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jeffbean
May 22, 2021
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Can I use Product/Service to bill clients for Billable Expenses?

  • May 22, 2021
  • 2 replies
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We have consultants traveling to client sites and billing our clients for travel expenses. I've got the consultants capturing these receipts, reviewing them, entering Expense information, they are Billable items showing in the Add to Invoice window and available to add to the invoice. That much works fine.

 

When the Billable Expenses are added to the invoice, the only information showing on the invoice from these Billable Expenses are the Date, Description and Amount fields. The Product/Service field sits empty and unused.

 

I have setup the Product and Services List with various categories of our billable travel expenses (e.g., lodging, airfare, transportation, meals). But if I choose a Product/Service for an added Billable Expense, QBO removes the Description and Date and zeroes out the Amount. All the information from the Expense is lost.

 

The Product and Services function seems tailor-made for what we're trying to do, but it doesn't work with Billable Expenses that have already been added to the invoice.

 

(I had thought that the Expense Item Details function might work to set a Product/Service for Billable Expenses before adding them to the invoice. But that doesn't work, either. None of the Product/Services I have created are available on that screen. Also, doing more research here I learned that the Item Details is intended just for use with inventory. Our travel expenses are not inventory.)

 

What am I missing?

    Best answer by JoesemM

    @Ryan_M  Thank you for your response. You are the third QB Team member to respond. None of you have answered my question.

     

    Each of you has introduced a new twist. As I requested clarification, no one has followed up. This thread is a series of non-sequiturs.

     

     @Maybelle_S  suggested my experience with Quickbooks was a browser malfunction.  @DivinaMercy_N said I could use the Item Details in an Expense screen to identify Products/Services as I wanted, but I can't follow her directions, can't see where she got her screenshot, and I can't find anywhere in the QBO app that looks anything like what she's describing. And now @Ryan_M , you've not addressed my question of whether I can use the Products and Services List to provide more detail for Billable Expenses in an invoice. The two videos you link do not show the use of the Product/Service field and you didn't mention it at all.

     

    I had created items in the Products and Services List that would serve my purposes well to provide more detail on the invoice for my clients about the Billable Expenses. But I can't use them because, when selected, they delete the data provided from the Billable Expense. I had hoped I was missing something, but after three responses, it appears I am not. It appears this is the way QBO is designed to work, which is to say, it doesn't. At this point, someone from QBO could simply admit that it won't work, but I'm past the point of expecting that.


    Thanks for sharing the details with me, @jeffbean.

     

    I can see how this option would be helpful for you and your business. Therefore, let me take note of this as a suggestion to improve your QuickBooks experience. Also, I’d appreciate it if you send your product suggestions straight to our Developers. They'll be able to review and put this to work immediately.

     

    Here’s how to send a product request: 

     

    1. Click the Gear icon.

    2. Select Feedback.

    3. Enter your suggestion.

    4. Click Next.

    5. Click Skip and send a message.

    6. Select a Category.

    7. Click Send a message.

     

    While we continue to make your experience with us even better, I'd encourage you to visit our QuickBooks Online Blog to be updated about our latest happenings. Through this, you're able to get the newest news, features, and updates about QuickBooks Online and what our Product Care Team is working on.

     

    For other related articles you can use in the future, you may also refer to this helpful link: Income and expenses for QuickBooks Online.

     

    If you have any other concerns, feedback, or questions, don't hesitate and come back to the Community. I'm always here to help you. Have a great day.

    2 replies

    M
    Maybelle_S
    May 22, 2021

    I want to ensure this is taken care of, @jeffbean.

     

    There are times that the browser is full of frequently-accessed page resources, thus accumulating and corrupts the browser cache causing the runtime user interface to malfunction.

     

    To start, access the QuickBooks account using a private/incognito browser. You can use the shortcut keys below:

     

    • Safari: Command + Shift + N 

    • Google Chrome: CTRL + Shift + N

    • Mozilla Firefox or Microsoft Edge: CTRL + Shift + P 

     

    Once you're in, enter your billable expenses again. If you're able to do so, we'll go back to your regular browser and clear the cache to get rid of the stored junk files.

     

    If the same thing happens, you can use other supported browsers. It could be that the one you're currently working on has a temporary issue with QuickBooks.

     

    I've got a link here that provides you with articles about managing expenses and vendors: Enter expenses, pay bills, and write checks. 

     

    Please know that you can always get back to us if you have other questions. I'm more than happy to help. Take care.

