Deleting a customer who has billable expenses

jeffstuber-winchester · ‎March 29, 2023

A colleague and I are in the midst of a cleanup for one of our clients. We are wanting to make several customers inactive, but they have billable expenses flagged for them. Why isn't there a way to make a customer inactive and then confirm that you do not wish to bill those billable expenses to that client? The client I am working on had 40,949 billable expenses that I have to turn off in order to make the customers they are attached to inactive. Because it takes one click to select the line and then a second click to uncheck the box I am looking at over 81,000 clicks not to mention the clicks to select the bill or invoice that triggered that billable. There has got to be a better way to get rid of these en masse.

FateCandylaneT · ‎March 29, 2023

I appreciate you visiting us here with your concern, Jeff.

I've got handy steps to share on how to inactivate customers with billable expenses.

Beforehand, please know that the steps given below will only impact the Unbilled Expense charges and will not affect the Unbilled Time charges. With this, QuickBooks has a tool that hides unbilled expenses and mark them as closed without creating an invoice. Let me guide you through the steps.

Here's how:

On your QuickBooks Online webpage, replace the link in your browser address bar with this link: https://app.qbo.intuit.com/app/managebillableexpense.
Enter the beginning date of the transactions you'd like to remove the billable status from.
Select Save.

Once done, you can now inactivate several customers from your account. To do that:

Go to the Sales menu.
Select the Customers tab.
Click the checkbox beside the Batch actions.
Select the Batch actions and select Make inactive.

You'll want to visit this article to learn more about its detailed information: Delete customers with unbilled charges in QuickBooks Online.

Moreover, I've added this reference to guide you in managing your customers and running specific reports to review your business finances.

We've got you covered, Jeff. Feel free to reply in the comments below if you have additional questions about managing customers. Have a good one!

View solution in original post

FateCandylaneT · ‎March 29, 2023

I appreciate you visiting us here with your concern, Jeff.

I've got handy steps to share on how to inactivate customers with billable expenses.

Beforehand, please know that the steps given below will only impact the Unbilled Expense charges and will not affect the Unbilled Time charges. With this, QuickBooks has a tool that hides unbilled expenses and mark them as closed without creating an invoice. Let me guide you through the steps.

Here's how:

On your QuickBooks Online webpage, replace the link in your browser address bar with this link: https://app.qbo.intuit.com/app/managebillableexpense.
Enter the beginning date of the transactions you'd like to remove the billable status from.
Select Save.

Once done, you can now inactivate several customers from your account. To do that:

Go to the Sales menu.
Select the Customers tab.
Click the checkbox beside the Batch actions.
Select the Batch actions and select Make inactive.

You'll want to visit this article to learn more about its detailed information: Delete customers with unbilled charges in QuickBooks Online.

Moreover, I've added this reference to guide you in managing your customers and running specific reports to review your business finances.

We've got you covered, Jeff. Feel free to reply in the comments below if you have additional questions about managing customers. Have a good one!

jeffstuber-winchester · ‎March 29, 2023

I copied the link as directed and pasted it into my browser. I put in the date of 1/1/21 which according to the post should have turned off and closed any Billable Expenses prior to that date and hit Save. I got a confirmation message and then went to my customer list selected 3 or 4 as a test, and hit Make Inactive under Batch Actions. I get the following message. "3 of these customers have projects, unbilled charges, or recurring transactions. We can't make them inactive". So, I go back into those customers and the Billable Expenses are still there.

Ugh.....that didn't work.

MadelynC · ‎March 29, 2023

I understand that this wasn’t the outcome you were expecting, jeffstuber. Please know that I appreciate your effort. I’ll make sure these customers will get removed from your active list.

Since the resolution didn’t work, it would be best to contact our support team to help inactivate your customers. Our representatives can check everything up and ensure all associated transactions like projects and unbilled charges will get settled first. This way, you’re able to make your customers inactive.

Before that, take a glimpse at our support hours so you’ll receive responses quickly. Then, you can follow the steps below to connect with us:

Sign in to your QuickBooks Online account.
Go to the Help (?) menu.
Select the Search tab, then click Contact Us.
Enter your brief concern in the field.
Tap Continue.
Click the Chat or Callback option.

I'm attaching these websites which contain several resources, tips, and best practices about managing customer information and activities related to the company's income:

I’ll be here anytime if you need further assistance managing your lists. Just let me know by adding comments below. Keep safe always!

jeffstuber-winchester · ‎March 29, 2023

I retract my previous statement. It worked!! Instead of trying to get rid of all of the charges pre 12/31/22 in one fell swoop I took smaller chunks and it worked. It did it by year and they went away.

Thank you,

DivinaMercy_N · ‎March 29, 2023

You're always welcome, @jeffstuber.

We're glad your issue about deleting a customer in QuickBooks Online (QBO) has been resolved. I appreciate you taking the time to share the steps you've performed. I know that this will be helpful for other users who experience the same thing.

Feel free to post again here if you have any other QuickBooks concerns. We're always around and ready to lend a hand. Have a blissful day and more power to your business!

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Deleting a customer who has billable expenses