Can I convert from Sage 50 Canada to QuickBooks Online (US or Canadian edition)?
Yes, a Simply Accounting or Sage 50 Canada file can be converted to QuickBooks Online in either the US or Canadian edition, with sales tax mapped across.
Yes, you can convert a Sage 50 Canada (formerly Simply Accounting) company to QuickBooks Online, and you have a genuine choice between the US and the Canadian edition of QuickBooks Online. Our engineers handle both destinations regularly, and the deciding factors are where your business files taxes and how your GST/HST/QST setup needs to carry across.
Which edition should you choose
If your business operates in Canada and remits GST, HST, or QST, the Canadian edition of QuickBooks Online is usually the cleaner fit, because its sales tax engine is built around Canadian tax agencies and filing periods. The US edition can work for Canadian-origin data, but Canadian sales tax codes do not map one-to-one onto US sales tax items, so tax setup usually has to be rebuilt rather than converted. If your business has moved to the US, or you file only US taxes, the US edition is the right target and we convert into it directly. This is a decision to make before conversion starts, because moving a QuickBooks Online company between countries later means starting a new company rather than editing settings.
What happens to sales tax
Sales tax is the part of a Sage 50 Canada conversion that needs the most care. Simply Accounting tracks GST, HST, and QST through its own tax structure, and QuickBooks Online tracks tax through its own tax center. What we do is map each Sage tax code to the closest equivalent in the destination edition so that historical transactions keep their tax amounts and your receivable and payable balances agree with what Sage reported. How cleanly this maps depends on the file: files with straightforward single-tax setups convert predictably, while files with mixed provincial rates or custom tax codes need more mapping work. We assess that during a free evaluation rather than guessing.
What carries over
In a typical conversion we bring across the lists (customers, vendors, chart of accounts, items) and the transaction history, with balances reconciled to your Sage trial balance. Exactly what transfers, and how far back, depends on the size and condition of the file, so we review the file first and tell you what to expect before anything is converted. If you would like the details of how our Sage 50 Canada to QuickBooks conversion process works, that page covers it, and the same service applies whether the destination is QuickBooks Online US or Canada.
Next step
Send us your Simply Accounting or Sage 50 Canada backup for a free evaluation and quote. We will confirm which QuickBooks Online edition suits your tax situation, tell you exactly what will convert, and give you a fixed price before any work begins.