Contents

• Existing QuickBooks Online Subscribers
• How to Copy a Company from an Existing QuickBooks Online Subscription
• How to Migrate Data from QuickBooks Desktop
• Data Migration Support
  • TechSoup's QuickBooks Data Migration Support
  • New Registration Link Required
  • Missed the 60 Day Window to Migrate

Existing QuickBooks Online Subscribers

The QuickBooks Online offers available through TechSoup are designed for new subscribers and cannot be applied to an existing QuickBooks Online subscription.  However, there is a workaround where organizations can copy their existing QuickBooks Online company to their new, donated QuickBooks Online subscription.  While the company file can be copied over to a new QuickBooks Online, not all data can be migrated.  For example, data for Intuit's Payroll service cannot be transferred between subscriptions.

To help determine if the donated QuickBooks Online offer is the right for you, organizations are encouraged to review the instructions within this TechSoup Support article before requesting one of the QuickBooks Online offers.

How to Copy a Company from an Existing QuickBooks Online Subscription

To migrate your data from your QuickBooks Online, both your original subscription and new, donated subscription must be at the QuickBooks Online Advanced subscription level.  The ‘copy company file’ feature is only available when both subscriptions are QuickBooks Online Advanced.

QuickBooks Online Plus: Access the copy company file feature by temporarily upgrading both your existing and new subscriptions to QuickBooks Online Advanced. To avoid being charged, only upgrade your subscription when ready to complete the process and downgrade the subscriptions back to QuickBooks Online Plus once the company file is copied.  You may want to cancel your existing, commercial subscription instead of downgrading.

1. Go to the account setup page by clicking the activation link within your fulfillment email.
2. Click the link on the setup page to sign in to your existing account.
3. After you sign in, select "Create a new company”.  
4. Customize QuickBooks to your specific needs. 
   • When customizing your new company during setup, enter a slightly different name from your old company, such as "Organization (New)" or "Organization 2." This will make it easier to distinguish when switching between them in your account.
   • We recommend that you not check the box to bring in the data from your desktop product if you are currently using one. 
5. Now that your new company is created, confirm your new subscription is on nonprofit billing.

Once confirmed, move on to the next steps to copy your company file over from your existing QuickBooks Online subscription.  This process can be completed at any time within 60 days of creating your new QuickBooks Online account.

1. Sign in to your QuickBooks Online account.  
2. QuickBooks Online Plus only: upgrade both subscriptions to QuickBooks Online Advanced.
   • To avoid being charged, only upgrade when you are ready to copy your company file and downgrade the subscriptions back to QuickBooks Online Plus once you are finished.
3. Switch to your old company that had or now has a QuickBooks Online Advanced subscription. 
4. Follow Intuit's instructions beginning at step 2 to enable backups and copy the old company data to the new company you created when setting up your donated subscription.
5. Downgrade your new, donated subscription back to QuickBooks Online Plus.
   • If you receive a message to call QuickBooks Online Support to downgrade, and the representative tells you to contact TechSoup to complete that action, please ask for a QuickBooks Online Support supervisor.  QuickBooks Online Support can sometimes assume TechSoup has the ability to access Intuit’s systems, like commercial resellers.
6. Downgrade or cancel the QuickBooks Online Advanced subscription for your old, commercial subscription. 

How to Migrate Data from QuickBooks Desktop

Follow Intuit's step-by-step instructions for migrating from a desktop version of QuickBooks.

You must choose the company you wish to import your data into as part of this process, and you cannot change the company type. Only users with administration-level permissions can import data, and all data must be imported within the first 60 days of creating a QuickBooks Online account.

For migrating Payroll from QuickBooks desktop to QuickBooks Online, you will need to add Payroll to your QuickBooks Online subscription before you can migrate.  Payroll history does migrate to the financial statements, but not through the payroll processing module as Intuit requires that this be purchased and set up again. The QuickBooks Data Migration Support service from TechSoup does not include support re-setting up your Payroll.

Note: Intuit does not provide support for desktop versions three years and older (e.g. in 2025 Intuit stopped supporting 2022 and older versions).

Data Migration Support

Contact QuickBooks Online Support for assistance migrating your data.  Make sure to let the representative know that your are trying to set up a donated QuickBooks Online subscription acquired through TechSoup.

You can also request the QuickBooks Data Migration Support offer through TechSoup - learn more below.

TechSoup's QuickBooks Data Migration Support

TechSoup has partnered with QuickBooks Made Easy for Nonprofits, who provide a QuickBooks Online support service where their remote technicians complete the ‘copy company file’ process on the organization's behalf.

 Organizations can request the QuickBooks Data Migration Support offer when they request one of the QuickBooks Online offers, or later on if they end up requiring support.

New Registration Link Required

If QuickBooks Online Support asks you to request a new registration link, contact TechSoup Customer Service.  TechSoup can provide you with a new registration link.

Missed the 60 Day Window to Migrate

Contact QuickBooks Online Support to see if they are able to re-open the account. Be sure to let the support agent know that you received a prepaid, donated subscription through TechSoup.

If QuickBooks Online Support is unable to assist you and asks you to request a new registration link, contact TechSoup Customer Service.  TechSoup can provide you with a new registration link.