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Susan607
Level 5

How to turn on time/costs for a job invoice

Hello All,

 

I can't find how to turn on these invoice areas in order to include job costs to an invoice.  I've looked around settings. Please let me know how to turn on all of the dimmed selections shown in this image:

Screenshot 2024-01-16 at 12.56.24 PM.png

Many thanks.

 

Solved
Best answer January 16, 2024

Best Answers
Susan607
Level 5

How to turn on time/costs for a job invoice

Hello Maria,

 

I found the problem.  

(BTW I regularly verify and rebuild my data but did it again upon your suggestion which in this case didn't do anything.)

 

I had the account that was identified as Construction Materials Costs classified as a Cost of Good Sold account rather than an expense account.  Therefore QB saw it as a contra-asset which would not be reimbursable, rather than as an expense than could be offset.  Once I changed the designation of the account the billing column filled with a check mark so that the expense would show up when producing an invoice for the customer.

Here's an example after I split the GL entry and voile - expense was check marked.

Screenshot 2024-01-16 at 6.55.18 PM.png

Thanks for your time and prompt response.

View solution in original post

4 Comments 4
ShyMae
QuickBooks Team

How to turn on time/costs for a job invoice

Hello there, @Susan607. I'm here to ensure you can include job costs in an invoice. 

 

First, let's turn on the estimates feature:

 

  1. Hover to the QuickBooks menu, then Settings.
  2. Click Sales and Invoicing and select Customer and/or job estimates are prepared

 

QuickBooks automatically alerts you if you choose a customer/job with outstanding billable time or costs. 

 

Meanwhile, when entering the expense and timesheet, be sure to fill in the name of the customer or job in the Customer: Jobs column. It associates the customer with the cost of the item so you can invoice them later.

 

To invoice your customer for job costs and time:

 

  1. In the Customers menu, select Create invoices.
  2. Make sure to select the appropriate Customer:Job.
  3. To add billable time and costs to the invoice, select Time/Costs.
  4. Select the tab(s) for the costs you want to include in the invoice: Time, Expenses, Mileage, and Items.
  5. In the Use column, select each cost or item you need to invoice your customer. Or, Select All to include all costs you see in the tab. If you see a cost you know you'll never bill your customer for, select the cost in the Hide column. It permanently hides costs from the Time/Costs window and doesn't delete them from transactions or reports.
  6. Click OK, and then complete all other details of the invoice.

 

For more detailed information, check out this article: Track job costs and profitability in QuickBooks Desktop for Mac

 

Moreover, you can turn an estimate into an invoice in QuickBooks Desktop for Mac. This feature saves time and effort by eliminating the need to create a separate invoice manually. 

 

You can always reach out again by tapping the reply button below. If you have other concerns or need further guidance, include job costs in an invoice. 

Susan607
Level 5

How to turn on time/costs for a job invoice

First, let's turn on the estimates feature:

 

Hover to the QuickBooks menu, then Settings. Click Sales and Invoicing. Click Customer and/or job estimates are prepared. This was done already.

Screenshot 2024-01-16 at 3.52.48 PM.png

 

QuickBooks automatically alerts you if you choose a customer/job with outstanding billable time or costs. Make sure that you have a billable expense/time. 

I have billable expense:

Screenshot 2024-01-16 at 3.54.39 PM.png

Cannot click on Billable? column. Nothing comes up.

 

Meanwhile, when entering the expense and timesheet, be sure to fill in the name of the customer or job in the Customer: Jobs column. This associates the customer with the cost of the item so you can invoice the customer later.

 

To invoice your customer for job costs and time:

No billable comes across for invoice creation.  I don't know why Billable? column in GL can't be selected.  

Screenshot 2024-01-16 at 3.57.35 PM.png

Thanks for your help.

 

In the Customers menu, select Create invoices. Make sure to select the appropriate Customer:Job. To add billable time and costs to the invoice, select Time/Costs. Select the tab(s) for the costs you want to include in the invoice: Time, Expenses, Mileage, and Items. In the Use column, select each cost or item you need to invoice your customer. Or, Select All to include all costs you see in the tab. If you see a cost you know you'll never bill your customer for, select the cost in the Hide column. It permanently hides costs from the Time/Costs window and doesn't delete them from transactions or reports. Click OK, and then complete all other details of the invoice.

MariaSoledadG
QuickBooks Team

How to turn on time/costs for a job invoice

Let me add some details of this, Susan. 

 

It looks like you've followed the steps provided in the article. And it's somewhat odd why you're unable to click the billable column because nothing comes up. Let's use the verify and rebuild tool to find the most common issues and fix them.

 

To verify your company file data:

 

  1. Go to File, then select Utilities.
  2. Select Verify Data, then select OK to close all windows. If you see “Your data has failed the integrity check” you need to rebuild your file. If there are no problems with your data, you’re done.

 

Once done, you can rebuild the file:

 

  1. Go to File, then select Utilities.
  2. Select Rebuild Data, then select OK to close all windows.
  3. QuickBooks will ask you to make a backup before rebuilding your company file, select OK. If you don’t want to do a backup, select Cancel to continue rebuilding your company file.
    1. If you haven’t set up any backup preferences, QuickBooks will ask you to update them. Select Backup Preferences and edit as needed, then select OK.
    2. When the backup's finished, select Show in Finder to locate the backup or select OK if you’re done.
  4. Once the rebuild's finished, click OK.

 

However, if you're still getting the issue, you'll want to reach out to our support team so they can take a look at what is happening and investigate further. They have the tools to pull up your account in a secure environment. 

 

Furthermore, QuickBooks offers different reports that you can use to get the data you need for your business. To learn more, check out the list in this article: Create Reports In QuickBooks Desktop for Mac.

 

Please get back to us if you have any concerns about the time and cost of the job invoice. We're here to get you covered. 

Susan607
Level 5

How to turn on time/costs for a job invoice

Hello Maria,

 

I found the problem.  

(BTW I regularly verify and rebuild my data but did it again upon your suggestion which in this case didn't do anything.)

 

I had the account that was identified as Construction Materials Costs classified as a Cost of Good Sold account rather than an expense account.  Therefore QB saw it as a contra-asset which would not be reimbursable, rather than as an expense than could be offset.  Once I changed the designation of the account the billing column filled with a check mark so that the expense would show up when producing an invoice for the customer.

Here's an example after I split the GL entry and voile - expense was check marked.

Screenshot 2024-01-16 at 6.55.18 PM.png

Thanks for your time and prompt response.

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