Expenses tied to Customer in QBO Online

Hi there, @skcirvine. Thanks for choosing QuickBooks Online (QBO) as your accounting partner. I got your back to help tie the expense to your customer. 

I appreciate you sharing the detailed information about your concern. In QBO, there's no Customer section in the bank register. That said, you have to open manually the expense transaction and select the name of the customer there. Here's how:

1. Select the Accounting menu and choose Chart of Accounts.
2. Then, look for the account where the transactions are allocated.
3. Click the View Register option to see the list of the transactions. 
4. From there, look for the expense transactions and click it.
5. Next, select the Edit button.
6. Scroll down to the Category or Item details section and choose the name of the customer in the Customer/Project field.
7. When done, click Save and close. 

For reference on managing expense transactions, check out this article: Enter and manage expenses in QuickBooks Online.

I'm always here ready to lend a hand if you have other concerns managing your transactions in QBO. Have a great day ahead and stay safe. 

I am not able to see the category with View Register, could this be that I have that category classed as COGs?

Good afternoon, @skcirvine. 

Thanks for chiming back in and asking additional questions. 

Before digging further, I'll need to gather some additional information from you: 

• Provide me with a screenshot of how the register appears
• Are you able to see the category when you click edit on the transaction like the steps my colleague gave? 

In the meantime, you can check out this guide: Learn about the chart of accounts in QBO. 

This will help me determine why you're unable to see the category listed on a transaction in the register. I'll be back around shortly to check in!

I go into Chart of Accounts (in Accouting view) and I go down to the account I need to join and expense to a Customer.  I do NOT see view register, but rather I see Run Report.

I get the attached screen

I'm here to clear things out for you, skcirvine.

The View register option is intended for Balance Sheet accounts such as banks, assets, liabilities, and equities. When chosen, the register displays a chronological list of recorded transactions, allowing you to view, edit, or add new ones directly.

On the other hand, the Run report function is associated with income and expense accounts that contribute to the Profit and Loss statement. It allows you to generate a quick report summarizing the financial activities and balances.

To assign a client or project to the expenditures you incur on their behalf, we'll have to enable the billable expense tracking feature in the settings first. Here's how:

1. Click the Gear icon.
2. Choose Account and settings, then head to the Expenses tab.
3. From the Bills and expenses section, click the Edit icon.
4. Select the Show Items table on expense and purchase forms, Track expenses and items by customer, and Make expenses and items billable options.
5. Hit Save, then Done.

After that, open the appropriate expense account in the COA by selecting Run report. Next, click the transaction and pick a client from the Customer/Project column. You can remove the checkmark from the Billable box as needed. 

To help organize your Chart of Accounts and manage vendor transactions in QuickBooks Online, check out these articles:

• Use account numbers
• Add, edit, and delete expenses
• Enter billable expense

If you need more help in handling your books and other business processes, please don't hesitate to mention my name in the comment section. You can rely on me to be responsive to your concerns.

@skcirvine 

Which PMS do you have?

I'm trying to do something similar – assign expenses to Customers. The Customer / Project field does not exist on the Edit Transaction screen: https://go.benish.io/FrkQnSDf  What is going on here?

Thanks,

Scott

Hello there,

You'll want to check and ensure that your billable expense is on. You can follow these steps to check it and enable it if it's off:

1. Go to Settings ⚙, then select Account and Settings.
2. Go to the Expenses tab.
3. From the Bills and Expenses section, select Edit ✎.
4. Turn on the following:
   1. Show Items table on expense and purchase forms
   2. Track expenses and items by the customer.
   3. Make expenses and items billable.
5. (Optional) Set up the following:
   1. Markup rate
   2. Billable expense tracking
   3. Sales tax charge
6. Bill payment terms.
7. Click Save.

Also, by default, projects are already turned on in QuickBooks Online Plus and Advanced. But if you use QuickBooks Online Accountant, you need to turn Projects on. Here's how: 

1. Go to Settings ⚙. Then select Company settings.
2. Select the Advanced tab.
3. Find the Projects section and select Edit ✎ to expand it.
4. Choose the Use project financial tracking switch.
5. Click Save, then OK to confirm.

Once done, you can try and see if the option is already visible.

You can also visit this article for future reference: Customize invoices, estimates, and sales receipts in QuickBooks Online.

Feel free to reach us again for further concerns. Stay safe!

Thanks for the quick reply! Alas, I don't see any of those options in the Bills and Expenses section of Settings > Account and Settings > Expenses: https://go.benish.io/XjKdv3Dp

Thanks for sharing an update about this matter, @benishs. We can share information on why you don't have the options shared by my colleague JamesAndrewM in the Bills and Expenses section in your QuickBooks Online (QBO).

Those options you're looking for in the Bills and Expenses section to help you turn on the billable expense in QBO is only available in Plus and Advanced subscription. With that, you'll need to upgrade to those versions to have this feature in your company file.

If you want guidance in managing your QuickBooks plan to add more or have fewer accounting features, you can check this article: Upgrade or downgrade your QuickBooks Online edition.

We'll be including some links for future needs:

• Invoice customers for project expenses in QuickBooks Online
• Remove a billable expense charge in QuickBooks Online
• Enter and manage expenses in QuickBooks Online

If you need more help managing some features in QuickBooks, let us know by replying again the thread. We'll get back to you as fast as we can. Have a fruitful business, @benishs.