QuickBooks is financial management software for Canadian freelancers, small businesses, and growing companies. It helps you organize your finances in one place, whether you're just starting out or scaling up your operations.

Through Intuit Intelligence, QuickBooks provides automated insights and tools to help you:

• Track income and expenses
• Create and send professional invoices
• Accept online payments
• Run payroll for your team
• Manage inventory levels
• Run financial reports
• Connect your bank accounts and business apps

QuickBooks Online is accounting software that lets you manage your business finances on the web or through a mobile app. It is designed for small businesses and growing companies that need to access their data and stay organized from any device. As Quickbooks Desktop is no longer available to new users, QuickBooks Online is now the default version of the application.

Use QuickBooks Online to:

• Get real-time access to your books on a computer, tablet, or mobile device
• Automatically sync bank transactions and categorize expenses
• Collaborate with your accountant or bookkeeper online
• Receive automatic updates without manual installs

QuickBooks includes a suite of business tools built for Canadian small and medium-sized business owners to manage their finances in one place.

Use these features to help run your business:

• Invoicing: create and send professional invoices and accept online payments
• Expense tracking: categorize spending and snap photos of receipts
• Payroll: pay your team and manage tax deductions
• Financial reports: run profit and loss reports, balance sheets, and cash flow statements
• Inventory management: track stock levels and costs
• Time tracking: log billable hours and add them to invoices
• Tax tools: stay organized for GST/HST filing
• CRM tools: manage customer data and communication while tracking business relationships

QuickBooks offers flexible plans designed for Canadian businesses of all sizes, from sole proprietors to teams of 50 or more. The right plan for your business depends on your team size and the specific features you need.

Visit our pricing page to compare the features of our QuickBooks plans, or check out a more in-depth guide on subscription levels.

Yes, QuickBooks is designed to grow with your company. As your needs change, you can unlock tools to manage more complex operations.

Use these features to scale your business:

• Multi-user access: invite your team and assign custom roles and permissions
• Advanced reporting: run financial reports and track cash flow
• Inventory management: track stock levels and create purchase orders
• Payroll: pay your team and manage tax deductions across provinces
• CRM tools: manage leads and track business relationships

Integrations: connect with the business tools your company relies on to keep your data synced.

Learn more about how QuickBooks supports mid-sized business management.

Yes, QuickBooks Online is a subscription-based service with a monthly fee that varies by plan level. This structure ensures you always have access to the latest features and automatic updates without manual installs. Plans range from entry-level options for sole proprietors to more advanced tiers for growing businesses. Discounts are often available for new subscribers.

For current rates and a side-by-side feature comparison, visit our pricing page.

The best QuickBooks plan depends on your business stage and the specific tools you need to stay organized. Every plan includes core features like income tracking and professional invoicing.

Choose a plan that fits your needs:

• EasyStart: ideal for sole proprietors and freelancers who need to track income and expenses
• Essentials: adds bill management and access for up to 3 users
• Plus: includes inventory tracking, project management tools, and access for up to 5 users
• Advanced: built for growing businesses that need custom financial reports and automated workflows, with access for up to 25 users

See our pricing page for current rates and a side-by-side feature comparison.

Yes. QuickBooks Payroll is a complete payroll software that helps you pay your team and stay compliant with Canadian tax requirements. It is designed to manage payroll tasks from one place, ensuring your data stays synced with your books.

Use QuickBooks Payroll to:

• Automate CPP, EI, and federal income tax deductions
• Pay employees and contractors through direct deposit
• Prepare and file T4 slips and Records of Employment (ROE)
• Give employees access to pay stubs with the QuickBooks Workforce app

Payroll is available as an add-on to your QuickBooks subscription or as a standalone product.

QuickBooks simplifies how you create, send, and track professional invoices to help you get paid faster. Everything syncs automatically to your books, so no double entry is needed.

Use our invoicing tools to:

• Create custom, branded invoices in minutes
• Accept online payments through credit card, debit, or bank transfer
• Set up automatic payment reminders for unpaid invoices
• Schedule recurring invoices for regular customers
• Track which invoices are paid, overdue, or in progress
• Convert estimates into invoices with one click

Yes. QuickBooks Online automatically imports and categorizes transactions from your connected bank accounts and credit cards to help reduce manual data entry. Accurate expense tracking helps you stay organized for tax time and provides a clear view of your cash flow.

Use the QuickBooks Online expense tracker to:

• Snap photos of receipts: Use the QuickBooks mobile app to capture receipts and link them to your transactions
• Automate categorization: Set rules to automatically categorize recurring business expenses
• Track mileage: Log business trips automatically to stay ready for tax deductions
• Separate spending: Keep business and personal expenses organized and separate

Yes. QuickBooks Online includes built-in financial reports that you can run at any time to get a real-time view of your business performance. These reports help you stay organized and make data-backed decisions without waiting for a month-end review.

Standard reports available in most plans include:

• Profit and Loss: See your income and expenses to understand your profitability
• Balance Sheet: View a snapshot of your company's assets, liabilities, and equity
• Cash Flow Statement: Track the funds entering and leaving your business
• Accounts Receivable and Payable Aging: Manage unpaid invoices and upcoming supplier payments
• Sales by Customer or Product: Identify your top-selling items and high-value buyers
• GST/HST Summary: Keep your sales tax data ready for CRA filing

For growing businesses, QuickBooks Online Advanced offers custom dashboards, in-depth reporting and KPIs for deeper visibility into performance.

