How to Quickly Set Up QuickBooks Online for Your Coaching or Course Business
If you're a coach or an online course creator looking to get your finances organized, this post is for you.
Setting up your QuickBooks Online account the right way from the start can save you hours of frustration later. In this step-by-step tutorial, I’ll walk you through how to get your account set up quickly — including how to import a custom chart of accounts tailored specifically to your business.
New Here?
👋 Hi, I’m Allison — an online business educator and QuickBooks Online Certified ProAdvisor. I help coaches, course creators, and online service providers simplify their bookkeeping so they can grow faster with financial clarity.
🎁 Be sure to grab my FREE QuickBooks Online Roadmap — it includes a ready-to-import custom chart of accounts to set you up for success from day one. Get it here.
Step 1: Create Your QuickBooks Online Account
Click my affiliate link to sign up and save 30% for six months — that’s 20% more than the standard new customer discount.
I recommend choosing the Simple Start plan. It’s perfect for most online businesses, and you can always upgrade later if needed.
When asked about payroll, you can skip it for now.
Once you've created your account, QuickBooks will walk you through a basic setup. Here are the answers I usually recommend:
What were you using before QuickBooks? → Pen and paper (or something simple)
Business type: → Sole Proprietor (or whatever applies)
Role: → Owner
Employees: → Just the owner (or your actual number)
You’ll also be prompted to link a bank or credit card. Go ahead and link your main account now. For everything else, you can skip it to speed things up.
Step 2: Prepare to Import Your Custom Chart of Accounts
Once your account is created:
Navigate to Bank Transactions in the left-hand menu.
Click on Chart of Accounts.
You’ll see a few default accounts — we’ll clean these up next.
Clean Up the Defaults
Use Batch Actions → Make Inactive to remove any accounts you don’t need (you can’t delete system accounts, but you can hide them).
Most likely, you’ll only be able to remove 1 or 2 accounts at this stage.
Step 3: Download & Import the Custom Chart of Accounts
🎁 If you haven’t already, download the custom chart of accounts included in my free roadmap. It’s in CSV format and ready to upload.
Once you have the file:
In QuickBooks, click New → Import (top right in the Chart of Accounts).
Upload the CSV file.
Match the columns:
Type → Type
Detail Type → Detail Type
Account Name → Account Name
Click Next, and you’ll see a preview of the accounts being imported.
Customize Account Names
Before importing:
Rename accounts like “Checking” to something specific (e.g., Chase Checking 1234) to make reconciling easier.
Remove accounts you don’t need by unchecking them.
Add names for independent contractors if you track them individually.
Once you're ready, click Import.
Step 4: Add or Edit Accounts As Needed
After importing:
You can add new accounts by clicking “New.”
Choose the correct Account Type and Detail Type (e.g., Bank → Savings).
Name it clearly (e.g., Chase Savings 3344).
Step 5: Create Sub-Accounts
Some accounts (like refunds or individual contractors) need to be categorized under a parent account.
Here's how:
Click Edit on the sub-account (e.g., Client Refunds).
Check “Is sub-account” and choose the correct parent (e.g., Client Income).
Click Save.
Repeat this process for:
Refund accounts under each income type
PayPal and Stripe fees under Payment Processing Fees
Each individual contractor under Independent Contractors
Final Thoughts
That’s it! Your QuickBooks Online is now set up with a clean, customized chart of accounts built specifically for coaches and course creators.
👉 Don’t forget to grab your free QuickBooks Online Roadmap to follow along and get your setup done even faster.
