Delete and Restore an Account in QuickBooks Online

 Do you have some business accounts that are no longer in use and you’re planning to either delete them or make them inactive? Well, the new feature of QuickBooks Online has come up with a solution as it allows you to delete the balance sheet account which doesn’t best fit your accounting needs. However, if in case you’re regretting the mistake of removing your account from QuickBooks Online then stop doing so as you have a chance to get your deleted account back with the help of Charts of Accounts and Audit log options. In this below-listed blog, we’ll explain how to delete and recover an account in QuickBooks Online without any technical hindrances.

Pre-requisites to be considered when you delete and restore an account in QuickBooks Online!

Deleting or Restoring an account in QuickBooks Online is not as complicated as it sounds. Before you’re going to permanently delete your account, it’s important to first have a look at the pointers highlighted below: 

1. Always remember that you can’t delete the income and expense account in QuickBooks Online. 

2. You are not allowed to permanently delete your QuickBooks Online account which may be good news for many users as you can restore it anytime later whenever you want to. 

3. If you’re going to make an account inactive, it doesn’t remove its transactions. The Transactions associated with any deactivated/deleted account stay intact.

4. Before making a balance sheet account inactive, make sure that you correct a balance to zero. If it’s not zero, QuickBooks Online makes an automatic adjustment entry to zero out the non-zero balance of the inactive account. The automatic entry posts to the Opening Balance Equity account, which is similar to previous years. The entry can lead to incorrect tax info filling.

5. You are not able to delete transactions related to an inactive account. It is necessary to first restore the account and then navigate to the register and delete the individual entry to successfully edit/delete the transactions. Once done, go over your account and correct it to a zero balance before deactivating it.

Learn how to delete and restore an account in QuickBooks Online!

Below is the step-by-step guide on deleting and restoring an account in QuickBooks Online, let’s get started: 

To Delete an account in QuickBooks

If you want to permanently delete your account from QuickBooks, here’s what you’ll need to do:

1. In the inception, you need to hit the gear icon at the top.

2. Now, tap Chart of Accounts under Your Company section.

3. After this, search for the account you wish to delete.

4. In the Action column, you have to select the drop-down and then click Delete.

5. Press Yes if you’re prompted to delete your account. 

To make an account inactive

Instead of deleting your account, if you wish to make it inactive for a short period of time, do the following:

1. To start off, open QuickBooks Online and navigate to the Settings icon 

2. Now, click Charts of Accounts and then locate the account you’d like to delete. 

3. You’re supposed to choose the Action dropdown and tap on Make Inactive. 

If you want to see the inactive accounts in your Charts of Accounts then carry out the below-given steps:

1. First of all, hover over Settings and choose Charts of Accounts. 

2. You’re required to tap on the Settings icon next to the printer icon. 

3. Select the Include inactive checkbox. This will show you all the inactive accounts in QuickBooks Charts of Accounts. 

To Restore a deleted account in QuickBooks

In case, you think that you have made the wrong decision of deleting the QuickBooks Online account or now if you want to get the account back anyhow, then don’t worry you can do it very easily. There are two ways to restore your deleted account in QuickBooks Online, let’s check out each one by one. 

Method 1: Restore through the Charts of Accounts in QuickBooks

1. In the first place, tap on the Gear icon and head to the Settings page. 

2. Herein, select Charts of Accounts. 

3. Now, hit the Settings icon next to the Printer tab and then tickmark on the Include Inactive checkbox. 

4. Locate the inactive account you wish to restore. 

5. At last, click on Make Active in the Action column. 

Method 2: With the help of the Audit Log 

1. To begin, go to the Settings page and then select the Audit Log icon. 

2. Now, you need to start looking for the deleted account and hover over the Event section then tap on the account hyperlink. This will lead you to the Account window.

3. Afterward, uncheck the Inactive option from the bottom list. 

4. Finally, press Save and hit the Close tab to end the process. 

Ending-up!

So, we positively hope that you’re now successfully able to delete and restore an Account in QuickBooks Online after implementing all the steps described here. However, if you still get stuck in the meanwhile along with a confusing query then don’t delay to speak up with our QuickBooks Experts to get your problem rooted out in a few easy attempts.

Read Also- What is QuickBooks Error H202? Here’s How to Settle it