You need to look at WHY the employee paid the large company expense on personal credit card. It's not good business. I have seen this happen often. Different reasons ...to accrue points/cash back on credit cards which would then essentially be income or to get large sum of cash without a cash advance rate on their credit card or various other reasons. Either way, it should not happen and a determination as to why!

So I assume you entered the bill for the freight.  You need to set up the employee as a vendor.  You will have to use some different form of their name so that is not a duplicate list entry. 

Enter a vendor bill toggling the credit field at the top of the enter bill field and enter the amount that the employee paid.  Go to pay bills.  Select the vendor and apply the credit that shows at the bottom of that window.  If not paid in full, swipe through the amount paid on the vendor screen and type in the amount that the employee paid.

Enter a bill for the amount that the employee paid with the employee as the vendor.

I created the reimbursement account as described and everything went through fine but now my cash basis balance sheet doesn't balance. It's off by the exact amount of the bills paid by the owner on her AMEX. Anyone else have this issue or know how to fix it?

Forgive me if this is a duplicate comment

I followed the instructions to create the Reimbursement other current liability account. Everything went through fine and I was able to bring the reimbursement account to zero. However, now my cash basis balance sheet is out of balance by the exact amount of vendor bills paid for by the owner on her AMEX. Has anyone else had this problem or know how to fix it?

Thanks for joining this thread, Queenie634.

Let me help guide you on how to process reimbursement in QuickBooks Online (QBO). 

To record a business expense paid for by personal funds, you have an option to enter the reimbursement either as a check or as an expense. 

Here's how to reimbursement as a check:

1. Select the Plus icon (+) on the Toolbar.
2. Under Vendors, select Check.
3. (Optional) In the Choose a payee field, enter the name of the partner/owner.
4. Select the Bank Account you are reimbursing from (you can also use petty cash).
5. In the Account column, select Partner's Equity or Owner's Equity.
6. Enter the Amount of the reimbursement.
7. Select Save and close.

To record the reimbursement as an expense, here's how:

1. Select the Plus icon (+) on the Toolbar.
2. Under Vendors, select Expense.
3. (Optional) In the Choose a payee field, enter the name of the partner/owner.
4. Select the Bank/Credit account you are reimbursing from (you can also use petty cash).
5. In the Account column, select Partner's Equity or Owner's Equity.
6. Enter the Amount of the reimbursement.
7. Select Save and close.

For additional reference, you can check this article on how to pay for business expenses with personal funds. 

Just in case you need further assistance with the steps, you can contact our QuickBooks Online Support Team. They have additional tools to pull up your account and do a screen-share.

Here's how you can contact our customer support:

1. Sign in to your QuickBooks Online company.
2. Select Help (question mark icon) at the top right.
3. Select Contact us to connect with a live support agent.

This will get you on the right track. Please know that I'm just a post away if you have additional questions about the reimbursement. Have a good one. 

This really doesn't resolve the issue.

Hi katsan32c,

This thread is joined by a mix of QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop users. So, we'll talk about the general process of recording expenses paid by an employee and reimbursing them. Please also have this reviewed by your accountant to make sure that your records are correct.

If your employee paid your vendor, you can track their payment as a loan to your business. Then, you can record the reimbursement, like how you paid them in actual.

Create a journal entry to track the loan:

1. On the first line, you can choose the Other Current Liability account and enter the amount in the Credit column. I would suggest creating a liability account for this scenario.
2. On the second line, choose the expense account that is associated with the item you paid to the vendor. Then, enter the amount in the Debit column. If there's a vendor bill, use the A/P account in this line instead. Then, tag the vendor's name, so this journal becomes a credit to their profile and can be applied as payment to the bill.

Reimburse the employee by writing them a check or recording an expense transaction, depending on how you paid them back. Choose your business account as the source of funds and select the Other Current Liability account in the Expense section.

After creating the transactions above, you'll see that the liability account will be zeroed out, the vendor is paid, and the employee is reimbursed.

