How to Electronically Send the Accountant’s Copy from QuickBooks 2018

Your client can also send a copy of the QuickBooks accountant’s copy electronically by using Intuit’s file transfer service. To do this, the client chooses File → Send Company File→Accountant’s Copy → Client Activities→ Send to Accountant. QuickBooks provides onscreen instructions for sending, or uploading, the accountant’s copy to the Intuit server, including the steps for adding a password to secure the uploaded file.

After the accountant’s copy is uploaded, the Intuit server sends the accountant an email message with a link the accountant can use to download the accountant’s copy file. As noted, the client provides a password to restrict access to the downloaded file, so the accountant needs this password from the client before the download. The accountant also needs any QuickBooks password to open the downloaded file.

You want to use the Send Company File command or have your clients use the Send Company File command if you can. The Send Company File command saves you much wailing and gnashing of teeth. It also provides a highly secure way to share accountant’s copies. The only problem encountered with the process, in fact, is that the link in the email message you get from Intuit expires after a few days. Accordingly, if your client sends you the file on the first day of your two-week vacation, the link won’t work when you get back to the office. The link will have expired.

Because the links Intuit sends you do expire after a few days, try to avoid having clients send their QuickBooks files via the Send Company File command. Instead, ask clients to upload their QuickBooks files to a ShareFile account.