Using QBO- would like report for actual vs budget with open po's.

Thanks for posting here in the Community, QBOAirportUser.

I can help you run a Budget vs. Actuals report.

The Budget vs. Actuals report will give you a comparison of your budgeted income and expenses to the actual amounts, so you can tell whether you're over or under budget.

Right now, we are unable to include the open purchase orders in it. Instead, you can run the Budget vs. Actuals report and Open Purchase Order List and export them to Excel.

Let me show you how:

To run the Budget vs. Actuals report:

1. Click Reports on the left pane.
2. Enter and select Budget vs. Actuals in the search box.
3. Set the date range in the Report period.
4. Click Run report.

To run the Open Purchase Order List:

1. Choose Reports on the left pane.
2. Enter and select Open Purchase Order List in the search box.
3. Set the date range in the Report period.

To export the report:

1. Open the report.
2. Click the Export icon.
3. Select Export to Excel (see the screenshot below).

Once you've exported the reports to Excel, you can merge them so the open purchase orders will be added to the Budget vs. Actuals report.

You can also save this report for future use. Just click the Save customization button at the top. Enter a Custom report name, and click Save.

I also think that having an option to add the open purchase orders in the Budget vs. Actuals report can help you run your business better. I've sent your idea to our Product Developers so they might consider adding this feature in the future. I'd also like to invite you to share your thoughts on how we can improve the reports in QuickBooks Online. Most of our new features come from our customers' suggestions.

Click the Gear icon at the top and select Feedback to send one.

Thanks for your input. Should you have more questions, feel free to let me know. I’ll be here if you need me. Have a great week.

Any more feed back on this topic? Did QB add a new report to do this?

Hello there, @RThomas1238.

Currently, the option to pull up a report for Actual vs Budget with open Purchase Order in QuickBooks Online (QBO) is unavailable. In the meantime, you can perform the workaround outlined by my colleague, @PreciousB.

Also, to request the addition of this feature, I'd recommend sending feedback to our product engineers. Rest assured that they are bound to enhance the software's capacity to meet your business needs. Let me guide you how:

1. In your QBO program, click the Gear or Settings icon.
2. Next, select Feedback.
3. Then, enter your product suggestion. Example: Pull up a report for Actual vs Budget with open Purchase Order.
4. Once done, select Next to submit.

To monitor and track the submitted feedback, I'd recommend visiting our QuickBooks Online Feature Requests website. From there, you can also add a vote to another product request that you think will be a big help in optimizing your QBO navigation.

Also, modifying and changing the formats of your QBO reports is easy. This will further help you filter only the data you need the most. Once done, you can save the changes so you'll be able to apply the same modifications in the future.

Drop a reply below if you have additional questions about running reports in QBO. I'll be always around to help. Have a great day ahead. 

How is a business supposed to use the budgeting feature if the software doesnt allow for open purchase orders to be applied to the budget category the items are purchased against?

We need a way to track spending against budgets when issuing PO and not have to do it in a workaround fashion.

We can imagine how you feel knowing that this kind of issue you're facing right now, @1hosmera is a limitation in using the budget feature. Let us give you some details about the issue.

We can understand the importance of having the option to allow for open purchase orders to be applied to the budget category the items are purchased against in QuickBooks Online (QBO). 

For now, you can send feedback to our product developers so they can get to know this problem better and give you the best QuickBooks experience. Opinions from our valued customers like you are greatly appreciated.

Here's how:

1. Go to the Gear icon.
2. Choose Feedback.
3. Enter your comments or product suggestions.
4. Then, click Next to submit feedback.

You can visit our QuickBooks Online Feature Requests website to track the status of your submitted feedback.

I'm attaching this article for future reference in handling budgets in QuickBooks: Create budgets in QuickBooks Online.

Tag me in the comment section below if you have follow-up queries about handling budget and other features in QuickBooks. I'm always here to assist you. Have a good one!