Xero migration is an exciting endeavour that brings in much more collaboration and transparency into the business. However, it may have a few pitfalls, and you must prepare for them. 

Planning Xero Migration

Planning is important to move your accounts to Xero. It requires adequate preparation to make sure that the program works efficiently and the resources, as well as time conversion, is perfect. 

Before beginning, it is crucial to speak to the client, or the business, and discuss their expectations from the new accounting system. This is an important step to understand the operations of Xero. It would allow the team to plan their needs, set up essentials, and apps they could choose. 

Lastly, the deadline should be clear in order to make sure it is achievable and there is no delay. 

Having said that, there’s another important step often overlooked when planning Xero migration.  Having the right team of staff to undertake the migration tasks is vital for the process. They should be well trained and knowledgeable enough to carry out processes in sets for seamless conversion. 

Pre-Xero Migration Checklist

• If you are planning to convert from an accounting program to Xero, take time and clean up all pending accounts, credit notes, and payments allocated for your customers and suppliers
• When you are converting from another accounting program, make sure that all previous reports and related information are downloaded in an Excel sheet.
• Take a print of the Trial Balance and compare to Xero as soon as the conversion happens. This step is to ensure that the conversion process is accurate and matching the previous software, you were using. 
• Export or print the complete list of creditors and debtors to compare in Xero after conversion.
• Export and print detailed nominal ledger and general ledger activities to cross-check if it needs to be converted to Xero and for historical purposes as well. 
• If you do not want to use any automated conversion company for Xero migration, make sure the accountant gives you a set of opening balances and conversions to enter into Xero in your conversion balance section. It is also necessary to ascertain that you are provided with the complete breakdown of creditors and debtors. 

Moving to Xero

When you want to move to Xero, there are multiple factors to consider. It all begins with planning the process of migration through customizing Xero and training the team. It is important to ensure that the set up is ready for the business to start using the platform confidently. 

Firstly, you have to decide the time to migrate to Xero. Make sure it is sometime around the end of the fiscal year. 

Next, you have to ascertain the information you want to transfer from an old system to Xero. This would boil down to factors such as what the company wants, how they want to monitor the results if they want to compare to previous results and other related factors. All such factors should be taken into account. 

If previous results were required, then it would be necessary to transfer all historic data into the new Xero process. In such cases, using a software program for transfer would be effective to streamline the process. 

Once historic data is converted, it may be used to prepare KPI reports as well as analyze trends that are automated through apps like Spotlight or Futrli. 

However, in case if historic data is not required, the process of conversion becomes simpler and straightforward. Simply monitoring the conversion trail balance to Xero is enough. Nevertheless, in all cases, make sure to clean up data before transferring so that it is error-free and up-to-date. 

Select a Process to Manage Business using Xero

• Select a business process to begin with Xero.  How do you want to post the bills and push them into Xero? Do you want to use a traditionally time-consuming process like data entry or an advanced program like Xero Touch or Receipt Bank? Even if you use the advanced techniques, it is important to check and get approval. Nonetheless, it can save time and cost. So, it is highly recommended.
• Review accounts and dashboards you wish to add to the watch list. It could give you to monitor and control the important areas of business. 
• Select the structure of Chart of accounts
• Decide on the tracking structure if needed for your business
• Invite your users, especially those who need to have access to Xero – bookkeeper, accountant, partners, and others. Explain what they should access. Allow limited access – standard or read-only. 
• Understand the reporting structure and review it properly. Would you want to prepare a budget? Would you like to make it a monthly habit?
• Customize all reporting templates instead of using general P&L report layout to customize how to see the reports.
• Set up all supplier invoices, including recurring in repeated invoices section. Do it for sales invoices with fixed fees that you can prepare and repeat, thus saving time on your monthly invoicing. 

Customizing Xero to Business/Client

Clients expect tailored solutions. When you are about to deliver Xero, make sure it is customized as per the client’s requirement and ready to use. Undertake the following steps to set up Xero:

