To invite an accountant to QuickBooks Online, go to Settings (the gear icon), then Manage users, then the Accounting firms tab, then Invite firm, and enter the accountant’s email. Xero, Zoho Books, FreshBooks and Wave work in a similar way. Your accountant signs in with their own login, so you never share a password, and you can take access back from the same screen.
QuickBooks Online
- Settings (gear)
- Manage users
- Accounting firms
- Invite firm
Xero
- Organization name
- Settings
- Users
- Invite a user
- Administrator (Advisor)
Invite an accountant to QuickBooks Online, step by step
You need to be the primary admin or a company admin of the QuickBooks Online company to send the invite. Then:
- Sign in to QuickBooks Online and select Settings (the gear icon).
- Select Manage users.
- Open the Accounting firms tab. Some accounts label it Accountants.
- Select Invite firm.
- Enter the accountant’s email address, or their firm’s QuickBooks user ID, and send the invitation.
- Their status shows Invited until they accept, then changes to Active.
What an accountant user can see and do in QuickBooks
An accountant user is not a read-only login. Intuit describes it as access to accountant tools “to review your books and make corrections”, so in practice your accountant can see every area of the file, fix categories, reconcile accounts and make adjusting entries. That is what monthly bookkeeping needs.
- The file stays yours. The subscription, the data and the primary admin role stay with you unless you choose to transfer them.
- How many. Most QuickBooks Online plans let you invite up to two accounting firms; Advanced allows more.
- User limit. Accountants invited from the Accounting firms tab do not use one of your plan’s user seats.
Add an accountant (advisor) to Xero
In Xero you invite your accountant as a user with the Administrator role (older Xero screens call it Advisor), which gives full access to all areas of Xero. You need permission to manage users to do this.
- Click your organization name, then Settings.
- Select Users, then Invite a user.
- Enter the accountant’s first name, last name and email address.
- Under Business and accounting, choose the Administrator role (called Advisor in older Xero accounts). Tick Manage users only if you want them to be able to add or remove other users.
- Select Send invite. If it is not accepted within 14 days, resend it from the same screen.
Every Xero plan includes unlimited users at no extra cost, so adding your accountant does not change your subscription. If you want a bookkeeper working in that file every month, see our Xero bookkeeping services.
Zoho Books, FreshBooks, Wave, NetSuite and Sage
Every accounting app has a users or team screen in its settings. The labels differ, and so do the roles: some “accountant” roles are narrower than others, so check that the role you pick lets your bookkeeper edit transactions, not just read reports.
| Software | Where to go | Role to choose |
|---|---|---|
| Zoho Books | Settings, then Users (under Users and Roles), then Invite Accountant | AccountantThe default role can view banking but not change it; widen it for monthly bookkeeping |
| FreshBooks | Add Team Member from your dashboard | Accountant, or the full-access accountant roleUp to 10 accountants free on Plus, Premium and Select plans |
| Wave | Settings, then Users, then Invite user | Admin or EditorBoth need Wave’s Pro plan; on the free Starter plan you cannot add a user who can edit the books |
| NetSuite and Sage | Your administrator adds the user | An accountant or full-access roleMenus vary by edition |
How to remove an accountant’s access
Removing an accountant takes access away. It does not delete your data: transactions they entered stay in the file and in its history.
QuickBooks Online
- Sign in as the primary admin and select Settings, then Manage users.
- Open the Accounting firms (or Accountants) tab and find the firm.
- Select Delete in the Action column, then confirm.
Xero
Go to Settings, then Users, open the menu beside the person’s name and choose to delete the user, then confirm. Xero does not notify them, and their past work stays attributed to them. You cannot delete the organization’s subscriber until the subscription is transferred.
Other software
Use the same users or team screen you invited them from, and remove or deactivate the user.
Switching accountants in QuickBooks Online
Change over in this order so there is no gap and nothing gets stuck:
- Invite the new accountant first. Most plans allow two firms at once, so both can have access for a short overlap.
- Check who holds the primary admin role and who pays for the subscription. If your old accountant set up the file, ask them to transfer both to you before they go.
- Ask the old accountant for anything that lives outside QuickBooks: reconciliation reports, workpapers and notes on open items.
- Remove the old firm from the Accounting firms tab.
Inviting us for a free books review
For the free books review and for monthly work, add us as your accountant using our company email, in whatever software you use. For the review we only read the file: nothing in your books changes, and within about 48 hours you get a written list of what is misclassified or unreconciled. Remove us any time from your own user settings.
The email to invite
hello@
QuickBooks Online: Accounting firms tab. Xero: Administrator (formerly Advisor) role. Other software: an accountant or full-access user.
Once you have sent the invite, email us at hello@
Frequently asked questions
Does adding an accountant cost anything?
Not in the software itself. QuickBooks Online accountants invited from the Accounting firms tab do not use one of your paid seats, every Xero plan includes unlimited users, and FreshBooks lets Plus, Premium and Select plans add up to 10 accountants free. What the accountant charges for their work is a separate matter.
What can an accountant user do in my file?
In QuickBooks Online and Xero (Administrator role, formerly Advisor), nearly everything: see every area, recategorize transactions, reconcile accounts, make adjusting entries and run reports. It is not a read-only login. The subscription and the primary admin role stay with you.
Can I remove access any time?
Yes. Delete the accountant from Manage users in QuickBooks Online, or from Users in Xero, and their access ends. Your data and the work they did stay in the file. If an accountant pays for your QuickBooks subscription through their firm, move the billing to you first.
Which email do I invite for Remote Bookkeepers?
Invite hello@
Does an accountant user count toward my QuickBooks user limit?
Not when you invite them from the Accounting firms tab. Most plans allow up to two accounting firms this way, and Advanced allows more. An accountant added as an ordinary user through Add user would take a seat.
What if a past accountant set up my QuickBooks file?
Ask them to transfer the primary admin role and the subscription billing to you before you remove them. Until then they may control who else can be invited, and the Delete option may not appear.
Menu labels change from time to time. If yours look different, look for Users, Team or Accountant access in Settings, or call us on (906) 268-9778 and we will walk you through it.