Set Up QuickBooks for Your Practice Client.
Your Practice Client needs a separate QuickBooks Online company where you can work through the books. You can start with an eligible 30-day QuickBooks trial, or use a dedicated paid company if you prefer. Here’s how to get ready.
U.S. setup context. These instructions describe the U.S. QuickBooks Online Accountant and Intuit Accountant Suite interface, which is what QBO Dojo Practice Clients are built around. Plan names, trial terms, and screen labels differ outside the United States. If you practice in another country, use the equivalent Intuit accountant offering for your region and choose the closest matching plan.
Choose Your Starting Point
Follow the instructions that match your situation. Each route gets you to a working QuickBooks company for your Practice Client.
I already use QBOA or Intuit Accountant Suite
Sign in to your accountant account- 1. Sign in to your QuickBooks Online Accountant or Intuit Accountant Suite account.
- 2. Open your client list and add a new client using your simulated business’s name.
- 3. Add a QuickBooks Online subscription and select the plan required for your Practice Client (see guidance below).
- 4. Choose the client-billed trial route so the company begins with a 30-day trial.
- 5. Complete setup and open the company.
I need a free Intuit Accountant account
Create a free Intuit Accountant Suite Core account- 1. Create a free Intuit Accountant Suite Core account through Intuit’s accountant sign-up. The accountant account itself has no monthly recurring fee.
- 2. Once approved and signed in, open your client list and add a new client using your simulated business’s name.
- 3. Add a QuickBooks Online subscription and select the plan required for your Practice Client (see guidance below).
- 4. Choose the client-billed trial route so the company begins with a 30-day trial.
- 5. Complete setup and open the company.
I already have a compatible QBO company
- 1. Confirm the company meets the minimum plan required for your Practice Client (see guidance below).
- 2. Use a dedicated company for your Practice Client so the practice books stay separate from any real work.
- 3. Open the company and follow your QBO Dojo package instructions to set up the practice books.
Screen labels and menu paths follow Intuit’s current official QuickBooks Online Accountant interface. Intuit may change these at any time. The free accountant account manages client companies; it does not make every client subscription permanently free. Each client company has its own subscription and trial period.
Which QBO Plan Does Your Client Need?
Know the Difference
90 days of simulated business records
Your QBO Dojo Practice Client covers a three-month client period of business activity. You can work through those records at your own pace. You do not have to wait 90 calendar days to pass.
30 calendar days of QuickBooks trial access
A client company created through the accountant-side route begins with a 30-day trial. Start the trial when you are ready to practice, not before.
30 days to download purchased QBO Dojo files
Practice Client files currently must be downloaded within 30 days of purchase. Keep your own copies and work them at your own pace.
Start the QBO trial when ready to practice. Because the trial is 30 days from activation, begin it when you are ready to work the books so the trial window aligns with your practice time.
A paid subscription allows continued work in the same company. To keep working in the same company after its trial expires, activate a paid subscription for that company. Creating another company does not extend the existing company’s trial or transfer your work.
The public QuickBooks test drive should not be used. Intuit’s public test drive does not retain your work. Use a dedicated trial or paid company you control.
Live Client Simulation includes its own QBO company. If you enroll in Live Client Simulation, QBO Dojo creates and pays for the QuickBooks Online company during the paid engagement. You do not need to set up your own for Live.
If Something Looks Off
You see an unexpected payment screen
If a payment method is requested where you expected a trial, you may have taken a consumer-direct route instead of the accountant-side client-company route. Return to your accountant account, open your client list, and add the company from there. A paid subscription is only needed to keep working in the same company after its trial ends.
Your screen labels look different
Intuit updates the QuickBooks Online Accountant interface over time, so the exact button or menu names may differ from what is described here. The steps (sign in, open your client list, add a client, choose a QBO plan, and open the company) stay the same. Check Intuit's official help for current labels.
Choosing the correct QBO plan
Pick the minimum plan required for your Practice Client (see the plan guidance below). A lower plan may not include the features the client needs. If you are working a Full Practice Set, create three separate companies, each meeting its client's requirement.
Need help with access or a download issue? Contact support. QBO Dojo can help with product access and downloads, but does not provide bookkeeping coaching on the practice work itself.
Follow Your Package’s Setup Guidance
Once your QuickBooks company is open, follow the setup and import guidance that comes with your Practice Client package to bring the books in and begin working.