Software and migrations
QuickBooks setup, cleanup and migration
Finbryn builds a new QuickBooks Online file for an EU business or cleans up and reconciles an existing one, then migrates history from spreadsheets, Sage or another platform without losing it. The chart of accounts is structured to separate VAT correctly across the member states you trade in, and a written handover memo covers exactly what changed.
Migration checklist
Illustrative client · August 2026
EUR
- Old file backed up with full historyDone
- Chart of accounts mapped line by lineDone
- Opening balances agreed to the old fileDone
- Bank feeds connected and testedIn progress
- First month closed in the new softwareNext
Illustrative. An example of the document, not a client's figures.
What a QuickBooks Online setup needs to solve in the EU
A US-built QuickBooks Online template does not know what to do with VAT charged at one rate in the Netherlands and a different rate in France on the same product line, or with a business that invoices in euros but reports statutory accounts under a member state's local GAAP. Getting the chart of accounts right at the start avoids a rebuild eighteen months in, once a second country has been added.
What we set up or rebuild
- A chart of accounts structured around the VAT rates and reporting categories the business actually charges, not a generic template
- Tax codes mapped so standard, reduced and zero rates post to the right line, ready for whoever files the return
- Multi-currency turned on where invoicing happens in more than one currency inside the euro area
- Classes or locations set up so management reports split by entity or country the way the owner reads them
- A short written handover memo describing exactly what changed, so nothing is a surprise at month end
Migrating in without losing history
Most EU migrations move from Sage, Exact or a spreadsheet-based system into QuickBooks Online. We run a parallel import against a confirmed opening balance date, matching every historical transaction to bank and card statements rather than trusting the export file. Open invoices, bills and any intercompany balances carry forward with their original detail intact, not as a single lump adjustment.
Who this is for
Businesses expanding into the EU from elsewhere, or EU businesses that outgrew a spreadsheet, get the most out of this. A named pod stays on the file afterwards for ongoing monthly bookkeeping, so the setup work and the running work sit with the same people rather than handing off between two firms.
What stays with a credentialed local partner
We build and maintain the chart of accounts and the VAT tax-code mapping. Filing the VAT return itself, and certifying statutory accounts under a member state's local GAAP, stays with your own registration or a credentialed local partner, such as a French expert-comptable or a German Steuerberater where those reserved activities apply.
Questions
Frequently asked questions: QuickBooks setup, cleanup and migration
Can QuickBooks Online handle VAT across more than one member state?
Yes, once the tax codes are mapped correctly to the rates you charge. That mapping is the setup work we do; filing the return still sits with your own registration or a credentialed local partner.
We currently run on Sage. Can you migrate us to QuickBooks Online?
Yes, including open balances, VAT tax-code mapping and historical transactions matched to bank and card statements rather than a summary export.
What happens to our old file after the migration?
It stays intact and accessible. We keep a copy of the pre-migration file until the new QuickBooks Online file is fully reconciled and signed off.
Do you set up multi-currency for businesses invoicing outside the euro?
Yes, including base currency selection and reconciling the exchange-rate gains and losses that multi-currency invoicing creates.
Do you clean up the old file before migrating, or migrate first and clean up after?
We clean up material errors in the source file first where practical, since migrating bad data just moves the problem into the new system, then migrate the corrected file into QuickBooks Online. We flag the scale of any cleanup needed before quoting the migration itself.
Can you migrate from QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online?
Yes, including open balances, class and location structure, and a mapped chart of accounts.
What happens to my old file after migration?
It stays intact and accessible. We keep a copy of the pre-migration file until the new one is fully reconciled and signed off.
What is included in quickBooks setup, cleanup and migration?
QuickBooks setup, cleanup and migration covers chart of accounts built or rebuilt to match how the business reports and historical transactions imported and matched to bank and card statements. The exact scope is agreed and set out in writing before work starts, so you know precisely what is and is not covered before the first deliverable arrives.
How is quickBooks setup, cleanup and migration priced?
Pricing for quickBooks setup, cleanup and migration depends on your transaction volume, the software you use, and how much cleanup is needed before ongoing work starts. Current ranges are published on the pricing page, and your exact fee is confirmed in writing before anything begins.
Related services
- BookkeepingMonthly bookkeepingOngoing monthly bookkeeping: transactions sorted into categories, accounts reconciled and month-end reports delivered in the software you already use.
- Software and migrationsXero setup and migrationA Xero file configured for the business from day one, or a move into Xero from another platform, with the chart of accounts, bank feeds and history carried across cleanly.
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.
- 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.