How can I display progress of billing on invoice? In QB desktop it will shop prior % and current % billed. The option in the invoice template states "email only"

Hey there, @3axis. 

Thanks for reaching out to the Community. 

To clarify, are you referring to progress invoicing? Progress invoicing is billing for a project that stretches over days, weeks, months, or sometimes even years. You can choose how much of an estimate you'd like to convert into an invoice, keep track of home you've invoiced, and continue converting from the original estimate until it has been fully invoiced. 

Check out Set up and send progress invoices in QuickBooks Online for additional details. 

However, if you don't mean progress invoicing, please do let me know. I'll be sure to keep an eye out for your response. 

Feel free to reach out to the Community any time. Take care and have a great weekend. You certainly deserve it!

I had been using QB desktop since 2005.   Per my original post ...  In the desktop version the invoice shows the previous % billed, and the current % billed.  QB online does not show that data on the invoice.    Is there a work around?  It is confusing the AP depts. of my clients.  

I have used QB desktop since 2005.  The progress invoices show the previous % billed and the current % billed.  The QB online invoice template does not show these fields.  Furthermore the quantities get messed up which really confused my client.  Example: there is an order of 27 widgets, the first progress invoice of 25% would show  6.75 widgets.  How do I make my invoices look like a proper progress invoice?

Thanks for getting back to us with additional details, 3axis.

I'll be glad to show you how you can get a similar details when sending the invoice from QBO. Here's how:

1. Go to the Gear icon and select Custom form styles.
2. Look for the invoice template and click Edit under the Action column.
3. Proceed to the Content tab, then click body of the sample invoice in the right hand corner.
4. Click Show more activity options.
5. Check the box for Show progress on line items.
6. Click Done. 

Let me share some of our quick guides about managing custom forms for additional references: 

• Customize invoices, estimates, and sales receipts in QuickBooks Online
• Import custom form styles for invoices or estimates
• Customize invoices, estimates, and sales receipts in QuickBooks Online

Please don't hesitate to add another reply or reach out to us again if you need anything else. 

I have tried that.  Checking "Show progress on line items (email only)" does not seem to change the layout of the invoice in any way.  The detail does not show when creating an invoice in QB.  Try it out.  Create a progress invoice and send it to a client.  There is a PDF attachment on the email which does not show any of the progress info.  There is a link to "Print or Save".  That leads you to a QB page where you can "view invoice"  That button displays the same info as the PDF that was attached to the email.  Where does the magic happen?  I have attached an example created in QB Desktop and QB Online.  Both invoices are for 40% of the same estimate.  

I have tried that.  Checking "Show progress on line items (email only)" does not seem to change the layout of the invoice in any way.  The detail does not show when creating an invoice in QB.  Create a progress invoice and send it to a client.  There is a PDF attachment on the email which does not show any of the progress info.  There is a link to "Print or Save".  That leads you to a QB page where you can "view invoice"  That button displays the same info as the PDF that was attached to the email.  Where does the magic happen?  I have attached an example created in QB Desktop and QB Online.  Both invoices are for 40% of the same estimate.  

I appreciate the details a lot, @3axis.

Currently, we're unable to display the progress billing on the invoice. However, we can show the current percentage of the whole invoice as you can see in the sales form.

Also, the option to show progress on line items selected for the invoice is for customer's viewing of the current rate on the line item that they have to pay for. That's why we're unable to see it when creating the invoice.

In case you wanted to see information about the progress of billing on the invoice, you can pull up the Estimates & Progress Invoicing Summary by Customer report.

There you can customize it, view the amount that had been invoiced, and check the current balance of the estimate.

Here's how to pull up the report:

1. Go to the Reports menu.
2. In the Search box, type "Estimate" and then select Estimates & Progress Invoicing Summary by Customer report.
3. Click Customize and then change the Report period to All Dates.
4. Select Filter.
5. In the Customer drop-down list, check the box beside the client's name.
6. Then hit Run report.

I've added an article as your reference for more details about progress invoicing in QBO: Set up and send progress invoices in QuickBooks Online.

Also, you can send this report to your customer by clicking the Email icon just beside the Printer icon on the statement.

Feel free to drop a comment below if you need further assistance. I'm always around to help. Take care!

That report wold be great if:

1. It displayed line item detail of the estimate and the percentage billed.  

2. The report could be customized to include all active projects.  

Will the progress invoices eventually be upgraded to look like their desktop counterpart?  ... or is QB online meant for more simple folk and I am using the wrong product?

I appreciate your feedback and suggestions, @3axis.

I know there are some differences between QuickBooks Online (QBO) and QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT) reporting. Just like displaying the progress billing on the invoice, showing line item detail of an estimate, and percentage billed on a report.

But I want to let you know that your voice matters and I'm submitting your suggestion directly to our product engineers for consideration. For now, you can visit our blog site so you'll be able to get the latest news about QuickBooks and what our Product Care Team is working on. 

You might want to check out this article to learn more about progress invoicing: Set up and send progress invoices in QuickBooks Online.

Keep in touch if you need any more assistance with this, or there's something else I can do for you. I've got your back. Have a good day and take care always.

The suggestion given does not work to show the payments made or down payments on a printed version of an invoice. It says right next to the show progress on line items (email only). I’d like my customer to see the total invoiced amount not just the remaining balance!

Hello, jlacombe87. 

QuickBooks Online equipped with tons of different reports that you can use to get a snapshot of your business. You can run the Transaction List by Customer. It contains the payment made and the total amount of the invoice. However, it won't show which invoices made the down payment. 

Here's how to do it: 

1. Click the Report menu. 
2. Enter the Transaction List by Customer in the search bar. 
3. Tap the Customize and modify the Report period.
4. Under Filter, Mark check the Transaction type, Customer,Payment Method and Amount. 
5. Press Run report. 

