How to Manage Multiple Companies?

Setting up a second company is easy. The hard part is managing the records of both companies without mixing them up.

Most business owners try to solve this either by opening two separate programs or by struggling with a single program while wondering "which one was which." Both are exhausting.

The golden rule: separate data, single access

The right setup is this: each company has its own current account list, its own inventory, its own cash register, and its own invoice series. These under no circumstances get mixed up.

But you access these companies with a single account. No separate usernames, separate passwords, or separate programs.

In Qolay.App, switching companies is done via the selector in the top bar. Changing companies does not delete or move data; it only changes which company's records you are viewing. There is no limit to the number of companies on the free plan.

When should you open a separate company?

• If there is a separate legal entity. Different tax number, different company. No question about it.
• If accounting is handled separately. If tax returns are filed separately, the records must be separate as well.
• If you are keeping records on behalf of your client. If you are a financial advisor or consultant, each client is a separate company.

On the other hand, do not open a separate company for branches of the same legal entity. You handle branch segregation through warehouse and cash register definitions; this way, you can pull the consolidated report from a single place. If you open a separate company, you'll be forced to manually add up totals to see the combined figure for both branches.

Who has access to what

The real issue in multi-company setups is permissions. Your accounting staff may need to see both companies; however, sales staff in one branch do not need to see the current account balances of the other company.

When inviting users, define upfront which company and which menus they will have access to. Restricting access later makes for a more awkward conversation than setting it right from the start. The free plan also offers an unlimited number of users, so there's no need for the shortcut of "let's share a single account"—which makes tracking who did what impossible.

Top three mistakes made

• Issuing an invoice under the wrong company. A classic. Do not perform transactions without checking which company is active on the screen; it's tedious to fix after an e-document is issued.
• Recording shared expenses under a single company. If the office rent used by both companies is charged entirely to one, that company's profit will appear lower than it actually is. Determine the sharing ratio and record it for both.
• Failing to record intercompany money transfers. If money moved from one company's cash register to another, this requires a record on both ends. The "they're both mine anyway" approach will eventually corrupt the balances of both companies.

Frequently asked questions

How is intercompany sales recorded?

Just like a normal purchase-sale. A sales invoice is generated in one company and a purchase invoice in the other, and mutual current account cards are opened. Document their relationship instead of ignoring it.

Is a separate e-invoice setting required for each company?

Yes. Each legal entity has its own taxpayer status, its own financial seal, and its own series definition. Setup steps can be found in the article how to issue an e-invoice.

Can I view the total status of both companies?

Reports are pulled on a company basis; for a consolidated view, you need to export and merge the reports. If you are managing branch distinctions, staying within a single company is already more practical.

The same customer exists in both companies, can I share their card?

No, current account cards belong to the company. The same customer is opened as a separate card in each company and their balances are tracked separately — the logic of current account tracking works independently for each company.

What makes multi-company management difficult is not the number of companies, but blurry boundaries. Once it's clear which record belongs to which company, the rest is routine.

Open a free account on Qolay.App and define your companies under a single account.