Replace your accounting software
Moving to new accounting software means agreeing a conversion date, tying out opening balances and reconnecting everything that feeds your books. Here's the safe order.
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17things this change touches
- critical2
- high10
- moderate4
- low1
Updates as you answer. Every item will explain why it’s there.
What could break
In a typical accounting software plan, these are the most serious things to get right.
Export final reports and a full backup from QuickBooks
Critical · Data & files
You could lose the transaction detail you need for tax questions, audits or customer disputes, with no way to get it back once the old account is closed.
Enter opening balances and tie out the trial balance
Critical · Banking & payments
A wrong opening balance flows into every balance sheet and return after it and can take months to find.
Agree a conversion date with your accountant
High · Business operations
Without a firm date, transactions get entered twice or not at all around the switch, and period reports and tax returns won't tie out.
Reconcile and close the last period in the old system
High · Banking & payments
Unreconciled differences, uncategorized transactions and stray suspense balances get carried into the new books, where they're harder to trace.
Map your chart of accounts
High · Business operations
Balances land in the wrong accounts, reports stop being comparable with prior years, and your accountant spends time reclassifying.
Set up users, permissions and two-factor sign-in
High · Sign-in & recovery
Broad access or missing two-factor sign-in leaves your books and bank connections exposed.
Set up sales tax codes and plan the first return
High · Government & tax
Invoices carry the wrong tax, or the first return is filed with only part of the period's figures.
Bring over unpaid invoices and bills one by one
High · Banking & payments
Customer payments sit as unapplied credits, statements and reminders are wrong, and bills could be paid twice or missed.
Recurring invoices, bills and journal entries
High · Business operations
Recurring customer invoices stop without anyone noticing, or run in both systems and customers are billed twice.
Reconnect bank and credit card feeds
High · Banking & payments
Transactions already covered by the opening balances import again, or a few days go missing between the two systems.
Before and after the change
Before you change it
- Agree a conversion date with your accountant
- Decide how much transaction history to bring
- Give your accountant or bookkeeper access
- Reconcile and close the last period in the old system
- Export final reports and a full backup from QuickBooks
- Receipts and documents attached to transactions
- Map your chart of accounts
- Set up users, permissions and two-factor sign-in
- Set up sales tax codes and plan the first return
- Import customers, vendors and products
- Recreate invoice templates, numbering and payment options
After the change
- Enter opening balances and tie out the trial balance
- Bring over unpaid invoices and bills one by one
- Recurring invoices, bills and journal entries
- Reconnect bank and credit card feeds
- Reconnect payroll to the new books
- Reconnect payment processors and sales channels
- Point receipt-capture and expense apps at the new books
- Lock the old books and move day-to-day work
- Tell customers and vendors about new invoice emails
- Rebuild saved reports, budgets and dashboards
- Reconcile the first full month in the new system
- Keep access to the old system or a complete archive
Your own plan adds or removes items based on your answers, and explains why each one is there.
The safe order
Doing things in the right sequence is what keeps you from getting locked out halfway through.
Before the change
Step 1: Plan the switch with your accountant
Agree the conversion date and how much history to bring before you touch any data.
- Agree a conversion date with your accountant (high risk)
- Decide how much transaction history to bring (moderate risk)
- Give your accountant or bookkeeper access (moderate risk)
Step 2: Close the old period and export everything
Reconcile to the conversion date, then take a complete copy of the old books.
- Reconcile and close the last period in the old system (high risk)
- Export final reports and a full backup from QuickBooks (critical risk)
- Receipts and documents attached to transactions (moderate risk)
Step 3: Set up the new system
Chart of accounts, contacts, users and tax settings come before any balances.
- Map your chart of accounts (high risk)
- Set up users, permissions and two-factor sign-in (high risk)
- Set up sales tax codes and plan the first return (high risk)
- Import customers, vendors and products (moderate risk)
- and 1 more
During the change
Step 4: Bring over balances and open items
Opening balances, unpaid invoices and bills, and anything that repeats.
- Enter opening balances and tie out the trial balance (critical risk)
- Bring over unpaid invoices and bills one by one (high risk)
- Recurring invoices, bills and journal entries (high risk)
Step 5: Reconnect feeds and apps
Bank feeds, payroll, payment processors and other apps, each disconnected from the old system.