You can also export the report to Excel to come up with the data you need. Just click the Excel button at the top of the report and select Export to Excel. 

You can browse through these articles to learn more about what the report can run and how to use it:  

• Available reports in QuickBooks Online.
• How to customize reports. 
• Customize Reports and Email. 

Come and visit us again if you need help. It will be my pleasure. Stay safe and have a great day ahead!

I am trying out QBO after having use QBD for almost a decade. I have the same issue with the lack of available data when progress invoicing. In my line of business as an architect it is essential (and that’s how my QBD invoices are set up) to show the amount on the estimate, the amount billed to date, and the amount billed now. It is disappointing to learn that QBO can’t provide that simple flexibility when creating invoices. The data is all there, one just can’t access it correctly. 

Agreed... This appears to be a basic function. I'm also in the Engineering services business and it's critical for my line of work to show amount on the estimate, the amount billed to date, and the amount billed now on the PDF Invoice as well as the Emails. 

It's amazing to see these option appear in email format but does not appear on the PDF.  QBO by Intuit needs to adapt and innovate or it'll be eaten up by it's competitors.  QBO will force me to look into other options if things don't turn around quickly... 

Is there a way I could customize this progress billing report to show billing % less than 100% and not show any estimate has been closed as they were 100% billed already?

Welcome to the Community, qfong

Let me share with you the steps on how to show the progress of invoices paid.

• Go to the Gear icon and select Custom form styles.
• Look for the invoice template and click Edit under the Action column.
• Proceed to the Content tab, then click the body of the sample invoice in the right-hand corner.
• Choose Show more activity options.
• Check the box for Show progress on line items.
• Click Done.

You can also check on how to customize invoices, estimates, and sales receipts in QuickBooks Online.

Feel free to reach back out to me if I can be of more help about customizing invoices. I'll make sure to get back to you as soon as I can. Have a great day.

This is so far beyond unhelpful that it is actually hard to believe you read the post..... wait..... oh I see, you Didn't read the post! ok Quickbooks help makes so much more sense now! your content moderators get paid to post as many copy-paste solutions an hour as they can instead of actually solving issues! for $150/month I expected better. Why bother creating progress billing when you can't see the progress? "get a second monitor, or print out your report so you can see your progress as you are manually calculating and entering your invoice amounts." that is the advice you just offered. Here's a better solution: if you want to be an accounting company and charge people for your service, learn how to program spreadsheet software. 

Thanks for your response.  However, my question was not related to invoice template.  I am looking for a way to provide a report to my client on progress invoice status - list of invoices have not been billed 100% yet.  I tried the report named "Estimates & Progress Invoicing Summary by Customer", but it does not allow be to filter the field "% invoiced" or "balance".  Appreciate if you could provide insights on this, or share this feedback to the engineering team.  Thanks!

@qfong @Eli Graber 

Consider having a project management app as a workaround to integrate with your QBO.

Any update on this issue?  There have been multiple customer requests going back over a year now.  Does QBO plan to improve on the progress billing feature? 

Hello there, kmcgrath.

I'd suggest sending feedback to our Product Development team. This helps improve the progress billing feature in QuickBooks. I'll guide you how.

1. Go to the Gear menu and then select Feedback.
2. Type in your feature request in the description box and then click Next.
3. You'll be provided a list of suggested Help articles related to your comment, click Skip and send message.
4. Choose the drop-down list, select the appropriate category, and then select Send message.

You can also track feature requests through the QuickBooks Online Feature Requests website.

Additionally, QuickBooks Online lets personalize your sales forms to create attractive, professional-looking invoices, estimates, and sales receipts.

I'm only a post away if you need more help in completing your other tasks in QuickBooks.  I'm always here to help.

I am experiecing the same issue as an architect.  How can QB desktop and QBO not have the same features for progress invoicing?  How am I supposed to show my clients the amount paid thus far into a project.  Also how has QBO still not resolved this after a year?

Hi there, hpatel731.

I understand how convenient to have this feature in managing your projects in QuickBooks Online. While this option is still unavailable, I'd recommend sending feedback to our Product Development Team. Please know that we always take our customers' requests and ideas into consideration when prioritizing feature development. Here's how:

1. Sign in to your QBO account.
2. Click the Gear icon, then choose Feedback.
3. Enter your comments and product suggestions.
4. When you're done, click Next to submit feedback.

In the meantime, you'll want to consider visiting our QuickBooks App Market to find a third-party importer that best suits your business needs. You may follow these steps in searching the app within your QBO account:

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

Additionally, here are some resources that you can browse to help personalize your progress invoices: 

• Customize invoices, estimates, and sales receipts
• Set up and send progress invoices

You can always drop a comment anytime if you have other concerns or follow-up questions. Have a good one.

@3axis did you ever resolve this? I currently am experiencing the same issue and would be shocked if QBO has not resolved this issue over 2 years later. I have customers wondering where their deposit has gone when sending a final invoice as you can't see the total progress from an estimate(i.e the 10% deposit we take in our business).

I know how this feature can help your customer view the progress billing, NBPaint.

As of now, this option is still unavailable in the program. I'd recommend running the Estimates & Progress Invoicing Summary by Customer report to check the current balance of the estimate.

Here's how:

1. Go to Business overview and then select Reports.
2. On the Customers section, choose Estimates & Progress Invoicing Summary by Customer.
3. Click Customize to add the filters needed.
4. Once done, click on Run report.

I also encourage submitting a feedback request to our Product Development team to improve the features in the program. 

Additionally, I've added an article that'll help you personalize your sales forms in QuickBooks: Customize Invoices, Estimates, and Sales Receipts.

I appreciate your patience on this matter. Please know that we're determined to get this resolved.