Balances wrong after conversion
When a check fails: the repair, step by step.
QuickBooks migration · Verification
QuickBooks post-migration checklist: prove the move worked.
A migration can finish without an error message and still leave the numbers off. The only proof is a comparison: the new QuickBooks Online file against the Desktop reports you trusted, as of the conversion date. Here are the checks, in the order to run them.
What you can check before you sign
- Fixed fee, written first
- Your own QuickBooks file
- No hourly billing
If your file needs our paid diagnostic first, its fee is credited in full against the cleanup. Either way, you get a fixed fee in writing before any work starts.
§ 01 · TL;DR
§ TL;DR
After a QuickBooks Desktop to Online migration, compare the Online file with the Desktop file as of the conversion date: the trial balance account by account; the balance sheet and profit and loss on the same basis; receivable and payable aging totals; bank, card and loan balances against statements; sales-tax liability; payroll year-to-date totals if payroll moved.
inventory value for inventory files; and the customer, vendor and item lists. Anything that does not match is fixed before the Desktop file is retired. What does not carry over at all is covered in what doesn’t convert.
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§ 02 · Why verify
A finished migration is not a verified one.
A conversion reports success when the data moved, not when it moved correctly. Balances can shift through opening entries, unapplied payments, sales-tax settings or items that behave differently in QuickBooks Online.
Verification is a comparison against a fixed point: the Desktop reports as of the conversion date. Run them from the Desktop file before it is archived; they are the standard the Online file has to meet.
§ 03 · When a check fails
What a failed check points to.
Trial balance off in equity
Opening balances or prior-period entries landed in opening balance equity or retained earnings instead of their own accounts.Aging totals right, invoices wrong
Open invoices or bills came across as summary balances, or payments are sitting unapplied.Sales tax off
Rates or agencies were set up differently in Online, so the liability is calculated differently from Desktop.Inventory value off
Items, costs or quantities did not come across the way Desktop tracked them.§ 04 · When to check
Three checkpoints after the move.
- STEP 1
Day one
Trial balance, balance sheet, agings and bank balances against Desktop, before anyone enters new transactions. - STEP 2
First month-end
The first reconciliation in Online for every account, and the first sales-tax period, tied out. - STEP 3
First quarter-end
Payroll quarter totals and liabilities against the filed forms, and inventory value against a count.
§ 05 · The checklist
The checks, in order.
Run each Desktop report as of the conversion date and compare it with the same report in QuickBooks Online.
- Trial balance: every account matches, to the cent.
- Balance sheet and profit and loss: the last full year matches, on the same basis (accrual or cash) in both files.
- Receivable and payable aging: the totals match, and open invoices and bills came across individually rather than as one balance.
- Bank, card and loan balances: each matches its statement at the conversion date, with reconciliation picked up from there.
- Undeposited funds: the balance matches Desktop, and the items in it are the same items.
- Sales tax: the liability matches, and each tax rate and agency is set up in Online.
- Payroll, if it moved: year-to-date wages, taxes and liabilities match for every employee.
- Inventory, if you track it: quantity and value match the Desktop inventory valuation summary.
- Lists: customers, vendors, items, classes and locations are all present, with no duplicates.
- Before retiring Desktop: users and permissions set, bank feeds connected, and the Desktop file backed up and archived.
§ 06 · Pricing
Verification and repair.
Verification is part of every TechBrot QuickBooks migration (published at $2,500–$10,000+, fixed fee). If you migrated on your own and a check fails, the fix is scoped as a repair: see balances wrong after conversion.
§ 08 · Questions
Questions about checking a QuickBooks migration.
Does a successful conversion message mean the migration is right?
No. It means the data moved. Only a comparison with the Desktop reports as of the conversion date shows it moved correctly.
Should the reports use the same basis?
Yes. Compare accrual with accrual and cash with cash; mixing them creates differences that are not errors.
What if my payroll did not move to QuickBooks Online?
Skip the payroll check, but tie the payroll liability accounts on the balance sheet to your payroll provider’s reports.
How much does a migration cost?
TechBrot’s QuickBooks migration is published at $2,500–$10,000+, fixed fee, with verification included.
Is TechBrot affiliated with Intuit?
No. TechBrot is a bookkeeping and advisory firm
Numbers not matching?
Get the migration verified or repaired.
Tell us what you’re moving from and how much history matters. We’ll tell you what the move involves and what has to be checked.
Or send the details instead