Multi-entity company overview

In a multi-entity shared company, entities represent a separate tax identification or a separately secured, fully balancing set of books. Entities typically represent divisions, franchises, affiliates, associations, locations, chapters, self-balancing funds or subsidiaries, with a shared chart of accounts.

A multi-entity shared company includes one or more entities under the top level. The company has a set of data lists that's shared among all entities. These shared data lists include users, chart of accounts, customers, vendors, and employees. Administrators define the shared data lists once at the top level and use them throughout the entities in the company. Administrators use the top level to manage entities and their data.

Alternatively, administrators can restrict to working at the entity level only users and master data list members such as vendors, customers, and employees. Administrators can even restrict users to working only in particular entities.

An example of a multi-entity shared company is a property management company. One entity represents the company's corporate headquarters and each managed property is represented by its own separate entity.

Use the Multi-Entity Management page to manage your multi-entity company.

Top level and entity level

You use the top level of a multi-entity shared company to work with shared data, such as users, customers, vendors, and accounts. The top level is where users create, edit, and manage objects that are shared across entities in the company. You can enter transactions at the top level and select the entities or locations where you want to post the transactions. Intacct automatically filters the list of entities to those that you can access.

For example, if you can access the California and Australia entities, you can enter transactions at the top level for both California and Australia.

Entities have no visibility into other entities.

Inter-entity transactions

In multi-entity companies, it's common for one entity to have transactions with another entity in the same company. This is known as an inter-entity transaction (IET). To enable these transactions, you need to first set up inter-entity account mapping relationships, using the Inter-entity account mapping page (Company > Setup > Configuration > Inter-entity account settings > Inter-entity account mapping).

For details, see Inter-entity account mapping plans.

When IETs are generated

IETs can be generated when:

• You want to track when one entity pays bills on behalf of another entity.
• The top level is used to pay a bill whose cost is allocated across multiple entities.
• You're sending money from one entity to another as a loan.
• Collecting revenue from customers on behalf of an invoice from another entity.
• Two entities have a revenue-sharing arrangement.
• One entity sells inventory that belongs to another entity.

Logging in

Logging in to a shared multi-entity environment takes the user to the top level. Users who are restricted to a single entity go directly to that entity when logging in. When logging in at the top level, users can view and switch to those entities to which they have been granted permission.

Administrators can enable individual users to access the top level by selecting Enable access to top level on the User entities tab of the User information page. Any users restricted to two entities or more can access the top level by default. Users restricted to a single entity can still access the top level as long as Enable access to top level is selected for that user.

Learn more about navigating a multi-entity company.

Accessing entities

When you log in at the top level of a multi-entity shared company, you see an Entity drop-down menu in the header area, next to the company name. Use the drop-down menu to select the entity you want.

When you switch to an entity, the entity opens in a new browser tab, making it easy to move between entities. You can switch between entities without logging in and out each time.

Users working at the entity level enter transactions and run reports at the entity level. Alternatively, you can restrict users to the top level only if doing so is compatible with your business needs. If you're restricting users to the top level only, then they won't see the entity drop-down menu.

Adding entities

Some Intacct companies have only a single entity, which represents one legal entity. For example, if your company conducts business in a single currency with one tax entity, you probably would have defined one entity for your Intacct company.

Consider defining more entities if your company has more than one legal entity or transacts in multiple currencies and tax jurisdictions.

Having a top level enables you to add entities to your company, which gives you greater flexibility for your growing business needs.

A company that started with a single entity and has later grown might be a good candidate for another entity.

It's simple to add a new entity to your company. Doing so can incur an extra charge.

Learn more about adding an entity and managing entities.

Access to data

Only shared data can be used for inter-entity transactions. Access to data is based on having the right permissions.

Intacct categorizes data as shared, restricted, and private:

• Shared data is visible to all entities
• Restricted data is visible to one or more entities
• Private data is visible to a single entity

The top level has access to shared, restricted, and private data. Shared data can be edited or deleted at the top level only. Users who slide in to an entity can view shared data only, they cannot edit.

For example, A bill created at the entity level can't be paid with an entity-private bank account from a different entity. Similarly, an invoice created at the entity level can't receive payment into an entity-private bank account from a different entity.

In all cases, users can view data only for those entities to which they have access. Unrestricted users see data for all entities. However, users who have entity restrictions see the data only for those entities to which they are granted access. Learn how to restrict users to certain entities.

When you access the list from the top level, you initially only see records created at the top level. To see records created within entities, select Filters and then select Include entity records. Select Apply to update the filter.

Entity-private data accessible from the top level

In multi-entity shared companies, transaction lists at the entity level include transactions created at the top level that are tagged to your entity. To see transactions created at the top level for your entity, select Include top-level transactions at the top of the list.

Some lists automatically enable access to entity-private data from the top level of a multi-entity shared company. Other lists provide access to entity-private data only when you select a toggle. Data from any other list not described here requires switching to the entity to access the entity-private data.

Master data lists

Master data records are available in all entities. A best practice is to define master data records at the top level, with restrictions and controls as required. Define master records at the entity only when necessary, as some limitations require going to the entity level.

When created in a particular entity, master data records are only available in that entity. Examples include Items, Contracts, Projects, and Employees. When working at the top level, selecting Include private enables the display of those records created at the entity level.

General Ledger accounts do not have entity level restrictions, such that they must be set up at the top level.

Subscriptions for companies with multiple entities

If your company has more than one entity, you can benefit from Sage Intacct subscriptions that provide additional functionality. Some subscriptions incur additional fees.