Send an Accountant’s Copy in QuickBooks Desktop

Eric DawsonByEric Dawson Computers & Software

For how to send an accountant’s copy in QuickBooks Desktop, Windows users can create a local .qbx file through File > Send Company File > Accountant’s Copy > Client Activities > Save File, choose an Accountant’s Copy, enter a dividing date, and save it for delivery by USB, email, or cloud service.

Alternatively, choose Send to Accountant in Client Activities to use Intuit’s Accountant’s Copy File Transfer Service. Enter the client and accountant email addresses, create a one-time file password, share that password directly with the accountant, and select Send. The Intuit download link remains valid for two weeks, and the accountant must use a matching QuickBooks Desktop or Enterprise release.

How to Send an Accountant’s Copy in QuickBooks Desktop

Both methods let your accountant work on the books while you continue using the original company file, subject to Accountant’s Copy restrictions.

Create a Local Accountant’s Copy

First, use the local-file option when you plan to send the QuickBooks file to your accountant by USB drive, email attachment, or cloud-sharing service. Before starting, agree on a dividing date because QuickBooks uses that date to prevent changes that could conflict with the accountant’s work.

  1. Select File > Send Company File > Accountant’s Copy > Client Activities > Save File.
  2. Select Next, choose Accountant’s Copy, and select Next again.
  3. Enter the dividing date, then select Next.
  4. Choose a save location and save the Accountant’s Copy file.
  5. Send the saved .qbx file to your accountant using the delivery method you chose.

After saving the file, the accountant receives the transfer file with the .qbx extension. QuickBooks displays “Accountant’s Changes Pending” next to the company file name after the copy is sent.

Send Through Intuit’s Transfer Service

Alternatively, choose Intuit’s transfer service when you want QuickBooks to deliver the Accountant’s Copy through Intuit’s secure server. Open File > Send Company File > Accountant’s Copy > Client Activities > Send to Accountant, select Next, choose Accountant’s Copy, and select Next.

Next, enter the dividing date along with the client and accountant email addresses. Create a one-time file password, give that password directly to the accountant, and select Send; QuickBooks closes open windows while it sends the file.

Finally, the accountant receives an Intuit email with a download link that remains valid for two weeks. Your accountant must use a QuickBooks Desktop or Enterprise release that matches your version before opening the Accountant’s Copy.

Choose the Right Dividing Date

The dividing date sets the line between the period your accountant will work on and the activity you can continue in the original company file.

Usually, the date is the period-end date for the period the accountant plans to review, although the right choice depends on the work you have agreed will be done. For example, selecting a date establishes the boundary that stops the client from editing information dated before that date, while the accountant’s copy prevents edits that could conflict with the client’s work.

During that period, you can add entries to lists, create, edit, and delete transactions, edit list information, and turn on Payroll in the .QBW working file. However, you cannot edit or delete existing accounts, send Assisted Payroll Data or Direct Deposits to Intuit, or reconcile accounts while changes are pending.

Restrictions also shape the accountant’s work. Accountants can add, edit, and delete most transaction types dated on or before the dividing date, and they can add new transactions dated after it. Conversely, some changes cannot be returned, including tax-line mapping changes for existing items and details of processed or printed payroll tax forms. Highlighted fields in the accountant’s copy identify information included in the change file; changes in non-highlighted fields are not included.

Once the accountant finishes, completed work is exported as an Accountant’s Changes file with the .QBY extension for import into the original company file. Importing those changes applies the accountant’s corrections to the client file and ends the pending workflow. Alternatively, you can remove the Accountant’s Copy restriction instead of importing the changes.

Planning the dividing date carefully therefore protects current work while giving the accountant a defined period for review and adjustment. That shared decision helps keep both sets of work from colliding before the changes are returned for the client’s review and import.

Local File vs Intuit Transfer Service

Local delivery fits workflows where you want to control how the Accountant’s Copy reaches the accountant. ACFT fits a workflow that sends the copy through Intuit’s transfer service.

With a local Accountant’s Copy, QuickBooks saves a .qbx transfer file on your computer. After saving it, you can send the QuickBooks file to your accountant by USB drive, email attachment, or a shared cloud service.

Through ACFT, QuickBooks transfers the Accountant’s Copy through an Intuit server for secure exchange. QuickBooks closes all open windows when you select Send.

Comparison Local Accountant’s Copy Intuit Transfer Service
Delivery USB drive, email attachment, or cloud sharing Intuit email with a download link
File handling Creates a local .qbx file to share separately Transfers the Accountant’s Copy through Intuit’s server
Password No specific local-delivery password procedure is stated Sender creates a one-time file password and gives it directly to the accountant
Link availability Depends on the delivery method you choose Download link is valid for two weeks
Operational detail You share the saved file with the accountant QuickBooks closes open windows before sending

For ACFT, enter the client and accountant email addresses during the send process. Local delivery does not use Intuit’s download-link workflow. ACFT also requires a one-time file password, which you must provide directly to the accountant because Intuit’s email does not include it.

