How to Connect QuickBooks Online to Cin7 Core: A Step-by-Step Guide
For businesses managing both their accounting and inventory, integrating QuickBooks Online (QBO) with Cin7 Core can significantly streamline operations. This powerful connection allows you to seamlessly sync financial data and inventory management, providing a holistic view of your business. In this blog post, we will walk you through the process of connecting QuickBooks Online to Cin7 Core, based on the instructional video by Sean from Blub.
Prerequisites for the Integration
Before starting the integration process, it is crucial to ensure that you have the right software packages:
- QuickBooks Online: You must be using QuickBooks Online Premium, QuickBooks Plus, or QuickBooks Advance. The integration does not support QuickBooks Essentials, QuickBooks Simple Start, or QuickBooks Desktop.
- Cin7 Core: Ensure you have an active Cin7 Core account with no accounting platform currently attached.
The integration can be initiated from either QuickBooks or Cin7 Core, but in this guide, we will focus on connecting via Cin7 Core, as Sean, a Cin7 specialist, recommends.
Step-by-Step Process for Connecting QuickBooks Online to Cin7 Core
- Begin the Integration in Cin7 Core
Start by navigating to the Integrations tab within Cin7 Core. Here, select QuickBooks and begin the QuickBooks Connect Wizard. This wizard will guide you through the steps to complete the integration, automating much of the process.
- Understand What Works and What Doesn’t
Before proceeding, the wizard will present information about compatibility. As mentioned, the integration is only supported for QuickBooks Plus and QuickBooks Advance. It does not work with QuickBooks Simple Start or QuickBooks Desktop. While you may technically integrate QuickBooks Essentials, it is not recommended, as the connection might not function correctly.
- Choose Your Integration Mode
At this stage, you will choose how you want the data between QuickBooks and Cin7 Core to sync. You have several options:
- Sync data from QuickBooks to Cin7 Core.
- Sync data both ways between QuickBooks and Cin7 Core.
For most businesses, Sean advises syncing both ways. This will allow you to send invoices from Cin7 Core to QuickBooks and retrieve payments from QuickBooks into Cin7 Core. Additionally, it’s recommended to turn on inventory tracking in QuickBooks, so that stock quantities appear on your invoices.
- Decide on Data Handling
Next, you will decide whether to keep your existing data in Cin7 Core or reset it. This refers to transactional data, such as sales and purchase history. In most cases, it is advisable to keep your existing data in Cin7 Core, especially if you have been using it for a while. However, if you are starting fresh, you have the option to reset this data.
Product data, as well as customer and supplier information, will remain intact regardless of your choice.
- Connect to QuickBooks Online
Once you’ve configured the above settings, the next step is to connect Cin7 Core to your QuickBooks account. Ensure that you are logged in to QuickBooks, then click Connect to QuickBooks. If you manage multiple QuickBooks accounts, you will see options to select the correct one.
Upon connecting, you will need to agree to QuickBooks’ terms and conditions, detailing which data will be shared between the two platforms. Once this is complete, the connection is halfway done.
- Map Your Accounts
Now that the systems are connected, the next step is account mapping. This is a critical process where you align the two systems’ accounting structures. If you don’t have any existing transactions, this process will be fairly simple. However, if you have previous transactions in Cin7 Core, you will need to map each transaction type—such as revenue, inventory, and cost of goods sold (COGS)—to a corresponding QuickBooks account.
If you’ve already named accounts similarly in both systems, some of these fields may auto-fill, saving time. Sean suggests involving someone with an accounting background at this stage, as mapping accounts incorrectly can cause issues later on.
- Tax Mapping
After account mapping, you’ll need to map your tax settings between QuickBooks and Cin7 Core. This ensures that taxes are applied correctly to your sales and expenses in both systems. By default, common tax rates like 20% for sales and expenses may auto-fill, but you will need to ensure every tax type you use in Cin7 Core is matched with an appropriate rate in QuickBooks.
In some cases, you may need to create or edit tax rates in QuickBooks to align with those in Cin7 Core. You can do this by navigating to the Taxes tab in QuickBooks and making adjustments as needed.
- Map Payment Terms
Similar to tax mapping, you will need to ensure that payment terms—such as 30-day or 60-day invoice terms—are correctly mapped between the two systems. This ensures that invoices sent from Cin7 Core to QuickBooks will reflect accurate payment conditions.
- Handle Opening Balances
If you have customers in QuickBooks with open balances, you can choose to import these into Cin7 Core. This step is optional, and whether you proceed with it depends on whether your QuickBooks account is new or has existing transactions. For a fresh QuickBooks account, this step can be skipped.
- Import Stock on Hand
If you are using inventory tracking, you can import stock on hand from QuickBooks into Cin7 Core. This is particularly useful if you have been using QuickBooks to manage your inventory. However, if you are transitioning to Cin7 Core for inventory management, it is advisable to conduct a physical stock take and ensure your records are accurate. Relying on potentially outdated stock data from QuickBooks may cause issues down the line.
- Final Confirmation
The final step is to confirm that you are ready to proceed. When you connect QuickBooks to Cin7 Core, products in QuickBooks will be converted into service products, meaning they will no longer track inventory within QuickBooks. All stock management will now occur in Cin7 Core.
Once you are happy with this change, click Proceed. After this, QuickBooks will log you out briefly to make the necessary changes. When you log back in, you should see that QuickBooks and Cin7 Core are successfully connected.
Conclusion
Integrating QuickBooks Online with Cin7 Core is a relatively straightforward process that can dramatically improve the efficiency of your business operations. By syncing your financial and inventory data, you can eliminate redundant data entry, reduce errors, and gain better visibility into your stock and sales performance.
If you encounter any challenges during the integration, be sure to consult with your accountant, contact a Cin7 specialist or feel free to contact us at BlueHub to see if we can help ensure everything is set up correctly. Happy integrating!
