QuickBooks HelpQuickBooksHelpIntuit

Request to be the primary admin or contact

by Intuit•14• Updated 3 months ago

Want to view this article in your local language?

For your account security, it's important to update your contact information, especially when there's a change in your business.

Here’s how to request to be the primary admin or contact for a QuickBooks account.

Things you can do as a primary admin or contact

As the primary admin or contact, you can transfer the primary admin of your QuickBooks Online account.

Transferring the primary admin role to an accounting firm/firm user can affect:

  • Billing
  • User management
  • Support plan
  • Bank account changes

If the main admin or contact can't give you the role, don't worry. Even if they aren't there or can't do it themselves, you can ask our account protection team for help

Step 1: Gather documents for your request

The kind of business you have and who owns it affect the documents we need to check. They also affect if we need to assign a new main admin or contact. Here's what you need to give us:

Determine the type of business

Who owns the business?Documents required
I'm the ownerYou’ll need to provide:
  • Your photo ID (driver's licence, government-issued ID, or passport)
  • Your business licence
I own no part of this businessYou’ll need to provide:
  • Your photo ID (driver's licence, government-issued ID, or passport)
  • The owner's photo ID (driver's licence, government-issued ID, or passport)
  • The owner's business licence
  •  A letter of permission from the owner
Who owns the business?Documents required
I'm the ownerYou’ll need to provide:
  •  Your photo ID (driver's licence, government-issued ID, or passport)
I own no part of this businessYou’ll need to provide:
  • Your photo ID (driver's licence, government-issued ID, or passport)
  • The owner's photo ID (driver's licence, government-issued ID, or passport)
  • A letter of permission from the owner

You need to provide the documents required along with one of these. And they should have the owner’s name and title on them.

  • Articles of organisation
  • Corporation bylaws
  • Shareholders agreement
Who owns the business?Documents required
I'm the sole owner or the majority ownerYou’ll need to provide:
  • Your photo ID (driver's licence, government-issued ID, or passport)
I'm a 50/50 ownerYou’ll need to provide:
  • Your photo ID (driver's licence, government-issued ID, or passport)
  • Your business partner's photo ID (driver's licence, government-issued ID, or passport)
  • A letter of permission from your business partner
I'm a minority ownerYou’ll need to provide:
  • Your photo ID (driver's licence, government-issued ID, or passport)
  • The majority owner's photo ID (driver's licence, government-issued ID, or passport)
  • A letter of permission from the majority owner
I own no part of this businessYou’ll need to provide:
  • Your photo ID (driver's licence, government-issued ID, or passport)
  • One of the owners' (either sole, majority, or 50/50 owner's) photo ID (driver's licence, government-issued ID, or passport)
  • A permission letter from the majority owner or if no majority owner, a permission letter with all appropriate owner signatures

You need to provide the documents required along with one of these. And they should have the owner’s name and title on them.

  • Articles of organisation
  • Operating agreement
Who owns the business?Documents required
I'm the sole owner or a majority ownerYou’ll need to provide:
  • Your photo ID (driver's licence, government-issued ID, or passport)
I'm a 50/50 ownerYou’ll need to provide:
  • Your photo ID (driver's licence, government-issued ID, or passport)
  • Your business partner's photo ID (driver's licence, government-issued ID, or passport)
  • A letter of permission from your business partner
I'm a minority ownerYou’ll need to provide:
  • Your photo ID (driver's licence, government-issued ID, or passport)
  • The majority owner's photo ID (driver's licence, government-issued ID, or passport)
  • A letter of permission from the majority owner
I own no part of this businessYou’ll need to provide:
  • Your photo ID (driver's licence, government-issued ID, or passport)
  • One of the owners' (either sole, majority, or 50/50 owner's) photo ID (driver's licence, government-issued ID, or passport)
  • A Permission letter from the Majority owner or if no Majority owner, a permission letter with all appropriate owner signatures

You need to provide the documents required along with one of these. And they should have the owner’s name and title on them.

  • Certificate of limited partnership
  • Certificate of limited liability partnership
Who owns the business?Documents required
I'm the majority ownerYou’ll need to provide:
  • Your photo ID (driver's licence, government-issued ID, or passport)
I'm a 50/50 ownerYou’ll need to provide:
  • Your photo ID (driver's licence, government-issued ID, or passport)
  • Your business partner's photo ID (driver's licence, government-issued ID, or passport)
  • A letter of permission from your business partner
I'm a minority ownerYou’ll need to provide:
  • Your photo ID (driver's licence, government-issued ID, or passport)
  • The majority owner's photo ID (driver's licence, government-issued ID, or passport)
  • A letter of permission from the majority owner
I own no part of this businessYou’ll need to provide:
  • Your photo ID (driver's licence, government-issued ID, or passport)
  • One of the owners' (either sole, majority, or 50/50 owner's) photo ID (driver's licence, government-issued ID, or passport)
  • A permission letter from the majority owner or if no majority owner, a permission letter with all appropriate owner signatures

You need to provide the documents required along with one of these. And they should have the owner’s name and title on them.

