How to consolidate multiple LLCs without Excel
Most accounting software cannot perform real intercompany eliminations, forcing businesses with multiple LLCs and a holdco to rely on separate files and manual Excel spreadsheets for monthly consolidation. Alternative programs often make daily tasks like accounts payable, accounts receivable, and invoicing more difficult while providing poor support. This leaves companies unable to escape manual spreadsheet reconciliation.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- People have been saying this in most months since August 2026.
- This comes up 111.1× more often in r/Bookkeeping than across the site as a whole.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Getting separate software subscriptions for each EIN2 people mentionedDid this help you?
- 2Upgrading to expensive enterprise accounting software plans2 people mentionedDid this help you?
- 3Maintaining separate files per entity and manually consolidating results in Excel every monthDid this help you?
- 4Using traditional software like QuickBooks Enterprise or QBO despite high costs and limitations with intercompany transactionsDid this help you?
- 5Switching to niche industry platforms like Foundation, Knowify, or BuildertrendDid this help you?
- 6creating a separate adjustment entity to record GAAP adjustmentsDid this help you?
- 7using multibooks or adjustment-only multibooksDid this help you?
- 8making adjustments directly in the local entityDid this help you?
- 9Using separate QuickBooks Online files per entityDid this help you?
- 10Using a single QuickBooks file with class trackingDid this help you?
- 11Routing invoices through a single intake queue to be coded once before pushing to the correct fileDid this help you?
- 12Using Harvest combined with a Google spreadsheetDid this help you?
- 13Trying multiple different accounting software platforms like Quickbooks, Freshbooks, Wave, Harvest, and MonoDeskDid this help you?
- 14Intermingling finances across different revenue streamsDid this help you?
- 15Buying separate subscriptions for each business entityDid this help you?
- 16Using QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise to flip-flop between companies or open multiple company files at onceDid this help you?
- 17Creating each business as its own income chart of account and using classes to separate expenses within a single accountDid this help you?
- 18Manually digging through intermingled bank transactions and brute forcing accounting dataDid this help you?
- 19Using apps that run natively inside the ERP to eliminate API sync conflictsDid this help you?
- 20Using third-party AP/Bill Pay software while keeping existing corporate card programs separateDid this help you?
- 21Setting up email routing and filtering rules to divide invoice inboxes by subsidiaryDid this help you?
- 22Evaluating and selecting separate vendors for AP and AR rather than using a single suiteDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Just know none of them do real intercompany eliminations, I have a client with three LLCs and a holdco and we still consolidate in Excel every month.”source ↗
“for 4 llcs plus a holdco you might end up with a separate file per entity and then consolidate manually anyway, so don't expect the software to fully kill the spreadsheet reconciliation”source ↗
“Please let me know of a software cheaper than excel for consolidating the results?”source ↗
“My office used to use QB Enterprise Desktop. Switched to Foundation two years ago. Everything is more difficult (AP, AR, invoicing tasks) except the payroll tasks. The product support is amateur hour.”source ↗
“We are running into issue with the integration with Bill and SuiteTax.”source ↗
“We cannot turn off SuiteTax since we have a couple of subsidiaries that invoice directly in NS and not Bill.”source ↗
“We have looked at using NetSuite directly but my AP team did not like that the invoice inbox was not divided by subsidiary and they would have to search through all emails to do work on their subsidiaries.”source ↗
“Our primary entity and consolidated reporting are in the U.S., so we may need to make adjustments to the U.K. lease accounting to bring it in line with U.S. GAAP for consolidated reporting.”source ↗
“Has anyone handled this type of setup in NetLease/NetSuite? If so, did you use a separate adjustment entity, make adjustments directly in the U.K. entity, or handle the differences another way?”source ↗
“36 subs on SuiteTax is exactly where outside sync tools start to hurt. Most of them push bills in through the API, and the tax lines are usually where it breaks.”source ↗
“My staff accountant didn't care too much for Ramp because the demo focused so much on the credit card side and we are not interested in changing our payment cards.”source ↗
“I am taking over the bookkeeping for a couple who have multiple revenue streams.”source ↗
“As of now, they do not have dedicated bank accounts for each separate revenue stream. Therefore everything is intermingled (even personal finances).”source ↗
“They haven't filed 2023-current taxes. Nothing from 2023 to now is in any time of accounting software.”source ↗
“What is the most cost effective and efficient solution? Ideally I would love to be able to consolidate everything under one account so we can see the full picture. Is there a better option besides Quickbooks?”source ↗
“The bookkeeping side has been the hardest part to get right.”source ↗
“I’ve read every thread I can find and none of the answers feel clean.”source ↗
“Trying to avoid rebuilding this a third time.”source ↗
“I just have a hard time believing something doesn't exist for what I need without spending hundreds a month.”source ↗
“It seems every app I've tried gets it almost right, but there's always something essential missing.”source ↗
“The DBA name itself is also problematic.”source ↗
“Jobber has a lot of what I need, but way out of my price range, and seems to be missing some accounting stuff.”source ↗
“But it does seem nothing meets my basic needs.”source ↗
“They have QBO Plus ($140/month), but this can only handle one EIN. From my research thus far, I have to either get a separate QBO subscription for the other EIN or start QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise which costs $400/month.”source ↗
“What is the most cost effective and efficient solution? Ideally I would love to be able to consolidate everything under one account so we can see the full picture. Is there a better option besides Quickbooks?”source ↗
“I need to start with 2023. They haven't filed 2023-current taxes. Nothing from 2023 to now is in any time of accounting software.”source ↗
“As of now, they do not have dedicated bank accounts for each separate revenue stream. Therefore everything is intermingled (even personal finances).”source ↗
Where this came up
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