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April 12, 2026
Question

Please guide us in key in opening balance in Quickbooks. IEven chart of accounts are import, where to key in opening balance?

  • April 12, 2026
  • 1 reply
  • 1 view
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1 reply

QuickBooks Team
April 12, 2026

Hi there, @KOKYONG-TNEU. In QuickBooks Online (QBO), even when you import your Chart of Accounts, opening balances are not entered directly on the COA itself. You can create a journal entry to record the opening balance of your account.

 

Take note that you can use the journal entry method if you haven't reconciled the account yet. If you've reconciled it, it is best to reach out to your accountant. To proceed, double-check that you don’t already have an opening balance. If you don’t have one, you can now create a journal entry. 

Here’s how:
 

  1. Go to +Create, then Journal entry.
  2. Enter a date that comes before the oldest transaction in the account. This will be the opening balance date.
  3. In the first row under the ACCOUNT column, use the dropdown to choose the account you want to enter the opening balance for.
  4. In the second row under the ACCOUNT column, select the dropdown and choose Opening Balance Equity.
  5. Refer to your bank statement to determine the correct opening balance. Enter the actual balance for your chosen opening balance date. Make sure to record both a debit and a credit in the journal entry to ensure your accounts remain accurate.
  6. Hit Save and close.
     

After this process, you need to mark the journal entry as reconciled, as this prevents it from showing up on a future reconciliation. To do this, go to All apps > Accounting > Chart of accounts > View register > Locate the journal entry you just created and select it to expand the view. > Click the box in the tick column until you see an R. > Save.
 

Entering an opening balance through a journal entry will add the balance to your accounts without affecting future reconciliations, as long as you mark the entry as reconciled.
 

For more details on entering an opening balance after the account is already created, check this resource article: What to do if you didn't enter an opening balance in QuickBooks Online.
 

Let us know if you have further questions by replying to this thread.