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dhustonod
Level 1

Balance sheet question

I bought a piece of equipment in 2023 and took a 179 deduction on it.  I entered the asset under fixed assets and created a accumulated depreciation account for that asset and entered the depreciation.  The balance sheet was fine I and had no problem with TurboTax balancing with my QuickBooks.  Now this year my QBO balance sheet shows a negative number under retained earnings that is the exact amount of the depreciation took from the equipment purchase in 2023.  The asset portion of the QBO balance sheet shows the asset with the price I paid and the accumulated depreciation.  The balance sheet balances in QBO but I don't understand why the retained earnings has the negative amount and I can't get TurboTax balance sheet to balance.  Any help is greatly appreciated since I have waited until the last minute, again, to finish my business taxes.  

2 Comments 2
Jovelyn_M
QuickBooks Team

Balance sheet question

The negative retained earnings on your balance sheet indicate that losses from prior years have surpassed any profits earned, resulting in an overall deficit, Dhust. Allow me to elaborate further to clarify this for you.

 

If your beginning retained earnings are $0 and you distribute more than your current year's net income, it will result in negative retained earnings regardless of your bank account balance. Retained earnings capture the accumulated profits and losses over time, not your current cash position.

 

With that, I suggest consulting with an accountant to regularly review how you track depreciation and how you manage your financial records.

 

On top of that, when aligning your TurboTax balances with your balance sheet, consider reaching out to their support directly. They can provide detailed guidance to reconcile these balances with QuickBooks.

 

If you still need further assistance, don't hesitate to leave a post below.

Rainflurry
Level 15

Balance sheet question

@dhustonod 

 

This may be too late but, are you saying that as of 12-31-24, the Retained Earnings (RE) balance is negative the exact amount of the Section 179 equipment deduction from 2023?  Or, is that just a portion of the 12-31-24 balance?  When you run a P&L for 2023, is the full Section 179 expense showing?

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