# Closing a Collective

{% hint style="warning" %}
Collectives with any recorded transactions can only be archived, not deleted.&#x20;
{% endhint %}

Before closing your Collective, you will need to [zero the Collective’s balance](/collectives/closing-a-collective/zero-collective-balance.md) (including any Projects or Events). You will also need to ensure that any outstanding expenses are paid. See our documentation on [Spending Money](/collectives/spending-money.md) for more information.

* [Submitting expenses to withdraw funds](/expenses-and-getting-paid/submitting-expenses.md)
* [Donating to another Collective in the same Fiscal Host](/giving-to-collectives/giving-to-collectives.md)
* [Transferring the remaining balance to your new Fiscal Host](/collectives/changing-fiscal-host.md)

<figure><img src="/files/ZTe7vLNdWNuUyAoaInz7" alt="Screenshot of the Collective&#x27;s Advanced Settings showing &#x22;Archive&#x22; and &#x22;Delete&#x22; options."><figcaption><p>Screenshot of the Collective's Advanced Settings showing "Archive" and "Delete" options.</p></figcaption></figure>

{% hint style="info" %}
**Want to pause or stop accepting Contributions?**&#x20;

Remove all tiers and turn off flexible contributions.
{% endhint %}

### Archiving a Collective

If you have any transactions, you will need to archive your Collective.

This will prevent new donations (including recurring donations and expenses), but the Collective's financial history will still be visible.

To archive your Collective, navigate to your Collective’s Dashboard > Settings > Advanced, then click “Archive this Collective.”&#x20;

{% hint style="info" %}
If you want to cancel all contributions coming into your Collective, you can simply archive your account. This will stop all new and recurring contributions.\
\
If you simply need to pause new contributions without cancelling current ones, please [get in touch with us](https://opencollective.com/help) to make it happen.
{% endhint %}

If you want to activate your Collective again at a later date, navigate to the same “Advanced” page and find the “Unarchive This Collective” option. This will make your Collective visible to others again, but will not restart any old recurring contributions.

### Deleting a Collective

You can only delete a Collective if it has no history of transactions or financial activity.

Deleting it will remove all data, including membership and payment methods.

To delete your Collective, navigate to your Collective’s Dashboard > Settings > Advanced, then click “Delete this Collective.”&#x20;


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