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A piano school is currently tracking this on a spreadsheet at each location. They want to centralize using QBO. The parent registers online then pre-pays for a package of 5 lessons through paypal. The teacher can notify the bookkeeper that a lesson has been "used" but what is the best way to track this in QBO? Thanks
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Hello there, @Mrjan.
I'd be glad to help track customer prepaid services in QuickBooks Online (QBO).
If your PayPal is connected to QBO, you may need to track the transactions manually. If not, you may follow the steps provided below.
First, you'll need to make sure that you have an appropriate accounts set up on the Chart of Accounts. For this, you'll need an income account and a liability account to track the unearned income.
Income Account
Liability Account (Unearned Revenue)
Next, you'll need to set up the service items that you'll use in the workflow. You'll need to set up three items.
Service item is used to record revenue, this item should mapped to the income account created. This item can also be used when the business sells an individual lesson.
Service item mapped to the liability account created, this is used when the customer redeems a prepaid session. Make sure to use the discounted price.
Bundle item is used when selling package to the customer. This will use the item created that is mapped to the liability account. The price of the bundle item is the sum of the prices of the components. Don’t check the box Display bundle components when printing or sending transactions, the customer doesn’t need to see the component parts.
After creating the accounts and items, you'll need to record the sale of the package. Create an invoice or sales receipt to sell the package to the customer. Use the Bundle item on the invoice and record the other required details about the transaction. This will credit the Unearned Revenue account.
Next, create a delayed charges for each lessons using both the liability service item and revenue service item. The next amount of the delayed charge will be zero. Keep in mind that Delayed Charges are non-posting transactions and will not be reflected on the general ledger until they are added to an invoice. The prepaid session item should be entered as a negative quantity in order to reduce the liability account. The regular session item should be entered as a positive to record the revenue earned.
When the customer redeems a session, create an invoice and add the delayed charge to the invoice from the drawer. This will create a zero net invoice and create the entry to debit the unearned liability account and credit revenue.
That would allow you to track customer prepaid services. Feel free to add a comment below if you have any other concerns by adding a comment below, we're always here to help. Have a good day!
Hello there, @Mrjan.
I'd be glad to help track customer prepaid services in QuickBooks Online (QBO).
If your PayPal is connected to QBO, you may need to track the transactions manually. If not, you may follow the steps provided below.
First, you'll need to make sure that you have an appropriate accounts set up on the Chart of Accounts. For this, you'll need an income account and a liability account to track the unearned income.
Income Account
Liability Account (Unearned Revenue)
Next, you'll need to set up the service items that you'll use in the workflow. You'll need to set up three items.
Service item is used to record revenue, this item should mapped to the income account created. This item can also be used when the business sells an individual lesson.
Service item mapped to the liability account created, this is used when the customer redeems a prepaid session. Make sure to use the discounted price.
Bundle item is used when selling package to the customer. This will use the item created that is mapped to the liability account. The price of the bundle item is the sum of the prices of the components. Don’t check the box Display bundle components when printing or sending transactions, the customer doesn’t need to see the component parts.
After creating the accounts and items, you'll need to record the sale of the package. Create an invoice or sales receipt to sell the package to the customer. Use the Bundle item on the invoice and record the other required details about the transaction. This will credit the Unearned Revenue account.
Next, create a delayed charges for each lessons using both the liability service item and revenue service item. The next amount of the delayed charge will be zero. Keep in mind that Delayed Charges are non-posting transactions and will not be reflected on the general ledger until they are added to an invoice. The prepaid session item should be entered as a negative quantity in order to reduce the liability account. The regular session item should be entered as a positive to record the revenue earned.
When the customer redeems a session, create an invoice and add the delayed charge to the invoice from the drawer. This will create a zero net invoice and create the entry to debit the unearned liability account and credit revenue.
That would allow you to track customer prepaid services. Feel free to add a comment below if you have any other concerns by adding a comment below, we're always here to help. Have a good day!
I'm unable to do this. Does it require the "Plus" version of QBO? Is there any way to achieve something similar with a less expensive form of the software?
You can switch to the QBO Essentials version, pstrength.
If you're using the Simple Start version, there's no option to create a Bundle and a Delayed Charge. You can upgrade your QBO to Essentials to be able to achieve the steps given by my colleague above. This version has a lesser price compared to Plus.
To upgrade within QBO, you can follow these steps:
Please stay in touch if you need anything else. I'll be around if you have any further questions.
Can this also be used if the customer is paying a lump sum of money and not actual lessons or hours? My customer wants to have a credit on file and use it for various things.
Hey there, @sschmidt11,
It's great to have you as part of the conversation. I can share some insights about recording your customer's payment in QBO.
I want to make sure you're accounting these payments correctly. If your customers are paying you in advance for a service, you can use retainers to record them. Here's a great reference you can check for the complete steps on how to record deposits from customers before performing any services: How to record a retainer or deposit
However, if you're referring to recording customer credits, here's how you can do that:
Enter a credit memo:
Apply the credit memo:
I'm sure those steps will get you on the right track. Please feel free to post an update below if you encounter any issues along the way or need further assistance with the steps. I'm here to lend you a hand anytime. All the best!
So it should work if we have QBO Plus?
Yes, @northcobooks.
You can record customer's payments in QuickBooks Online Plus. To do so, you can follow the steps given above.
I've also added these links about recording payments in QBO:
Don't hold your back to drop a comment below if you have other questions. I'm always here to help. Take care.
Hello! I need some clarification on the last part. When the customer redeems a session, why do we create an invoice since we already create invoice for the package?
As I don’t wish to create a new invoice with zero amount which will make my boss confused, do you have alternative way?
Hello! I need some clarification on the last part. When the customer redeems a session, why do we create an invoice since we already create invoice for the package?
As I don’t wish to create a new invoice with zero amount which will make my boss confused, do you have alternative way?
Hello! I need some clarification on the last part. When the customer redeems a session, why do we create an invoice since we already create invoice for the package?
As I don’t wish to create a new invoice with zero amount which will make my boss confused, do you have a better way?
Hi there, Stella. I'd be glad to clarify my colleague's steps for tracking prepaid services in QuickBooks Online (QBO).
The first invoice tracks the prepaid service for the customer under the unearned income. Furthermore, the net zero invoice transfers the unearned revenue to your income account.
To learn more about this topic, you can read this article for reference: Record a retainer or deposit
Also, here’s more information on how to record invoice payments in QuickBooks Online.
I’m always here if you need help recording your income in QBO. Let me know in the reply section below. Have a great rest of the day!
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