How to manage multiple businesses in a single Quickbooks?

Welcome to Community, @wcc-dtla-gmail-c.

I have just the information you'll need to manage multiple stores in QuickBooks Online (QBO). First, you'll have to sign-up for a new account to add your new stores. QBO requires one subscription per business or company.

You can visit this link for details in signing up: https://quickbooks.intuit.com/

Then, use your existing Intuit ID as your login credentials in your new account. This way, you'll be able to manage multiple companies in one account. Here's how:

1. Go to https://quickbooks.intuit.com/.
2. Choose your plan and select either Buy Now or Free 30-day Trial. 
3. Enter your current User ID or Email address (see image below).
4. Click the Sign in link, then Continue.
5. Follow the next steps that'll guide you through in setting up your new account.

Once you're done, sign-in to your QBO account to see your QuickBooks companies and simply switch from one company to another. Please see this how do I switch companies and create or add another company articles for more information. 

I'm also attaching this article about moving your list which I'm sure you'll find helpful. It contains detailed steps to save you from having to set up the items from your lists one by one.  

That's all there is to it. Stay in touch if you have other questions or concerns. We're just a comment away. Thanks for joining us today and I wish you have a great weekend ahead.

@wcc-dtla-gmail-c 

Should you have multiple stores with the same tax id, utilize the Class feature available in QBO Plus or Advanced. Otherwise, you may open a new QBO account as mentioned by ShiellaGraceA 

https:// quickbooks.grsm.io/US

https:// quickbooks.grsm.io/us-promo

Am I understanding correctly that you have to pay for a new subscription for each entity?  So you would need to pay for a number of subscriptions and keep switching between them?

Welcome to this conversation, @bca1313. Yes, you'll have to subscribe to your other company.

You can use the same UserID for your multiple companies. You will then see the companies listed when you sign in. Then, QuickBooks asks which company file you want to open. 

To switch between companies when you're in QuickBooks, select Settings, then select Switch company.

For future reference, feel free to visit the QuickBooks Blog. It helps to see the latest news and updates about the product,

I'm always around here to help if you need more assistance. Feel free to post some more.

@bca1313 

As another option, use QB Desktop to manage multi company files. Deploy a private cloud if required.

I have the same question. My company is selling 3 different products. Can I use one QB account or I have to create 3 accounts? Thank you!

We can use one QuickBooks account, lucy87.

With QuickBooks Online Plus and Advanced, we can track as many products with its quantity. Let me guide you on how to turn this feature on.

1. From the Gear icon, select Account and settings.
2. Go to the Sales tab.
3. Click the Products and services section.
4. Toggle Show Product/Service column on sales forms.
5. Turn on both Track quantity and price/rate and Track inventory quantity on hand.
6. Click Save and then Done.

Afterward, you're good to add the items. I've added these references as your guide: 

• Set up and track your inventory in QuickBooks Online
• Add inventory products in QuickBooks Online

There you have it, lucy87. I'm just around if ever you need help about inventory tracking. Be safe!

Hi, 

I have one bank account from where I operate my personal expenses and a small sole proprietor business.
My business has 4 different departments (1 services and 3 products).
I would like to separate the personal budget & cashflow from the business aspects.
The 4 different departments (1 services and 3 products) I would like to track time/vs income and stock/sales & expenses separately to determine where investment and time should be spent. 
I have QB Online. Please advice if this is the best option for my needs? 
I don't want to pay for 5 subscriptions. 
Thank you. 

@lkarch 

As I mentioned earlier, you may utilize the Class feature on QBO Plus or Advanced. Otherwise, consider purchasing a one time license of QB Desktop to manage multi company files.

https:// quickbooks.grsm.io/us-promo-6months

https:// quickbooks.grsm.io/us-promo

I knew this was coming.  Desktop went from ~$250 for Desktop software that lasted years, to ~$600-$700 per year.  Now, I will have to pay ~$600-$700 per company/subscription?  If I had known that Desktop was going to be discontinued, I would have kept my old 2019 version and called it good.  (Does anyone know where to buy an old desktop version?)

I understand Intuit not wanting one accountant/bookkeeper to use their QB Desktop to keep books for multiple companies without the companies paying anything, but what about entrepreneurs like me that have multiple small businesses, including some that are inactive or in-development that have only a few entries per year?  I am the sole user, and Intuit wants me to pay full subscription for each of MY companies?! 

At what point does price elasticity of demand and new entry competition cause this unsustainable cost to backfire?   Does Intuit have a pricing plan for people like me?

@dtlgordon 

Does Intuit have a pricing plan for people like me?

Contact me in private and we can share an option to consider.

I have the same issue. Husband and wife with 4 businesses between us. What is the best option for us. Thanks.

It's nice to see you here in this thread, QuickQ1. Allow me to provide some options in QuickBooks you can utilize as an owner of multiple businesses.

In QuickBooks Online (QBO), you can have multiple companies under a single Intuit account but each company file you create has its own paid subscription, yet you can access them using the same login details. This allows faster switching among companies so that you can manage it more effectively.

