Set price rules in QuickBooks Online

Learn how to set pricing rules for specific products and services.

Pricing rules let you control the price of your products and services. You can offer discounts or charge different rates by item. You can also charge different rates based on which employee did the work.

Note: The Price Rules is still on Beta pace, so only selected customers can turn it on. This option isn't available in QuickBooks Online Simple Start and Essentials.

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Step 1: Turn on price rules

1. Go to Settings ⚙ and select Account and Settings.
2. Select the Sales tab.
3. In the Products and services section, select Edit ✎.
4. Select the Turn on price rules Beta checkmark.
5. Select Save and then Done.

Step 2: Create a price rule

1. Go to Settings ⚙ and then select All Lists.
2. Select Price Rules.
3. Select Create a rule. After your first rule, select New price rule.
4. Give your rule a name.
   • (Optional) Set when the rule is active in the Start date and End date fields.
   • Price rules apply to all of your customers by default. If you only want it to apply to specific customers, select the Select customers▼ dropdown and then Select individually. Then select Add customer. You can also add a customer type if you have them.
   • Price rules apply to all products and services by default. If you want it to only apply to specific types, select the Select products or services ▼ dropdown. Then select what you want to apply the rule to.
   • Use the Price adjustment method and Rounding ▼ dropdowns to decide how much you want to increase or decrease prices by.

When you're ready to apply your customizations, select Apply. You'll see the adjusted prices of each item based on your customizations in the Adjusted price column. Select Save and close to save your rule.

How do I apply price rules to an invoice or transaction?

When creating an invoice, the price rule will automatically be applied as you add items. You can override the price rule by selecting the rate and seeing all active price rules.

What happens if the customer/item combination selected is eligible for more than one price rule?

The default sales rate for that item will be displayed with an indicator next to the rate field which reads "There are multiple price rules that apply to this product or customer."

To resolve this, use the drop-down on the rate field and select which rule you want to use. Alternatively, you can enter a completely different rate.

Can you create a discount in a foreign currency?

Yes. When you choose a different currency when creating your price rule, you can also indicate any discounts you’d wish to apply to the price rule, as well.

How do I use price rules on inventory bundles?

Bundles are just a grouping of items: you can't add a bundle to a price rule. However, if you add the items that are in a bundle to a price rule and then add the bundle to an invoice, it will show the price recommended by the price rule.

Can I use price rules on recurring sales transactions?

Recurring sales transactions will maintain the rate of the item as it was when the recurring transactions were created. For example, if you used a price rule when creating the recurring transaction it will continue using that same rate until the rate is edited on the recurring transaction.

If a price rule expires or the rates are changed the recurring transaction previously set up will not be affected.

How many price rules can we have?

There is no limit in creating price rules, however fewer than ten thousand works best within the product.

Apply your price rules

When creating an invoice, the price rule will automatically be applied as you add items. You can also override the price rule by selecting the rate and seeing all active price rules. 

If a customer/item combination is eligible for more than one price rule, the default sales rate for that item will be displayed. To apply a price rule, select the rate field dropdown and choose which rule you want to use. 

Recurring sales transactions will keep the rate of the item as it was when the recurring transactions were created. So, if you used a price rule when creating the recurring transaction, it will continue using that same rate, even if that price rule expires.