Is there a way for quickbooks online to not autopopulate the invoice number? I have searched and it seems this is something that's only available for the desktop version?

Hi there, 

Invoicing is made simple in QuickBooks Online. I know how important it is to have control over your bookkeeping, and to make sure automation settings are saving you time, rather than costing you time. I'd be happy to explain the options you have with your invoice numbers. 

While the system will continue to automatically apply an invoice number, you have the option to set up custom invoice numbers so that you're able to change the sequence from what's defaulted in the program. To turn on Custom transaction numbers, click the Gear icon > Account and Settings > Sales > click the small pencil icon next to the Sales form content section, then turn Custom transaction numbers on. 

This will help you take control of your invoices and add a unique invoice number sequence to suit your needs. 

I hope this helps. If you have any other questions, please reach out to our tech support team. 

Cheers.

Thank you for your response.  We already have custom transaction numbers turned on.  The issue is our invoice numbers correspond to our various projects so it would be best if that field is completely blank.  As it is, it autopopulates with other project code's invoice numbers and if a manager is doing an invoice forgets to change it is makes a mess of the system - especially if I don't happen to catch it quickly.

I see what you mean now, chalko. I can see how having the option to disable to automatic invoice numbers would help you keep track of which numbers correspond to your various projects. I'd be happy to pass on your feedback about this to our team for review. I'd encourage you to pass your thoughts on to our team as well, by clicking the Gear icon > Feedback. We're always looking for ways to improve. 

Cheers.

Thank you.  I appreciate your help.

~Chandra

Anytime, Chandra. :)

I am very interested in the feature described here. I am a designer and I have a variety of clients that uses client codes to differentiate. I am continually having to change between clients, and sometimes I forget so the invoice numbers get switched. It would be much more useful if I can write it in myself. 

I would like to also have the option to enter the invoice # manually as well.  Is there any update you can share with us as to when this feature might be added?

Also regarding the same issue, if I set the custom transactions field to "on" and I create the means to import invoices generated by a third-party, will the invoice number generated by the third=party overwrite the autogenerated QBO invoice # if properly mapped (of course) ?

Another reason why not having the ability to turn off autogenerating of invoice # while still keeping the cell block open is concerning recurring invoices.

I have another third-party business that generates and collects the invoice (primarily because Intuit has refused to accept my business) and at the same time I have set up recurring invoices in QBO in order to save time and duplication efforts.

But now I still have to go into each QBO recurring invoice and edit the invoice # each month. That is non-productive and devalues the QBO platform imho.

Hi mkm2,

I can see how having to edit your invoice number in this way would affect your workflow. The numbering system in QuickBooks Online follows an automatic pattern, and there's no update for an available feature to turn this off. If you haven't already, I invite you to submit feedback directly to our engineers to share your thoughts on this. We are always adding new features to the program, and your opinion helps a lot with that.

As for importing invoices with their invoice number, this will not overwrite the existing numbers in the system. QuickBooks Online indeed sends you an alert when you're about to save a transaction having an invoice number that's already in your books, but you have the option to use it twice if you'd like. Here's an article for your reference: Import multiple invoices at once

I hope this helps to clarify things for you. Don't hesitate if you have more questions.

This would be massively helpful for us too. Also would be better if you couldn't save an invoice without entering an invoice number.

Seems like turning off a feature would be a very easy thing to implement. Probably less than a few minutes to implement.

Hi UKMaster,

Thanks for joining us here. It's important to me that you can have a numbering system that meets your business needs. I also encourage you to submit feedback to our product development team using the link shared above in my previous response to this thread. The more users who make the same request, the more likely it is that this will be considered moving forward.

Let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.

Please add the ability to leave the Invoice field visible but blank.  This alone would save us hours of work,

Hi Xmobile,

Saving time is the name of the game when it comes to QuickBooks Online, so I appreciate you taking the time to share your time-saving idea with us. The community forum is a great place to exchange ideas with other users, but to ensure feedback for our product development team is successfully passed on, please use the steps outlined in our How do I submit feedback? article to let us know your ideas.

Your opinion is important to us, and I want to ensure that you have an opportunity for your voice to be heard.

Take care.

That does not resolve the issue. It does not help having redundant invoice numbers for critical record keeping. 

Your auto invoice generation system has cost my group thousands in lost revenue. It was blocking critical invoices from other billing systems because of a redundant number. It would not create a new number as it entered the system for that specific invoice. This is particularly frustrating when we assume that these integratable QBO systems would have interoperability with QBO. One would think that if a redundant invoice number was entering the system that QBO would inherently move that invoice to the next available number, Instead we have almost 20 different invoicing numbering schema's generated and it is making life a records keeping nightmare.