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lindak1119
Level 7
October 16, 2018
Solved

Make a customer a vendor

I made a vendor a customer by mistake when I first entered them.  How can I change them to a vendor? thank you.

Rustler
RustlerAnswer
Level 15
October 16, 2018

You can not

edit and change the name of the wrong customer, then make it inactive (delete it)

create the vendor with the correct name

QB does not allow duplicate names

View in thread

60 replies

Rustler
RustlerAnswer
Level 15
October 16, 2018

You can not

edit and change the name of the wrong customer, then make it inactive (delete it)

create the vendor with the correct name

QB does not allow duplicate names

    lindak1119Author
    Level 7
    October 16, 2018
    thank you for clarifying that for us.
    lindak1119Author
    Level 7
    October 16, 2018

    Actually you can do an "end run" on this.  If you made the customer a vendor by mistake do the following:

    Change the mistaken vendor name to something else via right click-edit vendor: John Smith to John Smith Old.

    Create the right name as a Customer name: John Smith in this example

    Go into the ledger accounts that have the transaction, e.g., Checking account register or Paypal register,etc and update the payee name from John Smith Old to John Smith.  I found if you try to change the name in the invoice list from the "view and manage vendors list" you will not see it disappear from the John Smith Old list for some reason.  But changing the payee name outside the "view and manage" worked fine.

    Hope this works for you.

      Leo at RockTheShow UK Ltd
      February 13, 2019

      This is a real bummer.

      A few of my partners are both suppliers and customers.

      A name shouldn't be tied to a role—we all have different facets haven't we.

      Also a name shouldn't be tied to a currency. The same partner should be able to pay/be paid in different currencies during the life of the business relationship...

       

      Workaround is using different display names (adding Selling/Buying, GBP/EUR...) but this triggers my OCD. Quickbooks should change their primary keys.

       

        JamesDuanTQuickBooks Team
        QuickBooks Team
        February 13, 2019

        I appreciate the feedback about how QuickBooks works for customer/vendor profiles, Leo.

         

        I'd recommend letting our Product Development Team know about this. They'll put your suggestion into consideration for future product updates. You can click the Gear icon in the upper-right corner and select Feedback.

         

        Thanks again for sharing your feedback. You can always reach out to us if you need anything else.

         

        HeliHSV
        February 26, 2019

        Isn’t there anyone out there that has a customer that is also a vendor?  This seems counter intuitive. I have customers that I do services for as well as purchase services from.  I have been appending the names with known values to make both. 

          ChristinaBD
          January 16, 2023

          How do the transactions work then?  If I mistakenly made someone a customer instead of a vendor - and need to 1099 them?  How do I do this?

            RCVQuickBooks Team
            QuickBooks Team
            January 16, 2023

            Let me help you create a vendor profile in QuickBooks Online (QBO), 

             

            We can delete (make inactive) the customer and recreate them again as a vendor. Before we proceed, consider editing the customer's name first before we delete them, because QBO doesn't allow duplicate names. Here's how:

             

            1. Go to the Sales menu at the left pane, then Customers.
            2. Select the Customer's name to open their information.
            3. Go to the Customer Details tab, then click Edit.
            4. Edit the name, then click Make inactive and Save.

             

             

             

            Once done, recreate them again as a vendor. Here's how:

             

            1. Got the Expenses tab at the left pane, then Vendors.
            2. Click Add a vendor, then enter the necessary information.
            3. Hit Save.

             

            Then we can create a clearing account to help you properly record your barter transactions. This transfers funds from one customer or vendor to another. To create a clearing account:

             

            1. Go to the Lists menu at the top.
            2. Select Chart of Accounts.
            3. Click the Accounts drop-down, then choose New.
            4. Mark the Bank radio button in the Add New Account window.
            5. Click Continue.
            6. Type in the appropriate account name in the Account Name field. For example, clearing, barter, or wash accounts.
            7. Fill in the necessary fields and leave the opening balance box blank.
            8. Click Save & Close.

             

            Once done, use this barter account to record the transactions. You can go through the steps under To use a clearing account section in this article: Set Up Clearing Account. I also suggest consulting your accountant for guidance on which account to use for debits and credits to ensure your transactions are properly tracked in the program. 

             

            Keep me posted on how everything goes after following these steps. I'll be here should you need anything else. 

            shampton
            January 17, 2023

            You're kidding right? I was aware of this ridiculous work around years ago when QB first proposed it.  How many years later now and you're offering it again?  What you should be working on is the "consider editing the customer's name first before we delete them, because QBO doesn't allow duplicate names" part.  I can understand why you can't have two vendors with the same name, or two clients.  But to have the same entity as a client AND a vendor is a REALITY which any worthy accounting software should be able to handle.  Go back to work QuickBooks and do it right this time!

              MarnieQ
              January 31, 2023

              Hello!  Does anyone know how to convert reconciliations from a customer account to a newly created vendor?  I have mistakenly been reconciling payments to a customer rather than a vendor....

              Thank you for your help!

              Marnie

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