• Enter Fiscal Year End: Go to the Financial Settings and enter the fiscal or business year-end. This ensures that reports run according to the date figures correctly and would know when the year needs and a new year begins. 
• Update Settings: Update all the necessary scheme settings with Xero under the Financial Setting section. 
• Up-to-date Taxation: Before conversion, make sure your client has cleared all taxes and records are up-to-date. 
• Format Chart of Accounts: While setting up, it is important to customize the chart of accounts according to the client’s specifications. This is supposed to be done before entering the opening balance. It is possible that the client would like to use Xero standard chart of accounts instead of other formats. In that case, you can add new accounts to the existing chart of accounts later. 
• Import Contacts: If you enter the entire contact list from the previous accounting software, the client would be happy. Importing all contact details, including suppliers and vendors, would mean that Xero is ready to roll. The fastest way of adding this information is by using Xero’s template available for download. 
• Invoice Settings Customization: Clients usually need help to ensure their invoice settings are correct. Discuss the issue with your client before starting the set up so that you know what type of information is required on the invoice and request them to send the same along with their business details, logo, and payment terms. You may also request details of quotes, remittances and purchase orders together with sales invoice to set up.
• Prepare Bank Feeds: Bank feeds are essential, as these are easy to upload and reduce work time.  Using bank feeds to ensure that all banking transactions directly uploaded into Xero. It also allows users to monitor the business cash position using updated information.

Xero provides two different types of bank feeds to clients – Direct and Indirect. While Direct Feeds require users to enter into an agreement with Xero, Indirect Feeds do not require agreements. 

Bank feeds are crucial to import bank transaction details into Xero. Nonetheless, a direct feed is often more reliable as it extracts information from the existing bank to Xero directly, thus reducing risks of errors.  

Before clients consider Xero migration, it is your role to explain the benefits of direct and indirect bank feeds. Understand their requirements and expectations and deliver customized services. 

• Know the Users: Always request the client to provide user details with names, email addresses, and contact numbers. If your client wants to give access to Xero to its users, details must be fed during conversion. When you have the information, you can feed it into the Xero framework and set up. Do not hesitate to leave some names for the client because they should also know how to add new users any time. 

Undoubtedly, moving your client to Xero requires some planning. If you follow the aforementioned steps, you would be able to successfully ensure that the Xero set up meets the needs of your clients and they can use it immediately. 

Final Word

For a seamless conversion, make sure you use a Xero certified advisor. The cost of installing and bringing the historical data correctly is very meager as compared to its use in the long term. You must use an experienced accountant or conversion specialist to assist in the transition process and make it as smooth as possible.

MMC Convert specializes in Xero migration. The company believes in training clients to use Xero, discuss the business with them, analyze trends, and provide solutions. This allows them to train the client team to understand the new Xero infrastructure better and eases use. 

Get Xero ready with MMC Convert. 

Xerox to QuickBooks conversion is just another task you may not be able to do-it-yourself. Considering that there are multiple ways of exporting data, you have to focus on your solution. 

If you want to convert accounting data, be more vigilant and careful because even a single mistake can be harmful. There are many solutions as well as service providers out there, but you must choose the right conversion solution to migrate from Xero to QuickBooks. 

For complete solution and services, you must hire an accounting firm offering online solutions. So many such firms exist, though not all are efficient in their job. So, look around. 

The Conversion Process

It is not easy! 

Migrating from an existing accounting system to another is a complicated process. It requires proficiency, accuracy, speed, and thorough knowledge to guide businesses. Even the most experienced team may not know the data migration process inside out. Therefore, when the conversion is done, it is critical to focus on accuracy and quick turnaround time. 

Xero to QuickBooks migration process is a full service including conversion of lists as well as transactional data from one accounting system to another. You may wish to convert data to QuickBooks Pro, QuickBooks Premier, Mac, Enterprise, Accountant, or QuickBooks Online (QBO). 

For this process, administrator access is required to the Xero account. Nothing you need to do if you hire an experienced service provider. 

Once the process is done, you receive a report from the team. The process is seamless and it includes setting up QuickBooks, data importing, and conversion audit. 

First Things First

When converting business files, the first concern is whether to include transactions history or not. If yes, how far would you like to go?

Obviously, it is convenient to have a history of all transactions in a file rather than searching archived records, past scanned reports or paper records. Nonetheless, including transactional history also increases effort and cost to achieve conversion. 

Before converting all financial data, make a copy of the income statement reports and balance sheet for all dates you want, using accrual and cash methods. Also, include detailed accounts of payables and receivables reports. These reports would be used further to verify conversion post-completion.

In addition, it would be wise to lock Xero files for the dates prior to the date of conversion so that no one could change data after the migration begins. 

Step-by-Step Xero to QuickBooks Conversion

Step#1: Xero Account Chart Conversion

The first step, to begin with, is to set up the Chart of Accounts (COA) in QBO to match it with Xero. While some may find it convenient to create QBO accounts and match that in Xero, there are other easier ways to do it. 

Start by exporting COA from Xero. Go to Settings > Chart of Accounts > Export. 

You can download the CVS file, open it with Excel or other spreadsheet program, and edit it. Note that the first three columns in the file corresponding to the first three columns required importing to QBO, which makes it convenient. 

