
Migrate tags to custom fields in QuickBooks Online
by Intuit•599• Updated 2 weeks ago
Learn about the capabilities and limitations of custom fields by reading this help article and FAQ.
Beginning May 16, 2025, you’ll no longer be able to create tags for reporting. Instead, you’ll be able to migrate your tags to a custom field for tracking and reporting purposes for all QuickBooks Online plans.
Note: These changes don’t apply to QuickBooks Ledger. To use custom fields, you’ll need to upgrade to a QuickBooks Online plan. Tags used in QuickBooks Ledger do not migrate to other QuickBooks Online plans.
For a better experience, open this article in QuickBooks Online. Launch side-by-side view
We’ve added a custom field to most plans, as shown in the table below. We’ve also expanded the capabilities of custom fields to support both sales and expense forms. Each custom field will support up to 100 values with a dropdown format.
Plan level | From: # of custom fields | To: # of custom fields per transaction |
Ledger | Not applicable | Not applicable |
Simple Start | 0 | 1 per transaction |
Essentials | 3 in total | 4 per transaction |
Plus | 3 in total | 4 per transaction |
Advanced | 12 per transaction | 12 per transaction |
Note: There’s no limit to the number of transactions that can have custom fields. The only limit is the number of custom fields a transaction can have. For example, if you use Simple Start, you can have 1 custom field on every transaction, and you can pick from 100 values in your dropdown list.
Deadlines
- March 17, 2025 - Custom fields expanded functionality launches.
- March 17, 2025 - May 15, 2025 - Migrate your tags to custom field(s).
- May 16, 2025 - Tags become read-only. You cannot create new tags.
- May 16, 2025 - May 15, 2028 - You can view tags and generate reports for historical transactions. After May 15, 2028, the ability to view tags and generate reports will no longer be available. Tags will be removed from QuickBooks Online and they will disappear from historical transactions.
Migrate tags to custom fields
- Go to Settings ⛭ and select Tags.
- On the tags page, select Migrate tags to custom fields.
- Up to 100 tags will be auto-imported and all transaction forms will be pre-selected. Review the selections and make any necessary changes.
- For any additional tags, you will need to manually add them to a custom field.
- Select Save. Your tags are successfully migrated to custom fields and will be visible on all transaction forms.
Watch this video to learn how to migrate your tags to custom fields.
Download all your historical tags reports
Run reports for tag groups to see how tagged transactions are performing:
- Go to Settings ⛭ and select Tags (Take me there).
- Find a group on the list.
- Under the Action column, select Run report.
Since groups have both money-in and money-out transactions, you'll see how everything in the group affects your bottom line.
Add custom fields to sales and expense forms
Learn how to add custom fields to your sales forms and purchase orders in QuickBooks Online.
FAQs
Which regions are affected?
This is a global change to QuickBooks Online and affects all customers worldwide.
All about custom fields
Data types for custom fields have increased
Custom field capabilities have expanded. Now all plans support a dropdown per custom field.
Plan Level | Format | Use on |
Simple Start | Dropdown list | Transactions |
Essentials | Dropdown list or text field | Transactions |
Plus | Dropdown list or text field | Transactions |
Advanced | Dropdown list or text, number, date fields | Transactions, Customers, Vendors, Projects |
Number of values available
Each custom field has 100 values. For example, if you are a Simple Start subscriber, you have 1 custom field containing 100 values. Let’s say you have 60 tags that track different areas of your business. You can add those 60 tags, or values, to your custom field.
Previously, only Advanced had the dropdown option. Now all plans have a dropdown for each custom field. For example, Simple Start has 1 dropdown with 100 values. Whereas, Essentials has 4 dropdowns with 100 values each.
Plan Level | Number of Custom Fields | Total Number of Values |
Simple Start | 1 | 100 |
Essentials | 4 | 400 |
Plus | 4 | 400 |
Advanced | 12 | 1200 |
Can I add and remove custom fields like I do with tags?
Yes. For example, if you want to notate a transaction for review, you can do that with a custom field. Once the transaction has been reviewed, you can remove the custom field.
Which forms support custom fields?
Both sales and expense forms support custom fields. Plus and Advanced are the only plans that support Purchase Orders.
Plan Level | Sales Forms | Expense Forms |
Simple Start | Invoice, Estimate, Sales receipt, Credit memo, Refund receipt | Expense, Check, Bill, Vendor credit, Credit card credit |
Essentials | Invoice, Estimate, Sales receipt, Credit memo, Refund receipt | Expense, Check, Bill, Vendor credit, Credit card credit |
Plus | Invoice, Estimate, Sales receipt, Credit memo, Refund receipt | Purchase order, Expense, Check, Bill, Vendor credit, Credit card credit |
Advanced | Invoice, Estimate, Sales receipt, Credit memo, Refund receipt | Purchase order, Expense, Check, Bill, Vendor credit, Credit card credit |
Which reports support custom fields?
Reports | Simple Start | Essentials | Plus | Advanced |
Business overview | ||||
Transactions - adjusted gains/losses | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
Transactions - realized gains/losses | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
Who owes you | ||||
A/R aging detail report | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Customer balance detail report | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Collections | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Open invoices | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Invoice List | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Sales and customer reports | ||||
Customer contact list | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Sales by class summary | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Sales by customer detail | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Sales by customer summary | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Estimates by customer | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Sales by customer type detail | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Sales by location detail | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
Inventory valuation detail | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
Sales by location summary | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Sales by product/service detail | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Sales by product/service summary | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Transaction list by customer | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Sales by class detail | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
What you owe | ||||
Unpaid bills | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Expenses and vendors | ||||
Open purchase order list by vendor | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
Transaction list by vendor | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Vendor contact list | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Sales tax | ||||
Taxable sales detail | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
Taxable sales summary | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
For my accountant | ||||
Transaction detail by account | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Transaction list with splits | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Transaction list by date | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Recent transactions | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Can I create a P&L report by custom field?
No. This capability doesn't exist.
Can I migrate tags to classes?
No. This capability doesn't exist.
Can I add custom fields within bank feeds and rules?
No. However, you can manually add them to your transactions and sales and expense forms.
Does migrating my tags to custom fields replace the tags on my historical transactions?
No. Tags on historical transactions won't be replaced with custom fields.
How long will I have access to my historical tags transactions?
You will have access to historical tags transactions for 3 years: from May 16, 2025 - May 15, 2028.
What happens to the tags on my historical transactions after May 15, 2028?
On May 15, 2028, the tags will be removed from QuickBooks Online. This means your tags will disappear from historical transactions.
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