We appreciate the detailed information you've provided, mail19. With the information outlined below, we'll address your concern about the field limit of the custom field feature in QuickBooks Online (QBO).
Even though a custom field is marked as inactive and no longer appears on forms or in transactions, the system still retains its data. This is why inactive items in Custom Fields are still counted toward the field limit of 100 in QBO.
Additionally, up to 100 tags will be auto-imported, and all transaction forms will be pre-selected. Thus, it migrates everything, including ones you may not want to migrate.
Learn more about the capabilities and limitations of custom fields by reading this helpful article: Migrate tags to custom fields in QuickBooks Online.
Moreover, you can use your custom fields in various ways using QuickBooks Online Advanced to track what matters most to you.
Feel free to add a response below for more queries about tags or custom fields. We're always dedicated to assisting you in accomplishing your accounting tasks.