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barry21
Level 3

How to eliminate old customers and projects with open balances?

I transferred from a desktop version and need to eliminate old accouts
Solved
Best answer December 18, 2020

Best Answers
ZackE
Moderator

How to eliminate old customers and projects with open balances?

Thanks for bringing this to my attention, barry21. I appreciate the details you've provided.
 

Our "The account you are trying to use has been deleted." message displays when an account you're working with has been inactivated. This can be resolved by reactivating it.
 

Here's how:

  1. In your left navigation bar, go to Accounting, then Chart of Accounts.
  2. Above the ACTION column, click your Gear (⚙️) icon.
  3. Tick your Include inactive checkbox.
  4. Locate any inactive accounts (they will say "(deleted)" next to their names) associated with the expenses you're working with and select Make active for each of them.


Now, you can return to our Hide unbilled expenses screen by accessing your Dashboard, then changing the URL in your browser's address bar from “qbo.intuit,com/app/homepage” to “qbo.intuit.com/app/managebillableexpense”. From there, you'll be able to enter a preferred date in the available field. Any unbilled expenses created before that day will be marked as closed once you press Save.


 

I'll be here to help if there's any additional questions. Have a wonderful Friday!

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10 Comments 10
LieraMarie_A
QuickBooks Team

How to eliminate old customers and projects with open balances?

You've come to the right place, @barry21. I'm here to help you delete your old customers and projects without any further delay.

 

Beforehand, please know that removing your customers and projects in QuickBooks Online will only make them inactive. The transactions associated with them remain in your company data and reports.

 

Here's how to a customer:

  1. From the left menu, select Sales, then Customers.
  2. Select the customer's name.
  3. double-click on the customer you want to delete. 
  4. From there, press the Edit button.
  5. On the Customer information box, select Make inactive.
    Capture.JPG
  6. Once asked to confirm deactivation, select Yes.

 

To make them active again, refer to these links for detailed instructions:

 

I'm also adding this article for more info about managing list elements such as accounts, classes, products oar services, customer or vendor, etc: How to edit, delete, and restore list elements.

 

Then, inorder to delete a project, we have to make sure there are no open transactions associated with it. Once again, deleting a project won't delete your transactions. However, the project name linked to it would show as "deleted."

 

Here’s how to delete a project:

  1. Click Projects on the left dashboard menu.
  2. Locate the project.
  3. In the Action column on the far right, select the Options dropdown and choose Delete.
  4. Then, select Yes.
     

If there are already transactions involved, you would want to change the project to “Mark as completed” status.
Capture.JPG

 

If you wish to make them active again, these steps will ensure your success:

  1. Go to Projects.
  2. Click the small Gear icon in the top-right section of the project list.
  3. Put a check on Show deleted projects.
    Capture.JPG
  4. Click the down arrow beside the Options setting of a deleted project.
  5. Choose Undelete and mark as in progress.
    Capture.JPG

You can use our guide on how to set up and create projects in QuickBooks Online as a reference. Additionally, to learn more about Projects in QuickBooks Online, check this out: Projects FAQ.

Get back to me if you have other concerns. I'll be around to answer them all for you. Keep safe and have a good one!

barry21
Level 3

How to eliminate old customers and projects with open balances?

Thank you but I keep getting this prompt:

This customer cannot be deleted because there are unbilled charges for this customer.

 

I have read the other articles about this but I have had QB desktop since  1998 so I have hundreds of these types of accounts.

 

I tried the trick with entering a the unique home page code and limiting the data to 12/31/2018 but it didn't shut off any of the unbilled charges. AgainI have hundreds to get rid of.

 

Thanks.

 

Barry

ReyJohn_D
Moderator

How to eliminate old customers and projects with open balances?

You're welcome, Barry.

 

I have another idea on how to get rid of the error and your customer's unbilled charges.

 

The error "This customer cannot be deleted because there are unbilled charges for this customer" shows up when:

 

  • The Track expenses and items by customer and Make expenses and items billable preferences are disabled.
  •  A charge, credit, or a billable expense associated with the customer you’re trying to delete has no invoice.

I can share one more trick you can consider doing. First, let's enable the said preferences in the settings. Please follow along below to get this done right away.

 

Here's how:

 

  1. Click the Gear icon, and then choose Account and settings.
  2. Select Expenses, and then go to the Bills and expenses section.
  3. Make sure to turn on the Track expenses and items by customer and Make expenses and items billable options.
  4. Click Save, and then Done when you're ready.

Once done, it's now time to handle your unbilled charges. You can run the Unbilled charges report to locate and delete them quickly. 

 

Here's how to do it:

 

  1. Go to the Reports menu.
  2. Select the Unbilled charges report from the Who owes you section.
  3. Choose All Dates as the Report period.
  4. You can customize it further to get the specific details that you need.
  5. Select the Run report button.
  6. Open the unbilled charge entries one at a time.
  7. Click the Bill or Expense link.
  8. Uncheck the Billable column, and click Delete from the More button.
  9. Click Yes when prompted.
    d771.PNG

If you have open charges, you can also delete them. Additionally, you can try the unique homepage link again after turning on the said settings above. This way, you'll be able to hide all unbilled charges at once.
 

For the detailed steps, please head to this link: Delete customer with unbilled charges.

 

After resolving the unbilled charges issue, you can begin managing your customer lists in QuickBooks. This way, you can keep track of them and stay organized.

