---
title: "Set up your TaxCloud account for QuickBooks Desktop"
description: "This article covers adding a QuickBooks Desktop connection to your TaxCloud account and getting the Connection ID and API key the plugin needs. You do this once for your business."
canonical_url: "https://support.taxcloud.com/articles/set-up-your-taxcloud-account-for-quickbooks-desktop-qPQgfTk5ES"
md_url: "https://support.taxcloud.com/articles/set-up-your-taxcloud-account-for-quickbooks-desktop-qPQgfTk5ES.md"
---
# Set up your TaxCloud account for QuickBooks Desktop

This article covers adding a **QuickBooks Desktop connection** to your TaxCloud account and getting the **Connection ID** and **API key** the plugin needs. You do this once for your business.


:::info
**Use one connection per business.** Create a separate QuickBooks Desktop connection in TaxCloud for **each EIN and its QuickBooks company file**. Don't point two company files at the same connection, and don't reuse one company file's credentials for another — crossing them mixes transactions from different businesses and pollutes your tax data and filings.

:::

## Before you begin

Complete these first so the integration works correctly:


1. **Sign in to [TaxCloud](https://app.taxcloud.com/)** (or [create an account](https://app.taxcloud.com/register) and confirm your email).
2. **[Complete your TaxCloud business profile](https://support.taxcloud.com/en-us/articles/video-how-to-complete-your-taxcloud-business-profile-GY9sSwsrGU).**
3. **[Set up your locations and the states where you collect](https://support.taxcloud.com/en-us/articles/how-to-set-up-a-location-and-state-0WpiODyFaj).** TaxCloud only calculates tax for states where tax collection is enabled; which states is your registration decision.
4. **[Look up the Taxability Information Codes (TICs)](https://support.taxcloud.com/en-us/articles/taxcloud-taxability-information-codes-tic-U1KLuHTyNq) for what you sell.** If one code covers everything you sell, you can set it as the connection default below; otherwise you'll assign codes per item later (see **[Assign product tax codes (TICs)](https://support.taxcloud.com/en-us/articles/assign-product-tax-codes-tics-in-quickbooks-desktop-KPkDQ5U14K)**.

## Step 1: Add QuickBooks Desktop to your TaxCloud account


1. Go to the **[Integrations](https://app.taxcloud.com/go/integrations)** page.
2. Click **Add Connection**, then click **QuickBooks Desktop**.
3. Enter the connection details:
   * **Name** — a label you'll recognize (for example, your company name). This is only for identifying the connection in TaxCloud.
   * **Taxability Information Code (TIC)** — the default code for this connection. If one TIC covers everything you sell, enter it; if not, enter `0` (taxed as general merchandise) and assign per-item codes later.
4. Click **Finish Setup**.
5. On the connection's detail page, under **TaxCloud API**, copy the **Connection ID** and keep it somewhere safe.

## Step 2: Create an API key


1. On the QuickBooks Desktop connection, open **Manage API Keys**.

    ![Managing your API keys ](https://support.taxcloud.com/api/attachments.redirect?id=4c571f44-4913-44b9-b555-657fa5cfc408 " =1216x985")
2. Click **New API Key** and give it a name (for example, `quickbooks`).

    ![Create New API Key ](https://support.taxcloud.com/api/attachments.redirect?id=c2789dab-29f4-4a4b-8e5d-89fbdcb1e91a " =1223x1001")
3. Copy the **API key** and keep it with your **Connection ID**. You can re-copy it later from this screen, but TaxCloud won't show the secret anywhere else.


:::warning
**Treat your API key like a password.** Anyone with it can submit transactions to your TaxCloud account. Don't email it in plain text or paste it into shared documents.

:::

## Next

Keep your **Connection ID** and **API Key** together — **anyone who installs the plugin** (on each PC that creates invoices) enters both to connect that machine to your TaxCloud account.

Next: **[Install the TaxCloud QuickBooks Plugin](https://support.taxcloud.com/en-us/articles/install-the-taxcloud-quickbooks-plugin-9q9kyzkynC)**.