When I create a new product, the QBO requires to fill in Expense Account in the Products/Service Information area, but it was not required before?

Hello there, @janet43.

When you create a new inventory product in QuickBooks Online (QBO), there'll be a default Expense account indicated which is the Cost of sales. Once you're going to assign the cost of the product to another account, you should be able to add one by selecting the Add new option from the Expense account drop-down menu.

We always make sure to keep you updated on whatever upgrades are made in QBO. This way, you can keep up with the latest features and changes in the system. Since you're unable to choose the corresponding account from the Expense account drop-down menu, I'd recommend performing some troubleshooting steps to isolate the issue.

There are times that the browser is full of frequently accessed pages, thus causing some unusual responses. You can log into your QuickBooks Online (QBO) account using a private browser (incognito).

Here's how:

• Press Ctrl + Shift + N (Google Chrome)
• Ctrl + Shift + P (Firefox)
• Control + Option + P (Safari)

Once signed in, go to the Products/Service Information page and check the Expense account field. From there, add your new inventory product. If it works. return to your default browser and clear its cache and cookies. This will  refresh the system and remove older data that cause viewing and performance issues. However, if the issue persists, I'd recommend using other supported browsers.

You can use reports to get helpful insights on the things you buy and sell, and the status of your inventory. For the complete list of reports, kindly check out this article: Use reports to see your sales and inventory status. It includes topics about seeing your best sellers, checking what's in stock, and still on order. Then, to focus on the details that matter the most to you, just select the Customise button. For the step-by-step guide, kindly refer to this article: Customise reports in QuickBooks Online.

Please don't hesitate to comment down below if you have other concerns or follow-up inquiries about adding your products/services in QBO. I'm just around to help. Take care always.