removing a bank account that should not have been part of the initial setup

I took over the accounting for a local restaurant.  The balance sheet to the last fiscal year end was all I was provided by the former accountant, not the data file.  I entered the beginning balances, but it turns out one of the bank accounts on the balance sheet is a personal account and does not belong on the financials at all.  When I try to remove the balance, it affects the retained earnings for the prior year which I don't want.  

How can I make this bank account balance go away without adversely affecting the retained earnings?  

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    If your Balance Sheet is currently in balance with the personal bank account showing a balance in the account then when you remove the account balance you must also affect another account. For most setups using the prior fiscal year numbers the balancing account for removing the bank amount would be the retained earnings account. You can, however, use whichever account you wish but you must retain balance. As it is a personal account maybe the Shareholders Loan (or similar) account would be more appropriate. Once cleared, the bank account will still not be able to be deleted but you can mark it Inactive.