I cannot create a PO as it cannot be saved or sent. it signals that i need to assign an account to that transaction

Hello there, userimjmedicainc.

Let me share some details about creating a purchase order.

It's possible that you use the Category details section in the purchase order. You'll want make sure that you selected an account otherstwise you'll encounter the You mu select an account for this transaction. message.

If you want to add products or services in to the purchase order, use the Item details section instead. For the detailed steps, here's how to create and send purchase orders in QuickBooks Online.

You'll want to check these links. These will show you more things you can do with the purchase order feature:

• Copy an estimate to a purchase order
• How to run purchase order reports

Keep your posts coming if you need anything else. Have a great day!

I am having the same problem as OP.   I have followed the instructions PRECISELY.  It is still telling me to I must select an account.  

1) I am using the Item Details, not the category details. 

2) I have tried changing the expense account from COS to a generic Expense account

3) I have tried leaving the "I sell this to customers" on and adding an income account, even though its not applicable. 

4)  I have tried changing the name, creating new catergories that do not resemble other names of the Products and services I actually sell.  

5) I am officially out of ideas of what to try.  

I'm open to suggestions on what to do to resolve, since my problem is not because I'm using Category instead of Item 

It's my priority to help you with saving your purchase order in QuickBooks Online, Triniant.

This error message(You must select an account for this transaction) happens when an amount is added on the  Category details section, without an account under Category. To isolate the issue, you can either remove the figures from the Amount column if you want to use an item for your PO or add an account under the Category.

Here's how:

1. From the Purchase Order window, remove the unnecessary amounts under Category details.
2. Enter the correct information in the Item details section.
3. Save the transaction.

From there, you should be able to save the PO successfully.

For more tips about handling PO in QuickBooks Online, you can ope this article: Create and send purchase orders in QuickBooks Online.

Once done, here's how you can update the status of a purchase order and add it to a bill.

If you have any other follow-up questions about saving purchase order transactions, please let me know by adding a comment below. I'm more than happy to help. Have a good one!

Again.  I have followed the instructions PRECISELY.  I have cleared and re-entered multiple times. 

I am NOT using the Categories section.  I have only entered data in the Item details section. 

I have double, triple and quadruple checked that the products are set up properly and are associate with an expense account. 

I am getting the error message regardless.  So again the question is what, now? 

Thank you for getting back to us, @Triniant. I'm here to ensure you can get that purchase order entered.

This can be the result of outdated or corrupt cache files in your web browser. Browser caches help speed up basic browsing. It allows you to save more time when loading repetitive images or information. However, it can impact processes when your browser accumulates too much historical data. 

We can clear them in just a few easy steps. Let's start by accessing your account through an incognito window to rule out the possibility of a webpage issue. You can refer to these shortcut keys to open an incognito window in all supported browsers:

• Chrome: Ctrl+Shift+N
• Firefox: Ctrl+Shift+P
• Safari: Command+Shift+N

If you're able to save the purchase order, I recommend that you clear your browser's cache. By clearing them, you can remove that historical data and access QuickBooks with a clean slate. You can also switch to a different supported browser to see if it has something to do with your browser.

Additionally, should you need to track the items that you’ve paid but haven't received yet, check out this link: Prepaid Inventory.

Please come back and keep us posted on your progress in getting your purchase order saved. The Community is always here to help.

Thanks @LieraMarie_A   I have tried all your suggestions.  No success on any browser. 

The PO function is only reason I am trying this package. So if there are no other potential solutions, I'll just downgrade, as all the other transactions I've been struggling with in other apps, have been resolvable (and often quite easily) in Quickbooks.   Pity. 

I appreciate you for trying the steps shared by my colleague, Triniant.

At this time, I'd recommend reaching out to our Phone Support team  so we can investigate this further.

To contact:

1. Sign in to QuickBooks.
2. Select Help (?), then click on Contact Us from the Search tab.
3. Enter a short description of your concern, then choose a way to connect with support.

Don't hesitate to click the Reply button if you have other queries. I'll be glad to help you.