# Closing a Collective If you want to close down your Collective, you can either archive or delete it. Either way, you first need to [zero the balance](/metadocumentation/master/collectives/zero-collective-balance.md). Go to edit Collective > advanced to access these options. ## Delete Collective If your Collective does not have any transactions or financial activity, you can delete it. Deleting a Collective will remove its data, including memberships, payment methods, etc. If your Collective has transactions associated with it, archive it instead. The reason we cannot delete transactions is the financial ledger must retain its accuracy and integrity. Your income is someone else's expense, and your expenses are someone else's income. ## Archive Collective If your Collective has transactions, you can archive it instead of deleting. This will mark the Collective as inactive and prevent any new donations. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://documentarians.gitbook.io/metadocumentation/master/collectives/closing-a-collective.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.