That said, you'll need 4 subscriptions to each of your businesses. You can follow these steps if you want to proceed with adding a new QBO company:

1. Go to the QuickBooks Pricing Page and choose a subscription plan for the new company.
2. Locate the Adding a Company to an Existing Account option.
3. Click Sign in and log in using the user ID and password you already have for QuickBooks.

For your reference, please visit this article: Create or add another company file to QuickBooks Online.

Another option if you need to have a single subscription is to explore QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT) Enterprise software. This product will allow you to manage multiple company files for multiple businesses. You can go to this link if you want: https://quickbooks.intuit.com/desktop/

If you have any further questions or need assistance with any other features of QuickBooks, please feel free to reach out to us again here in the Community. I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Have a great day!

Hi. There is supposed to be an offer where each additional business is 30% discount per your own website, but when you try to follow the link to connect with a person the page just hangs...

[Attachment removed from post]

Hello there, QuickQ1.

Let's do some troubleshooting steps on your end before clicking on the QuickBooks link to ensure you determine if the issue is related to your browser.

Let's begin with logging in to your QuickBooks Online account using a private or incognito browser. It'll prevent your browsing history from being saved. You can use the following keyboard shortcuts below based on the type of browser you are using.

• Google Chrome: Ctrl + Shift + N
• Mozilla Firefox: Ctrl + Shift + P
• Microsoft Edge: Ctrl + Shift + P
• Safari: Command + Shift + N

If the private browsing session works properly, you can improve the program's performance by clearing the browser's cache for the best and most secure experience with QuickBooks. You can also switch to other supported and up-to-date browsers.

If you're done doing the troubleshooting steps, click on this link and click on the small round icon on the lower right of the screen to access and have a talk with our Sales team regarding a 30% discount: Plans and Pricing.

Let us know if you have further questions about acquiring a subscription to QuickBooks Online. I'll be here to answer them anytime. Have a good one!

@QuickQ1 

Which link?

Sorry I uploaded the wrong screenshot

Here is the link...

https://intuit.chilipiper.com/router/smb?id=

You submit and then it just says please wait...

Can someone contact me like offered in the above post?

Thanks for coming back to this thread, QuickQ1.

Allow me to guide you to our Sales Team for comprehensive details on our products and any ongoing promotions.

Our Sales Team can provide tailored product recommendations about which ones work best for your business. They can also guide you on the next steps to perform to avail products. 

Here's how you can get in touch with them:

1. Go to our official website.
2. At the lower-right corner, click Talk to sales.
3. You can find a phone number in the window. Alternatively, you can also click the Schedule now button to schedule a free consultation.

I'll leave our pricing page for your reference: Plans for every kind of business.

If you've decided to get QuickBooks Online, here's a guide on setting it up: Getting Started in QuickBooks Online.

Let me know if you need anything else or have further concerns about reaching our support team. I'll be around to help you out.

@QuickQ1 

I noticed the blog was posted in December 2023. Maybe the promotion is over. You can use QB Desktop to manage multiple company files with a single license.

I have the exact same issue.  I manage 4 separate businesses for the same owners.  I've been using quickbooks desktop for all 4 businesses for years!  Do I understand that I will have to now pay for a separate subscription fee for each company?  How risky will it be to just keep using my existng quickbooks desktop version?  I have never had to rely on quickbooks support for anything!  

Managing multiple businesses with QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT) has worked well for you, LJD5, and switching to separate subscriptions for each company is concerning. We’re here to help you explore your options and ensure a smooth transition with minimal disruption.

The separate subscription fees mentioned above are for QuickBooks Online (QBO). If you continue using your QuickBooks Desktop subscription, you won’t incur additional costs for managing multiple companies. You can maintain several companies under a single QuickBooks Desktop subscription without issues.

If you switch to QBO, you can manage multiple companies under the same account. However, each company will require its subscription. You can use the same sign-in information for all your subscriptions, which allows you to switch between companies quickly and manage everything more efficiently.

To add a new company:

1. Go to the QuickBooks pricing page and select the subscription you want. 
2. See a page that asks you to create an Intuit account to buy QuickBooks. Scroll to the bottom and look for the small text that says Adding a company to an existing account. Select Sign in next to this.
3. If signed in to QuickBooks, confirm the account displayed for the new company file and select Continue.
4. When asked, enter the same ID and password you already use for QuickBooks. 
5. Fill out all the information about your new company.

With multiple companies, you can choose which one to open when signing in to QuickBooks Online. To switch between companies, click the Gear icon and select Switch company under Profile.

To learn more about managing multiple companies, check out the following link: Managing your companies.

Additionally, you can visit this page to learn more about the difference between QBO and QBDT: Compare QuickBooks Online to Desktop.

You can always return to our QuickBooks Community forum for other questions about managing multiple companies in QuickBooks. I'll be here to assist you whenever you need me.

@LJD5 

Which QB Desktop year version? You can still use QB Desktop to manage multiple company files.