account it's linked to.

Now that we have all the details, let's handle the duplicate account. Simply follow these steps:

In your company, head to the Gear icon ⚙ and choose Chart of accounts.
Look for the duplicate account (one you won't keep).
Press the dropdown ▼ in the Action column and choose Edit.
Edit the Account name (Name), and Tax form section (Detail Type) so the duplicate's information exactly matches the one you wish to save.
Click Save and Yes, merge accounts to confirm the action.

For additional information, you can browse through this reference: Merge duplicate accounts, customers, and vendors in QuickBooks Online. From there, you'll learn how to handle the parent and subaccounts.

Explore these resources to learn which accounts you can delete, modify, or merge. From there, you'll gain insights into the importance of using the appropriate account types and detail types. Browse each link to view the full details:

If you run into any roadblocks while merging the accounts or need further assistance navigating through QBO, let me know in the comment section below. I'm always ready to assist you further. Enjoy your weekend, bobleilich.

bobleilich · ‎February 12, 2024

Your help was perfect and worked like a charm. I have another problem that I cannot resolve. I merged two Cost-of-Goods sub-accounts into the master Cost-of-Goods account. I then went to change that Cost of Goods account to and Expenditure instead of Cost-of-Goods, but QuickBooks would not me do this because it said that it had Cost-of-Goods sub-accounts (which not longer exist). Is there a way to fix this?

JoesemM · ‎February 12, 2024

Thanks for the prompt response, bobleilich. I'm glad that you're able to merge your accounts in QuickBooks. Let me share steps on how you can successfully change the accounts to Expenditure.

Please ensure that the sub-account is already unlinked from the parent account so that you can change it to an Expenditure. However, if it's already unlinked, let's perform some troubleshooting steps to resolve the issue.

The outdated stored cache can affect the performance of the program. I recommend accessing your account using a private window. This way, we can determine whether this is a browser cache-related issue.

Incognito mode helps us verify the issue since this doesn't save any files. Here are the keyboard shortcuts:

Safari: Command + Shift + N
Google Chrome: CTRL + Shift + N
Mozilla Firefox or Microsoft Edge: CTRL + Shift + N

If it works, clear the browser's cache. Doing so deletes all the data from your browser and optimizes its performance. You may also use other supported browsers as an alternative.

Also, I'll be sharing this article that will guide you in adding transactions manually in your bank register and how to reconcile your accounts in QBO:

Know that you're always welcome to post here in the QuickBooks Community if you have any other concerns with changing accounts in COA. I'm always here to help.

Betty78 · ‎April 02, 2024

The above solution does NOT work. You will receive an error that says Another account is already using this name. Please use a different name.

AnneMariee · ‎April 02, 2024

Hello there, Betty78.

We've received similar reports regarding the error message when merging accounts in QuickBooks Online. To address this issue effectively, I recommend contacting our support team. This way, they'll add you to the list of affected users, and you'll receive an email notification when an update becomes available.

Here's a step-by-step guide on how to reach us:

Go to the Help menu and select the Search tab.
Next, click Contact Us.
Then, enter a brief description of your concern and select Continue.
Lastly, choose either Start a Chat or Get a Callback to start connecting with them.

Our support team is available to assist you from Mondays to Fridays, between 6:00 AM and 6:00 PM Pacific Time, and on Saturdays from 6:00 AM to 3:00 PM.

In the meantime, you may find this article helpful for more information on merging accounts in QuickBooks: Merge duplicate accounts.

For future reference, here's a guide on ensuring your QuickBooks accounts match your real-life ones: Reconcile workflow.

Please know you can continue to reach me here if you need further assistance managing your accounts in QuickBooks. Stay safe.

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How do I merge accounts in current version of QuickBooks online?