How do I Bundle Billable Expenses and add Markup to Invoices

Thanks for being detailed about your concern, @jdriver.

Allow me to chime in and provide some insights on how billable expenses in QuickBooks Online (QBO) works.

In QBO, all information from a billable expense transaction will be displayed once added to the invoice. The option to hide and consolidate them to a single line item is unavailable. As a workaround, you can consider using a third-party application to achieve this feature. In the App Store, you'll find apps that integrate with QBO. Let me guide you how:

1. Head to the QuickBooks App Store.
2. From the search box, enter any keyword.
3. Then, press the Enter key on your keyboard.
4. You can also use the Categories section.

The program is also designed to mark billable expenses as billed when it is added to the invoice. If you need to mark them as billed without linking them to an invoice, you may also want to use a third-party app.

Monitoring and tracking your project’s profitability in QBO is a breeze. For the detailed steps and how it is done, check out this article: Set up and create projects in QuickBooks Online.

I'm always here if you have additional questions about billable expenses in QBO. Let me know in the Reply section below. Take care and have a good one.

Thank you for your reply. Are you aware of any apps that provide the functionality I have described? I have been unable to locate one. This is a very specific request and such information is not usually provided in their descriptions. Anyone else know of some workarounds or can recommend a specific app?

Hi there, jdriver.

Thanks for getting back to us.

While we're unable to recommend what app to use, you can enter a specific keyword in the search bar or browse the Category section of the Apps Center to filter the results. Before subscribing to any app or services, I suggest reading some reviews online or trying their trial options available to ensure that you'll find all of the features you need.

Additionally, here's are some articles that you can read to track manage your billable expenses in QuickBooks Online:

• Enter billable expenses

• Enter and manage expenses

• How to enter billable time by job

Just drop me a comment below if you have any other questions and I'll get back to you as quickly as possible.

I also have this issue/question/request and find the answer provided unhelpful. If QB can't/won't recommend or suggest apps developed to address this need that they're aware of, then it seems that they should address the need. If they are unable to address the need at this time, then it seems appropriate to suggest specific apps or resources (by name) that will address their customer need. 

Has anyone found a solution?  We also have this same issue.

I appreciate you for joining the thread, @JasperContracting.

Let me share some information about the billable expenses in QuickBooks Online (QBO).

Currently, the option to consolidate your billable expense into one line item is unavailable. My colleagues from this thread are correct about looking for a third-party application that allows integration with QBO to do the option. You can check out applications here: QuickBooks App Store

I understand how beneficial this feature is to your business and other business owners. It also helps shorten the list when billed to your customers. Nevertheless, please know that our product engineers are always open to any suggestions that will benefit the number of business owners and improve the application.

With this, I recommend you send your feedback directly to them. This way, they can consider this feature to be added to future updates. Here’s how:

1. Go to the Gear icon.
2. Under the Profile column, click on Feedback.
3. Share your feedback. Then, click Next.

Moreover, you can track your project’s profitability by utilizing this article: Set up and create projects in QuickBooks Online

Feel free to get in touch if you need further assistance with the billable expenses. I’m just one post away from assisting you. Have a good one!

The best (and maybe only) way I've figured out how to do this is a bit of a hacky workaround. But what I'll do is add all of the billable expenses to an invoice, then proceed to delete them all choosing "No, keep it" when asked "Would you also like to unlink the billable expense?". This way, you have all of the underlying vendor invoices linked up, but you can enter your own custom line items. Not super pretty, but it gets the job done for us.

Hi there, @sull0509.

I appreciate you for letting the Community know the steps you used. It will surely help other users who have the same issue.

If you need tips and related articles when managing your account in the future, feel free to visit our Community website for more insights.

If there's anything else you need help with, please come by the Community. We're here to lend a hand. Wishing you and your business continued success.

THANK YOU FOR ASKING THIS QUESTION!! SAME THING HAPPENS w/ my Company! 

