Deleting a Profile

Need to remove a profile from your Balance account? This guide explains how to delete profiles, what happens to the data, and important considerations before deleting.

Which Profiles Can Be Deleted

Can Delete

✅ Additional profiles:

• Partner profiles
• Family member profiles
• Unused profiles
• Any profile except primary

Requirements:

• Must be primary profile to delete others
• Can delete your own additional profile

Cannot Delete

❌ Primary profile:

• Account owner profile
• Created at signup
• Tied to email/login
• Permanent (unless close entire account)

System prevents accidental primary profile deletion.

How to Delete a Profile

Step-by-Step

1. Log in as primary profile (or the profile you want to delete if deleting your own)
2. Go to Profile > Manage Profiles
3. Tap the profile you want to delete
4. Scroll to bottom of profile details
5. Tap “Delete Profile” button (usually red)
6. Confirm deletion warning
7. Profile is deleted immediately

Takes 10 seconds.

Confirmation Required

Before deleting, you’ll see warning:

Are you sure you want to delete [Profile Name]?

This action cannot be undone.

[Cancel] [Delete]

No undo - be certain before confirming!

What Happens When You Delete

Profile Identity Removed

Deleted immediately:

• Profile name
• Profile avatar
• Profile login access (if separate account)
• Profile appears in list

Cannot be recovered.

Data Remains Intact

Preserved forever:

• ✅ Transactions they categorized
• ✅ Categories they created
• ✅ Budget amounts they set
• ✅ Bank connections they made
• ✅ Manual transactions they added
• ✅ Historical edits

Only the profile identity is removed, not their work!

How Data Appears

After deletion:

Transaction: Groceries - Walmart $45.32
Categorized by: [Deleted Profile]
or
Categorized by: [Profile Name - deleted]

Data remains, attribution changes.

Before You Delete

Consider These Questions

1. Is this profile truly unused?

• Last login date
• Recent activity
• Still needed?

2. Could you rename instead?

• Change name for different use
• Repurpose for someone else
• Avoid deletion

3. Will you need it again?

• Partner taking a break but coming back?
• Seasonal use?
• Keep it for future?

4. Have you communicated?

• Does profile owner know?
• Agreement to delete?
• Discussed together?

Deletion is permanent - think it through!

Common Deletion Scenarios

Scenario 1: Breakup or Separation

Relationship ends:

Step 1: Agree who keeps Balance account Step 2: Delete departing partner’s profile Step 3: Their budget work remains Step 4: Continue using Balance solo

Or:

Alternative: Primary profile creates new account, starts fresh

Scenario 2: Profile Created by Mistake

Extra profile not needed:

1. Verify it’s truly a mistake
2. Check no data attributed to it
3. Delete immediately
4. No harm done

Quick fix for setup errors.

Scenario 3: Child Moved Out

Teen went to college:

Options:

Option A: Delete their profile

• They don’t need access anymore
• Simplify household
• Clean up profile list

Option B: Keep it

• They might need guidance later
• Historical data preserved
• No harm in keeping

Your choice!

Scenario 4: Test Profile

Created test profile during setup:

1. Identify test profile
2. Delete it
3. Keep only real profiles

Housekeeping.

Cannot Delete Primary Profile

Why Primary Can’t Be Deleted

Primary profile is:

• Account owner
• Tied to email/login
• Billing contact
• Subscription holder

Deleting primary would:

• Orphan the account
• Lose billing connection
• Break account structure
• Cause system issues

Permanently protected from deletion.

If You Want to “Delete” Primary

Only option: Close entire account

This deletes:

• ❌ Primary profile
• ❌ All additional profiles
• ❌ All data
• ❌ All connections
• ❌ Everything

Completely nuclear option.

Steps:

1. Cancel subscription (if Premium)
2. Contact support to close account
3. Account and all data deleted
4. Cannot be recovered

Think very carefully before doing this!

After Deleting a Profile

Immediate Effects

Right away:

• Profile removed from list
• Cannot switch to that profile
• Login no longer works (if separate account)
• Profile name freed up (can reuse)

Ongoing Effects

Long-term:

• Their data remains
• Their work is preserved
• Attribution shows profile was deleted
• Historical record intact

Re-Adding Later

If you deleted and want back:

1. Create new profile with same name
2. New profile (different ID internally)
3. Not a “recovery” - it’s new
4. Previous work remains attributed to old profile

Cannot restore a deleted profile.

Deleting Your Own Profile

If You’re Additional Profile

You can delete yourself:

1. Go to Manage Profiles
2. Select your profile
3. Scroll down
4. Delete own profile

Removes your access, but data stays.

If You’re Primary Profile

You cannot delete yourself:

• System prevents it
• Primary must exist
• Account owner required

Only option: Close entire account (contact support).

Permissions for Deletion

Who Can Delete Profiles

Primary profile can:

• Delete any additional profile
• Cannot delete own (primary) profile

Additional profiles can:

• Delete their own profile only
• Cannot delete other profiles
• Cannot delete primary profile

Clear hierarchy prevents chaos.

Best Practices

1. Communicate First

Before deleting someone’s profile:

• Discuss with them
• Get agreement
• Explain what happens
• Confirm they’re okay with it

Respect, even if relationship ended.

2. Verify No Longer Needed

Check:

• Last activity date
• Recent logins
• Ongoing use
• Future plans

Don’t delete active profiles!

3. Consider Alternatives

Instead of deleting:

Option A: Rename profile

• “Partner” → “Former Partner”
• Keep historical context

Option B: Leave it inactive

• No harm in keeping
• Just unused
• Preserves complete history

Option C: Lock them out

• Change account password
• They can’t log in
• Profile stays
• You keep data

4. Document Reasons

For your records:

• Why deleted
• When deleted
• Who deleted
• Any related changes

Especially for shared accounts.

Troubleshooting

“Delete button not showing”

Check:

• Are you primary profile?
• Trying to delete yourself?
• Trying to delete primary?
• Scroll down to bottom of profile page

If still not showing:

• Contact support
• May be UI issue

“Accidentally deleted wrong profile”

Unfortunately:

• Cannot undo
• Profile is gone
• Data remains but profile identity lost
• Can create new profile (but different)

Be careful when deleting!

“Want to delete primary profile”

Not possible within Balance.

Options:

• Close entire account (contact support)
• Or keep primary, delete others

No partial deletion of primary.

“Deleted profile still showing”

Try:

• Close and reopen app
• Wait a few seconds for sync
• Check internet connection
• Pull to refresh

Should disappear immediately.

FAQs

“Does deleting a profile delete their transactions?”

No:

• Transactions remain
• Data intact
• Only profile identity removed

“Can deleted profile log back in?”

No:

• Access removed
• Login no longer works
• Would need new profile created

“Can I reuse a deleted profile’s name?”

Yes:

• Name is freed up
• Can create new profile with same name
• But it’s a new profile (different ID)

“What if I delete by mistake?”

Cannot undo:

• Profile is gone
• Can create new one
• But not a “recovery”
• Be careful!

Next Steps

1. Managing Profile Details - Edit profiles before deleting
2. Understanding Primary Profile - Learn about account owner
3. Creating Multiple Profiles - Add profiles back if needed
4. Profile Permissions - Understand who can delete what

Questions? Contact our support team - we’re here to help!