---
title: "Working with Sage Intacct entities"
slug: "sage-intacct-user-guide-working-with-entities"
description: "Understand how Sage Intacct locations, entities, record ownership, and access affect your work in MakersHub, separately from bill and line-level coding choices."
tags: ["Multi-Entity", "User Guide", "Sage Intacct", "Entity", "Integration rules", "Troubleshooting", "Integration"]
updated: 2026-11-04T17:35:17Z
published: 2026-11-04T17:35:17Z
canonical: "support.makershub.ai/sage-intacct-user-guide-working-with-entities"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://support.makershub.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Working with Sage Intacct entities

Use this page to check Intacct locations and records while coding bills in MakersHub. Connection access, record ownership, and transaction coding are separate checks.

*Direct Entity* selects an Intacct location and its associated entity context, or Top level where available. See [Direct Entity explained](/docs/sage-intacct-user-guide-connect#mh-understand-direct-entity) for its meaning and location, and [Choose the connection's Direct Entity](/docs/sage-intacct-user-guide-connect#mh-7-choose-the-connections-direct-entity) for initial selection or later changes.

For initial company structure and entity tracking, use [Single-entity and multi-entity configuration](/docs/sage-intacct-user-guide-best-practices#mh-single-entity-and-multi-entity-configuration). Retain the established default context where a genuine single-entity company has no Top level.

### Separate connection, ownership, access, and coding

Review these questions alongside the bill:

| **Question** | **What decides it** |
| --- | --- |
| Where does the connection work? | **Direct Entity** selects a location and its associated entity context, or Top level, for record retrieval and integration actions. Use [Direct Entity explained](/docs/sage-intacct-user-guide-connect#mh-understand-direct-entity). |
| Who owns the vendor? | Intacct establishes shared Top-level or entity-private ownership when the vendor is created. Editing details, changing a link, or coding a bill does not change that owner. Use [Understand shared and entity-owned vendors](/docs/sage-intacct-user-guide-vendors-in-a-multi-entity-company#mh-understand-shared-and-entity-owned-vendors). |
| Can this connection use or update the record? | Check application permissions, entity access, ownership, and applicable record restrictions. A shared vendor marked **Not owned** within an entity can be used where permitted but needs Top level for edits. |
| Which location is the bill coded to? | The bill’s **Entity** and explicit line coding determine the allocation. A line’s explicit Entity takes precedence over the bill’s Entity; changing Direct Entity does not rewrite those values. The selected context must still permit that coding. |
| Where was the bill created in Intacct? | Its creation level is separate from the location coded on its lines. A bill created at Top level can have entity/location coding without becoming entity-created. Use [Verify the accounting and payment results](/docs/sage-intacct-user-guide-bills-and-payments#mh-verify-the-accounting-and-payment-results) to find and inspect the actual record. |
| Which account can pay it? | Check the intended bank or card’s ownership and permitted use separately from expense coding. A default location or a listed account does not by itself establish payment eligibility; use the record checks below. |

Intacct’s [What does “Not Owned” mean?](https://www.intacct.com/ia/docs/en_US/help_action/Multi-entity/Data_sharing_and_restrictions/customers-vendors-in-ME-shared.htm#WhatdoesNotOwnedmean) explains the difference between shared-record visibility and edit ownership. Intacct’s [Enter line items](https://www.intacct.com/ia/docs/en_US/help_action/Accounts_Payable/Bills/bills.htm#Enterlineitems) explains the locations available for coding at Top level and within an entity.

### Check the record types your bill needs

Use the record-specific ownership, restrictions, and availability checks below when reviewing your imported records.

**With Construction enabled:** The Construction rows apply to Intacct's additional project-cost features, introduced in [Sage Intacct and CRE](/docs/sage-intacct-user-guide-overview#mh-sage-intacct-and-cre). Use [Construction & Real Estate in MakersHub](/docs/sage-intacct-user-guide-construction-and-real-estate) for the supplied line fields and their display settings.