Xero accounts have three-digit numbers with no subaccounts. However, the common way of grouping accounts under a category or heading account is by adding digits after hyphen – 510-01, 510-02 and so on. 

QBO allows four columns of information to be imported:

• Account number
• Account name
• Account type
• Detail type

Step#2: Import Customer and Vendor Details into QBO

Next, you have to import customers and vendor details. This is a herculean task, as Xero does not acknowledge the difference between customers and vendors. Details are grouped together in the form of contacts, which include both customers and vendors. 

It is best to export them together and separate them into customers and vendors separately. As such, they would appear on both the lists for importing, but the name must be altered in the second imported list to prevent failure. 

There is more information in an exported Xero file than it can be imported into QBO. Here’s an example – Xero file includes both postal as well as shipping addresses, but QBO only allows you to import one address. So, you would have to alter the address or its format by combining the address lines into a single line and bringing the first and last name into a single field. 

To begin, download the format to import to QBO. To do that, choose “Import Data” option from Gear Icon > Tools and choose the type of data import you wish to do. Under this field, you can enter the name of the file to import and click on the link and download the sample file. 

Step#3: Import Products & Services into QBO

In the next step, you must import products and services. 

To do this, regardless of inventory tracking, check the items listed on the Xero inventory page. As with QBO, items may be used in different types of transactions such as bills and invoices. Such items must be placed appropriately before the import process begins. 

Like vendors and customers, Xero export file needs some manipulation in order to match the import format to fit QBO.

In case of inventory tracking, expect a long import list and lots of paperwork. For items inventory in stock, ensure both buying cost and quantity are correct. This is a crucial step to establish QBO inventory value, although multiple journal entries may be needed to counterbalance the opening balance entries. 

In addition, make sure you have selected the “Buy” and “Sell” checkboxes for each item as well as “Track” checkbox for inventory items. 

Step#4: Import Bill Transactions and Invoices 

It is time to transfer transactions to QuickBooks. You can import up to 500 bills or invoices at a time. However, if there are more files, split them by date and organize. You cannot import these transactions into QBO directly; it requires a third-party program. 

Choose a powerful importer for transactions for seamless integration. 

Step#5: Import all Payroll Transactions

If your files include payroll transactions, you have to handle them. However, a lot of this depends on the service provider. 

Many providers prefer a simple way of importing them in the form of bills of each employee. This would allow you to allocate all liability accounts and expenses properly. Once you have successfully imported bank transactions, they can be paid off. 

Step#6: Import all Bank Transactions

Finally, it is time to import all bank transactions. However, this step is difficult because it involves complicated programs like accounting. 

You can export general ledger transactions, but a lot of manipulation is required to format them. So, you have to find an easier way to get there. 

QBO Bank Feed function is extremely helpful in this matter. It works well with Xero and other accounting platforms too. You can classify over hundreds of transactions simultaneously, and match up invoice payments and bills.

If there are a large number of files and data, break up into 1000 transactions or less, which is the limit of importing files to bank feeds. From that point, you can classify them and accept them into the register. 

Step#7: Verification

Once all the steps are done, it is time to complete the file. Before verification, go to Chart of Accounts and edit all accounts grouped together with hyphens and digits. 

There are two ways to verify. You can use either or both, 

Firstly, settle your bank accounts. You can reconcile in one big account or in smaller pieces. The best way is to do it year-by-year. However, if you face any problems, break them into months. If the Xero file is maintained properly, this should not be a problem.

Once you have settles the bank accounts, compare the profit-loss reports and balance sheet for all the sates using cash and accrual methods in the QBO with the data saved from an earlier Xero file. In addition, verify the detailed AP and AR reports to check if it is matching or not. Assuming that all is well, the conversion process is complete. 

What cannot be converted from Xero to QuickBooks?

Some of the things that may not be converted include:

• Bill line item details
• Budget
• Location
• Custom templates
• Bank settlements
• Previously memorized transactions
• Payroll summary data
• Non-posting transactions like estimates, purchase orders, and sales orders
• Multi-currency data
• Vendor and customer credits

Conclusion

There may be many unpredictable situations, which have not been covered in this post. As Xero has countless features like tracking – an additional level of classification similar to QBO class tracking – it may not be possible to explain it all. Of course, QuickBooks has many settings that need to be configured just like in case of any new file for a company. Customize new forms, third-party apps connected, and bank feeds connections. Users should have a set up to access the files. 

Converting from Xero to QuickBooks has several benefits. Not only is it an innovative feature but it also ensures that your work function improves. MMC Convert is your best bet to migrate from Xero to the latest QuickBooks seamlessly and securely. Call us today. 

