Tax Time
Do you need QuickBooks Online for a small trades business?
· 6 min read
You need QuickBooks Online if your accountant works in it, if you want full bookkeeping (every account, not just income and expenses), or if you’re growing past a simple Schedule C. You don’t need it to run the day: QuickBooks Online doesn’t schedule visits or send a tech, and time tracking is a separate add-on. For a one-to-five person shop, a setup that works is field service software for the jobs, estimates, invoices and crew, with QuickBooks Online beside it for the books, or a field service app whose built-in books cover what your accountant needs.
What does QuickBooks Online cover?
The accounting side: invoices, expense tracking, a mileage log in its phone app, and invoice reminders. It’s built for the books, and if your accountant already works in it, that alone can decide the question.
What doesn’t it cover?
The work before the money reaches the books:
- Scheduling. QuickBooks Online doesn’t schedule visits or send a tech.
- Crew time. Time tracking is the QuickBooks Time add-on, not part of the base plans.
- Reminders beyond invoices. Its reminders are invoice reminders only, not appointment reminders.
- Seats. QuickBooks sells no add-on seats, so a bigger crew means the next plan up.
Which plan fits a crew of one to five?
At QuickBooks Online’s list prices as checked on October 17, 2026:
| Plan | Price | Users |
|---|---|---|
| Simple Start | $38/month | 1 |
| Essentials | $85/month | up to 3 |
| Plus | $140/month | up to 5 |
Count who actually needs to log in. If only you and your accountant touch the books, the crew doesn’t need QuickBooks seats; they need the schedule.
How do you use it beside field service software?
Let each tool do its job:
- Run the day in the field app: jobs, visits, estimates, invoices, payments, crew hours.
- Send the money to QuickBooks so the books match. In FieldFlow, connect QuickBooks Online and your QuickBooks customers come across; then push an invoice and its payments from the web app in one click. Nothing moves unless you say so.
- Close the month in QuickBooks with your accountant.
FieldFlow’s integration is QuickBooks Online only; it doesn’t connect to QuickBooks Desktop.
Can you skip QuickBooks entirely?
Some sole proprietors can. If what your accountant needs at tax time is income, expenses by category, and mileage, a field service app with built-in books can be enough. FieldFlow logs expenses with receipt photos, keeps a mileage log at your per-mile rate, and builds a profit and loss report with every expense on its Schedule C line, exported as CSV or PDF. Ask your accountant which they’d rather receive; our post on tracking expenses without QuickBooks covers the habits.
The short version
QuickBooks Online is accounting software, not a way to run the schedule. Keep it if your accountant uses it, pick the plan by who logs in, and connect it to the app that runs your jobs. FieldFlow is $19/month for the whole business with a 90-day free trial, and pushes invoices and payments to QuickBooks Online when you want them there. The QuickBooks comparison has the side-by-side. This is general information, not tax or accounting advice.
Questions owners ask
Is QuickBooks Online enough to run a trades business?
It runs the books, not the day. QuickBooks Online covers invoices, expenses and mileage, but it doesn't schedule visits or send a tech, and time tracking is the separate QuickBooks Time add-on. For the schedule and the crew, pair it with field service software.
Which QuickBooks Online plan does a small crew need?
It depends on how many people need to log in, because QuickBooks sells no add-on seats. At list prices as checked on October 17, 2026: Simple Start is $38/month for one user, Essentials $85/month for up to three, and Plus $140/month for up to five.
Can FieldFlow replace QuickBooks?
For some sole proprietors, it can cover the bookkeeping: expenses with receipt photos, a mileage log, and a profit and loss report mapped to Schedule C lines, exported as CSV or PDF for your accountant. If your accountant works in QuickBooks Online, keep it and connect it: FieldFlow imports your QuickBooks customers and pushes invoices and payments to it from the web app.
Does FieldFlow work with QuickBooks Desktop?
No. The integration is QuickBooks Online only.
Sources
- QuickBooks Online pricing, Intuit (read September 1, 2026)