Resources · Checklist
QuickBooks setup checklist: the printable quick tick-list.
The at-a-glance checklist for setting up a new QuickBooks company file correctly from day one — nine items to tick off, in order, from company info and fiscal year through the chart of accounts, opening balances, bank connections, lists, sales tax, users, and key preferences. Free to print or screenshot, no email required. Want the detail behind each step? This is the condensed companion to our fuller step-by-step setup guide. Independent firm, not affiliated with Intuit Inc.
A QuickBooks setup checklist is the short, ordered list of things you set once when you first open a company file so the books are right from day one — company info and fiscal year, the plan or product, the chart of accounts, opening balances, connected bank and card accounts, your customers, vendors, and items, sales tax, users, and a few key preferences. This page is the condensed, printable tick-list: nine items to check off at a glance. For the same items expanded into a full step-by-step walkthrough — with where each setting lives and how QuickBooks Online and Desktop differ — see the fuller QuickBooks setup guide. Free to use, no email wall.
Reference maintained by the Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor team at TechBrot Inc., an independent firm — not Intuit, and not Intuit’s official software support. Not affiliated with Intuit Inc.
The QuickBooks setup checklist, in five questions.
What is a QuickBooks setup checklist?
A short, ordered list of the things you set once when you first open a QuickBooks company file so the books are correct from day one — company info and fiscal year, the plan or product you’re on, the chart of accounts, opening balances, connected bank and card accounts, your customers, vendors, and items, sales tax, users, and a few key preferences. This page is the condensed, printable tick-list; the fuller step-by-step walkthrough lives at the full QuickBooks setup guide.
What do I need before I start setting up QuickBooks?
Have your legal business name and address, EIN, and fiscal-year start; the plan or product you’ve chosen; your accountant’s preferred chart of accounts (or your industry default); opening balances as of your start date with a recent bank and credit-card statement; your bank and card login details; and your customer, vendor, item, and sales-tax information. Gathering these first makes setup a single sitting instead of a series of stops and restarts.
What’s on the QuickBooks setup quick-checklist?
Nine items, in order: set company info and fiscal year; confirm the plan or product; build or import the chart of accounts; enter opening balances as of your start date; connect bank and credit-card accounts; add customers, vendors, and items; turn on and configure sales tax if you charge it; add users and set permissions; and review the key preferences before you start entering transactions. Tick each as you complete it.
Is the QuickBooks setup the same in Online and Desktop?
The items are the same — company info, chart of accounts, opening balances, bank connections, lists, sales tax, users, preferences — but where you find each setting and how bank feeds and the chart of accounts behave differs between QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop. The checklist below is written to apply to both; the full guide notes where the two diverge.
Is this checklist free to download or print?
Yes. The checklist is free to read, print, or screenshot — there’s no email wall and nothing to buy. If you’d rather have a Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor set the file up for you, or check one you’ve already started, you can book a discovery call or get a free file review. Independent firm — not Intuit.
What this checklist is — and what it isn’t.
A QuickBooks setup checklist is the short, ordered list of things you configure once when you first open a company file, so that every report, invoice, and reconciliation after that is built on solid ground. Get these right at the start and the file stays clean; skip one and you tend to discover it months later, mid-cleanup. The nine items below cover the whole arc: company identity and fiscal year, the plan or product you’re on, the chart of accounts, opening balances as of your start date, connected bank and card accounts, your customers, vendors, and items, sales tax, users, and the key preferences that shape daily work.
What this page is: the condensed, printable tick-list — the items to check off at a glance, in order, free to print or screenshot with no email wall. What it isn’t: a step-by-step walkthrough. For that — where each setting lives, the exact clicks, and how QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop differ — use the fuller QuickBooks setup guide. Use this one to track progress; reach for the full guide when you want the detail behind a step.
What to have ready before you start.
Gather these first and setup becomes a single sitting instead of a series of stops and restarts — the checklist below assumes you have them to hand.
Have ready 01 · Business identity & fiscal year
Your legal business name, address, EIN, entity type, and the month your fiscal year starts. QuickBooks uses the fiscal-year start to date your reports and your first close, so get it right before you enter anything.
Have ready 02 · Your plan or product
Know which QuickBooks Online plan or QuickBooks Desktop product you’re on, since the available features — sales tax, multiple users, inventory, classes — depend on it. Pick the plan to fit the work, not the other way round.
Have ready 03 · A chart of accounts
Your accountant’s preferred chart of accounts, or a clean industry default to start from. The chart is the backbone of every report; setting it up once, correctly, saves a cleanup later. See the chart of accounts reference.
Have ready 04 · Opening balances & a start date
A firm start date and the opening balances as of that date — bank and credit-card balances from a recent statement, plus any outstanding receivables, payables, and loans. Wrong opening balances are the most common reason a new file won’t reconcile.