Compatibility also matters before the accountant opens the copy. A client using QuickBooks Desktop or Enterprise needs an accountant using the matching release. Accountants then work on the delivered copy while the client continues working in the original company file, subject to Accountant’s Copy restrictions.

Later, the accountant returns completed work as an Accountant’s Changes file with the .QBY extension. Returned changes can come through ACFT or as a locally saved .QBY file sent by another method.

Used bookstores appeal to me because the useful part is usually clear once I know which shelf I am on, unlike my talent for assuming every pile is self sorting. In Local File vs Intuit Transfer Service, I would confirm that the delivery channel and any separately shared one time password suit both people before sending anything.

Understand Accountant’s Copy File Extensions

Four file types mark the Accountant’s Copy workflow: .qbx is the client-to-accountant transfer file, .QBA is the accountant’s working file, .QBY returns completed changes, and .QBW remains the client’s regular company file. Each extension identifies a different job, so keeping the files distinct helps preserve the separation between the accountant’s adjustments and the client’s ongoing records throughout the accounting process. In QuickBooks Desktop Accountant or Enterprise Accountant, the accountant converts the transfer file into the working file.

During that work, entries in highlighted fields are included in the change file returned to the client, while changes in non-highlighted fields are not included. Disabled fields likewise signal changes that cannot be sent back.

From the Accountant’s Copy, they use File > Send Company File > Accountant’s Copy > View/Export Changes for Client to review and export those changes. Detailed categories can be expanded with the + icon, and the review can be saved as a PDF or printed. Locally saved .QBY filenames cannot contain an asterisk (*).

Meanwhile, the client continues using the original .QBW working file while Accountant’s Changes Pending appears beside the company file name. That status allows list entries and transactions to be added, edited, or deleted, but prevents edits to information dated before the dividing date where conflicts could arise.

These boundaries explain why the .QBA and .QBW files serve separate roles rather than competing versions of the same books.

Once the accountant finishes, the .QBY file carries the changes back for import into the original company file. Importing those changes applies the accountant’s corrections to the client’s company file. Alternatively, removing Accountant’s Copy restrictions ends the pending restriction status instead of importing the changes. Careful extension checks help when creating an Accountant’s Copy in QuickBooks and when identifying which file belongs at each stage without mixing their purposes.

Work Safely While Changes Are Pending

Clients can keep using the company file while the accountant works, but QuickBooks blocks actions that could conflict with pending changes. Meanwhile, the accountant can review and adjust eligible records within the Accountant’s Copy, subject to its own limits.

During that period, clients can add entries to lists, create, edit, and delete transactions, edit list information, and turn on Payroll. Restrictions also prevent edits to information dated before the dividing date when those changes could conflict with the accountant’s work.

Accountants can add new accounts, create reports, make adjusting entries, and temporarily change preferences. They can also add customers, vendors, employees, and items where fields allow it, plus add items to specified lists and edit Vendor List and Item List entries. Yet the Accountant’s Copy prevents changes such as deleting or merging existing accounts, changing an existing account’s type, changing an Item List item’s type, or adding, editing, voiding, or deleting build assemblies. Likewise, tax-line mapping changes made for existing items cannot be sent back to the client.

Certain transactions have tighter boundaries. Payments received cannot be added, edited, or deleted, although an accountant can void them; sales-tax payments cannot be added, edited, voided, or deleted. Payroll items, paychecks, timesheet data, and Direct Deposit checks for 1099 vendors cannot be created, changed, deleted, or voided. Reconciliations in the Accountant’s Copy are limited to 800 transactions, and a reconciliation over that limit will not import into the client file.

Finally, highlighted fields matter: information entered there is included in the change file, while changes in non-highlighted fields are not. Once the accountant finishes, the client needs to import the returned changes into the original company file. Before importing, review the completed changes the accountant sends and retain any PDF or printed record the accountant provides for the company’s records later.

Handle Enterprise Advanced Inventory

Enterprise users who use Advanced Inventory must turn the feature off before they create an Accountant’s Copy. Turn Advanced Inventory back on immediately after the copy has been sent, then switch it off again before importing the accountant’s changes.

That sequence applies only to QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise businesses using Advanced Inventory. Pro and Premier users, along with Enterprise users who do not use Advanced Inventory, can skip these steps. Their Accountant’s Copy workflow does not require the Advanced Inventory step.

Before importing the accountant’s changes, disable Advanced Inventory again. Doing so meets the required step for an Enterprise user who has turned the feature back on after sending the copy. Careful timing matters because the copy-creation step and the import step each require the feature to be off.

If the accountant adds inventory transactions while Advanced Inventory is involved, those transactions do not include Advanced Inventory details such as serial numbers, inventory sites, or lot numbers. After the changes are imported, the client may need to add that information manually.

