--- title: "Multi-Entity Accounting Software for Distributors | Meridian" description: "Multi-entity accounting inside a parts and service system: separate books per entity, intercompany transfers, FIFO settlement, and QuickBooks export." canonical: https://meridianhdx.com/multi-entity-accounting --- # Close the books across every entity and branch — natively Meridian is multi-entity accounting built into a parts and service system, for groups that run more than one legal entity. If your entities are restaurants or a holding company, you want Intacct or NetSuite. If they are parts stores, truck shops, and the group that owns them, keep reading. ## The month-end problem is not the ledger. It is the seam. A group that grew by acquisition usually runs one accounting file per company and reconciles between them by hand. The intercompany position is the part nobody can prove. Two entities each recorded their half a little differently, and the gap turns up a quarter later, in a meeting. - **Each entity keeps its own books** — Several legal entities run under one umbrella without being merged into one set of accounts. Each carries its own chart of accounts and its own account numbers. They stay separate because they are separate, and that is what keeps them auditable. - **Trades between them are agreements, not memos** — An intercompany agreement defines how two entities transact. A transfer between them is paired, so both halves of the same movement get created together instead of being entered twice and hoped to match. ## Settlement is FIFO, and consolidation is built in Intercompany transfers settle FIFO, meaning the oldest open balance clears first. Reporting consolidates across the group, so nobody is exporting four companies and adding them up in a workbook. - Paired intercompany transfers, created on both sides in one action - FIFO settlement of the intercompany position - Consolidated reporting across the entities in the group - Per-branch P&L, so a location is a reportable unit and not just an address ## A full ledger, not an export to one The accounting sits in the same system that took the repair order. That is what makes a number on a report traceable back to the ticket that caused it. - General ledger, accounts payable, and AR aging - Payments and recurring billing for fleet accounts - NACHA ACH batch export, for the customers who pay by bank transfer - An audit log on every change, role-based access, and sign-in by a code sent to you instead of a password ## Your accountant's first question, answered The QuickBooks Desktop export writes a General Journal .iif file out of the live ledger, using your own account-name mapping. It only reads the GL. Nothing in Meridian moves because you exported, and every run is logged, so you can see what went across and when. ## Who actually closes the month In practice a controller works one entity at a time while the group office watches the consolidated view. Because the intercompany transfers were paired at the moment they happened, the position at the end of the month is a report you read instead of a reconciliation you build. ## Inventory movement posts the way an accountant expects Moving stock between branches moves cost and does not create a sale. A group whose internal transfers inflate revenue cannot read its own consolidated numbers, and that is a data problem, not a reporting preference. ## Where this fits - [Enterprise edition](https://meridianhdx.com/editions/enterprise) — Multiple entities, intercompany, and partner networks in one package. - [Parts inventory management](https://meridianhdx.com/parts-inventory-software) — Per-location stock, bin locations, price tiers, and more than one supplier per part. - [Buying groups and dealer networks](https://meridianhdx.com/buying-group-software) — Cross-dealer inventory search, trust rings, and paired orders across members. ## Questions **Is Meridian a replacement for NetSuite or Sage Intacct?** Not for a general holding company. Meridian's accounting is built into a parts and service system, so it fits groups whose entities are parts stores, truck shops, and the company that owns them. If your entities are unrelated businesses, a general ERP is the better tool. **Can several legal entities run under one account?** Yes. Multiple entities run under one umbrella, each with its own chart of accounts and its own books, with intercompany agreements defining how they trade with each other. **How are transfers between entities recorded?** As paired transfers. Both halves of the movement are created together in one action, and the resulting intercompany position settles FIFO, oldest balance first. **Does it export to QuickBooks?** Yes, to QuickBooks Desktop, as a General Journal .iif file built from the live ledger using your own account-name mapping. The export only reads the GL, and each run is logged. **Can we report on one branch on its own?** Yes. Per-branch profit and loss is built in, alongside consolidated reporting across the entities in the group. ## More - [Overview](https://meridianhdx.com/) - [Why Meridian](https://meridianhdx.com/why-meridian) - [Editions](https://meridianhdx.com/editions) - [Pricing](https://meridianhdx.com/pricing) - [Open by default](https://meridianhdx.com/open) - [Customer Bill of Rights](https://meridianhdx.com/bill-of-rights) - [Start a free trial](https://app.meridianhdx.com/register) - [Contact sales](mailto:sales@meridianhdx.com) - [Terms of Service](https://meridianhdx.com/legal/terms) - [Privacy Policy](https://meridianhdx.com/legal/privacy) - [Master Services Agreement](https://meridianhdx.com/legal/msa)