 

Lastly, you'll want to save the said report above. This way, you can access them anytime for later use. For more info, please see this handy resource: Memorize reports in QuickBooks Online.

 

I'll keep an eye on your reply if you have additional unbilled charges concerns. I'm here to help you.

barry21
Level 3

How to eliminate old customers and projects with open balances?

When I run the report it gives me hundreds if not thousands of unbilled expenses. If I were to print the report it would be 32 pages long. Yes I could go this route but would take forever. I tried the "Hide unbilled expense" webpage but I get this error message:

 
Something’s not quite right
The account you are trying to use has been deleted.
 
What's the next idea? Thanks for your help.
ZackE
Moderator

How to eliminate old customers and projects with open balances?

Thanks for bringing this to my attention, barry21. I appreciate the details you've provided.
 

Our "The account you are trying to use has been deleted." message displays when an account you're working with has been inactivated. This can be resolved by reactivating it.
 

Here's how:

  1. In your left navigation bar, go to Accounting, then Chart of Accounts.
  2. Above the ACTION column, click your Gear (⚙️) icon.
  3. Tick your Include inactive checkbox.
  4. Locate any inactive accounts (they will say "(deleted)" next to their names) associated with the expenses you're working with and select Make active for each of them.


Now, you can return to our Hide unbilled expenses screen by accessing your Dashboard, then changing the URL in your browser's address bar from “qbo.intuit,com/app/homepage” to “qbo.intuit.com/app/managebillableexpense”. From there, you'll be able to enter a preferred date in the available field. Any unbilled expenses created before that day will be marked as closed once you press Save.


 

I'll be here to help if there's any additional questions. Have a wonderful Friday!

barry21
Level 3

How to eliminate old customers and projects with open balances?

It got most of it and what was left I deleted by hand. Thanks for your help.

Eddievon
Level 1

How to eliminate old customers and projects with open balances?

Just upgraded from Desktop to Online, yesterday 5/25. Have thousands of inactive jobs/customers that are now active. Cannot make inactive because of unbilled charges. We do not bill by item, all projects are lump sum. Not a problem in QB 2019. The answers i have found online do not work, i do not have the option under sales to Track Expenses or Make Expenses. Need help. This is a mess.

RoseJillB
QuickBooks Team

How to eliminate old customers and projects with open balances?

Thank you for joining the thread, @Eddievon. Let me share some insights about migrating from QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT) to QuickBooks Online (QBO).

 

You may notice differences in the appearance of your books when you switch from QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online. That said, customers and jobs that are inactive from your QBDT do not move to QBO. The status only remains as long as there are no unbilled charges moved.

 

Check out this article to learn how your books will move from QBDT to QBO: Learn how features and data move from QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online

 

On the other hand, the Track expenses and items by customer and Make expenses and items billable options are only available in QuickBooks Online Plus and Advanced.

 

If you’re currently using a QuickBooks Simple Start or Essentials, I suggest you upgrade your subscription to Plus or Advanced. You can follow the steps below on how:

 

  1. Go to the Gear icon.
  2. Select Account and settings, then choose the Billing & Subscription tab.
  3. Make sure that payment is up-to-date.
  4. Upgrade your plan in the QuickBooks Online area.
  5. After reviewing the available plans, select Choose plan.
  6. To upgrade your plan, follow the on-screen instructions.

 

If you already have a QuickBooks Online Plus or Advanced subscription, we can perform some troubleshooting steps to sort out this matter. A stored cache can cause unexpected behavior while using the application. I added this article for your reference: Clear cache and cookies to fix issues when using QuickBooks Online

 

Let me know by adding a reply below if you need further assistance with your transactions in QuickBooks. I’ll be happy to lend a hand for help. Stay safe!

Holly J
Level 1

How to eliminate old customers and projects with open balances?

I believe I may be having a similar problem. We have had QB desktop 11 years. When the QB team transferred all my stuff a little over a month ago it made PAID invoices look as if they still had OPEN time activities. I don’t know why or how, were you able to find a resolution to needing to eliminate things? I have tried to un-check the boxes marked “BILLABLE” hoping to decrease my UNBILLED balance…that didn’t help! I am trying so hard to clean up what didn’t transfer clearly and I am losing my mind!!!

JonpriL
Moderator

How to eliminate old customers and projects with open balances?

I hear you, Holly J.

 

I want to ensure this matter is addressed timely so you can eliminate unbilled charges that have been linked to paid invoices.

 

Since the issue persists after following the suggestions discussed in this thread, I recommend contacting our Customer Care Support. You can work with one of our online specialists in letting our engineering team investigate why some of your invoices that have been marked as paid a long time ago are now showing up with unbilled time charges.

 

You can do so by following the steps below:

 

  1. Go to Help.
  2. Select Search.
  3. Click Contact Us.
  4. Enter a few words describing how your invoices show incorrect transaction details in the What can we help you with? field.
  5. Select Continue.
  6. Click Chat with us or Have us call you.

 

I want to include that reaching out to our Customer Care Support is best during business hours from 6 AM-6 PM PT Monday-Friday. Use this article to learn more: QuickBooks Online Support.

 

For now, I've also included this reference helpful with the steps needed to identify how stable is your business's financial status: Create and Manage Reports in QuickBooks Online.

 

You can always leave a comment below if you have follow-up questions with this or start a new thread if you have any other QuickBooks invoicing concerns. I'll be here to lend a hand. Stay safe!

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