| **Records** | **What to inspect before using them** |
| --- | --- |
| **Vendors and customers** | Identify whether the Intacct record is shared or entity-owned, then inspect its permitted locations/departments. For a missing vendor or a shared vendor that needs editing, use [Vendors](/docs/sage-intacct-user-guide-vendors-in-a-multi-entity-company); return to these context checks afterward. |
| **G/L accounts** | Identify the intended Intacct record as a G/L account, checking/savings account, or card. MakersHub combines these in **Chart Of Accounts**. Use a G/L account for coding and an eligible bank or card account for payment. |
| **Checking and savings accounts** | Check whether the Intacct account is shared or entity-private and inspect any location restrictions against the intended payment entity. Intacct recommends Top-level bank accounts; entity-private accounts remain a separate option. [Intacct's bank-account guidance](https://www.intacct.com/ia/docs/en_US/help_action/Multi-entity/Apps_and_reports_ME_guidelines/CM-ME-guidelines.htm). |
| **Credit cards** | Identify the company's currency setup and the card's owning entity before choosing it. For a single-currency company, a Top-level card is usable only at Top level in the account's default location. Multi-base-currency companies create card accounts at entity level; multi-entity, multi-currency card transactions require entity entry. [Card-account setup](https://www.intacct.com/ia/docs/en_US/help_action/Cash_Management/Account_setup/Credit_cards/charge-card-accounts.htm); [card transaction entry](https://www.intacct.com/ia/docs/en_US/help_action/Cash_Management/Payment_Methods/Credit_card/Transactions/create-credit-card-transactions.htm). For a refund, continue with [Credit card credits](/docs/sage-intacct-user-guide-credit-card-credits), then return here only if context or account availability needs attention. |
| **Departments and classes** | Match the bill's required values to **Departments** and **Accounting Classes** in Integration Data. Departments are shared; classes can be entity-private. For a missing class, check its ownership and the Web Services user's entity access before assuming the refresh failed. [Intacct's private and shared data](https://www.intacct.com/ia/docs/en_US/help_action/Multi-entity/Data_sharing_and_restrictions/private-and-restricted-data.htm). |
| **Items** | For a missing Item, inspect whether it is entity-private and available to the Web Services user in the intended context. [Intacct's item visibility](https://www.intacct.com/ia/docs/en_US/help_action/Order_Entry/Setting_up_Order_Entry/Items/items-list-OE.htm). |
| **Projects and Employees** | Match the intended Intacct Project/Employee to the imported coding option and check its entity ownership/access if missing. These records can be entity-private. Use [Make the fields visible](/docs/sage-intacct-user-guide-construction-and-real-estate#mh-make-the-fields-visible) to display the applicable coding fields on your MakersHub bill. |
| **Construction Cost Codes and Cost Types** | Check the selected Project first, then that Project's Cost Code, then the Cost Type for that Project/Cost Code combination. Standard catalogs supply definitions; project coding records retain those dependencies. [Intacct’s project coding guidance](https://www.intacct.com/ia/docs/en_US/help_action/Projects/Tasks/add-tasks.htm); [Cost Type identity](https://www.intacct.com/ia/docs/en_US/help_action/Construction/cost_types/cost-type-dimension-overview.htm). |
| **Bills and payments** | Identify whether the bill was created at Top level or within an entity; coding a Top-level bill to an entity does not change its creation level. Intacct recommends paying entity-created bills within their entity; its **Pay by entity** guidance covers the Top-level route. [AP multi-entity guidelines](https://www.intacct.com/ia/docs/en_US/help_action/Multi-entity/Apps_and_reports_ME_guidelines/AP-ME-guidelines.htm). Continue with [Bills and payments](/docs/sage-intacct-user-guide-bills-and-payments) for coding, payment holds, and result checks. |
| **AP credits** | Compare the credit and bill's owning entities. If **Limit AP credits to the entity owners** is enabled, the credit applies only to bills created in the same entity. A visible credit is not proof of eligibility. [Credit-application restrictions](https://www.intacct.com/ia/docs/en_US/help_action/Accounts_Payable/Payments/Pay_Bills/Troubleshoot/pay-bills-troubleshoot.htm). See [Apply vendor credits before cash](/docs/sage-intacct-user-guide-bills-and-payments#mh-apply-vendor-credits-before-cash) before combining a credit with payment. |

**With Construction enabled, check each line in this order:**

1. **Project**.
2. That Project’s **Cost Code**.
3. The **Cost Type** for that combination.

The separate **Employee | EQ** field is for applicable personnel or equipment coding; see [Fields MakersHub provides](/docs/sage-intacct-user-guide-construction-and-real-estate#mh-fields-makershub-provides). These selections do not replace bill Entity or G/L account checks.

### Choose the connection context for your work

Where your company has Top level, use it for shared work across the available locations, subject to access and transaction-entry settings. Use the intended entity’s context for private records and activities that require it. Choose the bill’s **Entity** coding separately.

| **Your intended work** | **Context to use and check** |
| --- | --- |
| Code bills across Intacct locations | Use Top level where your access and transaction-entry configuration permit it. Confirm the bill’s own Entity/Department coding, required dimensions, and permissions for the intended action. |
| Work with entity-private records or entity-only transaction entry | Choose a connection location associated with the intended entity, then check the required vendor, accounts, and coding. An entity context does not make another entity’s private records available. |
| Maintain shared vendor details | Use Top level for the update, subject to edit rights and restrictions. Follow [Keep vendor details current](/docs/sage-intacct-user-guide-vendors-in-a-multi-entity-company#mh-keep-vendor-details-current), then restore the working context for your next task. |
| Use an entity-owned payment account or record a card credit | Check that transaction’s account and entity requirements in [Choose the payment action and account](/docs/sage-intacct-user-guide-bills-and-payments#mh-choose-the-payment-action-and-account), or [Check the card and entity](/docs/sage-intacct-user-guide-credit-card-credits#mh-check-the-card-and-entity). Selecting an account does not establish that the saved connection has changed. |

Use [Make the configuration checks concrete](/docs/sage-intacct-user-guide-best-practices#mh-make-the-configuration-checks-concrete) for existing GL and subledger entity-only entry restrictions. These are company-wide setup choices; missing-record troubleshooting follows the ownership and access checks above.