For inventory transactions added by the accountant, the returned changes do not include serial numbers, inventory sites, or lot numbers when Advanced Inventory is involved. Manual entry after import may therefore be needed to complete the relevant Advanced Inventory details in the client file.

Following the required sequence avoids treating Advanced Inventory like an ordinary setting that can stay enabled for every stage of the Accountant’s Copy process. First turn it off before creating the copy, restore it after the copy is sent if needed, and turn it off once more before importing changes. Separate each transition from the accountant’s inventory entries, since those entries may require manual Advanced Inventory detail after import.

Accordingly, Enterprise users can resume Advanced Inventory after sending the copy while preserving the separate off setting required before importing the accountant’s changes. Manual completion can then address serial numbers, sites, and lot numbers after import when needed.

Import Changes or Remove Restrictions

Once the accountant completes the work, they export an Accountant’s Changes file with the .QBY extension and return it through Intuit’s transfer service or by a separate delivery method. Clients can import that file into the original company file, or remove Accountant’s Copy restrictions if they will not import the changes. Before sending it, the accountant can review detailed categories by selecting the + icon, then save a PDF or print a record.

Return the .QBY File

To create the return file, the accountant chooses File > Send Company File > Accountant’s Copy > View/Export Changes for Client. From that screen, selecting Create Change File, choosing a local save location, selecting Save, and then selecting OK creates the .QBY file for delivery by another method. Avoid an asterisk (*) in the locally saved .QBY filename. Accountants can instead select Send Changes to Client, enter the client’s email address plus their name and email address, optionally request an import notification, and select Send.

For a file returned outside the transfer service, download any email attachment and save it in a convenient local location, then locate the .QBY file and select Open. When changes arrive through the transfer service, choose File > Send Company File > Accountant’s Copy > Import Accountant’s Changes from Web, review the listed changes, and select Incorporate Accountant’s Changes.

Remove Restrictions

Alternatively, clients who do not plan to apply the returned work can remove Accountant’s Copy restrictions from the original company file. Choose Remove Restrictions, then select Yes, I want to remove the Accountant’s Copy Restrictions. Removing restrictions ends the pending restriction status rather than incorporating the accountant’s completed corrections.

Keep the .QBY file tied to the original company file until a decision to import it or remove restrictions is made. That choice determines whether the accountant’s work becomes part of the client’s books.

This guide does not compare prices for QuickBooks editions, transfer services, or file sharing tools.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is the Accountant’s Copy File Extension in QuickBooks Desktop?

The client-created Accountant’s Copy transfer file uses the .qbx extension. After completing the work, the accountant exports changes in a separate .QBY file for the client to import into the original company file.

Can I Email a QuickBooks Accountant’s Copy to My Accountant?

Yes. A locally saved .qbx Accountant’s Copy can be attached to an email, placed on a USB drive, or shared through a cloud service. Create the local file through File > Send Company File > Accountant’s Copy > Client Activities > Save File, then select Accountant’s Copy, enter the dividing date, and save it.

How Long Is the Intuit Accountant’s Copy Download Link Valid?

The Intuit Accountant’s Copy File Transfer Service download link is valid for two weeks. Beyond that, the accountant receives an Intuit email with the link and must enter the one-time file password to download the copy.

Can I Keep Working in QuickBooks After Sending an Accountant’s Copy?

Yes, you can continue working in the original .QBW company file while the accountant works on the copy. You can add list entries, create, edit, and delete transactions, edit list information, and turn on Payroll. Some actions remain restricted, including editing or deleting existing accounts, reconciling accounts, and sending Assisted Payroll Data or Direct Deposits to Intuit.

How Do I Remove Accountant’s Copy Restrictions Without Importing Changes?

Select File > Send Company File > Accountant’s Copy > Remove Restrictions. Then select “Yes, I want to remove the Accountant’s Copy Restrictions.” Restrictions otherwise remain in place until you import the accountant’s changes.

What QuickBooks Version Does My Accountant Need to Open the Copy?

Your accountant’s QuickBooks release must match your QuickBooks Desktop or Enterprise release. For example, a QuickBooks Desktop Premier 2022 client needs an accountant using QuickBooks Desktop Accountant 2022.

An Accountant’s Copy lets your accountant adjust the books while you keep working in your regular company file, subject to the dividing-date restrictions. Choose either a local .qbx file for delivery by email, USB, or cloud sharing, or send it through Intuit’s transfer service. Agree on the dividing date before creating the copy, confirm that your accountant has a matching QuickBooks release, and plan to import the returned .QBY changes file when the work is complete.

References

Sources read in September 2026.

Eric Dawson

I'm Eric Dawson, and I write The Money Watch from north Columbus, Ohio. Most of what I cover comes from my own life: renting, a 2014 Honda Fit, parking, computers, food and the bills behind all of it. I spent four years in an apartment-property office and eleven on a distributor's operations desk, reading leases and invoices. Where you need real information, I research the maker's or agency's own page and independent sources and report what they publish. I don't give tax, investment, legal or medical advice.