Please don't hesitate to reach if you need to clarify certain steps.

Can I do multiple entries at the same time?  I paid two different vendors with my credit card, can I put both charges on the same check and then be able to select both bills as being paid?

Hi there, @NHSMP.

As my colleague stated earlier, this thread is a mix of Online and Desktop. So, I don't want to assume which product you are using so. I'm going to apply both help facts in this response. You can only apply one vendor to one check in, both QuickBooks Product. I'm going to list how to do multiple at a one time with separate checks.

QBO Online:

1. Go to the +New button.
2. Now let's select Print Checks.
3. Load the printer with your checks.
4. Select the bank account that has the checks your write that need to be printed.
5. Starting check no. field, enter the check number of the check in the printer. The number is found to  the right of the account number at the bottom of the check.
6. Then choose Preview and Print. If everything is correct, select Print.
7. Now hit OK and select Done.

QB Desktop:

1. Go to the Banking, then select Write Checks.
2. Click on the Print Later box next to the Print icon for each check you want to print, then close the Write Checks window.
3. Afterward, select File, then choose Print Forms. Choose Checks or Paycheck, as appropriate.
4. Now click on your bank account and select the checks you want to print. To do this, place checkmarks next to them.
5. Enter the first check number, then choose Ok.
6. Here, you're going to pick Check Style (Wallet, Voucher, or Voucher), then be sure that the correct printer name is showing. 
7. Now select Print.

Now you're able to print your checks with multiple vendors. To know more about this, just visit Print Checks for Vendors. I'm glad I was able to lend a helping hand to you today. If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to reach back out to me. Happy Tuesday!

Hello Sarah Bl,

I realize this is an older post but I was wondering if you could explain how to do a reimbursement to an employee paycheck for  a cash payment to a vendor for building supplies?

Also how should I enter the transaction?

Greetings, @Kingdom21. 

Thanks for joining in on this thread. I hope your day is going well so far. I'd be more than happy to provide you with some insight. 

Here's a guide that can explain reimbursements and how to do them in detail: Reimburse an employee. 

As for the entering a transaction question, I recommend you consult with your accountant to be sure on what route is best for your business. They'll be able to give you the best accounting advice. 

I hope this helps. Feel free to reach back out if you have any other concerns. I'm only a post away. Have a good one! 

Thanks for adding that graphic of the write check screen.

I have recently discovered that I can't see all the columns below beyond memo when writing a check.

And I haven't been able to figure out if it's a setting that I need to change in order to be able to see and use the customer and class columns.  Please help me!  Thanks much!

Joining the thread to offer help, @Whoadeb. I wanted to ensure you're able to use the customer and class column while writing a check.

In QuickBooks Desktop, the CUSTOMER:JOB column while writing a check is a system design as part of the program. While the CLASS column is a feature that needs to be turned on. I'll show you how.

1. Go to Edit.
2. Select Preferences.
3. Click Accounting.
4. On the Class section under Preferences, put a checkmark on the Use class tracking for transactions selection.
5. Below the Assign classes to menu, choose Items.
6. Click OK.

However, if both columns are not showing while writing a check, right-click on any row on the items of your check. Then, a new window will show up having you the option to select and customize columns.

I'm adding this article with the topics you can use while working with your banking account and transactions: A Series of Articles that Covers Bank Feeds in QuickBooks.

Let me know if you have any additional questions about writing a check by using the Reply option below. I'm here to ensure your continued success. Take care and stay safe!

Can you disclose the process you followed here. Quickbooks Online Version 

My situation is similar. I do a monthly reimbursement for purchases made via an outside credit card not in our quickbooks system. In which I create a bill each month in bills for the employee submitting the reimbursement. Each transaction is catagorized by expense type. Then when I process payroll through a third party I reimburse the employee. I do a journal entry for payroll which includes the accounts payable transaction for the reimbursement. 