Yes. QuickBooks' inventory management features help Canadian product-based businesses manage stock levels and costs from one place. This built-in capability ensures your financial records and balance sheets stay accurate as your inventory moves.

Use these tools to help run your business:

• Track quantity on hand in real-time to prevent overselling
• Set low-stock alerts so you know exactly when to reorder
• Track cost of goods sold (COGS) automatically with every sale
• See your total inventory value on your financial reports

Inventory management is available on the QuickBooks Online Plus and Advanced plans.

QuickBooks uses Intuit AI to give you the support of a larger team with instant answers and automated workflows tailored to your business. By handling complex tasks and surfacing relevant insights, these tools help you stay focused on your goals while keeping your business moving forward.

These AI capabilities include:

• Accounting AI: Helps you work more efficiently by automating bookkeeping and transaction categorization while flagging anomalies to help keep your books accurate.
• Finance AI: Provides instant answers about your financial performance and analyzes data against your plans to help you drive profitability.
• Customer AI: Tailors your outreach by identifying new leads in your inbox and drafting personalized follow-ups to help you build your sales pipeline.
• Project Management AI: Streamlines your bid-to-profit cycle by automatically creating project drafts and monitoring your progress in real-time.
• Sales Tax AI: Uses automated workflows to correctly categorize products and reviews your returns for errors to help ensure compliance before you file.

Your access to specific Intuit AI tools depends on your QuickBooks Online plan.

QuickBooks Online integrates with over 450 apps so you can connect the tools you already use and manage your finances from one place.

Popular integrations for Canadian businesses include:

• Payments: Accept payments through PayPal, Stripe, and Square
• E-commerce: Sync sales data from Shopify, WooCommerce, and Amazon
• Payroll and HR: Manage your team with Canadian-specific tools like Wagepoint and Nethris
• CRM: Connect customer details from Hubspot and Salesforce
• Time tracking: Log billable hours with QuickBooks Time or Harvest

You can browse and connect apps directly from the QuickBooks App Store inside your account.

Yes. QuickBooks Online supports data migration from most major accounting platforms and spreadsheet-based systems. This helps you maintain your historical records while transitioning to a more automated workflow.

Use our tools to simplify your transition:

• Supported platforms: Easily move data from Xero, FreshBooks, Wave, Sage, Excel, or Google Sheets.
• Complimentary migration: You can migrate up to two years of business data for free (additional years are available for a fee).
• QuickBooks Desktop to Online: Use our built-in migration tool to securely transfer your chart of accounts, customer and vendor lists, and transaction history directly into your new account.

Absolutely. QuickBooks Online is designed for small business owners, not accountants, so you don't need a bookkeeping background to get started. The platform provides a guided experience to help you manage your finances with confidence from day one.

Getting up to speed is straightforward with our built-in resources:

• Guided setup: A welcome guide walks you through connecting your bank and configuring your chart of accounts.
• Support centre: Access help articles, video tutorials, and step-by-step guides.
• In-product tips: Follow simple, on-screen prompts and "show me how" tutorials that explain features as you use them.
• Expert community: Access support from thousands of certified ProAdvisors across Canada for local expertise, or add QuickBooks Live Bookkeeping for one-on-one help from a professional.

Yes. QuickBooks uses bank-level security to protect your business data and privacy. By storing your records in our secure cloud environment, you are protected from data loss caused by local hardware failure, theft, or physical damage.

Security features include:

• Industry-standard 256-bit SSL encryption for all data in transit
• Multi-factor authentication (MFA)
• Automatic cloud backups: your data is never stored on a single device
• Role-based access controls: you decide who can see what with custom user permissions
• 24/7 proactive monitoring from Intuit's dedicated security team

Yes, QuickBooks offers plans built specifically for freelancers, consultants, and self-employed Canadians. The platform helps you stay organized throughout the year and ensures you are ready when it is time to file with the CRA.

For self-employed users, QuickBooks helps you:

• Separate expenses: Automatically categorise business and personal spending to stay organised for tax time.
• Track mileage: Use your phone's GPS to log business trips and capture every deductible kilometre.
• Manage invoicing: Create professional invoices and accept online payments to get paid faster.
• Estimate sales tax: Keep track of your GST/HST so you can prepare for filing

The EasyStart plan is the most common entry point for freelancers. Visit our pricing page to compare features.

QuickBooks is the most widely used accounting platform for small businesses in Canada and is a leading choice for mid-size businesses. While the best software depends on your specific goals, QuickBooks is often preferred for its all-in-one ecosystem and native Canadian compliance.

Here is how it stacks up against common alternatives:

• QuickBooks vs Xero: Both are cloud-based; however, QuickBooks is often chosen for its native, CRA-compliant payroll and a larger Canadian app ecosystem for deeper customization.
• QuickBooks vs FreshBooks: FreshBooks is known for simple, invoice-focused workflows; QuickBooks provides more robust double-entry accounting and advanced reporting for businesses with complex needs.
• QuickBooks vs Wave: Wave offers a basic entry-level tier for startups, but QuickBooks provides more advanced automation—including the support of Intuit Intelligence—and greater scalability as your business adds employees.

The best choice depends on your business size, budget, and which features you need to stay organized.