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Learn what to do after you move from QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online
Learn more about the steps you should take after you move from QuickBooks Desktop for Windows or QuickBooks Desktop for Mac to QuickBooks Online.
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After you move your data to QuickBooks Online, review your data to make sure the move is successful. You can schedule a call within QuickBooks Online and let our Intuit experts guide you about the product. Just sign in to your QuickBooks Online account. Select the Intuit Expert icon, then follow the prompts to schedule your appointment. An Intuit expert will review your migration, show you around your new workspace, and make sure you can handle your everyday workflows with total confidence.
Step 1: Compare your financial reports
Compare these reports in QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop to make sure your data copied successfully:
Profit and Loss
Balance Sheet
When you run your reports, make sure of the following:
The Report period is set to All Dates.
The Accounting method is set to Accrual.
Check the balance of each of your Accounts Receivable (A/R), Undeposited Funds, and overall report totals.
Note: When you switch from QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online, you may notice differences in how your books appear. Learn what doesn’t come over from QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online. You can also consult your accountant for further help.
Step 2: Review your accounts’ detail types in QuickBooks Online
When you move your data to QuickBooks Online, take note of the following:
The process assigns detail types to accounts. For example, Undeposited Funds.
It’s indefinite what the detail type should be for most accounts.
QuickBooks Online assigns a generic detail type, such as Other Miscellaneous Income to these accounts.
You may change this later.
Review or edit your accounts’ detail types
Sign in to QuickBooks Online.
Go to Settings, then Chart of accounts.
Review imported accounts and look for any that use a broad or less-specific detail type.
Select the account, then select the dropdown ▼ from the Action column. This will give you the detail type that best matches how you use the account in QuickBooks Online.
Step 3 (optional): Complete your cloud payroll setup in QuickBooks Online
Make sure you're signed in as the primary admin of the company file to set up and run payroll in QuickBooks Online.
Verify your employee profiles, historical year-to-date compensation entries, and federal/state tax ID numbers.
Wait 2 to 3 business days post-migration for all processing cycles to fully sync before starting your cloud-based payroll routines. Wait at least 2 days from your last-ran payroll before migrating.
You may also watch this webinar for more info:
To watch more how-to videos, visit our video section.
Step 4: Review and link your existing QuickBooks Payments account to QuickBooks Online
Your merchant account copies automatically to QuickBooks Online. You don't need to manually link it. If you use integrated payment processing, your legacy merchant setup copies over smoothly during the transition.
Note: You can’t refund transactions created before the date you connect their Payments account to QuickBooks Online.
QuickBooks Payments: Your primary account maps over automatically. The primary admin can verify this mapping by going to Settings (Gear Icon), Accounts and Settings, and then Payments.
GoPayment Accounts: If you use an active GoPayment app, you might need to unlink it from your historical desktop profile within the merchant center portal. Then, link its credentials to your newly established QuickBooks Online company profile.
If you have an active GoPayments account, take note of the following.
You don’t need to sign up for a new one for QuickBooks Online.
Step 5: Learn about the first-in-first-out (FIFO) concept
When you move your inventory to QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks uses the FIFO concept to calculate inventory. Make sure to take note of the following:
You need to notify the IRS about this change. To do this, file a Form 3115.
Use the “as of/effective” date you entered during the import.
Check out how QuickBooks Online accounts for inventory.
What this means for your business:
During migration, if you choose to move inventory, you need to select a FIFO start date.
QuickBooks recommends using the first day after your company’s last tax filing period.
After that date, you won’t be able to edit inventory transactions in QuickBooks Online dated after the selected start date.
Because QuickBooks Online may calculate inventory values and cost of goods sold (COGS) differently, your reports may not match exactly after migration.
If inventory accounting is important to your business, consult your accountant or CPA about the impact on your books.
Post-migration subscription lifecycle reminders
You can safely transition or cancel your legacy QuickBooks Desktop subscription billing footprint once you’ve verified that your data is fully reconciled in QuickBooks Online.
Important Data Retention Policy: After cancelation, you’ll retain view-only access to your historical data files locally for 12 months. To maintain this local read-only safety net, you must update your local software platform to at least QuickBooks Desktop Plus 2024 (Windows) or QuickBooks Desktop for Mac 2024 and newer.
Note: If you miss the workflow mechanics of your desktop interface, check out the QuickBooks Online desktop app (available for US-based Microsoft Windows ecosystems). The app provides a dedicated homepage environment, quick bookmarks, and keyboard shortcuts that replicate the exact classic look and feel you’re used to.
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