How to account for two businesses with many cards?

@GreenLad  I don't have any useful information as far as how to handle a mess like this in QBO, but at the very least, you should impress on this client that mixing personal expenses into a business card is generally not a good idea.

If he has that many debit and credit cards, I'm sure he can afford to get one or two strictly for personal use and leave the rest alone.

I know, that's why he came to me. This is pretty complex. Should I ask him to create a profile for each of his cards and their intended purpose? I don't want to sound unprofessional.

Welcome to the Community, GreenLad.

Segregating business and personal expenses facilitates better financial management and allows for accurate reporting and analysis of personal finances to maintain financial clarity, adhere to tax regulations, and accurately assess the financial health of the business.

While it's not advisable to mix personal and business funds, we will explore the importance of separating these expenses and provide a step-by-step guide on how to set up separate accounts in QuickBooks to streamline the process and ensure proper allocation of expenses.

First, setting up distinct accounts for business and personal expenses in QuickBooks involves creating a bank account for personal expenses and establishing separate categories for each type of expense.

Here's how:

1. Go to Settings and select Chart of Accounts.
2. Click New, then enter an Account name. 
3. Select an Account type, and then choose the Detail type from the dropdowns. (Find out more about account and detail types.)
4. If you choose a Bank, Asset, Credit card, Liabilities, or Equity account, enter Opening Balance, and fill out the starting date in the As of field.
5. Add a Description to add extra information about this account, then Save.

After setting up the accounts, review each expense and assign it to the appropriate category, ensuring meticulous financial management.

It's also a good idea to consult with your accountant for accurate bookkeeping.

Also, you can check this guide on how to handle this matter when running into a situation where business and personal finances mix.

Furthermore, regularly reviewing and reconciling business and personal accounts is essential for maintaining financial accuracy, supporting efficient tax reporting, and ensuring comprehensive financial management.

I'm still all ears if you need further assistance with managing expenses. Just add your reply below, and I'll circle back to help you.

@GreenLad 

What you should do and what you are able to do are most likely two different things.  I would start by explaining how much more this is costing him in bookkeeping expenses to figure it out each month.  Obviously, it's in his best interest to keep the charges on the appropriate card.  At a minimum, it's incumbent on your client to classify each charge for you so you know how to record them (Co. A, Co. B, personal, etc.).  If the businesses are paying the charges for the personal expenses, those charges must be recorded to his Owner's Capital account if a sole proprietorship (or Shareholder Distributions account if 100%-owned S-Corp.).  If he asks you to record personal expenses as business expenses, that's unacceptable.  If Co. A and Co. B have charges on the same card, each company can issue payment for their portion or Co. A/B can make the payment and Co. B/A can reimburse the other.  Your client should be aware that mixing business and personal expenses puts him at risk of losing the very legal protection that an S-Corp or LLC was designed to provide.