Getting Started

This guide takes a firm-side user from sign-in to an open client workspace. The setup is complete only after the client’s starting ledger source has been selected and its required onboarding has finished.

Before you begin

Have the following information ready:

• the firm workspace you should use, or authority to create a New workspace;
• the client name;
• whether an existing QuickBooks Online company or QuickBooks Desktop file must be preserved;
• the appropriate AI review model for the engagement;
• any chart of accounts file or business context needed for a fresh setup.

If you joined an existing firm, accept its invitation first. If the workspace or client is missing, ask a firm owner or manager to check your membership and client access before recreating anything.

1. Open the correct firm workspace

Use the workspace switcher in the top bar to select the firm. To create a separate firm, open the switcher and select New workspace.

The firm sidebar opens at Clients and also contains Bookkeeping Pace, Timecards, Billing, Members, and Settings. See the Product Tour for what belongs at firm level versus client level.

2. Confirm team access

Firm roles and client access are separate controls:

• Owner and Manager members have full access to the firm’s clients.
• Staff members use a default client access level and may have a different override for an individual client.
• Write allows editing, Read-only allows viewing, and No access removes access to that client.

Owners and managers can review this under Members. See Roles and Permissions before inviting contractors or changing a staff member’s defaults.

3. Add a client

From Clients:

1. Select Add client.
2. Enter the required Client name.
3. Choose the required AI Mode.
4. Expand More details if you want to add Industry, Business type, Tax return, or Notes.
5. Select Create client.

Choose AI Mode according to who should categorize transactions:

AI Mode can be changed later from the bottom of the client sidebar. Treat it as a responsibility setting, not as approval of every resulting categorization.

Create several client shells

Select Bulk create to upload a CSV with one column of client names. The header is optional and only the first column is used. Wesley skips blanks, reports duplicate names, and shows created, invalid, and failed counts.

Bulk creation creates the client records; it does not replace each client’s required onboarding.

4. Choose the starting ledger

After a client is created, Wesley asks: How would you like to bring in this client’s books? Choose exactly one starting path.

Start Fresh

Use Start Fresh only when there is no QuickBooks Online company or QuickBooks Desktop file to preserve. Wesley can use a chart of accounts file, transaction history, or a short conversation to prepare the starting chart. Review the proposed accounts and mappings before approving creation.

A missing bank connection by itself is not a reason to choose Start Fresh. Bank and card sources are added after the starting ledger is established.

QuickBooks Desktop

Choose QuickBooks Desktop, then Connect QBD, when the existing Desktop company file is the ledger to preserve. Follow the Wesley QBD Connector setup and review the import or sync state before continuing.

QuickBooks Online

Choose QuickBooks Online, then Connect QBO, when an existing Online company is the ledger to preserve. Authorize the correct company, review the import settings, and use Import & Continue when the selection is correct.

Do not connect a similarly named company without confirming its identity and reporting history.

5. Verify the opened client

Required setup must finish before the normal client workspace opens. Once it does:

1. Open Chart of Accounts and confirm account codes, names, types, and hierarchy.
2. Open Client Settings to review Client Information, Integrations, Assignments, Client Access, and Audit Logs as applicable.
3. Open Banking to add or select bank and card accounts and bring in transaction activity.
4. Check the Sync status in the client sidebar when QuickBooks is connected.

The expected result is a client workspace with an established starting ledger and a clear next source-data action. Follow Document Upload, Connecting Bank Accounts, or Transaction Review next.

If setup does not open

• If Wesley returns to onboarding, finish the required ledger setup before trying to open the client book again.
• If you cannot open the client, ask an owner or manager to verify your effective client access.
• If a QuickBooks authorization or connector fails, confirm the company selection and connection state before retrying.
• If the product behavior is unclear, open Support and include the firm, client, chosen onboarding path, and the last completed step.