A clean QuickBooks Online Canada setup comes down to 7 steps, done in the right order. Company info, start date, sales tax, chart of accounts, bank feeds, opening balances, then your first reconciliation.
Last updated November 3, 2026. Reviewed by Aryan Patel, founder of Senvora Group, a bookkeeping firm that supports CPA firms and business owners in the US and Canada. Our team sets up every new Canadian QuickBooks file in the order below. Everything below comes from Intuit help pages and Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) guides. Where those pages say nothing, we say so and tell you to confirm it. We do not guess. We also do not prepare or file tax returns. This is a bookkeeping setup guide, not tax advice.
Key takeaways
- Do the setup in order: company info, start date, sales tax, chart of accounts, bank feeds, opening balances, first reconciliation.
- Pick your province first. The Intuit sales tax page says QuickBooks tracks provincial sales tax rules once you tell it where you collect.
- A GST/HST number is 9 digits, then the letters RT, then 4 digits. The CRA guide gives 123456789 RT 0001 as its example.
- Opening balances matter. Intuit says the opening balance is the starting point for your account, so get it from a real statement.
- The CRA says to keep records for six years from the end of the last tax year they relate to.
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Why the setup order matters
Most setup problems are not hard to fix. They are hard to spot. A wrong start date or a missing tax number quietly flows into every report you run later.
Behind on your books before tax season? We review your file for free and give you a fixed quote. Get your books CPA ready before January.
For every Canada rule and deadline in one place, see our Canada bookkeeping guide.
In the QuickBooks files we review, setup errors showed up again and again. You can read the full 5 QuickBooks setup errors we see most for the details. The short version is this. Ten minutes of care on day one saves hours of cleanup later.
Step 1: Company info and province
Start in Settings, then Account and settings, then Company. The Intuit help page on company name, contact info and Business Number lists these fields: company name, legal name, company email, phone, website and your Business Number (BN).
It also lists three addresses. Company address is your main physical location. Customer facing address is where customers contact you or send payments. Legal address is, in Intuit’s words, the address used when filing taxes. You can mark the last two as the same as your company address.
One more tip from that page. If your BN will differ for tax filing, Intuit suggests adding another company rather than changing this one. Think about that before you build anything.
Your province is chosen in the sales tax screen. We cover that in step 3.
Step 2: Pick your start date
Here is where people get stuck. Intuit’s page on first time reconciliation does not use the phrase “start date.” It says QuickBooks uses the balance from “the day you choose to start tracking transactions.” That is your effective start date.
Which day should that be? The Intuit pages we read do not say. It depends on your fiscal year, when you opened your accounts and what your accountant wants. Confirm the date with your accountant before you enter anything.
If you need older information, the Intuit get started page says you can upload historical transactions manually. If your history is months behind, our retroactive bookkeeping guide shows how we handle that.
Step 3: Set up GST, HST, PST and QST
Open All apps, then Sales Tax, then Overview. The Intuit help page on setting up and using sales tax gives these steps:
- Choose your province or territory from the dropdown and select Save.
- Set the start of your tax period and your filing frequency.
- Pick a reporting method. The page says accrual is typical and tells you to check with an accountant if you are unsure.
- Optionally, enter your GST/HST number.
- Select Next, then OK.
That page does not list the filing frequency options. It also does not say what the start of period date controls. Confirm both with your accountant or the CRA.
Which tax applies where
The Intuit Canada provincial sales tax guide breaks Canada into groups. Alberta, the Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Yukon charge GST only. British Columbia, Manitoba and Saskatchewan charge PST on top of GST, and you register and file twice, once with the CRA and once with the province. Quebec has QST, handled by Revenu Québec. Ontario, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island use HST, which is combined with GST, so you register once with the CRA.
| Where you sell | What the Intuit page says | What to do in setup |
|---|---|---|
| Alberta, NWT, Nunavut, Yukon | GST only | Set up your GST agency. These areas file with the agency you already have |
| BC, Manitoba, Saskatchewan | PST separate from GST | Add the PST agency and enter your PST number |
| Quebec | QST, administered by Revenu Québec | Register with Revenu Québec. Confirm QST setup details with them and your accountant |
| Ontario and the Atlantic provinces | HST combined with GST | One GST/HST return with the CRA |
We left the rates out on purpose. Rates change. Check the current rate for your province before you rely on any number.
Selling in more than one province
The Intuit help page on where you collect sales tax says you can add other agencies if you charge tax outside your province. Go to Manage sales tax, then Add tax, then “Start tracking in a new province.” Choose the province, the start month of your next tax period, a filing frequency, a reporting method and your PST number. The same page says Alberta, the Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Yukon will not appear as options if you already set up an agency for a GST collecting province.
Your GST/HST number
The CRA guide RC4022, General Information for GST/HST Registrants says the BN is 9 digits, followed by 2 letters that identify the program (RT is for GST/HST) and a 4 digit number. To add or change it in QuickBooks, go to Manage sales tax, select Edit agency settings next to the agency and enter the number. The field may be labelled “GST number.”
Reporting periods
The same CRA guide ties your reporting period to annual taxable supplies:
- $1,500,000 or less: assigned an annual period, with monthly or quarterly as options.
- More than $1,500,000, up to $6,000,000: assigned a quarterly period, with monthly as an option.
- More than $6,000,000: assigned a monthly period.
The guide says these amounts are generally based on revenue from taxable supplies in the preceding fiscal year. Confirm your assigned period with the CRA before you set your filing frequency in QuickBooks.
