I would like to know the name of the system that you are planning to migrate.... I am considering the same. Thanks!

This would be such a simple fix to the QB vendor expense/invoice template and I honestly cannot believe that when it has been brought to Quickbook's attention it wasn't immediately put into production.  Do you have CPAs reviewing comments/suggestions?  In over 40 years of being a CPA and working with many different accounting systems, I've never seen one that didn't have "invoice date" / "posting date" as two separate dates.  Please move this up the chain; it's an easy fix!

Honestly how has this not been addressed yet? It's been two years...

Its crazy. You can only accurately do cash accounting on QB. Accrual is what i use because i am a apart of a much larger parent company. Accrual accounting is essential for large businesses. Im guessing the vasy majority of QB uses are on a cash basis, which explains why they will not address this for us. Unless it is an issue for a large percentage of its end users, they will not spend the time or resources to address it. My parent company uses Microsoft dynamics and im going to most likely have to migrate to it myself so i can actually report correct accrual income and expenses. 

I also cannot believe this hasn’t been addressed. In my 15 year career I have NEVER seen an accounting system without an option to have a different posting date. It seems like a really simple fix to make. Clients could toggle the option on or off, default to invoice date but changeable if necessary. This is absurd.

I am in the same situation, being part of a company group.

What do you think about recording an asset and neutralizing it once the invoice was send?

Example: before I sent the invoice for 1000$ on 5 Jan 2022 for service delivered on 30 Nov 2021, i will record an asset of value 1000$ as of Nov 2021 in the current asset account, e. g. of type "Development Costs" or "Inventory". Then I sent the invoice an reduce the value to 0$.

Would this be a work around?

This is a huge problem for any company that uses accrual accounting which is most. This is a problem for payables, receivables and payroll. My January payroll 1/1-1/31 posts to February because the check date is in February. This is basic accounting and unbelievable that 3 years after this post it hasn't been addressed. Very disappointing.

Has this been addressed yet?  This is such a basic accounting function that QBO is missing the mark on.  I am frustrated with the added work QBO is making us accountants do to get the financials correct.  

Thanks for joining and for sharing your sentiments in this conversation, @rshires.

The option to have a different posting date for your invoice is still unavailable in QuickBooks. I'll make sure your requests will get to our developers.

You also want to send feedback directly to our product developers to personally suggest this feature to QBO. 

Here's how:

1. Go to the Gear icon, then coose Feedback.
2. Enter your comments or product suggestions. Example: Need an option to have a different posting date for an invoice.
3. Then click Next to submit feedback.

Leave a comment below if you have any follow-up questions. I'll get back to you right away.

I've posted on this message board a year and half ago regarding this issue, seeing the countless times how this issue will be brought to the developers. Well here we sit from all this time still waiting for a feature that will more than likely never come. Please do us the favor to escalate this to the developers.

Paying a fee to utilize a system that doesn't adhere to your concerns sounds pretty counterintuitive from a clientele standpoint if you ask me.  

I posted this request to the feedback to developers numerous times.  Still nothing!  It is such an easy, simple fix and anyone who understands accounting understands why it is necessary.  If QB wants to really play on the main stage, they need to follow basic accounting rules and practices.

Hi Katherine.  I did as you suggested and provided feedback to the developers.  Is there anything else we can do to get this request prioritized?

Thanks for joining this thread, @rshires. We appreciate you sending us feedback. 

Please know that while your request is highly prioritized, our developers will need to make a careful study before they consider adding it to our services. 

Hence, we're unable to provide a timeframe for it to be available. In the meantime, you can visit our QuickBooks Blogs page to get updated information on what's new. 

Visit us again for your other concerns. I'll be around to guide you again. 

Hi @katherinejoyceO, I'm another new user running into these same difficulties. Given how long this issue has been around with QB, is there a recommended workaround for invoices that have already been issued and paid, but need to be accorded based on service date? I've come across threads on the Quickbooks forum from over 4 years ago that follow the exact same back and forth this thread has. Figured I would chime in with how dissatisfied I am seeing valid feedback and improvements blatantly ignored by whoever in management needs to green light this fix, all the while nice employees like you are left in the difficult position you are in. 

Thanks for joining the thread and sharing your feedback, @tsmhventures.

Our QuickBooks team strives to provide excellent customer service and deliver customer satisfaction at all times. I want you to know that we value your feedback, and it would be a big help to improve the service and your QuickBooks experience.

Since our developers based the adding of features on the number of requests they received from customers like you, let me send another feedback on your behalf. The more request they get, the most likely it'll be implemented in the future.

