How to Use QuickBooks for Small Business: Our Complete Step-by-Step Guide

Quick Summary

QuickBooks Online is the top cloud accounting software for small businesses. This guide covers everything from setup and basic functions to advanced features like mobile signature capture. You’ll also learn how SignWell can enhance your document workflows with powerful signature tools. For more e-signature tips, check out our blog.

Why Small Businesses Struggle with Document and Financial Workflows

Managing finances is already complex for small businesses, but when you add in paper signatures, manual approvals, and disconnected tools, it becomes a daily frustration. The result? Delays, errors, and lost time.

That is where QuickBooks Online and SignWell come in. 

This SignWell guide shows you how to simplify your financial and document workflows, get set up quickly, and scale with confidence using the right tools, starting with QuickBooks and enhanced by SignWell.

Why Listen to Us

SignWell has helped over 65,000 teams, including small businesses, streamline document workflows and reduce manual approvals. We know the challenges business owners face with manual approvals and disconnected tools. That’s why our QuickBooks integration is built to save time, reduce admin work, and keep your operations running smoothly.

What is QuickBooks For Small Businesses?

QuickBooks is a cloud-based accounting platform designed to help small businesses manage their finances from anywhere. Unlike traditional desktop software, it offers real-time access to financial data, automatic backups, and easy collaboration with your team or accountant.

From invoicing and expense tracking to payroll, tax prep, inventory, and reporting, QuickBooks Online covers all the essential business tasks. For small businesses, QuickBooks removes the need for manual spreadsheets and reduces the risk of accounting errors. Whether you’re a sole proprietor, startup, or growing company, QuickBooks provides a scalable solution to handle everyday financial management, freeing up time to focus on running and expanding your business.

Why QuickBooks Online is Perfect for Small Businesses

• Cloud-Based Accessibility

You can access your business finances from anywhere, on any device. Regardless of your location, your financial data is always available and automatically synced across all devices. This ensures you stay connected and in control, no matter where your work takes you.

• Scalable Plans

QuickBooks Online offers a range of plans that grow with your business, from Simple Start for solopreneurs to Advanced for larger companies with more complex needs. Each plan provides tailored features to help you manage your finances efficiently at every stage.

• Automatic Updates and Backups

Never worry about losing data or using outdated software. QuickBooks Online automatically updates with new features and keeps secure backups of all your information, so your data is always safe and current.

• Accountant Collaboration

Easily share access with your accountant or bookkeeper for real-time collaboration, minimizing back-and-forth and simplifying tax season. This seamless connection helps ensure your financial records are accurate and up to date.

How To Set Up QuickBooks Online for Your Small Business

Boost your small business by combining the accounting power of QuickBooks Online with SignWell’s intuitive e-signature tools. This seamless integration simplifies your workflow, giving you more time to focus on growing your business.

1. Set Up Your QuickBooks Account

Start by creating your QuickBooks Online account. Click on the “Get Started” button to begin.

• QuickBooks will ask for your email address and website URL to automatically fill in your details and match you with the right tools.

• If you skip the section above, you’ll be asked to manually enter your business type and desired features.

• After this, you will be asked to select the plan that best fits your business needs.

• You can choose the Simple start plan and start with the free 30-day trial before committing financially.
• Enter your email address, phone number, and create a password.

• You will be granted access into the Quikbooks online plan without your Credit Card details. You will be asked to fill in more details about your business and to also set up your account.

2. Connect Your Bank and Set Up Invoicing

• Link your business bank accounts and credit cards to QuickBooks for automatic transaction syncing. This connection is essential for tracking payments from contracts you’ll process through SignWell. 

• Set up payment processors like QuickBooks Payments, PayPal, or Stripe to accept online payments.
• You can also create invoice templates with your branding and standard payment terms.

• Add custom fields for “Contract Number” and “SignWell Document ID” to track signed agreements. 
• Set up automated payment reminders and define your standard billing cycles.

3. Set Up SignWell for Document Signing

• • Go to SignWell’s website and sign up for an account.
  • You can choose to sign up with either your Google account or create a new account with your email and a password. 

• Signing Up with Google:

You’ll be prompted to enter your Google account email and password. Once you’ve successfully authenticated, you’ll be automatically logged into your SignWell account.

• Signing Up by Creating a Password:

Don’t have a Google account? No problem, signing up for SignWell is simple. Just visit the Sign Up page and click on “Register with a password.” From there, you can create your account using your email and a secure password.

On this page, you’ll be able to enter your email, name, and create a password to set up your account

• Once you click “Continue,” you’ll be taken directly into your SignWell account.

4. Link SignWell to QuickBooks

SignWell is currently the only e-signature solution with native integration for QuickBooks Online, allowing you to send estimates for signature and track approvals in real time. Best of all, this integration is available on all SignWell plans, even the free one.

Follow these simple steps to set it up:

Install the SignWell App

• Head to the QuickBooks App Store and search for “SignWell.”
• Click “Get App Now,” then log in with your QuickBooks Online credentials. After that, grant the necessary permissions to securely connect SignWell to your QuickBooks account.

• Then sign in with your QuickBooks Online credentials. Once logged in, grant the required permissions to securely link SignWell with your QuickBooks account.

