Switching from QuickBooks to Akauntants: Philippine Business Migration Guide

QuickBooks Online is the most popular accounting software globally, and it has a significant user base in the Philippines — particularly among businesses that started with accountants or CPAs trained on the platform. The reasons Philippine businesses migrate away tend to be consistent: USD pricing that doesn't fit the peso-earning SME budget, no native BIR form generation, and a feature set designed for the US market with Philippine tax considerations bolted on rather than built in.

This guide walks through the complete migration from QuickBooks Online (QBO) to Akauntants, with attention to the specific quirks of QuickBooks data exports that you need to know before you start.

QuickBooks Export Limitations to Know First

Before you begin, understand what QuickBooks will and won't give you in an export.

What exports cleanly:

• Chart of accounts (Excel/CSV from Reports → Account List)
• Customer list (CSV from Sales → Customers → Export)
• Vendor list (CSV from Expenses → Vendors → Export)
• Transaction history by account (via Account Register → Export)
• Trial balance (Reports → Trial Balance → Export)
• Profit & Loss (multiple date ranges)
• Balance Sheet (as of any date)

What doesn't export cleanly:

• Class tracking: If you used QuickBooks Classes (e.g., to track multiple branches or product lines), class assignments don't export in a way that can be imported elsewhere. You'll need to document your class structure manually and recreate it in Akauntants as Branch/Department tags.
• Custom fields: Custom fields on invoices and bills are QB-specific. Note what you used them for so you can configure equivalent tracking in Akauntants.
• QuickBooks Payments transaction data: If you used QuickBooks Payments (QBP) to collect credit card payments from customers, this payment processing history is QBP-specific. Export the transaction records manually from your QBP dashboard and archive them separately.
• Attachments: Documents attached to transactions in QBO (receipts, contracts) do not export. Download them individually from each transaction or use the QB backup tool before your subscription ends.

Step 1: Pre-Migration Exports from QuickBooks Online

Log into QBO and collect these exports in order:

Chart of Accounts

Reports → Account List → Export to Excel

Review the exported list. Note:

• QuickBooks account types (Bank, Accounts Receivable, Other Current Asset, etc.)
• The equivalent Akauntants account types — the naming is different but the concepts map cleanly

QB to Akauntants account type mapping:

Trial Balance (as of migration date)

Reports → Trial Balance → set date to your migration cut-off → Export to Excel

This is your reconciliation reference. Every account balance in this report becomes an opening balance in Akauntants.

Accounts Receivable Aging Detail

Reports → Accounts Receivable Aging Detail → set as of date to migration cut-off → Export to Excel

This lists every outstanding customer invoice with the aging. You'll recreate these as individual open invoices in Akauntants.

Accounts Payable Aging Detail

Reports → Accounts Payable Aging Detail → same date → Export to Excel

Same purpose for supplier bills.

Payroll Details (if you ran Philippine payroll in QBO)

QuickBooks Online's payroll module is US-focused and most Philippine users either don't use it or maintain payroll separately. If you have payroll data in QBO:

• Export the Employee List (CSV)
• Export payroll run history (Payroll → Reports → Payroll Summary → Export)
• Note year-to-date withholding tax per employee if mid-year migration

Custom Reports You've Built

Before you leave, export any custom profit & loss reports, dashboard configurations, or reports your accountant or CPA has set up in QBO. Recreate the most important ones in Akauntants.

Step 2: Document Your Class Tracking Structure

If you used QuickBooks Classes to track:

• Multiple branches or locations
• Product lines (e.g., retail vs. wholesale)
• Service types
• Departments

Document the class structure before migrating. In QBO: Reports → Profit and Loss by Class to see your class breakdown.

In Akauntants, recreate this using Branches (for location tracking) or Tags (for other dimensions). The key is to establish the equivalent tracking structure before you start entering opening transactions, so the new system captures the same granularity from day one.

Step 3: Set Up Akauntants

Business Profile

Enter your business details exactly as registered with BIR:

• Registered business name
• TIN
• RDO
• Type of business (sole proprietorship, corporation, partnership)
• VAT status

Chart of Accounts

Import or manually enter your account list using the QB export. For each QB account:

1. Map it to the equivalent Akauntants account type (use the mapping table above)
2. Assign a Philippine-standard account number if Akauntants doesn't auto-assign
3. Note the QB "Detail Type" for more granular mapping guidance

Recreate Class Structure as Branches/Tags

If you had QB Classes for branches or departments, create matching tracking categories in Akauntants → Settings → Branches (or Tags, depending on what you're tracking).

