Invoice group by item is gone?

Hello, @jay-impactivellc.

I've got some insights and steps that can help you invoice your customers using the group-by-item feature in QuickBooks Online (QBO).

There are two ways to invoice your customers using the feature. The first way is to add a subtotal line after a set of items in an invoice. However, please note that the subtotals feature is currently unavailable in the new invoice layout. For more details, you can visit this article: See what's new with estimates and invoices in QuickBooks Online.

That leads us to the alternative step, which is to create a bundle to group the items. For guidance, you can check out the video in this article: How to Use Bundles: Grouping Products & Services.

Since you mentioned that you want to get the feature back, I suggest switching back to the old layout. However, this option is only available to Plus and Advanced users, and it's important to note that the process is irreversible. Here's how to do it: 

1. Go to +New. 

2. Select Invoice. 

3. Click Old layout at the top right corner of the form.

In case you want to personalize and add specific information to your invoices and other sales forms, you can refer to this article: Customize invoices, estimates, and sales receipts in QuickBooks Online.

Please keep in touch with us if you have any follow-up concerns regarding your invoices. We're here to assist you.

There's no Old Layout link in the new form. Please help.

To clarify, these are time records that I track on specific service items so that I can group them with the correct number of hours. If I can't get this to work I need to go shopping for a new system. This is really upsetting.

Hello there, @jay-impactivellc.

I understand that the changes impact on your ability to track time records for specific service items. It's never easy when a familiar feature is no longer available, especially when it's crucial to your business operations.

While the group-by-item feature may not be available in the new invoice layout, there is a workaround that I can share. You can still use your old template by accessing the manage icon on the new invoice layout and select your old template under the design dropdown. This will allow you to continue using the format that you're familiar with and that meets your specific needs.

See the screenshot below for your reference. 

Additionally, I understand the importance of providing your opinion on the old layout, especially during this transition period. Your input is valuable, and it can help the platform understand the needs of its users as it evolves.  I encourage you to send feedback for the old layout. Your insights could contribute to improvements in the future.

Here's how: 

1. Select Settings, then Feedback.
2. Enter your comments or suggestions.
3. Then select Next to submit feedback.

Additionally, QBO has enough tools to modify the appearance of your invoices. This way, you may also decide which information to include when sending them to your customers.

For future reference, don't hesitate to open this article: Record invoice payments in QuickBooks Online.

The Community is always here to provide the best solution to everyone. Let us know if you have further questions about invoice activity. I'd gladly help you anytime.

There is nothing in the design area to revert me back to the old functionality. I had already looked through all the features available trying to get back, all to no avail. The feedback I've had from you experts so far has no value and has just wasted more of my time. I'm very unhappy and will now start researching other software to keep my books in and planning the migration.

We are at the same place. Do you have any ideas about new systems to use? We've looked into Xero.

This is outrageous.  I pay $500/month for QuickBooks time for a small consulting business.  I have 30-50 consultants entering time across a matrix of clients and managers.  How can the "group time by service" function be missing?  We are no longer able to create invoices with the data from QuickBooks time.  My invoices have a separate line for every day!  And I’m using the QB time system!  We are going to have to manually/offline figure out each invoice and then manually create a single line invoice to bill each person's hours for the month.  This defeats the entire purpose of an integrated time system.  This is a feature that worked for years up until last week.  In fact, it is the reason that we implemented QuickBooks time 5 years ago. 

This has to be fixed right away or many customers are going to be irate at month end when they notice this. Especially if they are paying for the QuickBooks time system!  Our invoice process has gone from 30 minutes to hours.  

I'm set up as a rep for FreshBooks now. I'm going to use it myself.

Do you realize that you are telling people they can switch to the old layout -- even though that is not possible for many (maybe even most users...)  A lot of users were using the feature to group their time by service item.  Then you forced them into the new invoice layout.  For a period of time, there was an option to revert to the old layout.  Now you have revoked that ability. Your company did this without providing equivalent functionality -- or even a viable workaround to achieve the same results.

Go ahead and ask me to fill out another feedback form to request this previously existing feature as a "new" feature. That is the typical response to these inquiries that I have seen so far.

FYI - Intuit caved and the "revert" to the old layout is back!  Hopefully it remains this way until the new invoice creation process works with QB Time (with the Group time by Service function).

"revert" to the old layout is NOT back.

I can't figure it out.  It is back for our company.  I switched back and am using the old invoicing process/templates.  I can also switch forward to the new process, but I'm too scared to do that...as I may not be able to go back again.  I don't know if it's based on level of QB subscription or something else.  We are on QB Essentials and QB Time Premium.

We are also on Essentials. Perhaps Time Premium is the required difference. Thanks for responding.

Another "Ready, fire, aim!"... innovating backwards... Invoicing has been bad enough without these screw-ups. We still can't directly invoice hours entered from our vendors, and we could do the QB Desktop years ago. The Support team has no idea how to do basic things and can't even assist with this. All they can do is tell that everyone is complaining. Time to move on!

I would like to join this conversation since I am having trouble with this as well.

Where are you moving on to?  I have been researching other programs and would love input.  Time based businesses that use Workforce are crippled by these new invoice updates.  I have been trying to figure out a work around and can't.   The "unlink" feature on time has changed as well.  You can no longer remove the line after you have combined it with another so you have to mark all your time entries unbillable to retain the hours for payroll.