The opening balance equity account shall thereafter be locked down and shall not what is opening balance equity be subject to access, unless as provided above. Compare the total opening balance equity to the total beginning equity accounts indicated in the previous account balances once the account entry procedure has been finished for all accounts. Whether not, check the original account balances entry to determine whether a data input mistake occurred.

Identify the balance in the Opening Balance Equity account. This can be found on your balance sheet.

QuickBooks suggests using subaccounts or different equity accounts to track specific balances while keeping your OBE account accurate and simple. You can run into the opening balance equity account, while working with QuickBooks. Failure to close out this account might result in a balance statement that looks unprofessional and possibly indicate an incorrect journal entry in your QuickBooks accounting records.

Step 4: Fix Discrepancies in Reconciled Transactions

Usually QBO creates/updates Retained Earning Account automatically against Profit & Loss Accounts at every end of fiscal year. However, you can also update an opening balance of Retained Earning Account in Journal Entry by manually against only Profit and Loss Accounts. Example all revenue, cost of goods sold and expense accounts can be closed against Retained Earning Account at every end of fiscal year. Clear the balance in this account to make your balance sheet look more professional and clean.

Recording Historical Balances

• It’s important to set up your chart of accounts correctly before recording the opening balance equity.
• This increase is matched by a corresponding increase in the assets (cash) of the business.
• The International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), which are used in many countries outside of the United States, also recognize the concept of Opening Balance Equity.
• This scrutiny is part of the process of establishing a solid foundation for the company’s financial records.
• The Opening Balance Equity account value may be the same as that of the last year’s Retained earnings.

You should not post transactions in this account unless an adjustment entry comes. You should close out this account for remaining earnings and not hold any balance. An opening balance equity can be in a positive-sum or a negative number. If the journal accounting entry amount doesn’t match your bank account statement and you close it out, then the software will adjust the opening balance equity account balance.

Popular Double Entry Bookkeeping Examples

Just a disclaimer, I encourage collaborating with other accountants, especially on accounting for the adjustment entries before making significant changes to maintain accurate records. As you can see, having a balance in the opening balance equity account doesn’t necessarily mean something is seriously wrong. In this case, your assets usually represent your initial investment, the starting capital of the business. You might also have a business loan to help you kick-start your operation and the supplies.

Opening balance equity is necessary to make sure that the accounting equation is balanced and that a company’s financial records are accurate, as was already indicated. A new firm may also be launched, faults can be fixed, new accounting periods can be started, and the equity accounts of merging businesses can be compared. Following are the circumstances in which opening balance equity could be produced. Our account not only created an automatic entry to Opening Balance Equity when we entered opening balance for our cash account, but for every account we opened with an opening balance. For example, all entries to Partner’s actual equity accounts, mortgage opening balances, A/P, A/R, and land, buildings, etc. Accounting Periods and Methods caused QuickBooks to make an automatic entry to OBE.

Step-by-Step Guide to Clearing Opening Balance Equity in QuickBooks

Comment on the post if you still have concerns about your opening balance equity. Let me know if you need additional assistance with the process by commenting below. The SMB Center Team is a collective of experts and contributors providing valuable insights and guidance for small and medium-sized businesses. Let us know in the comments if you require further assistance managing your accounts or any other concerns in QBO. Correction, it’s actually money owed to be paid out from the company.

Be careful entering the opening balances for accounts on your Balance Sheet. This includes Fixed Assets, Equity, Long-term Liability, Other Assets, Other Current Assets, and Other Current Liability accounts. If merging businesses, QuickBooks may temporarily use OBE to Bookkeeping for Etsy Sellers balance the combined assets, liabilities, and equity.