Do you have a business that keeps you on the go? Do you need to visit clients’ offices frequently and feel the need for generating bills in real-time? If yes, your business’s accounting activities need QuickBooks Online (QBO) – a cloud accounting software which continues to leave behind its traditional counterpart called QuickBooks Desktop or just QuickBooks.

However, it is not an adequate introduction to QBO and you must know what makes it truly awesome:

• Access accounting data and perform accounting activities using just an internet connection and any of the devices from computers, laptops, tablets, and mobiles. It also promises the accessibility on a round-the-clock basis for all 365 days of a year.
• Always use an up-to-date version of QBO as you don’t have to upgrade to the latest versions and releases as is the case with QB Desktop.
• Automatically backup your accounting data stored on secure QBO servers and do away with different possibilities of security threats.
• Enjoy instant technical support available free of cost and round the clock and save the cost of hiring in-house technical experts.

QBO’s advantages don’t stop here. Have a look at the features that it offers and those you miss while using QuickBooks Desktop:

• Automatic scheduling and execution of transactions
• Audit log which allows real-time reviewing and tracking of changes
• Multiple location labels 
• Automatic bank transaction downloading
• Automatic updating of latest rules from your bank
• Setting-up of multiple budgets for each financial year
• Some great third-party applications to take accounting to the next level

In short, the decision to migrate to Quick Books Online is absolutely rewarding and should be implemented without giving any second thought. Now, your focus should be on how to do it with ease so that your accounting activities don’t suffer a long disruption. Here’s a guide with useful tips and assistance in this direction.

How to Get Started?

Before you begin with the actual process of migration, you have to make some preparations and evaluate certain things that would ensure a smooth migration from QB Desktop to QBO. Here are the most important of them:

• Update the Accounting Data in QB Desktop: In other words, you must do the data additions and cleaning so that it looks good after getting converted to QBO. For example. Make sure that you update the names and other information of your customers if it has changed over time. 
• Backup the Data: Creating a backup of your files and data in QB Desktop before these are converted to QBO is useful in many ways. For instance, you will have the original file saved in case the migration process fails or the data in QBO appears as inaccurate or incomplete. Also, it will let you tally the data to ensure that there have been no data compromises. To create a backup, follow the route File > Backup > Company > Create a local backup after opening the targeted Desktop file. 
• Select the Right Conversion time: Though you can perform migration to QBO any time, it is better to do it either at the end of the month or at the end of the year. This will ensure that no tasks remain pending and your QBO files would be good to get instantly started with. 
• Update QuickBooks Desktop Version: The migration is possible only if you use QuickBooks version 2011 or higher. If you are still using an older version, first update it before starting the process. 
• Know the Limitations: The process of migrating from QB Desktop to QBO won’t work if:

• The number of targets in the Desktop file exceeds the value of 350,000. To check the total number of targets, simply open the file in QB Desktop and press F2. 
• You turn on the multi-currency mode.
• Assemblies have been built in inventory in Desktop file.
• Units of measure are used in inventory.

Create a QuickBooks Online Account

The next stage of migration from QBD to QBO is creating a QuickBooks Online account (in other words, subscribing to QBO). For this, visit the official website of Intuit Inc. and choose the version of QBO you wish to convert to. You will be required to provide important details like name, email id and mobile number and choose a password. 

It is important to remember that once you subscribe to QBO, you will have a maximum of 60 days to migrate your QuickBooks Desktop files to QBO. If you fail to do so, the subscription would expire and you will have to subscribe again using a new email id. An expert service provider can help you convert the files within 180 days of the date of subscription. 

Data that Does and Doesn’t Convert

Another thing to know about migration to QBO is that not all data and file types are converted from Desktop to Online. Here’s a quick overview of how different data and files would behave during conversion:

• Chart of Accounts: QBO has an additional column called ‘Detail Type’ in its Chart of Account template. During conversion, a generic detail type might be assigned to different entries that can be edited afterward. Please note that the process doesn’t convert bank account numbers and notes.
• Audit Trail: QB Desktop‘s Audit Trail is not converted to QBO. However, QBO has its own way of maintaining the audit trail of each transaction. It is called Auto Log which is automatically updated.
• Credit Card Charges: These are converted to Expenses.
• Estimates: The active estimates are converted and marked as ‘Closed’. The inactive ones are converted too but are marked as ‘Rejected’.
• Finance Charges: QBD’s existing finance charges are converted to QBO.
• Inventory: It is important to note that Inventory in QBO is tracked using FIFO method only and it is available only in QBO Plus.
• Journal Entries: These are converted but with the only exception of their billable status.
• Suppliers (or Vendors): The information including contact, alternate contact, supplier type, credit limit, etc. is not converted.

