Can someone please explain what is a Permit Number and WHY (for the sake of data entry) does this field show up on my Bill entry screen? Who designs this stuff?

I have not seen that yet. Wonder if it is a glitch, something from another country version.  Take a screenshot and submit it through feedback as a bug.

See attached. Am I the only one who has this? 

I am seeing it on my check writing screen, I need invoice# when I am paying bills, not permit#

We're unable to customize the Check section in QuickBooks, lauriedtriano.

The option to add the invoice # is unable, too. Please refer to @Alessandra_B's post for more information about the Permit no..

This article is also a good reference: Sales tax in QuickBooks Online.

If there's anything else you need, please don't hesitate to reach out to us anytime.

At risk of asking a stupid question, I'll just leave this here.

I now see how the permit field it got there, but I'm still confused on why. What permit? Tax ID number? Why does someone need their tax id on every invoice?

I really wish I could rename this field to Invoice number.

I'm curious to know what others are using this field for...?

Thank you!

I think the people who design this product - do not understand how the product is actually used... I can't think of any reason to use it on every invoice????? 

No.  I was just forced to upgrade to the new Sales Tax Center (not happy about).

I have Permit Number showing up as well.  It is confusing and unwanted.

QB Team never looks at feedback so not helpful. Many of the stupid features are there in QB online and I a lot of complains in this forum. Choosing QB is worst mistake as we are forced to use according to the software while we should be able to customize according to our business needs. My business it activities are exempt from  sales tax in all states of USA but this sales tax and its annoying popups/sections keeps bugging with no option to disable to tax feature.

How do I turn off Automated Sales Tax?

Hi there, @kpagnotta. Let me share some details about automated sales tax.

Once you turn on the automated sales tax feature in QuickBooks Online (QBO), turning it off is not an option. As a workaround, you can make the items not taxable and set customer as tax-exempt.

To make items into non-taxable, here's how:

1. Go to the Gear icon at the top.
2. Select Product and services. 
3. Locate the taxable item you want to change to non-taxable by clicking Edit under the Action column.
4. Go to the Sales tax section, and click on Edit sales tax.
5. Select Nontaxable.
6. Click Done, then Save and close.

To make a customer into tax exempt:

1. In the left menu, click Sales.
2. Go to the Customers tab.
3. Locate and click the customer's name.
4. In the Customer Details tab, click the Edit button.
5. In the Additional info section, put a checkmark for This customer is tax exempt.
6. Click Save.

To learn how QuickBooks automatically calculates the total tax rate, see this article for detailed information: Set up and use automated sales tax in QuickBooks Online. 

To help you record sales tax payments in the future, you can read this article: Manage sales tax payments in QuickBooks Online.

If you have any other questions about sales tax, let me know by commenting below. I'm here to answer them for you. Have a good day.

This makes no sense...even if we are charging sales taxes, why would the "permit no" field show up on the VENDOR INVOICE screen?  This just started appearing on mine in the last week.  WE don't/didn't have sales tax set up as the nature of our business we don't file sales taxes.

Instead of improving (which QBO needs a LOT of ), it is getting worse

Hi, lookingforanswers1. Thank you for being a part of the discussion today. I recognize the importance of removing the Permit No. field while tracking bills in QuickBooks Online (QBO). Let me share some insights about this feature.

I want to let you know that our engineers are working together to improve the product to enhance the experiences of all QuickBooks users. While removing the Permit number from the Bill window isn't an option right now, you can take proactive steps by sending a feature request directly to our product developers. By doing so, they can evaluate the possibility of incorporating this in future updates.

To start: 

1. Go to the Gear icon, then Feedback.
2. Enter your comments or product suggestions.
3. Tap Next to submit.

Once done, your valuable suggestion goes to our Product Development team to help improve your QBO experience. You can track feature requests through the QuickBooks Online Feature Requests website.

On the other hand, you can check out the resources from this link for more tips while tracking your bills in our system: Enter and manage bills and bill payments in QuickBooks Online. The same material will show you how to pay your bills via credit card, cash, or check.

Additionally, if you'd like to report a transaction as an expense and a payment simultaneously, utilize a check or an expense entry.

Please notify me in the comment section below if you have other questions while recording your vendor bills in QuickBooks. I'm here and ready to assist you with just a few clicks. Keep safe always!

Clearly no one reads the feedback any of us send. This thread started in 2019. Here in 2023 we are still complaining about the permit field on the enter bills page. I truly am astounded on a daily basis at just how terrible QBO is. QB desktop is a GREAT product. The online version is just plain garbage. Who is designing this program?

@pennyd  RE: I truly am astounded on a daily basis at just how terrible QBO is. QB desktop is a GREAT product.

You could not be more correct.

While generating the 'bill report' from QBO for Vendor Payment (AP), we could find the permit number in the exported information.