Connecting QuickBooks Online

How It Works

CohortGenie connects to QuickBooks Online through Intuit's official OAuth flow. That means you log in to QuickBooks directly — CohortGenie never sees or stores your QBO credentials.

The whole process takes about 60 seconds.

Step-by-Step

1. Open the Integrations page. From your workspace dashboard, click Integrations in the left sidebar.
2. Click "Connect QuickBooks Online." A popup window opens and takes you to Intuit's authorization screen.
3. Sign in to QuickBooks. Use the credentials for the QBO company you want to connect. If you manage multiple companies, make sure you select the right one — this is the most common mistake people make.
4. Authorize CohortGenie. Review the permissions and click Connect. The popup closes and you're back in CohortGenie.
5. Wait for the initial sync. CohortGenie pulls your historical transaction data. This typically takes 2–5 minutes depending on how many transactions are in the file. You'll see a progress indicator on the dashboard.

Once the sync completes, your dashboard populates with cohort metrics automatically.

What Permissions Does CohortGenie Request?

CohortGenie requests read-only access to:

• Customers — names and IDs for grouping
• Invoices — amounts, dates, and customer linkage
• Sales Receipts — same as invoices for cash-basis transactions
• Credit Memos — to track refunds and adjustments
• Refund Receipts — to accurately calculate net revenue

That's it. CohortGenie never writes data back to QuickBooks. It cannot create, edit, or delete anything in your client's books.

Troubleshooting

Popup blocked? Your browser may block the QuickBooks authorization popup. Look for a "popup blocked" indicator in your address bar and allow popups for CohortGenie.

Connected the wrong company? If you selected the wrong QBO company during authorization, go to Integrations, disconnect the current connection, and reconnect with the correct company. No data carries over between connections.

Authorization failed? Make sure you're signing in with an account that has admin access to the QBO company. Accountant users with full access also work, but limited-access users may not have sufficient permissions.

Sync seems stuck? Initial syncs for files with 10,000+ transactions can take up to 10 minutes. If it hasn't completed after 15 minutes, try disconnecting and reconnecting. If the problem persists, contact support.