Accounting · Migration guide
Moving from Wave to QuickBooks
Reviewed by Switchpoint Editors ·
Why teams switch
The honest reasons
What's wrong with Wave
- Limited reporting
What QuickBooks does better
- Ubiquitous with US accountants
- Mature payroll add-on
Switching cost
What it actually takes
Step by step
A safe cutover plan
- 1
Audit
Inventory every workspace, project, or asset in Wave you actually use. Most teams discover 30-40% is dormant.
- 2
Export
Run Wave's official export. Note exactly which fields, relations, or attachments lose fidelity — those are your manual rebuild.
- 3
Rebuild structure in QuickBooks
Set up QuickBooks skeleton (workspaces, teams, permissions) before importing. Importing into an empty workspace creates a mess.
- 4
Import cleanest layer first
Bring in the data that maps 1:1. Defer custom fields, automations, and integrations.
- 5
Parallel run for 1-2 weeks
Keep Wave read-only. Anything you find missing in QuickBooks, fix during this window.
- 6
Cut over integrations
Switch every webhook, Zap, link, and bookmark. This is the longest part — budget for it.
- 7
Archive, don't delete
Keep Wave archived for 90 days. You will need it.
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