How To Record Fuel?

ChrisPembs · ‎November 16, 2018

Hello

I am a new user just in the middle of setting everything up and was wondering what is the standard way of recording fuel used in our vehicles? No need for per mile etc as the vehicles are ours so just a case of recording the individual transaction and attaching copies of receipts.

Thanks in advance :)

AlcaeusF · ‎November 16, 2018

I'm happy to see you here in the Community, ChrisPembs.

I can help you record fuel expenses in QuickBooks Online.

You can set up a primary expense account for auto expense then add a sub-account for fuel. Once created, you can use the Bill and Pay Bills option to record the expense.

Please follow these steps to create the primary account:

1. Click the Gear icon.

2. Click Chart of Accounts.

3. Select New in the upper-right corner.

4. Below Account Type, choose Expenses.

5. Below Detail Type, select Auto.

6. Enter a name for the account (example: Auto expense).

7. Enter necessary information.

8. Click Save and Close.

For the fuel sub-account, follow these steps:

1. Click the Gear icon.

2. Click Chart of Accounts.

3. Select New in the upper-right corner.

4. Below Account Type, choose Expenses.

5. Below Detail Type, select Auto.

6. Enter a name for the account (example: Fuel).

7. Put a check mark beside Is sub-account and select the primary account.

8. Click Save and Close.

After creating the accounts, you can now enter the expenses in the system. You can follow the steps below on how to create the bills and pay them.

Here's how:

1. Click the Plus (+) icon.

2. Select Bill.

3. Enter necessary information.

4. Click Save and close.

5. Click the Plus (+) icon again, and click Pay Bills.

6. Search for the bill.

7. Click Save.

You can visit the article below for more information about entering and paying bills:

Enter and pay bills

Let me know if you need more help with recording the fuel expense. I'll be around for you.

View solution in original post

KatieLou · ‎November 16, 2018

Hi Chris,

Thank you for your message & for joining our QuickBooks family!

I would be grateful if you can please advise to whether you have our QuickBooks Self Employed or small business product so that I can answer your query?

We look forward to hearing from you & Welcome to the QuickBooks Intuit Community page!

Kindest regards

ChrisPembs · ‎November 16, 2018

Hi

Apologies I did mean to include that, I am using Quickbooks Online

Thanks

AlcaeusF · ‎November 16, 2018

I'm happy to see you here in the Community, ChrisPembs.

I can help you record fuel expenses in QuickBooks Online.

You can set up a primary expense account for auto expense then add a sub-account for fuel. Once created, you can use the Bill and Pay Bills option to record the expense.

Please follow these steps to create the primary account:

1. Click the Gear icon.

2. Click Chart of Accounts.

3. Select New in the upper-right corner.

4. Below Account Type, choose Expenses.

5. Below Detail Type, select Auto.

6. Enter a name for the account (example: Auto expense).

7. Enter necessary information.

8. Click Save and Close.

For the fuel sub-account, follow these steps:

1. Click the Gear icon.

2. Click Chart of Accounts.

3. Select New in the upper-right corner.

4. Below Account Type, choose Expenses.

5. Below Detail Type, select Auto.

6. Enter a name for the account (example: Fuel).

7. Put a check mark beside Is sub-account and select the primary account.

8. Click Save and Close.

After creating the accounts, you can now enter the expenses in the system. You can follow the steps below on how to create the bills and pay them.

Here's how:

1. Click the Plus (+) icon.

2. Select Bill.

3. Enter necessary information.

4. Click Save and close.

5. Click the Plus (+) icon again, and click Pay Bills.

6. Search for the bill.

7. Click Save.

You can visit the article below for more information about entering and paying bills:

Enter and pay bills

Let me know if you need more help with recording the fuel expense. I'll be around for you.

ChrisPembs · ‎November 16, 2018

Brilliant, thank you so much, I shall work my way through this later this evening and get it set up then all I have to do is add all fuel expenses, many many many of them since April this year..................

AlcaeusF · ‎November 16, 2018

It was a pleasure helping you, ChrisPembs.

In addition to the information above, you can enter your transactions individually to track expenses more efficiently. This way, you'll be able to run a detailed report for each vendor (different gas stations) you purchased a fuel.

I'm here anytime you need help with tracking your fuel expenses. Wishing you all the best.

Pros07 · ‎January 12, 2020

Great info to add the expense account.
if we are entering receipts, do we always have to go in to “pay” the bill?
we are looking to track receipts to avoid using a secondary program that now requires subscription. We do not pay bills through quick books

Anonymous · ‎January 12, 2020

Hi Pros07,

We're glad the steps helped you to add an expense account.

There's no need to pay bills for your expenses. You can simply enter the expense transactions by clicking on the Plus icon and selecting Expenses directly.

If you need to record bills, select the Bill. Then, when it's time to pay the bills, please click on the Plus icon again and select Pay Bill.

