File done? Push your entries into the client's QuickBooks
Once adjusting entries are final, no need to retype them into the client's books: the QuickBooks button on the Adjusting entries page pushes each entry into their QuickBooks Online, one journal entry per adjustment, flagged as an adjusting journal entry. The client starts next year with books that match your financial statements, zero re-entry.
When to use it and what gets sent
The right moment: at the very end of the file, when adjusting entries are final (reviewed and signed off). You then push the batch in one send, and the client's QuickBooks books catch up with your working papers.
What gets sent, and what is excluded automatically:
- ✅ Sent: your manual adjusting entries, including PYAs converted to regular entries and entries generated by worksheets (capital assets, LTD, income taxes…).
- ❌ Excluded: operation entries (they come from bookkeeping, the client already has them in QuickBooks), reclassifications (RECL badge, no impact on balances) and prior-year adjustments (PYA, they belong to last year).
Each adjustment becomes a distinct Journal Entry in QuickBooks, with a unique document number and the “Adjusting Journal Entry” flag. Amounts are re-read from the database at send time: what leaves is exactly what your screen shows.
Open the send dialog
The file's Adjusting entries page → QuickBooks button at the top. The “Send entries to QuickBooks” dialog opens and connects to the client's QuickBooks.
If this client isn't linked yet, the dialog says so and offers to connect. See QuickBooks, connect and import: the connection is done once, on the client card.
Review the entry list
The dialog lists eligible entries. Two possible badges on a row:
- Sent: this entry is already in QuickBooks (previous send). It will be skipped, so no duplicate is possible.
- Unbalanced: debits ≠ credits, it can't go. Fix it in Adjusting entries first.
Map the accounts (first time only)
The client's QuickBooks chart of accounts isn't yours. The Account mapping section lists every account your entries touch and asks for its QuickBooks equivalent:
Sending is blocked while any account remains “To map”. The good news: the mapping is remembered per client. The first year takes five minutes, later sends are instant.
If an entry touches a QuickBooks “Accounts Payable” or “Accounts Receivable” account, QuickBooks requires a name on the line. The dialog then asks you to pick the supplier or customer concerned from the list, right next to the account.
Send options
- Document no. prefix: each entry gets a unique number (e.g.
LDG-2025-01) to avoid any clash with the client's existing documents. The default almost always works. - Mark as adjusting journal entry (Adjustment): ticks “Is Adjusting Journal Entry?” in QuickBooks. Requires the connection to have accountant access (QBOA). If the connection doesn't have it, the entry still goes through, without the marker, and the summary warns you.
- Tax lines (optional): to route a line to the right line of the client's GST/QST return (e.g. line 106 ITCs). Rates are grouped by agency: always pick a rate from the account's agency, otherwise QuickBooks refuses. Leave empty to skip routing.
Send and read the summary
Click Send (X). When it finishes, the summary gives the exact tally: “X sent, Y skipped, Z failed”, line by line. Sent entries then carry a “sent to QuickBooks” tooltip in the adjusting entries list.
Each sent entry is marked permanently (idempotent). Re-running the send after fixing a failure only sends what's missing, never a duplicate in the client's books.
Common errors and fixes
| Message | What to do |
|---|---|
| The chosen rate doesn't belong to this account's agency | In the tax-line menu, pick a rate from the account's agency group (rates are grouped by agency). |
| This Accounts Payable account requires a supplier | Pick the supplier in the account mapping (same for customers on Accounts Receivable). |
| That document number already exists in QuickBooks | Change the document no. prefix and retry. |
| The target period is closed in QuickBooks | The client's books are closed as of that date. Ask the client (or their bookkeeper) to reopen the period, or date the entry in an open period. |
| Sent, but WITHOUT the “adjusting journal entry” marker | The connection lacks accountant access (QBOA). Amounts are correct; only the marker is missing. Reconnect with an accountant login if the marker is required. |
| Sent, but the tax rate was not applied | QuickBooks refused the tax routing. Amounts are correct; adjust the return line in QuickBooks' Sales Tax Centre if needed. |
Current limits
- One Ledger entry = one QuickBooks entry (no automatic 1 → N splitting).
- An entry modified in Ledger after sending is not re-synced: adjust it directly in QuickBooks, or void it there and re-send.
- Single currency: multi-currency files aren't supported by the push yet.
Frequently asked questions
Will the client see the entries right away?
Yes, as soon as they are sent, under Accounting → Journal entries in their QuickBooks, each one dated within the fiscal year and numbered with your prefix.
Why aren't reclassifications (RECL) sent?
A reclassification reorganizes how your financial statements are presented without changing the client's balances. Sending it would add noise to their books with no net effect. Same logic for PYAs: they correct last year, not the client's current fiscal year.
What if I picked the wrong account in the mapping?
Fix the mapping before the next send (it is remembered, so you can change it in the same place). For an entry already sent to the wrong account, correct it directly in QuickBooks.