To migrate from Bench to QuickBooks Online, export your Bench financial statements, general ledger and transaction lists, build a QuickBooks Online file with a matching chart of accounts, enter opening balances as of your cut-over date, bring in bank transactions from that date forward, and reconcile every account to a statement before you close the first month.
Step 1: when should you cut over, and on what basis?
Choose a cut-over date first, because every other step depends on it. The start of a fiscal year is easiest: your preparer gets one full year in one system. The start of a quarter is the next best choice, and it keeps sales-tax periods whole.
Decide the basis next. Bench keeps books on a cash basis, so a like-for-like move is cash to cash. If you need accrual books for inventory, a lender or investors, the migration is the moment to switch, and the opening balances will need receivables, payables and any prepaid or accrued amounts that Bench never recorded.
Write both decisions down along with the list of every bank, card, loan and payment-processor account. That list is the checklist for the rest of the migration.
Step 2: what should you export from Bench?
Export everything you can reach, even if you do not plan to use it all. Bench lets clients download financial statements and transaction history from the app, and the exports come as spreadsheet files and PDFs (Bench, 2026). The export menu has changed since the 2024 relaunch, so check the help center for the current path.
Download these as a minimum, for every year available:
- Balance sheet as of the day before cut-over, and as of each prior year-end.
- Profit and loss for each fiscal year and for the current year to date.
- General ledger, or the transaction list by account, for the current year and the prior year.
- Any 1099 or contractor reports, sales-tax summaries and year-end packages.
- Every receipt, statement and document stored in the Bench app.
Save the spreadsheet versions for import and the PDFs as the permanent record. The IRS expects records supporting a return to be kept for at least three years from the filing date, and longer where property or employment taxes are involved (IRS, 2026).
Step 3: how do you set up the QuickBooks Online file?
Open the QuickBooks Online subscription in your own account, not the provider鈥檚. Set the company name, fiscal year start, tax form and accounting basis to match the decisions from step 1. Turn on the features you need, such as sales tax, inventory tracking or multicurrency, before you import anything, because some of them cannot be switched later.
Build the chart of accounts to mirror the Bench balance sheet and profit and loss, account for account. QuickBooks Online imports the chart of accounts from a CSV or Excel file with account name, type and detail type (QuickBooks, 2026). Matching names now makes the opening balances and the later comparison far easier.
Import customers, vendors and products or services next, also by CSV or Excel. Bench does not manage invoices or bills, so these lists usually come from your invoicing tool, your bank and your own records rather than from Bench.
Step 4: how do you bring the data across?
The table shows which Bench export goes where in QuickBooks Online and in what format.
| Bench export | Format | Where it goes in QuickBooks Online | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Balance sheet, day before cut-over | PDF or spreadsheet | Opening balance journal entry | One entry dated the day before cut-over |
| Profit and loss, prior years | Records only | Keep for the preparer and for comparison | |
| Chart of accounts (from statements) | CSV or Excel | Settings, Import data, Chart of accounts | Account name, type, detail type |
| Transaction list by account, current year | CSV | Banking, Upload transactions | Three-column or four-column CSV layout |
| General ledger, current year | CSV | Journal entry import, monthly summaries | Use only if rebuilding history in full |
| Open customer invoices | From your invoicing tool | Sales, Invoices | Enter individually dated before cut-over |
| Unpaid vendor bills | From your records | Expenses, Bills | Enter individually dated before cut-over |
| Receipts and documents | PDF or image | Attachments on transactions, or your own storage | Attach to the transactions that matter for tax |
QuickBooks Online accepts bank transactions from CSV in two layouts: three columns (date, description, amount) or four columns (date, description, credit, debit) (QuickBooks, 2026). Most spreadsheet exports need a few minutes of tidying to match one of them. Remove subtotal rows, keep one header row and make sure dates are in one format.
Step 5: how do you enter opening balances?
Opening balances come from the Bench balance sheet dated the day before cut-over. Enter one journal entry on that date with every asset, liability and equity balance. Post the difference to opening balance equity, then clear opening balance equity to retained earnings so the balance sheet ties to Bench鈥檚.
Bank and credit-card balances should match the statement on that date, not just the Bench figure. If Bench鈥檚 balance differs from the statement, find out why before you go further, because the difference is an error in one of the two sets of books. Loan balances should match the lender鈥檚 statement.
Receivables and payables are the exception to the single journal entry. Enter each open customer invoice and each unpaid vendor bill as its own transaction, dated when it was issued, so the aging reports are right from day one. Then reverse the receivables and payables lines from the journal entry so nothing is doubled.
Step 6: how do you bring in transactions after cut-over?
Connect each bank and card account to QuickBooks Online bank feeds. On first connection, most banks bring in up to 90 days of transactions (QuickBooks, 2026). If your cut-over date is older than that, upload the gap by CSV from the bank鈥檚 own export, using the three-column or four-column layout.
Set up bank rules for the recurring items before you start coding: payroll, rent, software subscriptions, loan payments and processor payouts. Rules turn the first month from a grind into a review. Code transfers between your own accounts as transfers, not as income and expense, or the profit and loss will be wrong on both sides.