At the moment, you can create a separate custom field for the service date. This gives you more flexibility to add custom data and drive insights through detailed reports. Let me show you how:

1. Go to Settings ⚙ and click Custom fields.
2. Select Add field.
3. Enter a name in the Name field.
4. Select the All Sales forms checkbox.
5. If you want the custom field to appear on printed and delivered forms, turn on the Print on form switch. Otherwise, it will only be visible in QuickBooks.
6. Click Save.

Once done, you can record the service date when creating an invoice. For paid invoices, simply open again the transactions and enter the service date. 

It's important that we always meet our customer's needs. While we continue to make improvements, I want you to be updated with the latest QuickBooks news and product release through our Firm of the Future site. This is where we share recent happenings and future developments, such as updates to newly added features.

In case you need related resources while working with QuickBooks, please feel free to skim through the topics from our help articles.

Let me know how else I can help you with QuickBooks by adding a comment below. I'm more than happy to lend a helping hand. Keep safe!

This is not a solution unless the transaction posts on the date in this custom field. 

Without this ability, Quickbooks is not capable of accrual accounting. We cannot continue with Quickbooks without this. 

I have some vendors that bill me for items from 2 different months. My problem is that QB Online only allows ONE date !!!  I would like to be able to put a date on each line of entry ... UGH

Hi all,

We all SHOULD know QB is not really for professional use... so before you all go reading all the messages and complaints here, KNOW that QB's only response is WYSIWYG.

Yours Truly,

Calaspade Aspade. 

Hello, Frank. 

I appreciate your time in sharing your sentiments about QuickBooks Online. I would like to take this opportunity to address the part about adding two dates on each line entry on a bill. 

As mentioned by my colleagues, we can only create a single bill for a specific date. And just like what you've mentioned, we're unable to put a date on each line of entry. 

For now, we could create two bills for the two different dates in QuickBooks. 

I would still recommend sending feedback to our developers about the ability to put a date on each line entry, if you haven't done it yet. Let's click on the Gear icon, then select Feedback. 

Our developers will read through your inputs and might consider them for future improvements and updates on the program. 

If you'd like to review your bills, payments, and other entries through reports, I'll share this article in case you need help in the future: Run reports in QuickBooks Online. 

I'm all ears and ready to help you out if you have other concerns about your bills. Would you like some assistance on other entries such as your sales as well? Include the details in your reply and I'll assist you again. 

Does QBO currently use the invoice date or the service date to post the revenue? The invoice date should determine the due date and the service date should determine the month in which it posts to on the Profit and Loss. Which date determines the posting period?

Thanks for chiming in on this thread, @Brenda D.

In QuickBooks Online (QBO), the invoice date determines the posting period of the invoice transaction into the Profit and Loss report. The option to use the service date as the posting period for the revenue is unavailable.

I recognize how beneficial it is for you and your business that an invoice date should determine the due date, and the service date should be the posting date of the revenue. For now, I'd recommend sending a feature request to our Product Development Team. Check out this article for your reference: How to Submit Feedback.

Moreover, you can check out the detailed steps in this article to learn more about personalizing and adding specific info to your invoice and other form styles in QBO: Customize invoices, estimates, and sales receipts in QuickBooks Online.

Please post again or comment below if you have any concerns about managing invoices in QBO. I'm always here to lend a helping hand. Stay safe!

It has been years since this post; has the development team not implemented this?  This is a basic function of many off the shelf ERP's and really needs to be addressed ASAP!  Because of the lack of being able to post an invoice date correctly in QB then our days to pay is useless and the processors are constantly having to manually calculate the due date.  On another note because of the lack of accounting period being separate from date of invoice or check it causes issues when voiding checks written in previous 'periods' and now leaves the vendor ledger with what appears to be duplicate invoices.  This seems as though it would be an easy fix to make the accounting period rely on the transaction date and NOT the date of the check and/or invoice!  Come on it's 2023 can we please get this?

Hi, Sandy.

I know you're putting so much effort and time into resolving your concern. I've seen that you've posted twice on the Community page. To view her response, please visit this link: https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/reports-and-accounting/accounting-period/01/121472...

Fill me in if you have more QuickBooks-related concerns. I'd be glad to assist you further. Take care always, and best regards. 

It is shocking that QB has not addressed this after all these years.  Do they know anything about Generally Accepted Accounting Standards?  Just using this accounting system could make an auditor question the reliability of a company's financial statements. 

So, it's February 2023 and I receive an invoice (called a "Bill" in QB parlance) from a vendor dated November 11, 2022.  What is the solution?  Open a closed period in a closed year and enter the bill into payables?  OR put a FAKE invoice date to force it into the current period?  Does that sound like a good practice?  Any decent system has an accounting date for a transaction as well as recording the date on the document.

I would guess the lack of an accounting date is one of the main reasons companies outgrow QB early on.  Also, the QB Team's lack of knowledge on why this is even a problem does not inspire confidence.