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QuickBooks Setup · Ottawa

QuickBooks that’s actually set up for how contractors work.

Setup, migration and cleanup with a chart of accounts built for job costing, the right integrations, and receipt capture so QuickBooks finally gives you numbers you can use.

No obligation · No lock‑in contracts · Ottawa‑based

"We bought QuickBooks two years ago. I’m not convinced a single report in it is right."

Plenty of Ottawa contractors already own QuickBooks. Far fewer have it set up so the reports mean anything. The default chart of accounts wasn’t built for a construction or real estate business, so job costing doesn’t work, half the transactions are miscategorized, and the bank feed has been quietly guessing for months.

This is a systems problem, and it’s fixable. Because we work only in construction and real estate, we set the file up properly for a project business, migrate you cleanly if you’re switching, untangle an existing mess if there is one, and connect the apps that make it run with less manual work.

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We’ve set up QuickBooks around real project businesses so the chart of accounts maps to how you bid and bill, not to a generic retail template. More about us →

Best fit for
Messy QuickBooks filesSwitching from Desktop/WaveNo job costing set upReceipt & bank‑feed chaosNew QBO setups

Setup, migration, cleanup and integrations

Whether you’re starting fresh, switching software, or rescuing a file that’s drifted we make QuickBooks usable and keep it that way.

QuickBooks Online setupA new file configured for construction or real estate from day one.
Migration from other softwareMove from Desktop, Wave or spreadsheets without losing your history.
Construction chart of accountsStructured for job costing and per‑property tracking, not generic retail.
File cleanup & correctionMiscategorized transactions fixed and the file reconciled back to accurate.
Bank & credit‑card feedsConnected and reconciled so the numbers can be trusted.
Receipt capture (Dext / Hubdoc)Paperwork files itself instead of piling up.
App integrationsPayroll, payments and reporting tools connected cleanly.
Team trainingWe show you and your staff how to use it day‑to‑day.

Common QuickBooks problems we fix

If you've opened your QuickBooks lately and quietly closed it again, it's probably one of these. We see them constantly:

Duplicate bank‑feed entriesThe same transaction imported twice, inflating expenses and throwing off every report.
Hundreds of uncategorized transactionsA growing "Uncategorized" pile that makes the P&L meaningless.
Personal and business mixed togetherTruck gas, groceries and Home Depot runs all in one account.
HST set up wrongWrong codes or rates, so what you've "collected" and "paid" doesn't reconcile.
A broken chart of accountsThe default retail setup that makes job costing impossible.
No job costing at allEvery cost in one bucket, so you can't see margin per project.
Bank feeds that stopped reconcilingMonths of un‑matched transactions and a balance that doesn't tie out.
A botched migrationA switch from Desktop or another system that brought the mess with it.

Setup, migration, or rescue: we meet you where you are

Starting fresh? We configure it correctly the first time. Switching from Desktop or another system? We migrate your data so the history comes across intact. Sitting on a file that no longer adds up? We review it, rebuild the chart of accounts, fix the miscategorized transactions and reconcile it before taking over the heavier rescues run through our catch‑up & cleanup service.

Why the chart of accounts is everything

The whole reason job costing fails in most contractor QuickBooks files is the chart of accounts. The default setup was built for retail. We restructure it around projects, cost types and the way you actually bid and bill. That structural work is what makes all the reports useful.

Typical cleanup projects

These are the situations we see most often:

Books 6 to 12 months behindThe most common situation. We scope it, quote it flat, and get it done.
Previous bookkeeper left mid-yearWe take over the file, reconcile what is outstanding, and get you current.
Mixed personal and business expensesCommon in owner-operated trades. We sort it out without making it a bigger headache.
An abandoned QuickBooks fileOpened, used briefly, then ignored. We rebuild it from the beginning.
Missing reconciliationsBank balance and books do not agree. We trace back and fix it.
No HST tracking at allWe identify what should have been collected, set up codes correctly, and get you current.

Related services

Most businesses combine this with one or two of the following:

The setup behind your books

Cloud software, your account, your data.

📗 QuickBooks Online 🧾 Dext 📂 Hubdoc

Your books stay in your own QuickBooks Online account on bank-level encrypted software. We work in it; we don't hold it hostage. You get a single named point of contact, a signed engagement letter, and an NDA on request. Cancel anytime; your file is always yours.

What happens after you reach out

From broken file to books you can trust.

1. Free file review

We get read access to your QuickBooks file and spend 30 minutes actually looking at it. Chart of accounts, reconciliation status, bank feeds, HST setup, job costing. We tell you straight what is broken and what it will take to fix. No guessing, no pressure.

2. Diagnose and scope

Duplicate bank feed entries, uncategorized transactions, mixed personal and business spend, broken chart of accounts, HST codes set up wrong, no job costing at all we map every problem and give you a flat quote before any work starts.

3. Rebuild and reconcile

Chart of accounts restructured for construction or real estate. Uncategorized backlog cleared. Bank feeds reconciled. Receipt capture connected and working. Job costing turned on and configured. HST fixed. The file becomes something you can rely on.

4. Keep it clean

Optional monthly service: books closed by the 10th, reconciled and reliable every month. The file never drifts back into a mess because someone is managing it consistently.

Common questions

QuickBooks setup, answered.

Primarily QuickBooks Online it’s cloud‑based so we work in your books in real time. If you’re on Desktop, we’ll migrate you to QBO cleanly.

Yes. We review it, correct the chart of accounts and miscategorized transactions, and reconcile it back to accurate. Larger jobs run through our cleanup service.

Almost always because the chart of accounts wasn’t built for it. We restructure it around projects and cost types so per‑job reporting actually works.

Setup and migration are scoped after a quick file review; ongoing management is a flat monthly fee. You’ll get an exact quote on your free review.

Make QuickBooks actually useful.

Book a free bookkeeping review. We’ll look at your QuickBooks file and tell you straight what’s working, what isn’t, and what it would take to trust your numbers again.

No obligation · No lock‑in contracts · Ottawa‑based specialists