To set or change the connection, follow [Choose the connection's Direct Entity](/docs/sage-intacct-user-guide-connect#mh-7-choose-the-connections-direct-entity). That is the complete save, reopen, test, refresh, and inspection procedure. If testing is unavailable, use its support route before treating the context as verified.

A genuine single-entity company without Top level retains its established default context. Complete the connection checks within the existing company structure and entity-tracking setup.

### Locations and Direct Entity

**Direct Entity** lists Intacct **locations**, including entity locations and child locations. Each location belongs to an entity, so your selection identifies the entity context for the connection. The location dimension used for bill coding can likewise identify an entity or one of its locations. See [Locations](https://www.intacct.com/ia/docs/en_US/help_action/Multi-entity/Manage_entities/locations-and-entities.htm#Locations), [Location dimensions in transactions and reporting](https://www.intacct.com/ia/docs/en_US/help_action/Multi-entity/Manage_entities/locations-and-entities.htm#Locationdimensionsintransactionsandreporting), and [Location hierarchy](https://www.intacct.com/ia/docs/en_US/help_action/Multi-entity/Manage_entities/locations-and-entities.htm#Locationhierarchy) in Intacct.

Choose the location associated with the entity you intend to work in; confirm an unfamiliar location’s entity in Intacct. For Top level, leave Direct Entity empty at **Top Level...**. The bill’s **Entity** and line selections remain separate: choosing a location on a bill does not switch the connection.

Use [Choose the connection's Direct Entity](/docs/sage-intacct-user-guide-connect#mh-7-choose-the-connections-direct-entity) to save and verify the connection choice. If a context is refused, check the choice and access. Refusal alone is not a reason to reset the Web Services user’s password.

### If a record is missing or unusable

| **What you see** | **What to check next** |
| --- | --- |
| A needed vendor, account, or dimension is missing after refresh | Read the list's refresh result and compare the saved **Company ID**, **Direct Entity** location, and its associated entity with your intended context. Then use the applicable check in [Check the record types your bill needs](/docs/sage-intacct-user-guide-working-with-entities#mh-check-the-record-types-your-bill-needs) above. For vendor identification/linking, use [Find and link the existing vendor first](/docs/sage-intacct-user-guide-vendors-in-a-multi-entity-company#mh-find-and-link-the-existing-vendor-first), then resume here. An empty list alone is not a permissions diagnosis. |
| A shared vendor is visible but cannot be updated from an entity | Use [Keep vendor details current](/docs/sage-intacct-user-guide-vendors-in-a-multi-entity-company#mh-keep-vendor-details-current) for the Top-level update, then restore and verify the working context using [Choose the connection's Direct Entity](/docs/sage-intacct-user-guide-connect#mh-7-choose-the-connections-direct-entity). **Not owned** identifies visibility without entity-level edit ownership. |
| Options from the previous context are still visible | Records imported earlier can remain even when a refresh does not return them. In Intacct, compare the record's owner and applicable location restrictions with the saved Direct Entity location and its associated entity; inspect the Web Services user's entity access using [Check the record types your bill needs](/docs/sage-intacct-user-guide-working-with-entities#mh-check-the-record-types-your-bill-needs) above. A retained option alone is not an access check. |
| A credit is visible but cannot be applied to the bill | Check the credit and bill's owning entities and whether **Limit AP credits to the entity owners** is enabled. |
| The intended Direct Entity continues to fail its test | For permission-related failures, complete [After changing permissions](/docs/sage-intacct-user-guide-connect#mh-after-changing-permissions). Keep setup incomplete and contact support if the intended context still fails. |

If the checks do not resolve the problem, contact [MakersHub support](https://support.makershub.ai/docs/contact-us) with the affected list or record, the intended entity/context, and the exact message. Share these details without passwords.

### Before you process the bill

- The intended connection context is saved and verified using [Choose the connection's Direct Entity](/docs/sage-intacct-user-guide-connect#mh-7-choose-the-connections-direct-entity).
- The vendor, account, and required dimensions match this bill’s intended Intacct coding. A listed choice alone is not an access check.
- Any temporary context used for vendor maintenance has been restored and verified. The vendor’s owner remains separate from the bill’s Entity and line coding.

Continue with [Find and link the existing vendor first](/docs/sage-intacct-user-guide-vendors-in-a-multi-entity-company#mh-find-and-link-the-existing-vendor-first), or [Check coding, then approve and sync](/docs/sage-intacct-user-guide-bills-and-payments#mh-check-coding-then-approve-and-sync) when the vendor is ready.

For a missing or unusable record, use the symptom table above. [Troubleshooting and common questions](/docs/sage-intacct-user-guide-troubleshooting-and-common-questions) routes other symptoms to their owning procedure.

Return to [Overview](/docs/sage-intacct-user-guide-overview).