5. Send Estimates or Proposals for Signature

• Create detailed estimates with project scopes, pricing breakdowns, and payment terms and export these estimates to SignWell or recreate them as signable proposals that include acceptance signatures and project start dates.
• Add clear messaging to explain the signing process and set expectations. Include payment links in your proposals so clients can pay deposits right after signing, speeding up project initiation.

• SignWell will automatically pull client details from QuickBooks to populate fields, saving you time and avoiding manual input.

• After a document is signed, it can be converted directly into an invoice within QuickBooks, streamlining your process and reducing errors.

Send Your First Document

• In QuickBooks, open an estimate.
• Click “Send for E-Signature with SignWell.”
• Add recipients, place signature fields, and hit send.
• The recipient will get a secure email link to sign the document. 

6. Track Signed Documents and Payment Status

Monitor sent documents through SignWell’s dashboard, tracking which proposals are pending, completed, or overdue. Use the integration to view the corresponding invoice and payment status in QuickBooks, creating a complete view of your sales pipeline.

Establish a weekly review process to follow up on unsigned contracts and overdue payments. Set alerts for high-value contracts that remain unsigned for more than 48 hours. Use reporting features from both platforms to identify bottlenecks in your contract-to-cash process.

Why Integrate SignWell with QuickBooks?

Connecting SignWell with QuickBooks can transform how small businesses handle estimates, invoices, and approvals. Here’s why this integration is worth setting up:

• Get documents signed without leaving QuickBooks
  Send estimates, invoices, and contracts directly for e-signature from within QuickBooks, cutting out the need to download, email, and manually track files.
  
• Speed up approvals and payments: Clients can sign digitally within minutes, allowing you to convert approved estimates into invoices instantly, reducing turnaround time and improving cash flow.
  
• Fix QuickBooks’ missing “sign-off” step: As one customer shared:
  “SignWell solves the issue in QuickBooks Online of getting estimates signed, letting me know when they’re approved, and converting them to invoices. Aside from its many other uses—like getting reports signed off by clients and creating beautiful engagement agreements—it’s a seamless solution for our (and our clients’) AR hiccups.”
  — Kellie Parks, CPB
  
• Eliminate double data entry: Signed documents sync with QuickBooks automatically, so you’re not re-entering customer or payment details.
  
• Create a professional client experience: Customize signing requests with your branding and make approvals simple, secure, and mobile-friendly.
  
• Maintain an audit-ready record: Every signed document comes with a complete audit trail, helping with compliance, dispute resolution, and year-end reporting.

By integrating SignWell with QuickBooks, small businesses can close deals faster, reduce manual work, and provide a seamless client experience from estimate to payment.

Best Practices for Using SignWell with QuickBooks Online

• Automate Your Workflow with Templates

Create reusable templates for documents such as service agreements, change orders, and project approvals, and add dynamic fields that automatically pull customer data from QuickBooks. You can also set up automation so that when a document is signed, a customer profile is created, the first invoice is sent, or kickoff communications are scheduled. This keeps your process fast, consistent, and free of missed steps.

• Reconcile Payments and Maintain Compliance

Use QuickBooks’ reconciliation tools to match incoming payments with signed contracts, and create banking rules that automatically sort payments by contract numbers or SignWell document IDs in payment descriptions. Regularly back up signed documents from SignWell along with financial records from QuickBooks, and generate monthly reports to verify that every signed contract has a matching invoice and to spot any differences between agreed and actual payment amounts.

• Generate Insightful Financial and Compliance Reports

Combine data from SignWell and QuickBooks to produce detailed business reports. Track revenue by contract type, measure the time from signing to payment, and identify which clients sign the quickest. You can also create compliance reports that include the complete audit trail of signed documents along with their related financial activity, then export this information for tax filings, legal requirements, or internal reviews.

• Strengthen Team Collaboration with Role-Based Access and Notifications

Assign role-based access in both SignWell and QuickBooks to protect sensitive information while ensuring team members have the permissions they need to work efficiently. Enable notifications so the team is alerted when documents are viewed, signed, or when payments are received, helping everyone stay coordinated and respond quickly.

•  Keep Estimate and Invoice Records in Sync

After a document is signed in SignWell, use QuickBooks to convert the approved estimate into an invoice without re-entering details. This keeps billing accurate and reduces manual errors. Regularly check that signed documents match your QuickBooks records to maintain a consistent and reliable workflow. Staying organized this way saves time and helps avoid payment delays.

Enhance Your QuickBooks Online Workflow Today

QuickBooks Online is already a powerful tool for small business accounting, helping you track expenses, create invoices, and manage cash flow from one central platform. But when you integrate it with SignWell, it evolves into a complete document, approval, and e-signature solution that works seamlessly in your daily workflow.

SignWell allows you to send contracts, estimates, and agreements for secure signatures directly within QuickBooks. This eliminates the need to switch between multiple tools, manually follow up on approvals, or guess when a client has viewed a document. 

You’ll receive real-time updates when documents are opened and signed, ensuring you can move forward quickly with billing or project work.

Boost your efficiency, improve turnaround times, and deliver a better signing experience. Start using SignWell for free and streamline your signatures today.