Use Workpapers to map and export your clients’ tax info

Learn how to use Workpapers to review, adjust, map, and export your client’s QuickBooks Online accounts to get ready for tax season.

Workpapers is a tool in QuickBooks Online Accountant lets you review a client’s accounts from a single dashboard. It's very similar to a trial balance. You can use it for any clients who use QuickBooks Online. After you review your client's accounts, Workpapers automatically export accounts to the proper lines on tax forms.

In this article, you'll learn how to:

• Open Workpapers
• Review your client’s accounts
• Make adjusting journal entries
• Map accounts to tax forms
• Export the mapped tax forms

Step 1: Open Workpapers

Each client has their own dedicated Workpapers page:

If you're using QuickBooks Online Accountant:

1. Select Accountant tools and select Workpapers.

If you're using Intuit Accountant Suite:

1. Go to Business Tax and select Workpapers.

Step 2: Review your client’s accounts

Start your work in the Review & adjust tab. Your client’s annual Balance sheet and Profit and loss reports are in separate sections so you can make quick comparisons. You’ll also see last year’s totals, account differences, and any adjusting entries you’ve made.

To dive into a specific account:

1. Expand the list of accounts.
2. Select the account total from the column for the current year.
3. Review the transactions in the account.

Step 3: Make adjusting journal entries

Workpapers makes it easy to record and adjust journal entries if needed. This lets you adjust transaction totals without changing the original record. To make an adjusting journal entry while you're on the Review & adjust tab:

1. Expand the list of accounts.
2. Find the account you want to adjust.
3. Select Make adjustment from the Actions column. It will open the Journal Entry page.
4. On the first row, select an account from the Account field if the account does not appear automatically.
5. Enter the amount in either the Debits or Credits column.
6. On the next line, select the other account you're moving money between.
7. Enter the same amount in the opposite column to balance the debits and credits.
   Note: The system may enter the same amount in the opposite column on the other line.
8. Select Save and close.

 You can attach notes and documents to keep track of work on individual accounts as needed:

1. Select the ▼ dropdown from the Actions column.
2. Select Add attachment or Add note.
3. If you select Add attachment, then select Upload. Upload the document you want.
4. If you select Add note, enter the appropriate note, then select Save.

Step 4: Map accounts to tax forms

After reviewing your client’s accounts, you’ll assign them to specific lines on tax forms.

1. Go to the Tax Mapping tab.
2. From the Select a tax form ▼ dropdown, select the appropriate tax form for your client.

Workpapers automatically assigns most accounts to tax lines. Any unassigned accounts appear in the We found unmapped accounts section. Select Assign tax line from the Action column and select the correct tax line from the To ▼ dropdown. Then select Save.

Review each tax line. If you need to reassign an account to a different tax line:

1. Find the account on the tax form.
2. Select the edit icon to make changes.
   Note: If the edit icon does not appear, then select the account on the tax form.
3. Select the correct tax line from the To ▼ dropdown.
4. Select Save.

Step 5: Export the mapped tax forms

When you're ready to export, download a CSV for other tax preparation software.

1. Select the export icon from the Tax mapping list.
   Tip: Export CSV is available when you change the form name to T2125.
2. Select the folder where you want to save your file, then select Save.