The list above is not complete and you must refer to the Intuit community to get more information in this regard.

Understanding the Process

The process to migrate to Quick Books Online from QuickBooks Desktop can be completed in the following steps:

• Log in to your QuickBooks Desktop account
• Follow Company > Export Company File to QuickBooks Online
• Log in to your QBO account
• Decide whether you wish to import inventory or not. Remember that if you decide to import it, it would be tracked using FIFO method only. Select Yes or No.
• Select the QuickBooks Online Company File you want to replace.
• A notification stating the start of conversion process would appear.
• After the migration completes, you will see another notification confirming the same.
• Finally, an email is sent to your email id. You will be asked to complete your setup in QBO. Review the data and start working.

Some Important Things to Know

Import Summary Report: It is a report attached to the email you would receive after the conversion is done. It is a useful piece of information containing company details regarding both QB Desktop and QBO files. It can be used to recognize and address any issue that might arise during the migration process.

Using QBD and QBO Together: That’s not possible. As the former runs on a local computer and the latter on a cloud, there is no way to connect the two software tools and use them simultaneously.

First Thing Post-migration: The very first thing to do after the migration gets completed is to run the files named Profit and Loss Statement and Balance Sheet in both QuickBooks Desktop and QuickBooks Online. Now, compare the data in both to ensure that the data was migrated successfully without any loss or modification.

Using Expert Services: The migration from QB Desktop to QBO can be complex, depending on the type and size of data and also the level of knowledge and expertise you have. You can hire a migration expert for the task and get the task done without any hassles. Make sure you ask about turnaround time, costs and other important things in advance.

With MMC Convert, you can migrate to QuickBooks Online in the simplest possible manner. We offer a simple process in which you just need to upload your files to our website for conversion. Our team of experts uses the latest and the most popular tools and processes to facilitate accounting data conversion without any loss or alteration. You can ask for the conversion of any number of files or the entire QuickBooks Desktop data to QBO.

Our services are available for conversion from various versions of QB Desktop Pro, Premier, and Enterprise to QB Online. We assure that you start working on the new QBO files within the shortest possible duration. Our data conversion services include QuickBooks to Xero, Xero to QBO, Sage 50 to Xero, MYOB to Xero and many more. 

Sage and QuickBooks are among the oldest competitors in the world of accounting software solutions. The Sage Group plc and Intuit Inc., the companies that developed these accounting platforms, started their journey almost at the same time in the early 1980s. Over all these decades, the two rivals have launched numerous versions of their accounting solutions, starting with desktop-based offline software tools to the cloud-based solutions. It often becomes difficult for businesses to make the right choice. Though, the choice depends absolutely on the individual needs and preferences.

For instance, Sage Start-Up and QuickBooks SimpleStart and QuickBooks Pro are considered equally good for small businesses. However, if a business scales in size and the accounting requirements increase, then it is better to switch to the options like Sage 50 (previously known as Sage Peachtree) and QuickBooks Enterprise. And, to enjoy the ultimate advantages of cloud-based accounting, Sage One (also known as Sage Business Cloud), Sage 50 Cloud and QuickBooks Online (QBO) are the perfect solutions to look for. Still, the bigger question is which one is better among Sage and QuickBooks?

The best way to find an answer to the above question is to compare the features available with various versions of both Sage and QB. For example, QuickBooks Online offers a feature known as 1099 tracking and reporting which is missing in Sage 50 Cloud. When it comes to bookkeeping, QuickBooks is a powerful tool in this regard whereas Sage offers only basic bookkeeping. Also, QuickBooks Online is available with monthly pricing lower than Sage 50 Cloud. QuickBooks Online SimpleStart has a monthly fee of $20 whereas Sage 50 Cloud Pro demands a monthly fee of $44.97. 

After going through these comparisons and reviews, you may decide to convert Sage to QuickBooks. Here’s a guide that would lead you through the conversion process. Please note that the guide uses Sage 50 to QuickBooks conversion as an example.

Converting Sage 50 to QuickBooks

The QuickBooks conversion tool which is free to use helps in easy conversion of files from Sage 50 (Peachtree) to QB. Here are the steps that you need to follow:

Step 1: Start Sage 50 and open the company file to be converted.

Step 2: In the Main menu, you will find the option ‘Maintain’. Follow the path Maintain > Users > Setup Security.

Step 3: Choose the tab named ‘Data Access/Crystal Reports. Select the radio button against ‘With the following login information’. Click ‘Change’ and set a new password. After changing the password, close Sage 50.

Step 4: Next, you must download the QuickBooks Conversion Tool available in the download section of Intuit’s official website.

