How do you generate purchase orders in Quickbooks online

Welcome to the Community, steve293.

I'll be more than happy to guide you in creating purchase orders in QuickBooks Online. First, you'll need turn on the Purchase Order feature in the Account and settings page. Here's how:

1. Go to the Gear icon.
2. Select Account and settings.
3. Select the the Expenses tab.
4. In the Purchase orders section, Click the Edit icon.
5. Turn on the Use purchase orders option.
6. Click Save and then Done.

After that, follow these steps to create and send a purchase order to your vendors:

1. Click the + New button, then select Purchase order.
2. Set the appropriate vendor, then review the mailing address.
3. If you are shipping the products directly to a customer, select the Ship to drop-down menu and then Ship via. Check the Shipping address to make sure it's correct.
4. Enter the purchase order date.
5. In the Item details section, enter the products you want to purchase. 
6. When you're done, select Save or Save and send.

To learn how to update the status of a purchase order and add it to a bill, you can read this guide: Create and send purchase orders. If you need some resources in managing your other vendor transitions, you can browse a topic from our Help Article page.

Do you have any other questions in mind? Feel free to leave them below and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. 

When I go into accounts and settings I don’t see a tab for expenses. When I go directly into expenses I don’t see a tab for purchase orders. Please help.

Let me share details with you about creating Purchase Orders, steve293.

For now, this feature is only accessible in the QBO Plus and Advanced users.

If you're using a lower subscription, you'll want to upgrade your account to either Plus or Advanced to be able to use the feature. Here's how:

1. Make sure that you're signed in to QuickBooks Online as a primary or company admin.
2. Go to the Gear or Settings ⚙ icon and select Account and settings.
3. Proceed to the Billing & Subscription tab.
4. Make sure your payment info is up-to-date.
5. Select Upgrade your plan in the QuickBooks Online section
6. Review the available plans and then select Choose plan.
7. Follow the on-screen steps to upgrade your plan.

Once done, follow the steps that were given in the original response on how to turn on the feature and create purchase orders. 

You can also refer to these articles with purchase orders in QBO:

• Copy an Estimate to a Purchase Order 
• Bill Created from Purchase Order has Incorrect or Higher Amount 

Post more questions in the Community if you have more questions from us. We're always here to guide you all the time.

We are not a tax-exempt wholesaler. How do I add sales tax to the purchase order? Do I need to tabulate the tax on each item and include in the rate? 

Hi there, LWong.

Thank you for visiting again the QuickBooks Community. I'll be providing details on how tax works in QuickBooks Online. Then, I'll ensure to share alternative ways on how to achieve your goal.

QuickBooks Online can automatically do the sales tax calculations for you on your sales transactions like invoices and receipts for easy and accurate filings. With this, adding sales tax to the purchase order is currently unavailable in QBO. 

However, I suggest going to the Apps center inside QBO. From there, you're able to see hundreds of apps that you can integrate to help you create a PO and allow you to add tax codes/amounts/rates to a column.

Here's how:

1. Click Apps in the left navigation menu.
2. Click the Browse Category drop-down menu, select Sync Data.
3. Select the app you want to integrate.
4. Click Get App Now and complete the following on-screen instructions.

Lastly, you may refer to this article to view steps on how you can run a specific report that will reflect all payments made to vendors: Run a report with vendor totals.

Should you have additional questions about managing purchase orders in QuickBooks, don't hesitate to click the Reply button below. I'm always here to help. Have a good day!