Can bills be paid from an envelope? Want to use main checking as income and have an Operating Expense envelope to pay bills and expenses (similar to Profit First).

Welcome to the Community, @dadshandymancos-.

Let me help and provide information about why you're unable to use envelope to pay bills in QuickBooks Online (QBO).

To begin, you have to first send it to QuickBooks Checking so you can use the bills to pay from an envelope. To move money from an envelope to your QuickBooks Checking account, these are the steps:

1. Select Banking services, then select QuickBooks Checking.
2. In the Envelopes section, select the envelope you want to take money out of.
3. Select Get or Send Money and enter the amount you want to take out of your envelope.
4. In the From field, make sure you selected the correct envelope.
5. In the To field, select your QuickBooks Checking account.
6. Enter the amount you want to take out of your envelope and select Next. Then select Continue when the transfer request finishes.

You can check this handy article for more details: Create envelopes to set your funds aside with QuickBooks Checking.

After posting it in QuickBooks Checking, you can now pay bills with your QuickBooks Checking.

Here's how:

1. Go to Banking Services, then select QuickBooks Checking.
2. Select Pay bill.
3. Follow the prompts to schedule and pay by paper check or ACH.

In addition, here are some articles to learn more about how you can use and manage a QuickBooks Checking account, handle bank transactions, and ensure your numbers stay accurate inside QBO:

• Learn more about QuickBooks Checking.
• Use your QuickBooks Checking account.
• Run reports in QuickBooks Online.

Feel free to comment below if you have further concerns about paying bills from an envelope or other QBO-related concerns. I'll be happy to assist you. Have a good day!

Thank you for the explanation. Since envelopes are not “accounts”, money has to come in and out through the main checking. I may just use a separate account for operating expenses since that constantly fluctuates, unlike envelopes for things like profit, taxes, etc.

Can you confirm that the main account holder (me) is the only person that can move money to envelopes or do transfers? Is that the case with higher levels of Quickbooks like Plus or Advanced? I’d like for operations to continue running smoothly if I take a vacation or something. 

The person who applies and is approved is the only user who can move money to your envelopes or do transfers from your QuickBooks Checking account, dadshandymancos. I'll provide more details about this so you can handle your funds accordingly.

As the primary or main account holder and approved user of your QuickBooks Checking account, you alone have control over the funds in your envelopes. This also applies to higher levels of QuickBooks such as Plus or Advanced. Any Primary or Company admins who didn't apply can see account balances. However, they can't move money around. You can learn more about this through this article: QuickBooks Checking FAQ.

Also, I've included this article to learn more about QuickBooks Checking: Use your QuickBooks Checking account.

If you have any other concerns related to your envelopes or QuickBooks Checking account, let me know by commenting below. I'm always ready to help you out.

That makes sense, but brings up a few more questions about management. Is there a phone number to speak with someone specifically about checking?

Hello there, dadshandymancos. I'm here to guide you to the support for more information and to help manage your QuickBooks Checking account.

To help you with this matter, I recommend contacting our payment support for assistance with any QuickBooks Checking queries. This team is specially trained to handle payment inquiries and can provide guidance, information, and support.

If you have a QuickBooks debit card, you can reach out to our payment support team by dialing the contact number on the back of your debit card. Once connected, you can speak with a representative who will assist you.

On the other hand, you can transfer funds instantly with QuickBooks Checking using a linked debit card, even on weekends and holidays. 

I'm always here to help you if you need further assistance and clarifications regarding your QuickBooks Checking account. Feel free to tap the reply button located below. Best wishes!