If you are using QuickBooks Desktop to manage your accounting, you may need to import your accountant’s changes from a file your accountant sent you. However, sometimes you may encounter errors when importing the file, such as “This file was not created with QuickBooks Accountant Edition” or “The file you specified cannot be opened”. In this blog post, we will show you possible solutions on how to fix some errors and successfully import your accountant’s changes.
What You Need to Do If You Can’t Import Your Changes?
First, make sure you have the latest version of QuickBooks Desktop installed on your computer. You can check for updates by going to Help > Update QuickBooks Desktop. If there are any updates available, download and install them.
Next, make sure the file you received from your accountant is a valid Accountant’s Changes file. The file should have a “. QBY” extension. If it is on a USB flash or server drive, copy the Accountant’s Changes file to your local drive.
You will also need to make sure that you open the right company file. This means that if you have multiple companies you need to chose the right company. In addition, if you have other back-up files or QuickBooks file saved in the same location on your computer, you want to chose the file you just received from your accountant.
Another issue that you might encounter is related to the QuickBooks version. Make sure your accountant processed the accountant’s changes using a QuickBooks version that is compatible with your QuickBooks version. If your accountant has the 2023 version of QuickBooks, your QuickBooks version preferably should not be older than 2022. If you have an older version, you might need to upgrade to a new one.
Problems might also occur if you remove the restrictions before your accountant finishes his or her work. Restrictions are removed by going to: File -> Send Company File -> Accountant’s Copy -> Client Activities -> Remove Restrictions. If your restrictions are still in place you should see “Accountant’s Changes Pending” at the top of the opened QuickBooks file. You should always check with your accountant before removing the restrictions or the dividing date. To avoid issues when importing the Accountant’s Changes file, you should not upgrade a company file with pending Accountant’s Changes.
Other situations we have seen in our practice are related to the way the accountant’s changes file is sent between the accountant and the client. We had situations when we used the QuickBooks File Transfer service, but the client was not able to download the file. This could possibly be related to a poor internet connection, especially when the QuickBooks file is a large file. In this case you can ask your accountant to send you the changes on a CD, USB flash drive, or a secure portal.
If you still can’t import the changes, do some basic data damage troubleshooting on your QuickBooks company file or contact QuickBooks support.
Last Resort Solution
If nothing works for you, as a last resort solution, you can have your accountant import the changes for you. To do this, follow the steps below:
- send your accountant a back-up copy of your current QuickBooks file
- the back-up copy should have the extension “.QBB”
- make sure that you are not removing the accountant’s restrictions/dividing date
- next, your accountant will need to incorporate the changes for you; while you wait for your accountant to incorporate the changes, do not work on your QuickBooks
- as a last step, when you receive the back-up copy from your accountant with the changes incorporated, you should download the file and then do the following:
- In QuickBooks, go to the File menu and select Open or Restore Company
- Select Restore a backup copy and then Next
- Select Local Backup and then Next
- Browse your computer for your backup company file
- Select a folder to decide where to save your restored company file, then select Open
Make sure from now on to use this new restored QuickBooks file.
We hope this blog post helped you fix the errors when importing your accountant’s changes in QuickBooks Desktop.
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This material is for informational purposes only. It does not constitute tax, legal or accounting advice.