These transactions are for your records only. They won't affect your actual bank's balance. If you have more questions, post them here. We are here to help.

Pros07 · ‎January 13, 2020

Can you attached a copy of the receipt to the direct expense?

Rose-A · ‎January 13, 2020

Hello, Pros07.

Yes, you can directly attach a copy of the receipt through the expense section.

Here's how:

Click + New in the left panel and choose Expense.
Enter the necessary information.
Click Attachments and look for a copy of the receipt.
Hit Save and close.

To know the acceptable file types that can be attached to QuickBooks transactions, check out this article: Attachments in QuickBooks Online.

If you have other questions about this or anything else about QuickBooks, let me know by clicking the Reply button below. I'll be glad to provide further assistance whenever you needed so. Cheering you a wonderful week!

Pros07 · ‎January 18, 2020

Thank you for the guidance. The trouble we are running into is we do not pay bills or monitor our banking from QuickBooks. We only send invoices & statements and were hoping to just track receipts. Every place I try to enter a receipt “something is wrong” comes up because the asset accounts aren’t listed and “money” isn’t there. This move to online is because very frustrating when it was supposed to streamline things

Catherine_B · ‎January 18, 2020

Hello there, Pros07.

We can track your sales via Sales Receipt and create an account where we can deposit the money, for recording purposes. The error "Something is wrong" prompts since half of the business workflows are only tracked in QBO.

We can add a bank to deposit the money, here's how:

Go to the Accounting menu and click Chart of Accounts.
At the upper-right, click New.
Choose Bank as the Account Type and select its detailed type.
Name the account and then click Save and Close.

If there's anything else that you need help with, you can post them here.

deardally · ‎September 01, 2021

hello,

Im going crazy because in my chart of accounts there is no detail type for auto or vehicle. What do i do?!

Giovann_G · ‎September 01, 2021

I know how you feel and I'm willing to help, deardally.

I'll ensure you're able to add detail type for auto in QuickBooks Online.

Did you follow the steps provided by my colleague AlcaeusF to add a new expense account? If so, you may have experienced some browser-related issue that causing this unusual behavior on the software. Since adding detail type for auto should be available in your end if you selected the account type Expenses. Let's perform basic troubleshooting steps to fix it.

First, you can use a private browser or an incognito window upon logging in to your account. This mode is free from any cache files that cause the web-based software to function beyond expectation. Here are the shortcut keys:

For Chrome, press and hold Ctrl+Shift+N.
For Firefox, press and hold Ctrl+Shift+P.
For Safari, press and hold Command+Shift+N.

Then, repeat the same steps in creating a detail type for auto on your chart of account. If it works, you can go back to your normal browser and clear the cache to remove unwanted internet files. Alternatively, you can use a different supported browser to further isolate the issue.

In addition, you can check out this article to learn about recording business miles for one or more vehicles in QuickBooks Online: Automatically track mileage in QuickBooks Online.

As always, you can add any details below if you have follow-up questions about managing your chart of accounts. I'm always here to help you.

SophieB1 · ‎July 17, 2022

wow! very helpful!!! thank you!!! so happy my first entry for expense haha

JessT · ‎July 17, 2022

Hi SophieB1!

I'm glad you were able to search for a post related to your concern and helped you in some way. Please don't hesitate to go back to this thread if you have any other concerns. The QuickBooks Team is always available to help.

Enjoy your day!

Reece Recycling Auto Sales · ‎August 30, 2022

Does anyone used the receipt management where you can submit the receipts by taking a picture than reviewing them to select the correct accounts and all that jazz? I was curious because when I do, it will not allow me to click save and add register because there is not a bank/card selected. I am an all-cash business and am finding QuickBooks to be a pain because of that. Any advice?

Ashleigh1 · ‎August 30, 2022

Hello Reece thanks for posting on this thread, so you could put it against/select the cash in hand and in bank as long as it is set up as a bank account it should all then work for you.

kmarmolejo · ‎June 18, 2023

How would this work on QB Self-employed? I don't want to record miles, as the car used is a hire lease and used only for the business. So I record expenses as they happen, but QB registers all my car expenses as "disallowable".

GlinetteC · ‎June 18, 2023

I'll share some insights on handling this expense in QuickBooks Self-Employed, kmarmolejo.

For this to be allowable, you need to select the travel category on the business side of the transaction, as the car vehicle category will input it into the disallowable part. For more information, you can read this article: Car mileage and travel expenses explained in QuickBooks Self-Employed.

On the other hand, I recommend consulting an accountant. They can provide expert guidance and advice that is tailored to your business needs.

Moreover, here are resources to learn more about simplified expenses and the distinction between allowable and disallowable expenses in QBSE:

You can count on me whenever you need assistance keeping track of your expenses.

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How To Record Fuel?