Customers and Vendors

Import from your QBO exports. For each contact, add:

• Philippine TIN (critical for VAT invoices and 2307 certificates)
• Address (as it should appear on official receipts)
• Payment terms

Tax Configuration

Set your tax rates and types per your BIR registration:

• VAT-registered: configure 12% VAT output/input tracking
• Non-VAT: configure 3% percentage tax
• EWT rates for your common payment types (professional fees, rentals, etc.)

Step 4: Enter Opening Balances

Use the QBO Trial Balance as of your migration date. Enter each balance in Akauntants → Settings → Opening Balances.

Tips specific to QuickBooks migrations:

Undeposited Funds: If you have a balance in QuickBooks' "Undeposited Funds" account (a QBO holding account for payments not yet deposited to the bank), clear this before migrating. Either deposit those funds (so they appear in your bank account balance) or map the balance to a corresponding account in Akauntants.

Retained Earnings: In QBO, retained earnings auto-compute from historical net income. In Akauntants, you'll enter your opening retained earnings balance directly. Use the QBO Balance Sheet's "Retained Earnings" figure as of your migration date.

Security Deposits: If you have tenant deposits held (liability) or deposits paid to landlords (asset), ensure these appear in your opening balances. They're often forgotten.

AR/AP with credits: If any customers have credit balances (they overpaid) or vendors have debit balances (you overpaid), include these. In QBO these appear as negative balances in the aging reports.

Step 5: Enter Individual Open Invoices and Bills

From your AR Aging Detail export, recreate each outstanding customer invoice in Akauntants:

• Use the same invoice number (or prefix with "QB-" to distinguish historical invoices from new ones)
• Same date, customer, line items, and amount
• Mark as "carry-forward from QuickBooks" in the notes field

Same process for AP: recreate each open vendor bill from your AP Aging Detail.

After entering all individual invoices and bills, verify that:

• Total AR from individual invoices matches the AR balance in your opening balances
• Total AP from individual bills matches the AP balance in your opening balances

Step 6: Verify the Opening Trial Balance

Generate a Trial Balance in Akauntants and compare it to your QBO Trial Balance export.

Every account balance should match. For any differences:

Bank account difference: Double-check your opening bank balance entry. Also verify outstanding checks from QBO bank reconciliation — these should reduce your book balance.

Fixed asset difference: Verify the accumulated depreciation figure was entered as a credit (contra-asset).

Retained Earnings difference: Check whether QBO's retained earnings included the current year net income or was a prior-year figure. In Akauntants, your opening retained earnings should be the prior year closing retained earnings (before the current year's P&L is added).

Step 7: Run Parallel (30-Day Minimum)

For the first month:

• Record all new transactions in Akauntants
• Use QBO as a read-only reference
• At month-end, compare bank balances, P&L totals, and AR/AP aging between the two systems

If they agree: you're ready to fully transition. If they don't: investigate during this window. Common causes are transactions recorded in only one system, or timing differences in how transactions post.

Handling QBO Payments Data

If you accepted payments through QuickBooks Payments (credit card/ACH via QBO):

• These will no longer process through QBO once you cancel
• Set up a Philippine payment gateway (GCash Business, PayMongo, DragonPay) for online payments
• Export your QuickBooks Payments transaction history for your records before canceling

What to Do With Historical QBO Data

Before canceling your QBO subscription:

1. Download all custom reports as PDFs
2. Export the full general ledger (Reports → Transaction List by Date → set full date range → Export to Excel) — this is your complete historical record
3. Download all attachments from critical transactions
4. Note your QBO company ID in case Intuit support needs it for future reference

After canceling:

• QBO provides a 365-day read-only access period after cancellation for most plans
• After that period, data is no longer accessible via the interface
• Keep your exported CSVs and PDFs for the full 10-year BIR retention period

Cost Comparison

To help calibrate the savings:

The peso cost gap widens whenever the peso weakens. And the time savings from built-in BIR compliance typically outweigh the subscription cost difference within the first quarter.

Your First BIR Filing on Akauntants

The payoff from migration arrives at the end of your first quarter. Instead of extracting QuickBooks reports, manually calculating VAT or percentage tax, and filling eBIRForms:

1. Open Akauntants → Tax Center
2. Select the quarter
3. Review the auto-computed tax return
4. Download the eBIRForms-compatible file or file directly
5. Done

No exports, no manual calculations, no spreadsheet bridges. That's the migration payoff.