How to Give Your Accountant Access to QuickBooks Online

Prepared by Toronto Tax & Accounting Solutions Inc. This article provides general information and may not apply to every tax situation.

Short answer: sign in to QuickBooks Online as the primary admin or a company admin, go to Settings ⚙ > Manage users, open the Accounting Firms tab, select Invite firm, enter your accountant’s email address (or their firm’s user ID), and select Save. Your accountant accepts the emailed invitation and gets their own login. You never need to share your password. Intuit says accountant users invited this way do not count toward your user limit. When the work is finished, remove the access.

Every business’s software needs are different, and QuickBooks Online is not the only option. This guide covers QuickBooks Online in Canada because it is the platform many small businesses use. Menus can change, so confirm the current steps in Intuit’s help article linked below.

Before you send the invitation

• Check your role. Only the primary admin or a company admin can invite an accountant. If you are not sure who the primary admin is, check with whoever set up the subscription.
• Confirm the exact email address with your accountant by phone or in person. A one-letter typo sends access to the wrong person. Do not rely on an address from an unexpected email.
• Know who pays for the subscription. When we work with clients in QuickBooks, the client holds and pays for their own QuickBooks subscription and gives us accountant access. The books stay in your name.
• Have your phone nearby if two-step verification is turned on. You may be asked for a code.

How to invite your accountant: step by step

These are the steps in Intuit’s Canadian help article at the time of writing:

1. Sign in to QuickBooks Online as a primary admin or company admin.
2. Go to Settings ⚙ and select Manage users.
3. Select the Accounting Firms tab.
4. Select Invite firm.
5. Enter your accountant’s email address or their firm’s user ID.
6. Select Save. If two-step verification is on, enter the code sent to your mobile device and select Continue.

Source: Intuit QuickBooks Canada, Invite accountant users to your QuickBooks Online company.

What happens next

• Your accountant receives an email invitation to your company file.
• If they do not already use QuickBooks Online Accountant, the email includes a link to sign up.
• Once they accept, their status on the Manage users page changes from Invited to Active.

If the status stays at “Invited,” the invitation has not been accepted yet. Check with your accountant that it arrived and went to the right address.

Why an invitation is better than sharing your login

It can be tempting to hand over your username and password. Don’t. Sharing login details is a security risk, and it gives your accountant a worse way to work:

• Separate access, separate trail. An invited accountant signs in as themselves, so you can see who did what and revoke their access without changing your own password.
• Accountant tools. Intuit notes that invited accountants can use accountant-specific tools to review your books and help with issues.
• No extra seat. Accountant users invited this way do not count toward your QuickBooks user limit.

The same rule applies beyond QuickBooks: do not send passwords, banking credentials or two-step verification codes to anyone by email, text or chat, including your accountant.

Remove access when it is no longer needed

Review your user list whenever you change accountants, finish a one-time project, or at least once a year. Intuit’s help article on adding and managing users describes removing an accountant user from Settings ⚙ > Manage users: find the accountant on the accountants tab, select Delete in the Action column, and confirm. Tab names can differ slightly between Intuit’s articles and your screen, so follow what you see in your account.

A quick access checklist

• ☐ I am signed in as the primary admin or a company admin.
• ☐ I confirmed my accountant’s email address directly with them.
• ☐ I sent the invitation from Manage users > Accounting Firms > Invite firm.
• ☐ My accountant’s status shows “Active.”
• ☐ I have not shared my password, banking login or verification codes.
• ☐ I have a reminder to review user access when the work is done.

What we do once we have access

Once you have invited us, Toronto Tax & Accounting Solutions can start working in your file: organizing and reconciling transactions, preparing records for tax filing, and running payroll where that is part of your service. If you are just getting started, we can advise on the QuickBooks setup that fits your business. You choose and pay for your own subscription, and the right plan depends on what you need it to do. See our bookkeeping and accounting services and payroll services.

Frequently asked questions

Who can invite an accountant to QuickBooks Online?

You need primary admin or company admin access to your QuickBooks Online account to invite an accountant.

Does adding my accountant use up one of my QuickBooks user seats?

Intuit says accountant users invited through the Accounting Firms tab do not count toward your user limit.

Can I just give my accountant my QuickBooks password instead?

No. Invite your accountant so they sign in with their own credentials. Sharing your password is a security risk, and an invitation lets you remove their access later without changing your own login.

My accountant has not received the invitation. What should I check?

Go to Settings, then Manage users, and check the status. If it still shows Invited, confirm the email address with your accountant and ask them to check their spam or junk folder.

How do I remove an accountant’s access to QuickBooks Online?

Go to Settings, then Manage users, open the accountants tab, find the accountant, select Delete in the Action column, and confirm. Remove access whenever the work is finished or you change accountants.

Do I have to use QuickBooks to work with Toronto Tax & Accounting Solutions?

Software depends on your business and its needs. QuickBooks is common, and we can advise on the right setup. You pay for your own subscription and provide accountant access.

Official sources

• Intuit QuickBooks Canada: Invite accountant users to your QuickBooks Online company
• Intuit QuickBooks Canada: Add and manage users

Steps checked against Intuit’s Canadian help articles on September 29, 2026. QuickBooks menus can change; follow the current Intuit instructions if your screen looks different.