Please add your vote here: https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/quickbooks-idea-exchange/allow-users-of-qb-self-employed...

If we can get this to 50 votes QB has said that they will consider it. 

They don't make it easy for anyone to find this or to add their vote to it - so we need to try to pull together & share this page link to reach 50 votes - there MUST be way more than 50 users who would benefit from custom categories being added. (I would assume almost all users would need this option for their accounting).

Ji JSSE, please note that this is a US Community thread, and the beta feature to create Custom Categories has not been released to QuickBooks Self-Employed UK. Currently, you would need to use one of the default categories in-product. Thanks!

Hello Georgia C,

Thanks - sorry - I wasn't aware that it was a US Community thread.

Can you please point me in the direction of a UK thread and also please advise when this feature will become available to UK users.

Thank you.

Hi JSSE, no problem! You can access the UK Community here.

We don't have any information on whether custom categories will become available in the UK version. As mentioned, the categories are designed in-line with HMRC requirements, meaning QuickBooks contains all the categories you'll need to complete Box 15-47 on the return. 

Hi JSSE, no problem! You can access the UK Community here.

We don't have any information on whether custom categories will become available in the UK version. As mentioned, the categories are designed in-line with HMRC requirements, meaning QuickBooks contains all the categories you'll need to complete Box 15-47 on the return. 

Hi Georgia C,

Thanks for the link to the UK Community. Strangely there appears to be only 2 posts there.

Why wouldn't the custom categories also be available to UK users? 

At the moment everything just seems to get categorised as 'Business Income' or 'Business Expenses' - and yet business accounts need to be more detailed and specific than that. Both income and expenses usually need to be broken down into different types of income or expense. The only thing separated in QB seems to be vehicle expenses - everything else is being lumped in together as 'Business Income' or 'Business Expenses'.

Hello Jsse, custom catergories is not an available feature in self-employed. it is because qbse is set in line with hmrc for thats why custom ones cant be done and why there is only the option for business expense and business income and why this it not separated more.

Hello Ashleigh1,

I'm sorry - I can't make any sense out of your sentence "it is because qbse is set in line with hmrc for thats why custom ones cant be done and why there is only the option for business expense and business income and why this it not separated more."

Can you please explain what you were trying to say? Thank you.

Yes - I am aware and understand that QBSE doesn't currently have custom categories - you don't need to keep telling me that - this is the reason why I have been trying to request them - but your feature request system is broken - hence I have been going round in circles trying to convince you that I'm not the only person experiencing this so that something will hopefully be repaired - so that the feature can be requested and hopefully the product can be improved.

I understand the importance of managing your expenses in QuickBooks Self-Employed (QBSE), JSSE. I'm here to share additional insight about this. 

You have the option to change the categories by turning on the radio button from the Manage categories. Here's how:

1. Go to the Gear icon and select Manage Categories under Tools.

2. Click the radio button to turn on. 

In addition, QuickBooks depends on the compliance requirements set by HMRC to ensure accurate and legal financial reporting for businesses.

For now, I'm adding this article to view to see different information on how QuickBooks Self Employed is designed to help you record your self-employed income and expenses, track mileage, and prepare your Schedule C: QuickBooks Self-Employed Overview.

You're always welcome to post if you have any other concerns. We’re always here to help. Have a good day!

Hello LeizyIM,

Thanks for your message. This does sound like the feature that I have been requesting - However - these options are not visible to me in QuickBooks - see attached screenshot.

Please explain why these options are not visible to me and how to get them. Thank you.

Hello there, @JSSE. We appreciate you for leaving here with your other concerns. Let me point you in the right direction to achieve your goal. 

The Manage categories option is only available in the QuickBooks Self-Employed (QBSE) United States. As a result, it won't be visible at your end. In QBSE UK, to fix your concern, you can use one of the default categories in the product. 

To understand more about your concern, visit this link to help you as a guide: Allowable and disallowable expenses explained. 

I recognize your need for the Manage Categories option, so I recommend sending a message to our development team. This way, they can review your suggestion and consider it for future product enhancements. Here's how:

1. Go to Invoices and click Feedback in the upper right corner.
2. You may also select the Assistant tab on the Home page, enter Send feedback, and click Add Feature. Note that the Assistant tab using the web is now under maintenance. I recommend using the Assistant tab on the QBSE application.

Furthermore, I suggest reviewing this article in managing expenses inside QBSE: Record or attach expense receipts in QuickBooks Self-Employed. 

If you have more queries about handling expenses in QBSE, comment below. We're always here to assist. Have a good one!

Hello KayePe,

Thanks for your message - but please look back over this thread - this is going round in circles! Does anyone in QuickBooks support actually use QuickBooks?

Why wouldn't this option of creating categories be available to users in UK? The Software is marketed and sold in UK as Accounting Software. 

Accounting software in any country would require categories that are relevant to individual businesses. 

If this is available in USA, why not in UK?

Your suggestion of using the 'Assistant' tab on the home page - please try this before suggesting it - it doesn't work and has not worked for months - there is another thread about this in the Quickbooks forums.

See attached screenshot - Furthermore, I have been informed by another QuickBooks support person that the information provided on this is incorrect - and that actually QuickBooks has no intention of working on this and will not be fixing it - despite misleading customers to believe that they will be doing so.

I am contacting customer support for help and assistance - Please don't advise me to use functions that you then tell me are not available to me - or advise me to use the Assistant tool which is not functional. You also suggest the Feature request - this is also not functional (there is another thread about this on the forum).

Please explain why your software, which is marketed and sold as Accounting Software doesn't provide basic accounting functions like categories for income and expenses which are relevant to individual businesses. It appears to lump everything into Business Income or Business Expense - however, accounting software should have more detailed categories than this.

Please explain why, if this is available to QuickBooks users in USA, why not to users in UK? (also, why isn't this made clear in any of your product advertising campaigns, which claim it to be a fully functioning accounting tool).

Can someone from Quickbooks support respond please.

Please explain why, if custom categories are available to QuickBooks users in USA, why not to users in UK?