Skip to main content
A
accountant_not
February 26, 2023
Question

None of my bill payments have GST amounts

  • February 26, 2023
  • 2 replies
  • 0 views

I am not an accountant, just a business owner "flying solo". This problem has existed since day one of my QBO subscription but I thought it was normal. Later I noticed that my bill payments never reduced the GST owing amount.

 

Scenario:

I create a bill that I have to pay. Let's say it's for $100 plus GST 5%. The total is $105.

Once the bill is created I click on "Make Payment". The new windows automatically fills in the full amount to pay. No GST fields, just the amount to pay (this makes sense because the bill itself is dictating what is the GST amount). So I click PAY.

When I look at the Transactions List I see this:

 

Before sales tax: 572.44   |   Sales Tax: $0   |   Total 572.44

 

As a side issue - I cannot find a place on the "Make Payment" window to specify that the payment was E-transfer. The system automatically makes it as Bill Payment (cheque). 

 

One last important thing to mention. If I create an expense manually or via receipt upload, the GST is reflected properly. I can see it under my Expenses list. The sales tax is displayed properly and the total Tax > GST Owing number goes down as I add expenses this way. But if I do it as a Bill Payment, then GST is zero. Always has been like that.

 

I contacted support 2 times. The first time the rep just stopped responding. The second attempt got me further. Their reply was this:   ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

Can anyone help me? Can you check on your end and confirm similar behavior?

2 replies

T
Trish_T
February 27, 2023

Hi accountant_not,

 

It's a pleasure to see you in Community.  Welcome!  Making sure your sales tax is accurately applied to your transactions in QuickBooks Online is key, in keeping with government guidelines.  I'd be happy to help!

 

Adding sales tax to your forms, ensures accurate tracking for filing and recording your sales tax payments.  When you create an expense or bill, you'll want to ensure you select the appropriate sales tax for the item.  If you've selected 'inclusive of tax', it would indicate the tax is included in the price of the item, and therefore wouldn't be shown separately.  You can review general information for GST/HST on the CRA website.  If you're not sure which sales tax rate should apply, it's best to reach out to an accounting professional.  If you don't have an accountant, we can help you locate a ProAdvisor in your local area. 

 

With regards to the option to 'make payment', you can add a memo to reflect your payment method.  However, if you'd like to see the options for payment methods when making payments, you can submit a suggestion to our Development Team.  Customer recommendations are greatly appreciated to help improve your overall customer experience with QuickBooks Online.

 

Please don't hesitate to contact us if you require additional assistance.  It would be our pleasure to work with you in real time, and ensure you're able to record your sales tax accurately in QuickBooks Online.

 

Schedule a Callback or start a Chat: click (?) Help in the upper right in QuickBooks Online > enter "Contact support" > hit Contact Us > provide a brief summary of your situation > hit Let's Talk > choose Get a callback or Start a Chat.
Social Media: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Support hours are from Monday to Friday between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. ET.
 

If any other questions come to mind, feel free to reach out again.  We'd be glad to assist!

 

A
accountant_notAuthor
February 27, 2023

Hi Trish_T (QuickBooks Team) posted a new reply,

 

It's a pleasure to see you here in our Community! 

 

The goods and services tax (GST) is a value-added tax (VAT) levied on most goods and services sold for domestic consumption. The GST is paid by consumers, but it is remitted to the government by the businesses selling the goods and services. For more information please visit https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/businesses/topics/gst-hst-businesses/definitions-gst-hst.html

 

Hopefully I was able to address all your concerns in your comment! If you have any follow up questions, please don't hesitate to contact me by replying to this comment:

 

To do so, please navigate to the end of it, then locate the [Reply] button in the bottom right corner and click it.

Enter your message in a special designated field and then click [Post] button right below in the bottom right corner.

 

My hours of operation are random and I don't have social media presence.

 

Thank you!

A
AdminAndrea
March 1, 2023

You shouldn't see the breakdown of taxes when making a payment because that would be counting it twice.  When you enter an invoice (bill) for payment and capture the GST it is reflected in your sales tax paid. The Bill payment only shows you that the invoice (bill) was paid.  

 

For the eTransfer - you would have to edit your Payment Method List to include that type of payment so it could be selected when making payment. Go to the Gear Icon (top right of screen), click on All Lists, select Payment Methods, Click on NEW to add to the list.  

 

I hope this helps 🙂

    A
    accountant_notAuthor
    March 1, 2023

    Hi Andrea,

     

    I do have the e-transfer payment option defined but it only works on receiving money. Like you said, there is a drop-down with a list of payment methods.

    But when I go to Pay the Bills, I don't see the Payment Methods drop-down at all. Only the Accounts drop-down.

     

    --

    As for the GST that is accounted for at the time of the Bill - it makes total sense. Thanks for the explanation.

     

    It just appears that the QBO user interface designers didn't put much thought into displaying the payments and bills together inside the same table-grid containing the rows: | amt before tax  | tax | amt with tax |

    As far as the visuals are concerned, one would expect to see the Payment line follow the same breakdown as the Bill line, even if the system under the hood is capturing the GST once. It just doesn't make sense to view it this way i.e. payment made of $1050 and $0 GST.

     

      A
      AdminAndrea
      March 2, 2023

      I totally agree!  I'd rather see the full structure of the entry - the cost and the tax both as a bill and as a payment.  I suspect that QB is similar to other software in that those that design it don't actually use it 😉

       

      As for the payment method - I'm wondering if it is because "eTransfer" is likely not set up as a bank or credit card account (in your chart of accounts).  So when you make a payment the system is saying - take this payment from this account (ie your bank account) rather than the actual method of payment.  Could you use the Ref No. field to indicate the payment was made by eTransfer & conf number?  I tend to use that field for confirmation number when I make payments from my CAD bank account.  This way I can easily track the outgoing money when I do my reconciliation.  

      Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement