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barkplacek9
March 10, 2025
Question

How do I back up my data to a flash drive so I can give to my account for taxes?

  • March 10, 2025
  • 2 replies
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Trying to send my info to my accountant for tax purposes. Is there another way?

    2 replies

    A
    AdonL
    March 10, 2025

    Backing up your data to a flash drive is a good way to share information with your accountant for tax purposes, barkplacek9. Let's work together and send it to your accountant on time.

     

    In QuickBooks Online (QBO) Simple Start, Essential, or Plus, you can export reports, lists, non-posting transactions, and other tax-relevant data to Excel. You can then save this information to a flash drive and share it with your accountant for tax preparation. I'll show you how:

     

    1. Go to the Gear icon, 
    2. Choose Export data in the TOOLS column.
    3. Select the To get tax info, then select Continue.
    4. Set the date from the Pre-selected date ranges dropdown on the Reports tab.
    5. Add or remove items from the Reports and Lists tabs by turning the switch on or off.
    6. Click Export to Excel and select OK when done.

     

    Once done, navigate to your Downloads folder and access your company file in an Excel form. You can then save it to a flash drive.

     

    Moreover, QBO Advance allows you to create and save your backups to Google Drive when you link your account. This feature also allows you to back up your data to a flash drive and give it to your accountant. For detailed instructions on this capability, please refer to the article: Back up and restore your QBO Advanced Company.

     

    Furthermore, if you're utilizing QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT), you can create and send an accountant's copy of your company file to your accountant. Here's how:

     

    1. Go to the File menu and hover over Send Company File.
    2. Hover over Accountant's Copy and then hover over Client Activities.
    3. Select Save File and then Next.
    4. Select Accountant's Copy and then Next.
    5. Enter the dividing date, then select Next.

     

    Additionally, your accountant's copy has a .qbx extension at the end of the filename. You can then put the file on a USB and give it to your accountant, attach it to an email, or share it through a cloud service like Box. Check out this article to learn more about this process: Create an Accountant's Copy of your company file in QBDT.

     

    One of my top priorities is ensuring your tax return is prepared correctly, based on complete and accurate information, barkplacek9. I'm available to assist with any follow-up questions about exporting your QuickBooks data to Excel and saving it to a flash drive. Hit the Reply button, and our team is here to help!

    C
    Chrea
    March 10, 2025

    @barkplacek9 

    Do you have QB Desktop or QB Online?

    Is your Accountant using TurboTax Desktop?

    EduardA
    EduardA
    March 10, 2025

    If you're using QuickBooks Online (QBO) Advanced, you can manually back up your company data through your Google Drive and then copy it to your flash drive, or simply provide your Google Drive access link to your accountant, barkplacek9. I'll walk you through each step to successfully back up your data and ensure it's readily available for your accountant. 

     

    Here's how:

     

    1. Go to the Gear icon.
    2. Under the TOOLS column, select Back up company.


       
    3. In the Backups section, click Run manual backup.


       
    4. Choose full and click Back up.

     

    After completing these steps, you can now save your backups to Google Drive once you link your Google Drive account in QBO.

     

    For other versions of QBO, you can directly invite your accountant so they can begin reviewing your books.

     

    If you're using QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT) for Windows, you can create a QuickBooks Portable file to save to your flash drive. Alternatively, if your accountant is using QBDT for Accountants, you can send them an Accountant's Copy file through the Accountant's Copy File Service.

     

    For additional resources related to filing taxes, check out these articles:

     

     

    For any questions or if seeking clarification about the process of transferring your data for tax preparations, please reply at you convenience. The Community remains available and is only a message away to provide support.

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