Step 5: Run the tool as an administrator (by right-clicking the tool’s icon and selecting ‘Run as administrator’. The QuickBooks Desktop Conversion Tool dialogue box opens up. Click Browse and select the Sage 50 file you wish to convert.

Step 6: A small box titled ‘Pervasive 32-bit ODBC Engine DSN Setup’ opens up. Choose the company file name which should be same as the name of the folder which contains the Sage 50 file. Click OK.

Step 7: Enter the password (the one you set in Step 3).

Step 8: You will be asked to select the QuickBooks version you wish to convert to. Select the right option. Then, browse to the company file and click Next.

Step 9: You will see a Ready to Convert window opens up. Start the process by clicking Convert File. The process of conversion begins and it may take a few minutes. Once it is done, you will see a window with ‘Finished!’ message. 

Step 10: Select Open in QuickBooks to view the converted file. 

That’s it! You may check the log file containing information about the failed transactions at C:\Users\YourUserName\MyDocuments\Intuit\QuickBooks Conversion Tool.

Though the process seems to be simple, there may be issues that may arise due to different reasons. 

Before the Conversion Process

There are some important things you need to keep in mind before starting the conversion process. For example:

• Sage 50 should be installed in the same computer in which the QuickBooks software is installed to make the conversion possible.
• The computer’s hard drive should store the QuickBooks Database as well as the associated files of Sage 50.
• The conversion tool used in the process can’t be employed for the cross-region conversions.
• For the conversion tool to run accurately, your computer must meet the following system requirements:

• Windows operating system 7, 8, 8.1 or 10
• Processor with a minimum configuration of Intel Pentium II 500 MHz
• A minimum RAM of 512 MB
• 2.5 GB of free space
• MS .NET Framework version 2.0 or higher

• The conversion tool would convert files of Sage 50 2013 version or above
• The files can be converted to QuickBooks Desktop Pro, Premier or Enterprise of 2015 version or above

What Is Converted and What Not?

It is also important to know in advance whether the conversion tool converts all files and data from Sage to QuickBooks or not. The fact is that the following files are converted:

• Accounts
• Account balances
• Customers
• Customer transactions
• Employees 
• Items
• Payroll general ledger account balance information 
• Vendors
• Vendor transactions 

The files and data which can’t be converted include:

• Employee Year-to-Date information
• Fixed assets 
• Employee wage/deduction information
• Sales/purchase orders and estimates
• Paychecks
• Payroll items (converted as journal entries) etc.

Converting from Sage to QuickBooks Online

At present, there is no way to convert Sage to QuickBooks Online directly. What you need to do is convert the Sage files to QuickBooks Desktop following the steps mentioned in the previous section and then import the QuickBooks Desktop files to QBO. Here’s a step-by-step guide to import from QuickBooks Desktop to QBO:

Step 1: Log in to QuickBooks Desktop as admin and open the company file you need to export to QBO.

Step 2: For Desktop Pro or Premier, you must follow the route Company > Export Company File to QuickBooks Online. For Desktop Enterprise, you must press Ctrl+1 followed by Ctrl+B+Q. 

Step 3: Click Start your Export.

Step 4: Log in to QuickBooks Online as an admin.

Step 5: Select Yes or No depending on whether you wish to import track inventory.

Step 6: Select the drop-down menu called Choose online company. From the list, select the company you wish to be replaced by the new file.

Step7: Click Continue. A text field appears in which you need to enter ‘Agree’. Then, click Replace.

Step 8: Finally, select Yes, go ahead and replace the data and click Replace.

This will import the files to QBO.

Hire an Expert for Conversion

There are many reasons that you need an expert to convert Sage to QuickBooks. For example:

• You may find it difficult to solve the issues and deal with errors that may surface during the conversion process.
• It may take a huge amount of time if you try to do it yourself and still, a number of files may fail to convert.
• There are chances of data loss during the conversion process even if you commit a small mistake.
• Also, a professional can help you many more files like those mentioned below:

• Chart of accounts
• Aged receivable and payables
• Supplier details
• Bank transactions and more

Here are some tips to choose the best Sage to QB conversion services:

• Ask the service provider whether they would convert the historical transactions or not. It is important that as many as possible of these transactions should be converted so that you don’t have to refer back to the archives.
• Which products and versions of Sage do they convert? You must select a team which has experience in converting from the Sage product you currently use.
• Does the service provider offer a conversion guarantee? Also, check their success rate – did they ever fail to convert the files?
• How much time would they take to convert the files? 
• Do they offer post-conversion support or not?
• Finally, check the quote they offer and compare it with what others offer.

