Next steps after conversion to QuickBooks Online

We try to make your conversion as comprehensive as possible, aiming to save you as much time as we can. However, there are some things that we are not able to do because of limitations in the software process we use.

This means that there will be some post-conversion tasks that you will need to perform and this document is provided as a guide to completing these tasks. The post-conversion tasks should be done as soon as possible after the conversion. If you encounter problems or think something might not be right please refer to our troubleshooting page.

Overview

These are the tasks you will need to perform post-conversion:

Clean up VAT | Tidy bank reconciliations | Tidy foreign currency (if applicable)

Clean up VAT

Note that when preparing your first VAT Return in QuickBooks Online, it won’t include any unfiled “late” claims that were entered in your source software and may be incorrect if we’d had to use some workarounds. We recommend you carefully check the figures in QuickBooks Online VAT Return that contains converted transactions. If the figures provided by QuickBooks Online are different to those you need to file with HMRC you may need to adjust the VAT Return in QuickBooks Online. This should only affect VAT Returns to be submitted to HMRC that include converted transactions. Subsequent VAT Returns containing only transactions entered after the conversion should not require any manual adjustments. To read more about why VAT Returns may be different for the same period in the old and new software please click here.

File the most recent VAT period you’ve already submitted to HMRC. QuickBooks Online will then be able to recognise any future transactions entered that are dated back into historical VAT period as “late” claims. These will then automatically be included in the next VAT Return.

You should then be able to select the option to Prepare return.

Edit the period and dates as necessary before clicking the arrow next to Submit to HMRC button to display and select Mark as filed. You’ll then be returned to the Taxes page this time showing the filed return as unpaid. If the VAT return indicates a refund is due, the return will show as paid.

For returns where VAT is owed, select the option to Record payment and choose a bank account, date and the amount from the VAT Return.

Whether you owe or are owed VAT, you now need to enter a journal entry. In the top right of your browser click the + button and under Other choose Journal Entry.

You’ll then see the Journal Entry screen. Assuming the amount filed was a payment (not a refund) then post the following journal entering the amount included on your filed VAT Return. Remember to use the same bank account, amount and date you used when recording the payment above.

Save the journal entry to complete the process.

Where VAT is owed to you, the journal is slightly different as you won’t have entered as bank payment. Instead you’ll need to Debit VAT Control and Credit VAT Suspense:

Tidy bank reconciliations

It’s important you don’t connect bank feeds or manually import any bank statement data for your conversion period. The steps below will ensure all the balances are correct. 
Because neither you nor your client has ever used QuickBooks Online to perform bank reconciliation, QuickBooks Online assumes that no bank transactions have been reconciled. You need to tell QuickBooks Online to mark all transactions up to the conversion date as reconciled, so it only considers future transactions for reconciling. 

From the Dashboard, under Bank accounts click the name of the bank account.

You can change the bank as necessary then click Reconcile.

On the next screen click Get Started but when asked if you want to Reconcile like a pro, select the Maybe later option.

A Reconcile an account will display. Complete the Ending Balance and Ending Date fields as they were on the date you converted to.

Leave the rest of the form blank and select OK.

You will see a list of transactions up to the statement ending date entered on the previous step. Select the top radio button to reconcile all the listed transactions. If there are unreconciled transactions then make sure to leave them deselected.

Select Finish Now.

It’s important to repeat this process for all bank accounts in QuickBooks Online.

Tidy foreign currency (if applicable)

The recommendations below may not always be required or optimal for your user case. Please read them carefully and consider if they are relevant to you before attempting to apply them.

All bank accounts will be in base currency so create new foreign currency bank accounts. You’ll need to have setup Multicurrency from the Advanced Settings. Once the currencies are added, add the bank account.

If you have any outstanding foreign currency invoices or bills at your convert to date, then these will also have been converted at their GBP equivalent value. You may wish to edit (or void / delete then re-enter) these to correctly reflect the foreign currency values owed or owing. To edit them you’ll first need to create a new contact and whilst doing so choose the appropriate currency in the payment and billing tab. You can then edit the invoice or bill contact and amount to be the newly created foreign currency contact and foreign currency amount. For further details on doing this click here.