  • Articles of organisation
  • Articles of incorporation
  • Shareholders agreement
  • Corporation bylaws
Who owns the business?Documents required
I'm the sole owner or the majority ownerYou’ll need to provide:
  • Your photo ID (driver's licence, government-issued ID, or passport)
I'm a 50/50 ownerYou’ll need to provide:
  • Your photo ID (driver's licence, government-issued ID, or passport)
  • Your business partner's photo ID (driver's licence, government-issued ID, or passport)
  • A letter of permission from your business partner
I'm a minority ownerYou’ll need to provide:
  • Your photo ID (driver's licence, government-issued ID, or passport)
  • The majority owner's photo ID (driver's licence, government-issued ID, or passport)
  • A letter of permission from the majority owner
I own no part of this businessYou’ll need to provide:
  • Your photo ID (driver's licence, government-issued ID, or passport)
  • The owner's (or majority owner's) photo ID (driver's licence, government-issued ID, or passport)
  • A letter of permission from the owner (or majority owner)

You need to provide the documents required along with one of these. And they should have the owner’s name and title on them.

  • Articles of incorporation
  • Non-profit corporate bylaws
  • Recommended: A board of trustee meeting minutes that shows the chairperson or president by name and who the new Primary Administrator should be.
Are you the president or director of the non-profit?Documents required
YesYou’ll need to provide:
  • Your photo ID (driver's licence, government-issued ID, or passport)
NoYou’ll need to provide:
  • Your photo ID (driver's licence, government-issued ID, or passport)
  • A photo ID of the non-profit’s president or director (driver's licence, government-issued ID, or passport)
  • A signed permission letter from the non-profit’s president or director
Are you the person in charge of what goes into this QuickBooks account?Documents required
YesYou’ll need to provide:
  • Your photo ID (driver's licence, government-issued ID, or passport)
NoYou’ll need to provide:
  • Your photo ID (driver's licence, government-issued ID, or passport)
  • A photo of the person in charge of what is going into this QuickBooks account (driver's licence, government-issued ID, or passport)
  • A signed permission letter from the person in charge of what is going into this QuickBooks account (driver's licence, government-issued ID, or passport)

Note: If a deceased primary admin or contact was the owner, you’ll need to provide the same documents required. You’ll also need to provide:

  • A notarised documentation that reflects the name of the executor of the estate for the deceased owner.
  • A photo ID and permission letter from the executor of the estate.
    Important: The letter should authorise the requester to become the primary on the account.

Step 2: Complete the form

You'll need to sign in with your email to view the form. If you don't see a form at the bottom of step three, sign in to your Intuit Account to access QuickBooks, then return to this page and refresh it in your web browser.

Important: Help us get your request approved quickly and safely. Please make sure:
  • You are signed in so you can see the form.
  • Your photo ID is unedited/unmarked and a valid driver's licence, passport, or other government-issued ID.
  • You have all the required business documents you gathered in step 1.
  • The business documents show who is the owner, chairperson, or leader of the business operation.
  • All the documents are clear and legible, and shouldn't show any sensitive information, to protect your privacy. To provide a business licence when asked for a licence.
  • To select no for "Are you the owner of the business” for 50/50 or minority ownership business types.
  • To add documents indicating some ownership or authorship of the QuickBooks account if you are prompted for documents that aren't applicable.

Ready to send your request? Complete the form below

Important: Make sure to update your browser to the latest version so you can log in here:

Image Alt Text

Step 3: Know the next steps

We'll review your case as soon as possible. Once the review is complete, you’ll receive an update via email with the status of your request. Wait for an email from no_response@intuit.com.

Note: Some domains may block @intuit.com communications. Learn more about how to receive important email messages from Intuit.

If we approve your request

We'll let you know that you're now the primary admin or contact. The next time you use QuickBooks, just sign in with the email address you gave us.

If we’re unable to approve your request

We'll explain why your application was rejected and what you need to do to fix it. For instance, we'll tell you if a document is missing, hard to read, or doesn't meet our approval rules. You'll need to fill out the form again and upload all the necessary documents to keep your information safe.

Helpful Links

Sign in now for personalized help

See articles customized for your product and join our large community of QuickBooks users.