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Request to be the primary administrator in QuickBooks

by Intuit•26• Updated 4 days ago

Learn how to request to be the primary admin or contact for a QuickBooks Online account.

The primary admin holds the highest level of access to your QuickBooks Online account. It's crucial to keep this information current, especially during periods of business change. This article outlines the process for requesting to become the primary admin.

Important considerations for accounting firms

Assigning the primary administrator role to a user from your accounting firm can impact:

Billing: How your QuickBooks subscription is managed and paid for.
User Management: It's the ability to add, remove, or modify user permissions.
Support Plans: Access to specific support services.
Bank Connections: For accounts linked to payroll for money movement, the primary admin must be the business owner. If a support issue related to money movement arises, the role will need to be temporarily transferred to a non-firm user.

Note: If a bank account is linked to a payroll account, the primary admin must have the business owner's info. If a money movement support issue occurs, you need to change the role to primary admin (non-firm user).

Step 1: Prepare your documentation

To protect your account's security, we require documentation to verify your identity and your right to manage the account.

General requirements for all documents:

All copies must be clear and legible.
For your security, please obscure or remove any National Insurance numbers.

The specific documents required depend on your business structure.

Required documents by business type

Sole Trader

If you are the business owner: Your photo ID (e.g., driver's licence, passport, or other government-issued ID).
If you are not the business owner:
- The owner's photo ID.
- The business's operating licence.
- A signed letter of permission from the owner.

Partnership

If you are a majority owner: Your photo ID.
If you are not a majority owner:
- Photo ID of the majority owner or your business partner.
- A signed letter of permission from the majority owner or all partners if there is no single majority owner.
- The Partnership Agreement, listing all partners' names and titles.

Limited Company (Ltd)

If you are a majority shareholder: Your photo ID.
If you are not a majority shareholder:
- Photo ID of the majority shareholder.
- A signed letter of permission from the majority shareholder.
- A copy of the Articles of Association or Shareholders' Agreement, which includes the owner's name and title.

Limited Liability Partnership (LLP)

If you are a majority owner: Your photo ID.
If you are not a majority owner:
- Photo ID of the majority owner or your business partner.
- A signed letter of permission from the majority owner or all partners if no single majority owner exists.
- A copy of the Articles of Organisation or Members' Agreement, showing the owner's name and title.

Non-Profit Organisation

If you are the president or director: Your photo ID.
If you are not the president or director:
- Photo ID of the non-profit's president or director.
- A signed letter of permission from the president or director.
- It is highly recommended to also provide Articles of Incorporation, non-profit corporate bylaws, or board of trustee meeting minutes that name the chairperson or president and state who the new Primary Administrator should be.

In the event of a deceased primary administrator

If the previous primary administrator has passed away, you will also need to provide:

A notarised document confirming the name of the executor of the estate.
A photo ID and a signed letter of permission from the executor, authorising you to become the primary administrator.

Step 2: Complete the request form

Before you begin, please ensure you have an Intuit Account. If you do not, you can create one here.

To complete the form

If you are not already signed in, sign in to your Intuit Account.
Once signed in, select the link to open the Business Change Request form.
Note: If you can’t see all the options or questions on the form, zoom out your browser until you can see them.
Select the company you want to submit a request for.
Select an answer to the questions from each ▼ dropdown, then select Continue.
Review your business details, then select Continue. Otherwise, select This is not the right business, then go back to Step 3.
Review your personal details, then select Continue.
On the summary page, make sure all info is correct. Then select Continue.
Select Submit request. This sends an email to any other business owners or authorised parties regarding your request.

Step 3: Have the owner or other authorised parties submit the required documents

Advise the owner or other authorised parties that they’ll receive an email notification from no_response@intuit.com. This contains a link to our Business Change Request portal where they’ll have to do the following:

Verify their identity.
Upload all required documents.

Note: Owners and other authorised parties have 14-business days to verify their identity and upload all required documents. Otherwise, the system automatically declines the request and you’ll need to submit a new one.

Step 4: Wait for status updates

We’ll review your request as soon as possible and send updates to the email address you provided. You can also check the status of your request at any time.

If your request requires documents from owners or other authorised parties, you’ll see whether owner verifications are still pending.

If your request is approved

We’ll let you know that we gave you the primary admin or contact role. Just sign in with the email address you provided the next time you use QuickBooks.

If your request isn’t approved

We’ll let you know why and what steps you can take. For example, we'll tell you if a document is missing, hard to read, or doesn't meet the rules for approval. You might need to fill out the form again to send a new request.