Spring Cleaning Your Books: How to Tidy Up in QuickBooks Online
- Susan Cook
- 11 minutes ago
- 2 min read
As the flowers bloom and the days get longer, there’s no better time to do a little spring cleaning—and not just around the house. Your QuickBooks Online account could likely use a fresh start, too!
Cleaning up your books helps you spot issues early, improve reporting accuracy, and get a clear picture of your business performance. Here’s a checklist of practical, impactful ways to give your QBO file a much-needed tune-up this spring.
1. Reconcile Your Bank and Credit Card Accounts
Even if you have bank feeds connected, reconciliations are still essential.
Take the time to:
Match transactions to your statements
Investigate any discrepancies
Ensure nothing is duplicated or missing
🌟 Tip: Use the Reconcile tool under the Transactions tab for a guided walkthrough.
🧾 2. Review Uncategorized Transactions
Check for:
“Uncategorized Expense” or “Uncategorized Income”, access from your P&L
Bank feed entries that were added without proper accounts
Duplicate transactions that may have slipped in
These impact your financial reports and should be cleaned up before they pile up!
🚫 3. Archive Inactive Customers, Vendors, and Products
Not doing business with someone anymore? Clear the clutter! These steps can help keep your dropdown menus cleaner--and make reporting easier to manage.
To make records inactive:
Go to the Sales or Expenses tab
Select the customer/vendor/product
Click Make Inactive (this won’t delete their history!)
Seeing double? Duplicates can be merged in lists. We are, of course, happy to help you with this!
📂 4. Organize and Simplify Your Chart of Accounts
Does your Chart of Accounts have too many similar or unused accounts? Merge duplicates where it makes sense. Your Chart of Accounts is the backbone of your business, so please reach out to us if we can help you consolidate accounts and add new ones as your business grows.
Rename accounts for clarity
Archive accounts you no longer use
🎯 Clean structure = clean reports.
📊 5. Customize & Automate Key Reports
If understanding your cash flow has been a challenge, or if you’ve simply had too many responsibilities of late to pay close attention to your finances, we recommend setting up automated reports so that you’re seeing important information on a more regular basis.
Here are a few suggestions:
Save custom versions of your Profit & Loss and Balance Sheet
Add filters for classes, locations, or projects
Percent of income
Comparison to previous periods to see trends
Set up email schedules for weekly or monthly delivery
Automating these reports means fewer logins—and more insight!
Springing Forward with Confidence
By following these five impactful tips to tidy up your QuickBooks Online account, you can usher in a season of greater clarity and efficiency. A well-organized and accurate financial system not only provides peace of mind but also positions your business for growth and success. As you embrace the freshness of spring, let this be a time to refresh your financial management practices, ensuring that your business is always ready to bloom. Remember, we're here to support your journey every step of the way. Happy spring cleaning!