Learn what an entity is and how to manage them.
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, users and master data list members (vendors, customers, employees) can be restricted to working at the entity level only, or even to particular entities.
One example of a multi-entity shared company might be a property management company. The company's corporate headquarters are represented by one entity and each managed property is represented by its own separate entity.
Use the Entity information page to:
- Create a new entity and enter it into the system.
- Define relationships with other entities to gain greater control over tracking and managing inter-entity transactions.
- View or edit the information of any existing entity.
To manage entities, go to Company > Setup > Entities. Select the + sign beside Entities to add a new entity, or select Edit next to an existing entity.
About entities
Choose a meaningful name for the entity that enables users to differentiate this entity from others. For example, if the entity represents a legal entity in California, consider naming the entity California. The entity name and ID are visible from the entity dropdown menu at the top of the page in Intacct.
When adding or editing an entity, you can change any information except the entity ID.