Migration guide
How to migrate from QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online without losing your history
A QuickBooks migration is only as good as its accuracy. Move the data but break the balances, and you inherit months of clean-up. Here's how a migration from QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online should work — and how to know yours was done right.
Why integrity is the whole game
Your books aren't just numbers; they're the record your VAT returns, financial statements and audits are built on. A migration that "mostly" works isn't good enough. The test is simple: does the new QuickBooks Online file agree with the old Desktop file, account by account, to the cent?
What generic imports get wrong
- Opening balances that don't tie back to the source.
- VAT treatment lost, changed or double-counted.
- Multi-year history truncated or summarised into opening figures.
- Sub-accounts and mappings collapsed or renamed.
The common thread: you usually discover the damage during a reconciliation weeks later — the worst possible time.
The right process, step by step
1. Assessment
We review your QuickBooks Desktop file — its size, age and complexity — and flag anything that needs special handling before quoting.
2. Fixed quote & scope
You see exactly what's included and what it costs before committing. No surprises.
3. Migration
Customers, suppliers, invoices, bills, payments, credit notes, journals, opening balances, VAT records and years of history move into QuickBooks Online.
4. Reconciliation & sign-off
You receive a Trial Balance Comparison Report proving every balance ties back to your original file. Only then do you go live — with proof, not a promise.
Built for Botswana — and South Africa
Local books have local rules. We handle Botswana VAT and BURS expectations, and South African VAT and SARS requirements for cross-border businesses, so your migrated file is compliant from day one.
What you'll need to get started
A QuickBooks backup (.QBB) is ideal; we also work with .QBW and .QBX files, or exported reports such as a Trial Balance for a quick estimate. Files upload securely into private, encrypted storage — never a public form.
How to start
Send your file for a free assessment. You'll get a fixed scope and quote, and a migration that ends with proof it balances.
Start with a free assessment
We review your QuickBooks Desktop file, confirm the scope, and give you a fixed quote — before any work begins. No cost, no obligation.
Book your free assessment Upload your file