Custom fields in Online Advanced inventory

Thanks for checking in with us, SW148.

We can create and use enhanced custom fields in QuickBooks Online  (QBO) Advanced. You can have up to 12 active custom fields for each type of form (invoice, estimate, purchase order, expense, bill, and so on), and each type of profile (customer and vendor). Here's how:

1. Go to the Gear icon on the top menu.
2. Select Custom fields.
3. Choose Add custom field. If you’ve already created a field, you’ll see Add field instead.
4. Give your custom field a name. Select the type of data that will go in your custom field: Text and number, Number only, Date, or Dropdown list. If you select Dropdown list, enter the items in the list.
5. Choose the category the custom field belongs to: Customer, Transaction, or Vendor. Customer fields are for customer profiles, and vendor fields are for vendor profiles. You can assign transaction fields to sales forms (like invoices, estimates, and sales receipts) and purchase forms (like purchase orders, bills, expenses, and checks).
6. Select the forms where you want the custom field to appear. Note: To use custom fields in purchase orders, you need to turn on purchase orders for your company first.
7. If you want customers or vendors to see the field on a form (such as invoices, estimates, or purchase orders), select Print on forms. You can show customers or vendors up to three custom fields on each form.
8. Press Save.

To learn more about this one, see the Create and edit custom fields in QuickBooks Online Advanced article. If you are referring to importing a list of your products and services, see the Import products and services into QuickBooks Online article for the steps and details. You can also import custom form styles for invoices or estimates in QBO.

For more tips and related articles in the future about the "How Do I" steps in QuickBooks Online, visit our QuickBooks Community help website for reference.

I'd like to know how you get on after trying the steps or if you are referring to something else as I want to ensure this is resolved for you. Just reply to this post and I'll get back to you. Have a great day ahead. 

Thank you for your reply. I’m wondering if the custom fields are available in the INVENTORY section. So for example, can I add fields such as “size”, “color”, etc. I don’t need it for the areas you mentioned. 

And if it’s available in INVENTORY, can I still use the bulk upload to add items to inventory and have these fields populated just like the pre-built fields. I read somewhere on the forum that this was not possible but it might have changed. Thanks. 

Thanks for getting back to us, SW148.

Currently, the enhanced custom fields in QuickBooks Online Advanced are for the vendors, customers, and transactions only. I can see how convenient to have this option in managing your inventory items. Rest assured, I'll take note of your ideas and suggestions to help improve your experience in the program.

In the meantime, you'll want to consider integrating a third-party inventory management app the best suits your business needs. You may visit our QuickBooks App Store or go to the Apps menu within your QuickBooks account to find one. Here's how:

1. Sign in to QuickBooks Online.
2. Select Apps from the sidebar menu.
3. Head to the Find Apps tab.
4. Enter a keyword in the search bar or click the Browse category button to filter the results.

I'm also adding this article to learn how to track the transactions for each inventory item and how they affect quantity on hand, value, and cost: Use reports to see your sales and inventory status.

If I can be of any additional assistance, please don't hesitate to tag my name in the comment section. I'll be around to help.

---

@SW148 wrote:

So for example, can I add fields such as “size”, “color”, etc. 

@SW148 

Upgrading to QBO Advanced won't resolve your issue. You need an additional app with the matrix inventory feature.

Hi, I'd like to add Vendor as a column on the Physical Inventory worksheet to run reports by vendor.  Is this possible with the Advanced version since the field is already in the database when you enter and inventory item?

Hello, @bmjordan. Thanks for joining the thread and posting your concern.  

I'm afraid to say that adding a vendor column on the Physical Inventory worksheet report is not possible in QuickBooks Online Advanced even if you can enter it when creating an item. As a workaround, you can manually add a vendor column by exporting it to Excel. I'll show you how:
 

1. Go to the Reports menu.
2. From the search field, type in the Physical Inventory worksheet.
3. Select the Export icon, then Export to Excel.
4. From there, make sure to click on Enable editing so you can add a vendor column.

Your feedback is definitely valuable to Intuit and I appreciate you sharing your idea about adding this vendor column. With this, I recommend sending feedback to our product developers. This way, they can further review which parts of the program need enhancements and consider adding them to future updates. You can send feedback by going to the Gear icon and clicking Feedback. You can also utilize our Customer Feedback page. This includes updates about the status of your suggestion.

Moreover, when running reports in QBO you can filter them to show specific accounts or customers. You can also format the layout so the right data shows up in the right place based on your reference. To learn more about this process, check out this link: Customize reports in QuickBooks Online.

If you come across any further QuickBooks challenges, please don't hesitate to get in touch with us. We're committed to assisting you in any way we can.