With MMC Convert, you get services for conversion and migration of accounting data not only from Sage 50 to QuickBooks Online but also from Sage One to Xero and Sage 50 to Xero and so on. A number of years of experience and exposure have helped us offer hundreds of conversions to our happy and satisfactory clients that consist of small businesses as well as medium and large enterprises. Our strength lies in offering customized services at the most competitive prices and with the assurance of accurate data conversion without any data loss.

You can also trust us for accounting data conversion in many other categories like Clear Books to Xero, Xero to QBO, TAS to Xero, Excel to QBO, Bright Pearls to Clear Books and more. We are proud to complete the conversions in 3-5 business days.  

Whether to convert to QuickBooks Online (QBO) from QuickBooks Desktop is an individual decision and should be purely based on one’s business requirements. For example, many service-based businesses that don’t need to track product inventories often choose QBO over its desktop counterpart. Also, there are users who find many Desktop features like job costing and progress invoicing as unnecessary and thus prefer to switch to QBO. It has been reported that the number of users switching from Desktop to Online is increasing at a fast rate. Similar reports also suggest that nearly 80% of the new users subscribing to QuickBooks prefer the accounting software’s online version.

The most common reason for this is that QBO is a cloud-based solution which allows businesses to access their accounting data and operations anytime and from any place and using devices ranging from desktops and laptops to tablets and smartphones. Moreover, a business using QBO can also share the access to the software with its accountant which is not possible in the single-user mode available with the Desktop version. Going further, QuickBooks Online is automatically upgraded online and no additional cost is demanded from the users. 

If you have finalized the decision to move from QB Desktop to QB Online, you must be looking for answers to the questions like how much time does the conversion process take? A short answer to this question is that the process may take a few minutes to a number of hours, depending on a number of factors and the level of your knowledge and experience in supervising the process. The following discussion provides more useful information in this regard.

Common Deciding Factors

If you search through QuickBooks forums and online communities, you would find people mentioning that it takes only 15-30 minutes to convert files from QuickBooks Desktop to Online. Then, there will be users mentioning the time taken to be up to 24 hours. According to them, the conversion time depends on the basic factors like:

• Size of the files to be converted
• Speed of the internet 
• Speed of the computer you are using for the conversion

However, there’s much more to it and you should pay attention to many other factors that you are about to learn.

Are You Converting from QuickBooks Desktop’s Latest Release?

Though many QuickBooks users won’t agree to it, keeping the QuickBooks Desktop up-to-date during the conversion process can avoid a lot of issues and ensure fast conversion as well. In order to check whether you are using the latest release of Desktop or not, you can open QuickBooks Desktop and press F2. A Product Information window will open where you can find information about the current version and release.

You can keep the Desktop version automatically updated or update it manually at least once a month. Here are small guides to do it:

Automatically:

1. QuickBooks Help > Update QuickBooks
2. Go to Update Now 
3. Select Get Updates

The option will allow QuickBooks to prompt you about a new release.

You may also turn on the automatic updates in the future through the following steps:

1. QuickBooks Help > Update QuickBooks
2. Go to Options and select Yes against Automatic Updates and click Close

Manually:

1. Right-click QB Desktop icon and select ‘Run as Administrator’
2. Go to Help and select Update QuickBooks
3. Click Options > Mark All > Save
4. Go to Update Now and mark Reset Update 
5. Select Get Updates
6. When you see ‘Update Completes’, close the window
7. Reopen QB Desktop and select yes when asked to install the update
8. Restart the computer after installation completes.

Are You Converting a File Which Is Too Big?

If yes, you will get an error message and it will add to the time taken for conversion to QBO from QB Desktop. To avoid this, it is important that you check the size of the file before starting the conversion process. For a successful conversion, the QB Desktop file must have targets less than 350,000. To check the number of targets:

1. Open the QuickBooks Desktop File
2. Press F2 to open Product Information
3. You will find Total Targets mentioned in the window

If it is more than 350,000, you will be first required to condense the file. Here are the steps you need to follow for this:

1. Open the file and click the ‘File’ menu
2. Choose Utilities and then Condense Data
3. Select Yes when asked Do you want to continue?
4. Choose Transactions before a specific date
5. Choose a date from the Date field and click Next
6. Choose a method for transaction summary and click Next
7. Choose Begin Condense 

The file would be condensed. Please note that the steps may differ depending on which version of Desktop are you using.

Do You Know the Steps of Conversion?