I saw ONE response a while back and it said instructions for going to the "gear" icone on the far right, (which they said wasnt actually a gear function) but yet opens an option to BATCH -UNCHECK - MULTIPLE BILLABLE EXPENSES AT ONCE. I have Yet to find this tool! 

I appreciate you for joining the thread, @CaitPHG. I'll be glad to help you with this. 

Solely QuickBooks Online Plus and Advanced have access to the billable expenses feature, which only affects charges for Unbilled Expenses.

If you need to batch delete the multiple billable expenses, Quickbooks will hide unbilled expenses and label them as closed without requiring you to create an invoice. Here's how:

1. On the menu page, click Dashboard.  

2. Select the Get things done tab.

3. In the address bar, change qbo.intuit.com/app/homepage to qbo.intuit.com/app/managebillableexpense. Then, click Enter.

4. Enter the appropriate date, then hit Save.

If you need to enter multiple expenses or bills at the same time, you can visit this article: Create multiple bills or expenses in QuickBooks Online Advanced.

Feel free to reach out to us again if you have further questions about your unbilled expenses. We're available 24/7. Stay safe, CaitPHG.

Thank you, I will try that. 

Has anyone found a good solution for this other than the canned responses from QuickBooks customer service?  I have lost business due to too much information on my invoices. I need to be able to consolidate all billable time and expenses to one single number with a brief description of the work completed, but keep the ease of importing time directly to an invoice, and well as the data for internal use.  We use QuickBooks Time, and have had to change all of our time to not billable, run a report, and create invoices manually.

No unfortunately, I have not.  I am still doing the same thing as you.

I figured it out!!  

1. Click on the Gear (⚙) at the top.
2. Select Account and Settings.
3. Select Sales.
4. Select Customize look and feel. From here, select to edit or create a new Custom form.
5. Select your style of form, then click Next.
6. Click Content, and then click on the pencil icon in the middle section of the sample invoice.
7. Click Show more activity options.
8. Select Group activity by to Type.
9. Choose whether to Subtotal groups and Collapse activity rows.
10. Click Save.

This came from a link that I was not allowed to post for some reason, but it works!

Follow the steps, and play around with the settings until the invoice displays the info that you want your customer to see.  You can create an invoice with all of the line items and markups, but it will collapse everything on the invoice that is sent to your client to either groups or one single number.  Once you change the settings, you have to create a test invoice and click print or view PDF to see how your customer will actually see it.  Hope this helps!!

Could i ask which version of QB you are using for this workround, as on QBO i am not seeing under Account & Settings-Sales the information you gave to consolidate the billed items?  Thank You Diane 

What 323woodwork refers to is "Custom form styles." Presently those forms are directly under the gear icon (upper right) in the left column below Accounts & Settings. Basically you create a new form (template) for an invoice that is grouped by type and then also subtotal and hide the detail. I've attached a screen shot of the the page in the custom form editor where the options are for this... at the bottom show activity options.

Once you have this custom form... when you want to create an invoice like this... create the invoice, load in all the billable items, then at the bottom select Customize and then the form you created.

I find this situation entirely unacceptable.  On 11/27/23 you sent us a Discontinuation Notice for QB Premier.  For background, we have been users of QB for 20 years and have over 1,000 projects, hundreds of customers, and thousands of invoices  that have Expense Summary items on them using an Item we cal "Reimbursable Group" using the Group functionality in QB.  This feature allows us to bundle expenses together into a single line item on an invoice.

While I don't have an issue with you moving to a Subscription Model for QB, I don't see how you think you can force longtime users to move to your QB Online Platform without providing equivalent functionality.  This is "basic" functionality in QB and must be provided before you Discontinue your Desktop product.  

For the record, I'm happy to pay an annual fee for the Desktop product until you get equivalency in place, but without equivalency we simply cannot use your QB Online Product.

