Use custom fields for suppliers and expenses

Learn how to use custom fields for suppliers and expenses in QuickBooks Online Advanced. 

In QuickBooks Online Advanced, you can create custom fields and use them in various ways to track the details that matter most to you. Here are some examples of how you can use custom fields to track info about your suppliers and expenses.

Create a custom field for purchase order numbers

How it helps

You can see purchase order numbers on your bills and other expenses.

When you copy a purchase order to a bill, the purchase order number appears automatically on the bill.

How to set it up

1. Create a custom field and give it a name like PO number in the Name field.
2. From the Data type ▼ dropdown, select the Number data type if your purchase orders have only numbers, or select the Text and number data type if they have letters as well.
3. From the Select category section, select the category you want to add.
4. From the Select forms section, select the Bill checkbox to appear PO number field on your bills. If you also want them to appear as a reference on your invoices and sales receipts, select these forms as well.
5. Select Save.

Create a Supplier ID field to appear on transactions

How it helps

Once you add the Supplier ID for a supplier, any expense form transaction this field is shown on will be auto-filled with the Supplier ID value once you select the particular supplier.

Let’s say your company uses multiple suppliers to purchase parts or services to supply to your customers. In that case, you may need to keep track of invoices and associated payables associated with each supplier in your debtors department, then cross-verify with your expense/payables department. A Supplier ID custom field is especially helpful if you use other apps to track your payables.

Tip: You can also create a similar custom field to capture the type of supplier or other supplier-specific info, then select what forms you want this info to appear on.

How to set it up

1. Create a custom field and give it a name like Supplier ID in the Name field.
2. From the Data type ▼ dropdown, select the data type you want to use.
3. From the Select category section, select the Supplier.
4. From the Select forms section, select all the types of forms you want it to appear on. QuickBooks lets you show the Supplier ID field across both expense form transactions (purchase order, expense, bill, cheque, supplier credit, and credit card credit) and sales form transactions (sales receipt, invoice, estimate, credit note, refund receipt, and sales receipt).
5. Select Save.

After you create this custom field, add a unique ID to each supplier you have by following these steps:

1. Go to All apps , select Expenses & Bills, then select Suppliers (Take me there).
2. Select the supplier you want to enter an ID for.
3. Select Edit.
4. Find the Supplier ID custom field. Enter the ID of the supplier.
5. Select Save.

Capture the invoice date on bills

How it helps

Currently, the Bill form in QuickBooks only includes a Bill date and a Due date. The Bill date captures the date the expense is recorded. However, in many situations, invoices are received for a prior month in which the books have already closed, and the bill(s) for the invoice are recorded at a later date.

With an Invoice Date custom field, you can capture the date the invoice was generated and use reports such as the unpaid bills report to compare the invoice date and the bill date.

How to set it up

1. Create a custom field and give it a name like Invoice Date in the Name field.
2. From the Data type ▼ dropdown, select the data type you want to use.
3. From the Select category section, select the category you want to add.
4. From the Select forms section, select the Bill checkbox and any other expense transaction forms on which you want the field to appear.
5. Select Save.

Use custom fields to categorise your expenses

How it helps

Imagine your company sends employees to attend multiple conferences a year, virtual or in-person, and has a need for tracking expenses in a detailed way. For example, your marketing manager wants to see how much is being spent per conference (travel by flight or car, hotel stays, meals, and so on), in addition to the conference fee. You can capture this info in an Expense type custom field.

Once your company starts adding data to an Expense type custom field, you can take advantage of it in your reports. For example, you can add Expense type as a column, or group by, sort, or filter by this custom field. Learn more about how to use custom fields in reports.

How to set it up

1. Create a custom field and give it a name like Expense type in the Name field.
2. From the Data type ▼ dropdown, select the Dropdown list data type and add possible values in the Dropdown list item field (Flight, Car, Meals, Conference fee, and so on).
3. From the Select category section, select the category you want to add.
4. From the Select forms section, based on your needs, mark this field to appear on your expense forms, or select additional forms, such as bills.
5. Select Save.