You can reduce the time of conversion from QuickBooks Desktop to QBO if you know the exact steps that must be followed for the process. You must know that there might be a slight change in the steps if you are using QB Desktop Enterprise and not Desktop Pro or Premier. Here is a small guide to the step-by-step conversion process:

1. For the file you wish to convert, you must log in as admin 
2. If you are using Desktop Pro or Premier, you must:

• Go to Company  > Select Export Company File to QuickBooks Online

If you are using Desktop Enterprise, you must:

• Press Ctrl + 1 and then press Ctrl + B + Q

1. Choose Start Your Export
2. Log in to QBO as admin
3. In case you track inventory in QB Desktop, you will be required to select Yes or No depending on whether you wish to import it or want to add it fresh later.
4. Click Choose company online drop-down menu and select QuickBooks Online company which you want to replace with the file being imported 
5. Click Continue
6. Enter ‘Agree’ and click Replace
7. Choose ‘Yes, go ahead and replace the data’ and click Replace

Do You Know What Can Be Converted and What Not?

Another important thing you must know in advance about conversion from QuickBooks Desktop to Online is that there are limitations on files and data that can be converted. If you waste time in trying to convert files that can’t be converted, it would certainly add to the overall conversion time. Here are the details about some of the important files and how do they behave during conversion:

1. Audit Trail: It can’t be converted from QB Desktop to QBO. Rather, QBO has own and better Audit Log you can start using after conversion.
2. Chart of Accounts: Bank account number and notes are not converted. QBO has an additional field called ‘Detail Type’ which is automatically assigned during conversion and may require editing later.
3. Attachments: These are not converted during the process.
4. Credit Card Changes:  These are converted into Expenses in QBO.
5. Purchase Orders: Only available in QBO Plus and Advanced.
6. Reconciliation Reports: Not converted. You can save them in Desktop for later access and continue reconciling in QBO from where they were left off.

Likewise, you need to learn which files and data are possible to be converted and spend time on them only. 

Are You Using QB Desktop Enterprise?

If yes, the conversion process may be complex and even more time-consuming. Also, if you are using the Advanced Features of Enterprise, more of your data may fail to convert. It is recommended that you choose cloud-based QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise rather than converting to QuickBooks Online. 

Look for Experts

If you are inexperienced and consider it laborious to convert to QuickBooks Online, it is better to choose an expert in the field. These experts have many years of experience in carrying out these conversions and also in dealing with the possible issues and errors that may surface during the process. As a result, they can reduce the time of conversion dramatically and help you resume your accounting operations immediately.

MMC Convert has been successfully carrying out conversions from QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online for the past many years. Our team of experts provides our clients with an idea in advance about what data would be converted and what not. In this way, we follow an honest and transparent approach to help businesses with accounting data conversion. We also ensure that the conversion is complete in the shortest possible time so that our client’s businesses are able to resume their accounting activities at the soonest.

We also offer professional accounting data conversion services to convert from other popular accounting platforms like Xero, TAS Books, MYOB and more to QuickBooks Online. If you wish to convert from Clearbooks to Xero, SAASU to Xero, Reckon to Xero or between any other accounting platforms, we can help you in that as well. Feel free to contact us for any query or ask a quote right now. 

MMC Convert is an online accounting software converter that converts all your data from any software to any other in a hassle-free manner and for multi-currency accounts. Recently we took a leap ahead and partnered exclusively with Billy and ClearBooks as well.

We will be offering our exclusive data conversion services to Billy accounting format from all the software that Billy supports for conversion (such as Quickbooks, Xero, Wave, Freshbooks, Tally and Zoho). Moving to Billy offers numerous benefits over other software, some of which are as follows:

• More features in comparison to several other accounting software
• Support for an unlimited number of clients in its every package unlike other software whereas a user you must upgrade as soon as your client base increases
• Optional Feature Pricing which enables you to pay only for the features you need.

We provide support at each and every step of migration from any software to Billy.

Our exclusive partnership with ClearBooks involves the conversion of accounting data from various popular accounting software like Kashflow, Quickbooks, Quickbooks Online, FreeAgent, Xero, Zoho, Twinfields, Solar Accounts, MYOB and Bright Pearl. Some of the benefits of using ClearBooks are

• Customized invoicing options and notifications for delayed payments
• Purchases and expenses that enable proper enlisting and categorization of cash inflow and outflow
• Financial reports including data of all transactions, balances, dues, etc.
• MTD submissions to ensure compliance with UK’s new digital taxing scheme which will come into practice by April 2019

It is critical for your business to move to a tax complaint software for utmost efficiency and data security. We understand that hiring a good accountant can be a huge investment and may put your data at risk of getting into the wrong hands. However, our accounting experts ensure utmost confidentiality and follow top data security standards to keep your data secure!

Hire MMC Convert for the best advice on accounting data conversions and software.