Can I set up one main account for my own bookkeeping business and then subaccounts for my clients? Or do I need separate accounts for everything?

I'll share details to help with your question about managing businesses and subscriptions in QBO, ladyannette-gmai.

One QBO subscription is designed to record and account transactions for one business. You will need to create separate account for each of the client so you can run their own reports. 

You can also use the same login credentials so you only need to switch between companies. Here's how:

Visit the QuickBooks pricing page and select the subscription option you want for the client. This will route you to any if these two experiences:

• If you're signed in to QuickBooks, you’ll be asked to confirm the account you want to sign in with. If the account displayed is the one you want to use for the new company file, select Yes, that’s correct.
• If you haven’t signed in recently,  you’ll be asked to create an Intuit account. Don't fill this out unless you want to connect your new company file to a new account. Instead, look for the Adding a company to an existing account? section and select the Sign in link. Sign in with the user ID and password you already use for QuickBooks.

Follow the on-screen instructions to create a new company file. Here's an article this for more details: Create or Add Another company file to QuickBooks Online.

Allow me to share s couple more articles that you can use as additional guidance and references: 

• Get Started with QuickBooks Online 
• Update Billing, Payment, and Subscription Info in QuickBooks Online 

Don't hesitate to always visit us again if you need more help when working in QBO. We're always here to help any time of the day.

@ladyannette-gmai 

Where is your company located?

Hi. I am based in Ireland.

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@Fiat Lux - ASIA wrote:

@ladyannette-gmai 

Where is your company located?

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One QBO account is for one company file. You can manage branches/divisions by utilizing the Class/Location feature available in QBO Plus. Otherwise you should open a new account.

https://quickbooks.grsm.io/Ireland

As for a bookkeeping company, you may consider to use QB Desktop instead to manage multi company files. You can still purchase the one time license for QB Desktop 2020 UK version or QB Desktop 2021 US version if required.

Hello there, @ladyannette-gmai. 

Fiat is right, for bookkeeping company you can use QuickBooks  Desktop since it can handle  different types of business.  However, if you need to use VAT, it won't cover International. QBDT is only available for United States, United Kingdom, and Canada.

If  you have multiple companies under separate accounts in QuickBooks Online, here's how to move them all into one account.

Whenever you sign in, QuickBooks asks which company file you want to open. To switch between companies when you're in QuickBooks, select Settings ⚙, then Switch company.

In addition to this, here are a few things you can do to manage all the data in your company files:

• Users you set up for one company aren’t automatically granted access to the other. If you want to give them access, you can invite them.
• Connect a bank or credit card account to the second account.
• You can move your lists (suppliers, customers, inventory, and chart of accounts) to your new company.

Let me know if you need anything else about adding more businesses in QuickBooks. I'll be right here to help you.