Clio Accounting Setup & Migration Certified Clio Accounting Partner
Bring your books into Clio. Cleanly, and at the right time.
A Clio Accounting migration puts billing, trust and your general ledger in one system for Canadian firms. The software is the easy part. The work is making sure your balances, HST and receivables tie out on day one, and switching at a point that doesn't disrupt your year.
Why it matters
The costly part isn't the switch. It's two systems drifting apart.
Many Clio firms run separate accounting software alongside Clio, held together by a sync. Every time it slips, the two sets of books drift a little further apart, and nobody notices until something forces a closer look, often an audit.
We've seen what that costs. When we support firms through Law Society spot audits, a common finding is that Clio and QuickBooks have drifted apart over time. Putting it right can mean re-reconciling years of records while the audit is under way. One set of books, set up properly, takes that risk off the table.
How we help
Three services. Most firms only need the first two.
Start with a free conversation. From there, we'll tell you plainly what your firm needs, and what it doesn't.
Clio Accounting call
A conversation about how your books run today: what you use, how you bank, your fiscal year and what feeds your ledger. You leave with an honest read on whether to switch now, at year-end, or not yet. If your setup is straightforward, you also get a fixed quote for the migration.
Best for: any firm on Clio, or considering Clio, that's thinking about moving its accounting.
Book your free callMigration
We move your books into Clio Accounting and stay with you through your first month-end, or longer if you'd like. Start clean at your conversion date, with prior years saved from your old system for your accountant, or bring history across. We'll help you decide how much you actually need.
Every migration starts with a health check of your books. If it turns up problems, we quote the cleanup before going further, so your fixed fee holds with no surprises.
Talk to us about a migrationIntegration Readiness Review
Some firms run their payables, expense cards, payroll or receipt capture through other apps that feed their accounting today. Not all of them connect to Clio Accounting yet, and that can decide whether switching makes sense at all. This is a written evaluation of each tool your workflow depends on: what connects, what any workaround would cost in time, and a clear recommendation with the conditions to watch for.
Best for: firms whose accounting depends on connected apps. We'll tell you on the free call whether you need one.
Ask whether you need oneWhat every migration includes
Every Clio Accounting migration, done properly.
The same checklist on every migration, whatever system you're coming from.
- Health check of your current books before anything moves
- Chart of accounts built for a Canadian law firm
- HST reconciled, with tax rates configured and tested
- Open receivables tied out invoice by invoice
- Opening balances and any history you choose to bring, loaded and checked
- Bank and card feeds connected, with a fallback for accounts that won't link
- Training for whoever keeps the books, plus a month-end routine
- Support through your first month-end, or longer if you'd like
Timing
When to switch, and when to wait.
Clio Accounting is a real step forward, and it's still new. Getting the timing right matters more than the move itself, and sometimes the honest answer is "not yet."
Good time to switch
- You're on a current Clio plan and bill in Canadian dollars
- Your books are reconciled and your HST is up to date
- Your fiscal year-end is coming up
- Your bills, cards and payroll can be handled in Clio without much extra effort
Signs to wait
- Your payables, expense cards or payroll run through apps that don't connect yet
- You bill some clients in US dollars and rely on multi-currency
- You're mid-year and heading into your busiest season
- Your books need cleanup first. We can help with that, then switch
Common questions
What firms ask before switching.
Short answers here. The free call covers how they apply to your firm.
Is Clio Accounting available in Canada?
Yes. Clio Accounting is now available to Canadian law firms, with Canadian tax rates, including HST, built in.
Is it included in my Clio plan?
Clio Accounting is included in Clio's current plans. Firms on older plans need to move to a current one first, which is arranged through Clio. It also requires Canadian dollars as your default currency, with multi-currency turned off.
What happens to my transaction history?
You have options. Bringing your full history into Clio is possible, but most firms don’t need years of it. A common approach is to start Clio Accounting clean from your conversion date, and export the reports and records your accountant needs from your old system before you cancel it, so you’re not paying for two systems. We’ll also make sure you retain your historical records for audit purposes. Some firms bring across the current year so Clio shows a full year of results. We’ll talk through what makes sense for your firm.
How long does a migration take?
The work on a Clio Accounting migration is measured in days, not months. The timing usually follows your fiscal year-end, and we stay with you through your first month-end close, or longer if you would like.
Will my other apps still work?
It depends on the app. Some tools for payables, expense cards, payroll and receipt capture don't connect to Clio Accounting yet. We'll tell you on the free call whether anything in your workflow is affected, and whether you need an Integration Readiness Review.
Does this change my trust accounting?
Your trust obligations don't change. Trust stays in Clio, as it is today, and now sits in the same system as your general ledger. We check that trust balances tie out as part of every migration.
Can my bookkeeper or accountant use it?
Yes. Clio includes a licence for your firm's accountant or bookkeeper, and we train whoever keeps the books as part of the migration.
Why ClearPoint
Most migration problems are accounting problems. Not software problems.
Receivables that don't match, HST booked to the wrong place, a trust ledger that drifted while two systems ran side by side. That's where migrations go wrong, and it's the work we specialize in.
- Certified Clio Accounting Partner and Clio Certified Partner
- QuickBooks Online Advanced ProAdvisor, so we know both sides of the move
- Trust accounting grounded in Law Society requirements
- An honest answer on timing, including "not yet"
Thinking about Clio Accounting?
Book a free 45-minute call. We'll look at how your books run today and tell you plainly whether to switch, when, and what it involves.
Free, focused, and no sales pitch.
ClearPoint is a Clio Certified Partner and may receive a referral fee from Clio. It never changes your price.