My question and or struggle is I need to see the expense under the original vendor so that I can track the fluctuation in spending at gl level and vendor level monthly. How do I then get the expense under the actual vendor it was purchased from not just listed under the employee reimbursement. 

Can you please explain this same process, but using the current 2023 QB Online screen fields and options?  Thanks.  This is exactly what I need but I believe with the newer updates there are different buttons and terms in the Bill Pay screen.

Thanks

I appreciate you for joining this thread, @teamp3.

We'd love to help you achieve your goal, but I need more information to help me get on the same page. Would you mind telling me more about it? What specific are you referring to and trying to do in QuickBooks Online? This way, I can provide you with an accurate resolution.

I appreciate any details you can provide. I'm looking forward to your reply.

Would you be able to assist me as well. No one responded to my request and it seems they may be similar. 

Tracking external vendor expenses through a reimbursement check issued to an employee. 

Is there a way to do this that I am not making more journal entries. Quickbooks online. 

I understand this situation can be perplexing, JessPhilly. Allow me to provide you with some general tips in handling the transactions.

In QuickBooks Online, you normally create journal entries to track the expenses incurred by the employee. Then, issue a check for the refund.

Based on your initial post, I can see that you have a different process in place to reimburse workers for their expenses. As the employee is designated as the payee for the bills, there is no direct link to a vendor within the system.

Since you need to monitor the spending fluctuation at both the GL and vendor levels, you'll want to consider associating the purchases with the original vendor. This can help provide you with better visibility and organization of your expense records. 

Remember, it's always a good idea to consult your accountant or bookkeeper to tailor the approach to your specific business needs and ensure accurate financial

recording and reporting.

Start by creating a bill for the outside vendor, consolidating all the expenditures to be reimbursed. Then, enter a bill payment to mark it as paid. Here's how:

1. Click the + New button, then choose Pay bills.
2. Select the account you paid the bill from.
3. Set the appropriate date and reference number.
4. Tick the checkbox of the appropriate bill, then enter the amount.
5. Add a memo as needed, then hit Save and close.

Note that you'll still log journal entries to account for the funds distributed to your employees. I'm also adding these articles to learn how to handle the mixing of business and personal funds in QBO:

• Pay for business expenses with personal funds
• Pay for personal expenses from a business bank or credit card account

Just tap me if you have any other concerns or encounter challenges during the reimbursement process. I'm here and ready to lend a hand whenever you need assistance in completing your tasks.

Hi KlentB, 

I do have some additional questions. 

I am not going to make a bill for the employee, instead I am making a consolidated bill for each vendor paid. I then make it paid out of the account to which I would process payroll reimbursements (correct me if I am not following here)

Then when I enter my third party payroll journal entries, typically I would make an accounts payable debit to the employee who made the payments. (Am I still doing this... unsure how I am going to get the individual expenses to match here as I was creating the original bill in the QB online system under the employee.)

Kindly

JessPhilly, I appreciate your response to the thread. We'd be glad to provide you with additional information about your concern.

You're on the right track in handling the consolidated bill in your QuickBooks account. With regards to recording journal entries, please know that these are the following accounts that you can only use for the employees:

• Payroll Expenses: Wages
• Payroll Expenses: Taxes
• Payroll Liabilities: Federal Taxes (941/944)
• Payroll Liabilities: Federal Unemployment (940)
• Payroll Liabilities: [State] SUI/ETT
• Payroll Liabilities: [State] PIT/SDI

Check out this article for further details: Manually enter payroll paychecks in QuickBooks Online.

Additionally, I advise contacting your accountant for help with appropriate financial records if you're unsure how to classify the transaction.

The following articles can be helpful as you manage your journals moving forward:

• Create journal entries in QuickBooks Online
• Reverse or delete a journal entry in QuickBooks Online
• Debit vs. credit accounting: The ultimate guide

We're always rooting for the success of your business, JessPhilly. Please keep us posted if you have further questions or need assistance with other QuickBooks-related concerns. Have a nice day and take care!