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prollc1
Level 2

Billable Items

Hi - I've been trying to make the switch from Quickbooks Desktop Premier to Quickbooks Online.  Right now I have a workflow that works really well on desktop, but does not seem to be the same in Quickbooks Online.

 

I am working on creating a full item list of things I sell, but sales price is a different percentage depending on what I'm reselling (subscription service, hardware etc).  Typically I'll buy an item from a distributor on my credit card and when I download the transaction into Quickbooks, I will assign an item to that transaction, mark it as billable and assign it to the customer.  This allows me to then pull that billable item into my invoice so I do not forget anything come invoice time.

 

The item in both desktop and online, has a Cost and Sales Price, which works out nicely.

 

Here is where the problem comes up, again this workflow is fine in Desktop, but not in the Online version.

 

Desktop Workflow:  When I create my invoice and add my billable items in, the price of the item on the invoice is the Sales price.  This is good for me, because I do not have to add the markup manually or bounce between windows tracking it down.

 

Online Workflow: When I perform the same steps, the price of the item on my invoice shows the COST and not the sales price, even though I have defined the sales price and configured the item as I did in desktop.

 

Why does the online version add the Cost to the customer invoice and not the Sales Price?  Am I missing something?

 

7 Comments 7
MadelynC
Moderator

Billable Items

Thanks for sharing a detailed scenario of your concern, @prollc1.


There are other features and functionality in QuickBooks Desktop that isn’t the same to Online. Let me assist you in organizing your list and get this settled.


You can enter or add them under Product and Services in QuickBooks Online. You’ll want to add cost and sale price to each item. Here’s how:

 

  1. Go to the Gear icon and choose Products and services.
  2. Select New and choose which type of item.
  3. Enter the necessary information.
  4. Make sure to enter the Sales price/rate and Cost.
  5. Click Save and close.


When you order/buy billable products from your distributor, you can create a Bill transaction in QBO. This way, the rate will apply depends on the cost of this item. Once you set this event to billable, QuickBooks will automatically apply the sales price once you create an invoice.


After the setup, you can easily track what you buy or sell. If you need more supplies, you can get help with ordering from vendors and run Sales by Product/Service Detail report to view your income.


I’ll be around to help if you need additional assistance. Take care.

prollc1
Level 2

Billable Items

Hello - Thank you for the reply, but this still does not pull in the Sales price on the invoice.  After creating a bill and matching it to the credit card transaction, it pulls the Cost into the invoice and not sales price.

IamjuViel
QuickBooks Team

Billable Items

I've got your back, @prollc1.

 

You can set up your QuickBooks account to automatically add a default mark-up rate to your billable items.  

  1. Go to the Gear icon.
  2. Choose Account and Settings.
  3. Scroll down to the Expenses menu.
  4. From the Bills and Expenses section, enable the Make expenses and items billable.
  5. Put a checkmark on Markup with a default rate of tickbox.
    • Make sure to indicate the percent of the mark-up.  
  6. Click the Save button.
  7. Hit Done

Once completed, you can set the account where the Markup income will be recorded. Here's how:

  1. From the Account and Settings window, scroll down to the Advanced menu.
  2. Expand the Chart of Accounts section.
  3. Select your desired income account from the Markup income account drop-down.
  4. Click the Save button.
  5. Hit Done.

Now, you can try creating an invoice again. You can browse this article for more detailed instructions: How to enter billable expenses.

 

Don't hesitate to visit back the Community if you have other questions about managing your invoices. I'm always here to help.

prollc1
Level 2

Billable Items

Hello - Thank you again for the reply, I am aware of the option to blanket markup all billable items with the same %, however, that does not work for me.  I do not blanket markup all items at the same price and some are predetermined for me. 

 

Is there really no way to force Quickbooks to use the Sales Price instead of the Cost when adding items to an invoice that are marked Billable?  In QBD this isn't even a question - it happens automatically, it always use Sales price when Sales price is enabled.  You can't force it the other way and now QBO is completely the opposite.  I am struggling to understand why this is even happening this way in QBO.

MaryLurleenM
Moderator

Billable Items

Hello there, prollc1,

 

I understand that it is more convenient to be able to choose the sales price when creating the invoice. However, QuickBooks Online works differently. 

 

You can modify the amount, though, when adding the billable expense to the invoice for your sales price to show.

 

Let me know if you have more questions.

jody-birdhousebo
Level 2

Billable Items

Hello following up this thread - I am in the same situation as this other user - I don't have a consistent markup and the convenience of using the billable expenses to not miss anything is necessary for me for re-billing fees I cover. 

 

Has QBO found a solution to this workflow issue? 

AlcaeusF
Moderator

Billable Items

Hi there, @jody-birdhousebo.

 

Thank you for checking with us about the workflow you need in QuickBooks Online. I'm here to provide clarification regarding adding billable items to invoices.

 

I know how beneficial having a feature like the Desktop version. It makes more sense to directly show the sales price instead of the cost. 

 

As of now, there are no changes yet to the workflow in QBO. It still works the same as before. I also want this update to be available soon on the platform.

 

While we assess the workflow you guys need, I encourage sending your feedback to our engineers. We strive to provide improvements through updates and this may be available in the future.

 

Here's how:

 

  1. Click the Gear icon in the upper-right corner.
  2. Select Feedback under Profile.
  3. Share your feedback.
  4. Hit Next to submit.

 

Sometimes, you'll have customers with unbilled charges. If you want to delete them in the future, you can use this link: Delete customer with unbilled charges.

 

Drop by anytime if you need updates or confirmation about the features. We'll be sure to respond right away. Take care always.

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