Special situations
Switching from Bench
Bench began as a Vancouver company before its December 2024 shutdown and later reopening under new ownership. Finbryn helps Canadian businesses affected by that move their exported Bench data into a QuickBooks Online, Xero or Sage 50 file they control, then picks up monthly bookkeeping without losing the reporting history.
Bank reconciliation summary
Illustrative client · August 2026
CAD
| Account | Difference | Status | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating account··4821 | 184,220.16 | 184,220.16 | 0.00 | Reconciled |
| Reserve account··0937 | 60,000.00 | 60,000.00 | 0.00 | Reconciled |
| Company card··1006 | (12,418.52) | (12,418.52) | 0.00 | Reconciled |
| Card processor clearing | 8,905.40 | 8,905.40 | 0.00 | Reconciled |
| Payroll clearing | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | Reconciled |
Last weekly runFri, Aug 28, every account agreed to its statement.
Two open itemsTwo card receipts requested from you, marked on the card account until they arrive.
Illustrative. An example of the document, not a client's figures.
A Canadian-founded platform, an abrupt shutdown
Bench started in Vancouver and built a following among Canadian small businesses before it abruptly stopped operating in December 2024, giving customers a matter of weeks to find somewhere else for their books. It later resumed service under new ownership, but for many Canadian businesses that gap was reason enough to move the file somewhere they control outright.
Rebuilding from an export, not from zero
Finbryn works from whatever data export a business was able to pull out of Bench before or during the shutdown, along with prior profit and loss and balance sheet reports, to rebuild the file in QuickBooks Online, Xero or Sage 50. The chart of accounts is rebuilt to match how Bench had it categorized, so historical comparisons still hold together, and any weeks around the shutdown itself get a dedicated gap check rather than being quietly skipped.
GST/HST continuity through the switch
A gap in bookkeeping around a shutdown is also a gap risk for GST/HST filing frequency and small supplier tracking. We check where the business sat against the C$30,000 threshold before, during and after the transition, so a registration obligation that fell inside the gap does not surface later as a surprise.
What happens after the move
Once the migration is complete, monthly bookkeeping continues on your existing close schedule, inside a QuickBooks Online, Xero or Sage 50 subscription held in your own name from day one. A named pod takes over the file, with a recorded handover memo the day anyone on it changes, so a second provider shutdown never means starting over again.
Why the timing matters for a T2
A business mid-migration close to its corporate year-end cannot afford a month of unreconciled transactions sitting in the gap between platforms. Finbryn sequences the Bench migration around your actual T2 filing date, six months after year-end, so the reconciled numbers a preparer needs are ready on time rather than reconstructed under pressure once the deadline is already close.
Questions
Frequently asked questions: Switching from Bench
Is our old Bench data still usable after the shutdown?
Usually yes. We rebuild from your exported Bench data and prior reports rather than starting your history from nothing.
Do we need new accounting software to switch?
You need a QuickBooks Online, Xero or Sage 50 subscription in your own name. We set one up or work inside one you already hold.
Can you check the weeks around the shutdown for gaps?
Yes, that gap check, including where it touches GST/HST registration, is a standard part of this engagement.
What exactly is included in switching from Bench?
Exported Bench data reviewed and mapped into QuickBooks Online or Xero, and a chart of accounts rebuilt in the new platform to match how accounts were previously sorted. This work runs inside QuickBooks Online or Xero, whichever your business already has in place, and it rolls into your regular monthly close rather than sitting off to the side as a separate, unreconciled process.
What happens to our switching from Bench records if we switch providers?
Everything stays inside your own QuickBooks Online or Xero account, so the full history transfers with the subscription, not with Finbryn. You can hand switching from Bench to another provider or bring it in-house at any point without losing a reconciliation or having to rebuild the file first.
Is my old Bench data still usable after the shutdown?
Usually, yes. We work from your exported Bench data and prior reports to rebuild the file rather than starting from zero.
Do I need to buy new accounting software?
You need a QuickBooks Online or Xero subscription in your own name; we set it up or work inside one you already hold.
Can you fix a gap in the months around a provider shutdown?
Yes, that gap check is a standard part of this engagement.
What software works with switching from Bench?
Switching from Bench runs inside QuickBooks Online or Xero, whichever you already use. If you are not yet set up in either, we can configure a file in your name so you keep ownership of it once the engagement is under way.
Related services
- BookkeepingCatch-up and cleanup bookkeepingMonths or years of books brought up to date and reconciled, with a written record of every adjustment, so monthly bookkeeping can start from a clean base.
- Special situationsMulti-year catch-upBringing several years of unreconciled or missing books current in one structured engagement, scoped and timed before the work starts.
Industries
- Ecommerce (Amazon and Shopify)Bookkeeping for online sellers on Amazon, Shopify, Etsy and their own storefronts, built around clean payout and sales tax data.
- Startups and VC-backed companiesBookkeeping and reporting for early-stage, venture-backed companies watching burn, runway and investor reporting closely.
- Professional servicesBookkeeping for professional service firms such as engineering, architecture and IT consulting billing clients by project or retainer.
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.