Tax categories and customers
Per the Intuit help page on setting up and using sales tax, you assign a sales tax category to each product or service so QuickBooks knows what to charge. Rates can also depend on a customer’s exempt status and where you sell or ship. Check each customer’s sales tax status and addresses. Some customers, such as churches, schools or non profits, may not have to pay sales tax. If you are a Quebec non profit, Intuit recommends talking to an accounting professional.
Step 4: Chart of accounts
Good news. The Intuit help page on the chart of accounts says the standard chart of accounts provided during initial setup will meet the needs of most businesses. It also says you may need to change it as your needs change.
To add an account, select New, pick an account type, pick a detail type, fill in the rest and select Save and Close. To change one, open the dropdown next to Account history or Run report and select Edit.
That page does not cover account numbers, and it does not explain how to choose a detail type or make an account inactive. Confirm those with Intuit support or your accountant.
Our rule is simple. Keep the list short. Add an account only when you need to report on it separately.
Step 5: Connect your bank feeds
The Intuit help page on connecting bank accounts says to create the bank account first in the chart of accounts, using the Bank account type. Then connect it from the Bank transactions page with Connect account or Link account. Find your institution, sign in with your online banking credentials, give permission, pick the accounts and select Connect.
New transactions show up on the For review tab. From there you can view, add, categorize or match them, then accept them into QuickBooks.
How far back the feed goes is not a fixed number. Intuit says QuickBooks downloads transactions “up to a certain date,” and you can pick a date range to get fewer. Check what came in before you accept anything.
Step 6: Enter opening balances
When you create a bank account, you enter the opening balance as of a date you choose. That is the date from step 2.
The Intuit help page on fixing issues the first time you reconcile says the opening balance is the starting point for your account in QuickBooks. It shows up as a journal entry labelled Opening balance equity. Compare it with your bank or card statement for the same day. If it does not match, edit the amount so it does.
Use real statements, not memory. A wrong opening balance will block your first reconciliation.
Step 7: Reconcile the first month
Now close the loop. The Intuit help page on reconciling an account walks through it. Check that your statement starts the day after the last statement ending date. Enter the ending balance and ending date from your statement. Tick each transaction that matches. Keep going until the Difference is $0.00, then select Finish now.
For your very first reconciliation, the Intuit first time page says the opening balance is the only entry that is reconciled. Any other entry marked R should be cleared. Those two pages are Intuit’s US help articles. Check the screens in your Canadian file, because labels can differ.
If the difference will not hit zero, stop and find out why. Do not plug it. A forced balance hides the problem and it comes back next month.
Keep your records
The CRA guide RC188, Keeping Records says to keep your records for six years from the end of the last tax year they relate to, unless the CRA permits earlier destruction. It also says records created by computerized business systems are important to keep. Plan for that now. Set a habit of saving statements and receipts in one place.
A quick setup checklist
- Company name, legal name, BN and addresses entered.
- Start date agreed with your accountant.
- Province chosen and sales tax agencies set up.
- GST/HST number saved on the agency.
- Reporting period and filing frequency confirmed with the CRA or your accountant.
- Chart of accounts reviewed.
- Bank and card accounts created and connected.
- Opening balances match statements.
- First month reconciled to a $0.00 difference.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a QuickBooks Online Canada setup take?
The Intuit pages we read do not give a time. The steps themselves are short. Most of the time goes into gathering statements and confirming your start date, filing frequency and reporting period.
What is a GST/HST number?
The CRA guide says it is your 9 digit Business Number, followed by the letters RT and a 4 digit number. Its example is 123456789 RT 0001.
Do I need PST or QST in QuickBooks?
It depends on where you sell. Intuit says British Columbia, Manitoba and Saskatchewan charge PST separately from GST, and Quebec has QST administered by Revenu Québec. Confirm your registration needs with the CRA, your province or your accountant.
What start date should I choose?
The Intuit pages we read do not say which date to pick. Confirm it with your accountant, since it affects your opening balances.
How long do I keep bookkeeping records in Canada?
The CRA says to keep records for six years from the end of the last tax year they relate to, unless the CRA permits earlier destruction.
Can Senvora file my GST/HST return?
No. Senvora does not prepare or file tax returns. We keep the books clean so you or your accountant can file from accurate numbers.
Sources
- Intuit help page on setting up and using sales tax (quickbooks.intuit.com)
- Intuit help page on where you collect sales tax (quickbooks.intuit.com)
- Intuit Canada provincial sales tax guide (quickbooks.intuit.com)
- Intuit help page on company name, contact info and Business Number (quickbooks.intuit.com)
- Intuit get started page (quickbooks.intuit.com)
- Intuit help page on the chart of accounts (quickbooks.intuit.com)
- Intuit help page on connecting bank accounts (quickbooks.intuit.com)
- Intuit help page on fixing issues the first time you reconcile (quickbooks.intuit.com)
- Intuit help page on reconciling an account (quickbooks.intuit.com)
- CRA guide RC4022, General Information for GST/HST Registrants (canada.ca)
- CRA guide RC188, Keeping Records (canada.ca)
Want help getting your QuickBooks file set up right?
Senvora Group handles monthly outsourced bookkeeping for business owners and CPA firms, including QuickBooks Online setup, bank feeds and first month reconciliations. You can also see our outsourced bookkeeping pricing breakdown, or DM Aryan. Which step of your setup feels least clear right now?
