I have an account with a negative balance. No transactions in the account. No opening balance row. I want the balance to be zero. Inactivation did not clear. How to Fix?

This is an equity account. I moved other accounts under it at one point but somehow the balance is not invalid. QB says inactivating will zero it out...well that doesn't happen. Perhaps its a errant journal issue but I cannot find any transactions making the balance so the account simply has an invalid balance.

I should be able to fix this on my own, but can't.

I can help you fix this, BeyondTheBox.

We can pull up the Transaction Detail by Account to check of there's a transaction attached to that account. If it's a regular equity account, we can deactivate it by selecting YES from the prompt. However, we can't delete it if it's an opening balance equity account since it's used to create initial balance or balance adjustments. 

Here's how: 

1. Select Reports from the sidebar menu.
2. Search Transaction Detail by Account.
3. Select All Dates from the Report period drop-down menu.
4. Hit Run report.
5. Check if there's a transaction attached to the equity account.

Please visit this article to learn more about the accounts that can be deleted, edited, or merged in QuickBooks Online: Manage default and special accounts in your chart of accounts.

Let me know how it goes in the comment section. Don't hesitate to tag my name if you have any other concerns or questions about accounts. I'll keep an eye out on your response.

The transaction report shows no transaction for that account across ALL time. Inactivating the account does not clear the balance as Quickbooks Online says it will.

I conclude that this account is corrupt. I don't want a corrupt account, active or inactive, associated with my books. The link you provided is for QB, not QB online and while the information is likely similar...there is no account deletion in the online version (and there should be).

I would like Quickbooks to fix that bad account by setting its balance back to zero (something I should be able to do but can't). The fact that it even exists is very troubling.

As I previously indicated: "There are no transactions" in the account.

I dont understand why you didn't just open a ticket.

I see it has been corrected but it is still a concern because that was a significant issue in an account I was using then had to abandon because of that issue. How many other potentially have bad data in accounts.

Perhaps its time for QB to run some validations across the platforms to ensure this is not a wider issues, and correct it where found.

The unexpected behavior can be caused by too much cache, BeyondTheBox. If ever you'll encounter the same issue, we can try a few steps.

To start with, you can open QuickBooks Online using an incognito window. This is the best place to identify web issues. If you encounter no issues, go back to the main browser, then clear the cache. Too much of it affects the program's behavior. Thus, it's advisable to delete them to refresh the system.

Additionally, you can use a different browser like Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox.

Don't hesitate to keep in touch if you need more of our help. 

Hi @BeyondTheBox,

It's our top priority to help you with any concerns you have, including your interactions with our support. But what you've recently experienced is less than acceptable, and rest assured that I'm taking note of it and submit it to our higher management.

As always, feel free to visit our QuickBooks Community help website for QB Online if you need tips and related articles in the future.

Please know you can continue to reach me here with any additional questions. Thanks for coming to the Community, wishing you continued success.

I see where someone said your account was fixed, but I don't see where they said the how. Did it just correct itself? I have a the same issue with an asset account. It has a -200 balance with no transactions, and I don't seem to be able to clear it with multiple browsers, multiple computers, multiple users logging in. 

Hi @MoodyAcct,

I would contact Customer Care Support to get this sorted out for you. It's also a way for us to check your account and investigate further.

Please follow these steps to reach us.

1. Go to ? Help, then Contact us.
2. Enter a brief description of your question in the What can I help you with? field. Then, Let's talk.
3. Click Get a callback.

I've got this link about banking and bank feeds that you can use for future reference.

If you have any other QuickBooks concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out anytime. Take care.

Just too close this out.

It was an internal Quickbooks Online issue and nothing I did. I was resolved by the QB backend team after numerous contacts with various levels of support. More effort than should have been needed.

I am having the exact same issue, I had a sub account at one point with a balance but have now moved the sub account. The parent account still shows a negative balance but there are no transactions in the register. Can a quickbooks expert help me?

Hello there, EZGOJO. I can offer some general guidance regarding this issue between your parent account and sub-account under your bank register in QuickBooks Online.

You can scrutinize for any filters or settings that might be hiding transactions in the register and verify that you closed or reconciled the sub-account before moving it. Verify that the sub-account has a zero balance.

Furthermore, you can verify if there are outstanding invoices that have not been paid to your company yet, as income from invoices only posts to a bank account when payments are recorded manually.

If you find deleted transactions in the audit history, consider recreating them using the audit Log feature in QuickBooks Online.

It's advisable to consult your accountant for guidance on handling these transactions effectively and to ensure your books are accurate.

By following these steps and seeking professional advice, you can address the discrepancy in your QuickBooks balance effectively. Let me know if you have other concerns. Have great day ahead. 

The sub account apparently did not have a zero balance before I moved it, however changing the sub account balance now does not affect balance on this account that should be zero. It's appears that this account is still reflecting the sub account balance even though the sub account is no longer under this account. 

I verified that there are no transactions in this account. There has never been. However I had a sub account under this account that had a balance. At some point I decided I want the sub account to be under a different account and simply changed the sub account to be under a different account. 

The original parent account still shows the balance that was in the sub account when I moved it and there is no way to remove it. The balance is showing in the register but not showing up on the balance sheet. I am almost convinced it is a Quickbooks internal error and have no way of fixing it myself. 

Thank you for joining the thread, EZGOJO. Wishing you're doing well.

Let me help you fix it.

One reason for the issue could be the poor configuration of QuickBooks Online due to overloaded site data. I suggest using a private window that does not temporarily store files.

To open an incognito window, you can refer to these keyboard shortcuts:

• Google Chrome: Press Crtl+Shift+P
• Microsoft Edge & Mozilla Firefox: Crtl+Shift+N
• Safari: Press Command+Shift+N

If you're still experiencing the same issue, try using a different supported browser. It will help us determine if the problem is specific to your current browser.

If you can clear out the parent account completely, I recommend returning to your usual browser and clearing its cache and cookies.

However, if the issue persists, I suggest contacting our support team for further assistance.

Moreover, let me share some articles that can help you manage your chart of accounts:

• Learn about the chart of accounts in QuickBooks Online
• Learn about account types and detail types in QuickBooks Online
• Set up bank rules to categorize online banking transactions in QuickBooks Online

If you have any concerns regarding your chart of accounts, please feel free to respond to this thread or start a new one. Have a wonderful day, and take care.