You try to link an account but you can not select it in the account dropdown list. It’s not there. You try typing in the account number in the field and same result, it’s not there. You open the chart of accounts and you see the account. It does exist. So what gives? You’re not crazy, the account is just linked somewhere else! I’ll show you how to look for a linked account. This is also useful if you are trying to post a General Journal transaction and the account is not available or if you are trying to delete an account from the chart of accounts but you get an error message that the account is linked.
Finding where an account is linked can be a bit tricky. Start with the linked accounts wizard. You’ll find it in Setup-Wizards-Linked Accounts. Click Next until you go through all of the entry screens and look for the account.
If you don’t see it there the next place to look is Inventory. Each Inventory item has its own linked accounts. If it’s an asset account that you’re looking for then the quickest way to search for it would be to go to reports-Inventory & Services-Summary. On the right side of the Modify Report window click on Inventory by Asset and you’ll see al asset accounts linked to inventory. If it’s an expense account then you will unfortunately have to check the Linked tab of each individual inventory item.
The next place to look would be in Setup-Settings-Company-Sales Taxes-Taxes. Your account might be linked to one of the taxes. You can also check Credit Cards, both Used and Accepted. The account could be linked there as well.
If you still have not found it there one more place to look. Each Customer and Vendor can have a revenue or an expense account linked in the Options tab. You would again need to check each individual Customer and Vendor.
If you still can not find the account, go to Setup-User Preferences-View and make sure that you haven’t hidden any modules. If a module is hidden then the Linked Account Wizard will not show accounts linked to it. When all else fails, contact your friendly neighborhood Simply Accounting Support Technician or Certified Consultant and they’ll help you search.