Set default payment terms for all customers

Hi gtramble,

Glad to hear from you again. I hope all is well on your end! I'd be happy to give you a hand with setting up default payment terms for your customer. 

QuickBooks is a robust program which offers a variety of features which help save you time. Based on what you've described, I recommend referencing the following article which shows you how to set up payment terms on your account for your customers: Set up payment terms.

The answer to your question depends on the template you're using for your invoicing. Normally,  there's a check box for terms and conditions and a box to enter details when setting up the terms.

 In case you need further assistance, feel free to contact our support team using this link here. Otherwise, feel free to leave a comment below, I'll be on standby. 

Yes, I see how to setup payment terms and am good with that.

I also see how to setup"Payment Terms" for each customer individually.  This is close to what I want to do but it requires me to remember to set "Payment Terms" when creating each customer.

I had thought there would be a way to set the "Payment Terms" on an invoice template.  I have it set so that the Terms field is displayed but it is blank on new invoices unless I i) previously set the "Payment Terms" when creating the customer the invoice is being prepared for or ii) specify the terms when creating the invoice.  I typically use the same terms for all invoices prepared using that template.

I guess one workaround would be to unselect TERMS on the invoice template and then add a text box that says "TERMS: Due on receipt" so those terms appear on all invoices created using that template.  

The reason I asked is because I created some new customers and produced an invoice for each customer but forgot to specify terms.  Consequently,  the invoice just shows  the title TERMS but the field is blank.

It's great to hear that you're already familiar with setting up the terms on customer profiles when you create them in QuickBooks Desktop. With your example, I can see how it would be easier to have a default option since each customer has the same terms and how it would make sure they see them even if adding the default customer terms is missed during setup.

The workaround of setting up a field that reads TERMS: Due on receipt on your templates is a great idea that would only leave ensuring that the appropriate form is used for the customer transactions. I also recommend considering the built-in terms field and drop-down menu such as in this screenshot below. This would mean manually selecting the terms on the transaction, but will also ensure that the terms are displayed for the customer.

If you're not seeing this field on your forms, you can enable it in the template in the Additional Customization section. Here's an article that goes over the options for customizing your templates if you'd like to review it: Use and customize form templates

Currently, setting default terms for your customers is done by adding the term preferences on the customer setup and there isn't a way to have a default that applies to everyone.

That's a great idea, though, and I recommend sharing it as feedback for our product development team to consider. The way to leave your feedback for QuickBooks Desktop is by going to the Help menu and choosing Send Feedback Online. The Product Suggestion option should do the trick.

Let me know if you have more questions and I hope you enjoy your weekend.

The link associated with Use and customize form templates is incorrect. 

https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-ca/sales-customers/how-to-customize-and-manage-paymen...

The correct link is

https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-ca/getting-started/use-and-customize-form-templates/0...

I second the suggestion.  I want to associate Payment Terms to an Invoice Template.   At a minimum adding the Terms for the Company would solve all the unpopulated (500 plus) customers I have.

Taking this one step further, I should be able to set a default Payment Term for the Company in Preferences, then if configured for the Invoice type and then finally the Client info itself.

I just found the answer to this question. Go to the gear icon at the top right and click on Account and Settings. When that pops up, click on the Sales tab on the left. Under this tab there is an option for Preferred Invoice Terms. There you can select Due on Receipt as the default. It will automatically set this as the default when you create a new invoice. Hope this helps!

Perhaps I'm in error, but there is no gear icon in the Desktop version.  I think you may be using the online version.