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Set up right, connected right

Software and migrations

Short answer

Finbryn sets up, cleans up and migrates the accounting software Canadian businesses run on: QuickBooks Online, Xero and Sage 50, plus the Wagepoint, Dext, Bill.com and A2X integrations that feed them. You keep the file and the login. Our accounting team does the configuration, migration and reconciliation work, contracted through Northlane Solutions Inc..

Migration checklist

Illustrative client · August 2026

CAD

  1. Old file backed up with full historyDone
  2. Chart of accounts mapped line by lineDone
  3. Opening balances agreed to the old fileDone
  4. Bank feeds connected and testedIn progress
  5. First month closed in the new softwareNext

Illustrative. An example of the document, not a client's figures.

Why the software has to be right before GST/HST season

Most bookkeeping problems that show up at T2 time started months earlier as a software problem. A chart of accounts that does not separate GST/HST collected from revenue. A QuickBooks Desktop file that never migrated to Online. A Shopify payout landing as one deposit that hides fees and refunds. None of that gets fixed by working harder inside a broken file. It gets fixed by rebuilding the structure first, before a single transaction for the period gets categorized.

Finbryn's accounting team handles that work under contract with Northlane Solutions Inc.. We set up new files, clean up existing ones, migrate data between platforms, and connect the integrations Canadian businesses actually use, so the books stay ready for the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) rather than scrambled together at deadline time.

What we work in

  • QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop
  • Xero
  • Sage 50 and Sage Intacct for businesses that have outgrown small-business software
  • NetSuite, for multi-entity or multi-currency groups
  • Wagepoint, Dext, Bill.com, A2X and the Stripe or Shopify payment stack, connected so their data reaches the books automatically

You keep the QuickBooks, Xero or Sage file registered in your own name, on your own subscription and tied to your own CRA Business Number. If you ever move on, you leave with your data and your login intact, not a file that belongs to us.

How a migration actually runs in a Canadian file

Every migration starts with a working session to confirm the opening balance date, then a parallel import so nothing records twice. History gets tied out to bank and credit card statements, GST/HST accounts get mapped separately from sales so collected tax is never buried inside revenue, and any multi-currency exposure from US or European customers gets set up correctly from day one. Once the new file is live, a named pod stays on the account, and any change to how something is coded comes with a short written handover memo, not a silent edit.

What this is not

This is software configuration and reconciliation support, not a T2, T1 or GST/HST filing service. Filed returns are prepared by our team and filed by a credentialed signer or your appointed adviser; that work sits on our tax preparation support pages, separate from the software setup covered here.

All services

Software and migrations: every service

Questions

Frequently asked questions: Software and migrations

Does moving to QuickBooks Online or Xero change how we handle GST/HST?

It should make it clearer. We map GST/HST collected and paid into its own accounts during setup so the amount owing to the CRA is visible on its own line, not blended into revenue or expenses.

Do you support Sage 50, or only QuickBooks and Xero?

Yes. Sage 50 is common among established Canadian businesses and we set up, clean up and reconcile Sage 50 files alongside QuickBooks Online, Xero, Sage Intacct and NetSuite.

Who actually owns the accounting file once you set it up?

You do. The subscription, the login and the CRA Business Number attached to it stay in your name throughout and after the engagement.

Can you migrate a Canadian file that mixes CAD and USD transactions?

Yes. Multi-currency setup is part of most migrations for Canadian businesses that bill or buy in US dollars, including base currency selection and reconciling revaluation gains and losses.

What exactly is included in a software migration?

Chart of accounts is rebuilt to match how you report, historical transactions are imported and matched to statements, and open invoices and bills carry forward accurately. Classes, locations or tags get configured for the reports you actually read, and a short handover memo covers what changed.

What is not covered during a migration?

We do not choose which accounting platform you use, that decision stays with you, and we do not migrate data we cannot access or that the source system will not export cleanly. Any third-party licensing cost for the new platform is separate from the migration itself.

How long does a typical migration take?

A single-entity migration between two common platforms, such as QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online, typically runs one to three weeks depending on transaction history and how clean the source file is. A multi-entity or NetSuite migration runs longer and is scoped individually.

How is a migration priced?

Migrations are scoped as a fixed project based on transaction volume, entity count and how much cleanup the source file needs, agreed before work starts. Ongoing monthly bookkeeping in the new platform is priced separately, under the terms set out in your engagement letter.

Next step

Talk to the team that would run your books

A short call covers your setup, your software and what a first month would look like. You get a written scope and price after it.