Payment-processor payouts need their own treatment. Stripe, Shopify and Amazon deposit net amounts, so record gross sales, fees and refunds through a clearing account and match each deposit to a payout. Our payout reconciliation guide covers the method.
Step 7: should you rebuild history in QuickBooks Online?
Most businesses rebuild the current tax year and stop there. Full detail for the current year means your preparer works from one system, and the Bench PDFs cover the prior years. Rebuilding by month, from the transaction lists, costs the same as catch-up bookkeeping, typically $200 to $500 per back month in the US (John Galt Finance, 2026).
A lighter option is monthly summary journal entries. Post one entry per month from the Bench general ledger, with the profit and loss totals by account, so QuickBooks Online shows a full-year profit and loss without transaction-level detail. This suits businesses whose preparer only needs the totals.
Rebuild older years in full only when someone needs the detail in one system: a lender, a buyer in due diligence or an audit. Otherwise the exported statements and the IRS record-retention rules are satisfied by what you already downloaded.
Step 8: how do you check the migration is right?
Reconcile every bank, card and loan account to its statement for the first month. The reconciliation should start from the opening balance you entered and end at the statement balance with no forced adjustments. A difference points to a missed transaction, a duplicate from the CSV upload or an opening balance error.
Compare the QuickBooks Online profit and loss with the Bench profit and loss for any period that exists in both. Small differences usually come from coding choices; large ones point to missing transactions or transfers coded as income. Compare the balance sheets on the cut-over date and they should match line for line.
Then close the period. Set a closing date and password in QuickBooks Online so nothing posts before cut-over by accident. Remove Bench鈥檚 access to any bank or processor account it held, and confirm your preparer has the year-end package from both systems.
When should you get help with the migration?
A sole proprietor with one bank account and cash-basis books can do all of this in an afternoon. The work gets harder with each of the following: inventory, accrual entries, sales tax in more than one state, payroll, a payment processor or more than a year of history to rebuild. Each one adds a place where the opening balances can be wrong in a way that only shows up at tax time.
Our accounting software setup service builds the QuickBooks Online file, enters opening balances, connects the bank feeds and reconciles the first month. A named accountant does the work inside your own subscription, with a backup and a team lead review before we hand over. The QuickBooks Online page lists what we handle in the software day to day.
Pricing depends on volume and scope, so we send a custom quote within 1 business day. If you are moving because Bench shut down or changed terms, our Bench alternatives guide covers the first 48 hours and the other providers worth a look.
Sources
- Bench help center, exporting your books: bench.co
- QuickBooks Online support, importing bank transactions and data: quickbooks.intuit.com
- QuickBooks Online, connect bank and credit card accounts: quickbooks.intuit.com
- IRS, How long should I keep records?: irs.gov
- IRS, Recordkeeping for small businesses: irs.gov
Frequently asked questions
Can I export my books from Bench?
Yes. Bench lets clients download financial statements and transaction history from the app, and the exports come as spreadsheet files and PDFs. Download the balance sheet, profit and loss, general ledger and transaction list by account for every year available, plus any receipts and statements stored in the app. Check the Bench help center for the current export menu, since it has changed since the 2024 relaunch.
What file formats does QuickBooks Online accept for import?
QuickBooks Online imports bank transactions from CSV files in a three-column (date, description, amount) or four-column (date, description, credit, debit) layout. It also imports the chart of accounts, customers, vendors, products and services from CSV or Excel files, and journal entries from CSV (QuickBooks, 2026). Balance sheet and profit and loss PDFs from Bench are for reference and opening balances, not import.
How do I enter opening balances in QuickBooks Online?
Use the Bench balance sheet dated the day before your cut-over date. Enter one journal entry on that date with every asset, liability and equity balance, posting the difference to opening balance equity and then clearing it to retained earnings. Enter open customer invoices and unpaid vendor bills as individual transactions so receivables and payables age correctly. Bank opening balances should match the statement on that date.
How long does a Bench to QuickBooks Online migration take?
A migration with a clean cut-over and no history rebuild takes about a week once the exports are in hand. Rebuilding the current tax year month by month adds one to three weeks depending on transaction volume. The slow part is collecting statements and documents, not posting. A dedicated accountant working inside your QuickBooks Online file can build while you gather.
Should I rebuild all my history in QuickBooks Online?
Usually not. Most businesses rebuild the current tax year so their preparer has full detail, and keep prior years as Bench PDFs and spreadsheets. The IRS expects records to be kept for at least three years from the filing date (IRS, 2026), and exported statements satisfy that. Rebuild older years only if a lender, buyer or audit needs transaction-level detail in one system.
Do I need help to migrate from Bench to QuickBooks Online?
A small cash-basis business with one bank account can do it alone in an afternoon. Add inventory, accruals, sales tax, payroll or a payment processor and the opening balances get harder to get right. Our accounting software setup service builds the file, enters opening balances, connects bank feeds and reconciles the first month. Pricing depends on volume and scope, so we send a custom quote within 1 business day.
