Change sub-customers into projects in QuickBooks Online or Intuit Enterprise Suite

If you currently use sub-customers to track jobs, converting them into projects will help you keep everything in one place. Here's how to convert sub-customers or move specific transactions into projects. Projects is only available in QuickBooks Online Plus, QuickBooks Online Advanced, and Intuit Enterprise Suite.

If you'd like to make it easy for your customers to pay an invoice online, check out QuickBooks Payments rates and apply.

For a better experience, open this article in QuickBooks Online. Launch side-by-side view

Prepare your sub-customer for conversion

Before converting, adjust your sub-customer settings and ensure it's linked to only one parent customer. A sub-customer cannot be a sub-customer of another sub-customer

Review sub-customer settings

1. Follow this link to complete the steps in product
2. Find and select the sub-customer. If the status is Not started, select In progress from the Status dropdown▼.
3. Select the sub-customer's profile, then select Edit.
4. Make sure you select the Is a sub-customer checkbox.
5. Review and select the parent customer. This is the account that's connected to the project.
6. Select Bill parent customer checkbox
7. Select Save.

Check the parent customer hierarchy

1. Follow this link to complete the steps in product
2. Find and select the sub-customer.
3. Select the sub-customer's profile, then select Edit.
4. From the Parent customer dropdown, select the parent customer.
5. Select Save.

Make sure your sub-customer doesn't have any sub-customers

1. Follow this link to complete the steps in product
2. Check for any sub-customers of the sub-customer you want to convert.
3. Select the sub-customer's profile, then select Edit.
4. Uncheck the Is a sub-customer checkbox. If there are more sub-customers, remove them as well.
5. Select Save.

Convert a sub-customer to a project

You can either create a new project from a sub-customer or merge the sub-customer with an existing project.

Create a new project from a sub-customer

This wipes the slate clean. Your sub-customer's existing transactions won't transfer over.

1. Follow this link to complete the steps in product 
2. Select the New project ▼ dropdown and then Convert from sub-customer. Or,  look for the Do you organize sub-customers as projects? message and select the Convert now link.
3. Select the sub-customer you want to convert.
4. Select Convert, then select Continue to confirm. Remember, your existing transactions won't transfer over.

This creates a brand new project. Now you can go to the Projects menu to start working on it.

Merge a sub-customer with an existing project

This transfers your existing sub-customer transactions to an existing project.

1. Follow this link to complete the steps in product
2. Find the project you want to merge your sub-customer with.
3. Copy the name of the project.
4. Find and select the sub-customer.
5. Select the sub-customer's profile, then select Edit.
6. Change the Customer display name to match the project name exactly.
7. Select Save.

Note: Your sub-customer info such as addresses, tax code, and payment and billing info won't transfer over to the project.