I create a bundle for example called Time and Materials with no description and add 2 items to my bundle 1.labor and 2.materials I mark the bundle so customer doesn't see the items. Then when I create an invoice I add the bundle to my invoice and in the blank description feild I usually enter the work we did or maybe a brief list of the materials or xxhrs@$××. I then add my labor and billable expenses. After I do that I drag the billable items so they are added to the bundle. Pretty much to same as dragging the items to reorder them on a invoice. If you do this correctly you'll notice the line number will change. This adds the billable items to the bundle along with their totals. Save and print and you will only see the bundle. This way if you need to later check the invoice if a question arises you can click edit invoice and review the items and labor instead of removing the expense but keeping it linked. The original 2 items you can just leave them blank or you can remove them instead. I hope this helps.

I create a bundle for example called Time and Materials with no description and add 2 items to my bundle 1.labor and 2.materials I mark the bundle so customer doesn't see the items. Then when I create an invoice I add the bundle to my invoice and in the blank description feild I usually enter the work we did or maybe a brief list of the materials or xxhrs@$××. I then add my labor and billable expenses. After I do that I drag the billable items so they are added to the bundle. Pretty much to same as dragging the items to reorder them on a invoice. If you do this correctly you'll notice the line number will change. This adds the billable items to the bundle along with their totals. Save and print and you will only see the bundle. This way if you need to later check the invoice if a question arises you can click edit invoice and review the items and labor instead of removing the expense but keeping it linked. The original 2 items you can just leave them blank or you can remove them instead. I hope this helps.

How do you keep the subtotal in the invoice? If you delete the individual items it removes it from the subtotal. I too would like to not have each detailed billable item on an invoice - only the total

Appreciate the info everyone; this is most frustrating.

I found the following link that says you can drag and drop billable time or expenses into a bundle *IF* you have QBO Plus or Advanced:  https://www.stacyk.net/add-billable-time-or-billable-expenses/ .  (I was able to do this with non-billable separate items before, and thought it should work the same with billable items; guess not.)

However the information in the above link was posted in NOV 2020.  Can anyone who has these upsold versions conform that this still works?  We have QBO Essentials as we don't need the other features.

If still accurate, this is a pretty basic and important function that I don't think should cost an extra ~$17+/month...  I consider the fact that it does not work in Essentials a bug in QuickBooks Online Essentials.  At minimum there should be a warning that this feature is not available. 

QB moderators:  I'm rather frustrated with QBO; this is not the only functionality problem I've had.  Please just tell me yes or no if paying through the nose for an upgrade will get me this feature bug-free, or when the bug will be repaired in Essentials.  (And please don't post a canned "Hi we're here to help..." message; I don't get any warm fuzzy feeling out of it and it just takes up space in the thread.)

Meantime I'll see if any of these workarounds for the bug work for me.

I'll be sharing a few things  how billable expenses in QuickBooks Online (QBO) work, L6.

The ability to drag and drop billable time or expenses into a bundle in QuickBooks Online (QBO) is only available in QBO Plus and Advanced. To utilize this feature, you can consider upgrading your plan to use this functionality.

Here's how to upgrade:

1. Sign in to your QBO account as a primary or company admin.
2. Go to the Gear icon and select Account and Settings.
3. Click the Billing and Subscription tab.
4. Ensure your payment info is updated.
5. In the QuickBooks Online section, click Upgrade your plan.
6. Select Choose a plan for the Advanced version.
7. Follow the on-screen instructions to upgrade your plan.

Moreover, please refer to this article if you need to update the card on file, change your subscription, or view your billing history in QBO: Manage billing, payment, and subscription info in QuickBooks Online.

If you require further assistance managing your billable expenses, just notify me by dropping a comment below. I'll always have your back.

Thank you for a straight answer:  If we bump up to the next level for (in our case) another couple of hundred bucks a year we get the feature.

I would very much like to see this feature included at the lower price point; it's the only thing we would like from the next higher tier.