How do I show the SKU on my purchase orders? I can edit custom form styles for Invoice to add SKU, but this does not seem to be an option for PO.

Hi there, todd18.

You'll need to turn on the SKU option from Account and Settings to show this on purchase orders.

Here's how:

1. Click the Gear icon at the top right and select Account and Settings.

2. Choose Sales and select Products and Services.

3. Click the pencil icon and put a checkmark in the Show Product/Service column on sales forms and Show SKU column box.

4. Click Save. Then Done.

To set up your inventory items with their SKU numbers, turn on the Track inventory quantity on hand feature first. Follow the instructions below.

Once done, you can now add your inventory items with their SKU numbers

1. From the left panel, select Sales.

2. Select Product and Services.

3. Click the New button and choose Inventory.

4. On the Name field, enter the name of the product.

5. Enter the SKU number of the product under the SKU field.

6. Fill in the additional information as needed.

7. Choose the Save and close button.

Please check this article on how to apply purchase order to a transaction: Create purchase orders in QuickBooks Online.

Please know that you're always welcome to post if you have any other concerns. Wishing you and your business continued success.

As I stated in the original question, I do not want SKU in my INVOICES.  I want it in my PURCHASE ORDERS.  I need this so that my vendor knows what item I am ordering (my listed name may be different from theirs.)  It does not matter to me whether or not the customer sees the SKU.

Hello there, @toddpinil, 

Here are the two options that you can perform to get the SKU info to appear on your purchase orders (PO): 

• If there's a single item on a PO, add a custom field in the Expenses menu. 
• If you have many items on the transaction, manually enter the SKU in the Description column.

For the first option: 

1. Go to the Settings (Gear) icon at the upper right.
2. Select Account and Settings under Your Company. 
3. Choose Expenses from the left menu,
4. Click the Purchase orders section. 
5. In the Custom fields section, enter SKU and check the box. 
6. Select Save. 
7. Choose Done. 

The screenshot below shows you the last four steps. Once done, you'll be able to see a SKU field on the transaction screen. 

For the second option, just go back to the Purchase Order screen. Then, manually enter the SKU data of each item in the  Description column. See the screenshot below for your visual reference. 

Here's a sample screenshot that shows the SKU details when you print the PO or send it to your vendor: 

There are four reports that will help you with your purchase orders in the program. Just go to Reports from the left menu. Then, enter any of the following report names in the Search box:

• Open Purchase Order List
• Open Purchase Order Detail
• Purchases by Product/Service Detail
• Purchases by Vendor Detail

I'm just a comment away if you need further assistance. Have a great day, @toddpinil. 

Thanks for your reply.  I had already thought of those solutions, which are (basically) work-arounds.

Why is it that I can select to show the SKU entry of an item on an invoice, but I can't choose to show it on a P.O.?  I'd like to suggest that functionality for further updates.  Thanks!

Good morning, @toddpinil.

We are always updating QuickBooks Online to meet the needs of our customers. I'm happy to leave feedback on the SKU number not showing on purchase orders with our product engineers in hopes of this being an option in the future.

For information on new updates, you can always take a look at the QuickBooks blog.

Thank you for reaching out to the Community, I'm only a reply away if you have any other questions.

I second this feature request.

This is a must-have. I need to be able to indicate the SKU that is already in the product/service table on the purchase order for my vendor to know what exactly I am purchasing.

Yes to this - having the SKU column on purchase orders to vendors would be much appreciated for many clients. 

You should be able to show the SKU on a PO, even of it isn't an inventory item. For example, for drop shipping with no inventory tracking required, you should be able to use and print the SKU on the PO. Such a basic requirement.

When working on Quickbooks online Purchase orders, Sku has a visible column but does not show up when printed? any help?

Good to see you joining this conversation, @dale23. I’ll help you customize the template and ensure you can print your purchase order accordingly.

Currently, we’re unable to print Purchase Order with the SKU column in QuickBooks Online. As a workaround, you can manually enter it in the Description field. This way, the SKU will then show up in the Activity or Description column when printing the transaction.

See these screenshots for your reference:

I do agree with you that adding more customizations and functionality would make the program better and more flexible. If you wish to have the ability to include the SKU column when printing purchase order, I recommend submitting feedback to our product development team. 

Here’s how:

1. Go to the Gear icon.
2. Under the Profile column, select Feedback.
3. Enter your suggestions, then click Next.

Please know that we’re unable to provide a specific time frame as to when this feature will be available. You'll want to track your suggestion through this website. You can also visit our blog to keep up with all of our recent events and developments.

I've included a detailed resource about working with custom fields that may come in handy moving forward: Add custom fields to sales forms and purchase orders in QuickBooks Online.

Additionally, see this article for the updated steps on applying purchase order to a transaction for your supplier: Add purchase orders to expenses, bills, or checks in QuickBooks Online. This includes the process of removing a PO from an expense or bill.

Keep me posted or revisit this thread in case you need additional help printing or personalizing your purchase order. I’ll be around to assist you. Take care.

How many years to fix and add the request of adding a SKU on purchase orders? 10 years? Have been many requests since 2019. 4 (FOUR) years ago, and dstill out dated. Quickbooks should invest more in updates and atualizations. This is ridiculous how many years they take to fix an issue or adding features that will be great for everyone. 

0 Starts for Quickbooks.!!

I agree this is BS that  a SKU number cant be used.  I can search it when I enter product into my PO.