- Reconnect bank and credit card feeds (high risk)
- Reconnect payroll to the new books (high risk)
- Reconnect payment processors and sales channels (moderate risk)
- Point receipt-capture and expense apps at the new books (moderate risk)
Step 6: Switch day-to-day work to the new system
Lock the old books so nothing new lands there.
- Lock the old books and move day-to-day work (high risk)
Immediately after
Step 7: Update customers and reporting
Let people know invoices look different and rebuild the reports you rely on.
- Tell customers and vendors about new invoice emails (moderate risk)
- Rebuild saved reports, budgets and dashboards (low risk)
Verify
Step 8: Reconcile the first month
Prove the opening balances, feeds and integrations all agree.
- Reconcile the first full month in the new system (high risk)
Clean up
Step 9: Archive the old books
Make sure you can reach every record you might need without the old subscription.
- Keep access to the old system or a complete archive (high risk)
Step 10: Cancel the old subscription last
Only after the archive is complete and the first month has reconciled.
- Cancel or downgrade the old subscription last (moderate risk)
Later
Step 11: Handle the first return and year-end
The first filings after the switch need figures from both systems.
- First tax return and year-end that span both systems (high risk)
Why this change needs a plan
Switching accounting software isn't just an export and an import. Your books need a clean line between old and new: a conversion date, final balances that tie out, and open invoices and bills that customers and vendors still expect you to match.
Most problems come from the edges. Bank feeds that re-import transactions already in your opening balances, recurring invoices that quietly stop, sales tax returns that span both systems, and apps like Stripe or receipt capture that keep posting to the old books.
The safe approach is to plan with your accountant, close the old period properly, build the new system before you move anything, and keep the old records until the first tax filing and year-end in the new system are done.
Why it matters
Your accounting software is the record that tax agencies, lenders and your accountant rely on. A rushed switch can leave wrong balances that flow into every report and return that follows.
What makes it risky
Risk is highest when payroll runs inside the old software, when you switch partway through a period, and when sales tax or inventory are involved. Losing access to the old books before you've archived them is the one mistake you can't undo.
Common mistakes
- Switching mid-period without agreeing a conversion date, so transactions end up in both systems or neither.
- Entering receivables and payables as one balance instead of individual unpaid invoices and bills.
- Letting the new bank feed import transactions that are already covered by the opening balances.
- Forgetting recurring invoices, which quietly stop once the old system is locked.
- Cancelling the old subscription before archiving every year's reports and attachments.
Frequently asked questions
When is the best time to switch accounting software?
Usually at the start of a fiscal year, quarter or month, so each period's reports and tax returns come from one system. Your accountant can tell you which date works best for your filings.
Should I import all my historical transactions?
Not necessarily. Many businesses bring opening balances plus unpaid invoices and bills, or monthly summaries for comparisons, and keep the old system or its exports for lookups. Full detail is possible but slower and more error-prone.
How do I know my opening balances are right?
Run a trial balance in the new system as at the conversion date and compare it line by line with the old system's final trial balance. Receivables and payables aging should match too.
What happens to my bank feeds when I switch?
You reconnect each account in the new system. Start the feed after the conversion date, exclude any older transactions it pulls in, and disconnect the old system's feeds so nothing is recorded twice.
How long should I keep the old accounting system?
Until you have a complete archive you can open without it, and at least until the first tax return and year-end in the new system are done. Record-keeping periods depend on where you operate, so check with your accountant or the tax agency.
Regional notes
General information, not legal advice. Check the official source where you live.
- Canada
- The CRA says records and supporting documents generally need to be kept for six years from the end of the last tax year they relate to, with some exceptions. Make sure your archive of the old system covers that period.
- United States
- The IRS says how long to keep records depends on the period of limitations for the related return, which is often three years and longer in some situations. Ask your accountant how this applies to your archive.
- United Kingdom
- GOV.UK guidance for limited companies says company and accounting records generally need to be kept for six years from the end of the financial year they relate to.
- Australia
- The ATO's record-keeping guidance covers the records you need for tax, super and employer obligations. Check it before you close the old system.