Have ready 05 · Bank, card & list details
Online-banking login details for the accounts you’ll connect, and your lists — customers, vendors, and the products or services (items) you sell — ready to enter or import.
Have ready 06 · Sales-tax & user information
If you charge sales tax, the jurisdictions and rates (or your tax agency details so QuickBooks can calculate them); and the names, emails, and intended permission levels of anyone who needs access to the file.
The QuickBooks setup quick-checklist.
Nine items, in order. Tick each as you finish it. For the detailed how-to behind any item — including where the setting lives in Online vs Desktop — see the fuller setup guide.
Set company info & fiscal year
Enter the legal business name, address, EIN, entity type, and fiscal-year start. This dates your reports and your first close, so confirm it before anything else.
Confirm the plan or product
Check you’re on the QuickBooks Online plan or Desktop product that includes the features you need — sales tax, extra users, inventory — before you build the file out.
Build or import the chart of accounts
Set up the chart of accounts from your accountant’s list or a clean industry default. Keep it lean and meaningful; you can refine it, but the backbone matters now.
Enter opening balances
Record opening balances as of your start date — bank and card balances from a recent statement, plus outstanding receivables, payables, and loans. This is what lets the file reconcile.
Connect bank & credit-card accounts
Link the bank and card accounts so transactions download automatically, matching each connection to the right account in the chart. Mind the “from” date so you don’t double-import history.
Add customers, vendors & items
Enter or import your customers, vendors, and the products or services you sell. Accurate lists now mean clean invoices, bills, and reports later.
Turn on & configure sales tax
If you charge sales tax, switch it on and set the jurisdictions and rates (or let QuickBooks calculate from your tax agency). Skip this if it doesn’t apply — don’t enable what you don’t collect.
Add users & set permissions
Invite anyone who needs access and set each person’s permission level to match their role. Keep full access to the people who truly need it.
Review key preferences
Before entering transactions, set the preferences that shape daily work — invoice and form defaults, payment terms, sales-tax behavior, and how the home currency and accounting method are handled. Then you’re ready.
When to have a ProAdvisor set it up.
You’re migrating, not starting fresh
You’re moving from another system, an old QuickBooks file, or spreadsheets — with history to bring across. Opening balances, list mapping, and the cut-over date are where migrations go wrong, and a ProAdvisor sets them so the file ties from day one.
The numbers have to be right immediately
You have a loan, investors, sales tax, payroll, or a tax deadline riding on the books being accurate now. When there’s no room for a learning-curve error, having the file set up correctly the first time is cheaper than a cleanup later.
You’d rather get it right than DIY
Setup is doable yourself, but if you’d rather not learn the chart of accounts, opening balances, and preferences on a live file, a Certified ProAdvisor sets it up against a written scope so you start on solid books.
Rather have the file set up right the first time?
A Certified ProAdvisor sets up the company file against a written scope — a guided setup is typically a $1,200–$3,000 fixed-fee scope; a cleanup on an existing file that’s behind runs $1,500–$15,000+. Independent firm.
A Certified ProAdvisor sets the file up so it ties from day one.
Ticking through a checklist yourself is entirely doable — that’s why this page exists. What a Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor adds is judgment on the parts that quietly decide whether the file stays clean: a chart of accounts shaped to how you actually report, opening balances that reconcile to the bank from the start, the correct cut-over date when you’re migrating, and preferences set for your accounting method and sales-tax reality rather than the defaults. A ProAdvisor with active Online and Desktop certifications does that against a written scope and verifies the file ties before handing it over. Independent firm — not Intuit, and not Intuit’s software support; an Intuit account, login, or billing matter stays with Intuit.
Free
checklist to print, and a free file review if you’ve already started
$1,200–$3,000
typical fixed-fee scope for a guided, done-for-you setup
Independent
Certified ProAdvisor firm — not Intuit, not Intuit’s software support
What people ask about setting up QuickBooks.
Is this Intuit’s official QuickBooks support?
How is this different from the full setup guide?
What order should I set up QuickBooks in?
What do I need to have ready before I start?
Is the checklist free to print or download?
Can I set up QuickBooks myself, or should I hire a ProAdvisor?
What happens if my opening balances are wrong?
Does this checklist work for QuickBooks Online and Desktop?
Rather have it set up for you, or check one you’ve started?
Have a Certified ProAdvisor set the file up right.
Setup is doable yourself with the checklist below. But if you’re migrating history rather than starting fresh, or the numbers have to be right immediately for a loan, sales tax, or a deadline, a guided setup is typically a $1,200–$3,000 fixed-fee scope — and if an existing file is already behind, a cleanup runs $1,500–$15,000+. Start with a free file review or book a discovery call. Independent ProAdvisor firm, written scope before any work begins.