    J
    jeffbeanAuthor
    May 23, 2021

    @Maybelle_S  Thank you for your response.

     

    When I posted this, it appeared to me that QBO was functioning as it was intended, it just functioned poorly. When I choose a Product/Service from the pulldown menu on the line item of a Billable Expense, it immediately deletes the Description and zeroes the Amount. I did not think this was a malfunction.

     

    This has been how it has functioned for more than a year, across three different browsers.

     

    To be sure, I did test it twice, as you suggested, both in a private window (Firefox) and incognito (Chrome). Same result. 

     

    I still don't believe this is a malfunction. If it were, that would be great, because then I would ask what QBO will do to get it fixed. If this is a malfunction, please be clear and confirm that QBO is not supposed to function this way.

     

    If however, as I suspect, this is another instance where two QBO functions do not work well together, I would appreciate hearing of any workaround or some other approach that might be better.

    DivinaMercy_N
    DivinaMercy_N
    May 23, 2021

    Hi there, @jeffbean.

     

    Thanks for getting back here. I appreciate also the information you shared about your concern. Please allow me to give additional details about making your items billable to your clients.

     

    Item Details in the Bill or Expense will show your products and services for each type (Inventory, Non-inventory, and Service). Just make sure that the I purchase this product/service from a vendor box is checked, so you can select it on the drop-down. Here's how:

    1. Go to the Sales menu and choose Products and services.
    2. Look for the items you want to show on the drop-down and click Edit.
    3. Scroll down to the Purchasing information section and check the box for the I purchase this product/service from a vendor .
    4. Once done, select Save.
    5. Then, go back to the Bill or Expense form and go to the Item details section.
    6. Click the drop-down and you'll now see the products or service you need to add. 

     

    Also, when you enter your billable travel expense categories in the Category details section, the invoice will only show the Date, Description, and Amount. The category name itself will not appear because this is not a product or service. Categories are linked to accounts in your Chart of Accounts and a sales form requires an item. This is why selecting a product on invoices overwrites the info. 

     

    To help you with this, you can use the Description field of the expense or bill to input the details you want your clients to see. It will be automatically copied to the invoice and save you time. 

     

    For your reference, please see this article: Enter billable expenses. 

     

    Lastly, to help you keep track of what items you buy or sell, you can run several inventory reports. To get started, please visit this page: Use reports to see your sales and inventory status.

     

    If you have further questions about making your products billable to the customer, please post a reply below. I'm always around to help. Have a good one. 

    MJoy_D
    MJoy_D
    April 5, 2022

    Welcome and thank you for choosing QuickBooks Online (QBO), @bobkc.

     

    I can help you with recording your transactions appropriately in QBO. 

     

    You can record this expense as billable. Then, link this expense to your customer's invoice. But first, you must turn on the billable expense tracking from the Gear icon (⚙). 

     

    Follow the steps below:

     

    1. Go to the Gear icon ⚙ and proceed to the Account and settings.
    2. Click the Expenses tab and then go to the Bills and expenses section, select Edit ✎.
    3. Turn on the following:
      • Show Items table on expense and purchase forms
      • Track expenses and items by customer.
      • Make expenses and items billable.
    4. Set all the necessary information.
    5. Select Save.

     

    Once you're done, you can record these travel expenses:

     

    1. Go to the + New button and select the transaction (Bill, Expense, or Check) you want to create.
    2. Select the payee.
    3. In the Category column, select the expense account for the transaction.
    4. Enter the description and amount of the expense, then select the Billable checkbox.
    5. In the Customer column, select the customer you want to bill for this expense.
    6. Select Save and close.

     

    Lastly, link the billable expense to your customer's invoice:

     

    1. Go to the + New and select Invoice.
    2. In the Customer dropdown menu, select the customer you created a billable expense for. This opens the Add to invoice window.
    3. Click Add on the billable expense you want to charge to your customer.
    4. Select Save and close.

     

    You can check this article for more information about turning on billable expense tracking, billing a customer for an expense, and adding billable expenses to invoices: Enter billable expenses.

     

    Check out this article for more information about editing, reviewing, and deleting expenses in QBO: Enter and manage expenses in QuickBooks Online.

     

    Here's a reference on how you can record sales transactions in two ways in QBO: Record invoice payments in QuickBooks Online. 

     

    I'm always here if you need more help in recording your transactions. Let me know in the Reply section below. Have a great rest of the day!

    B
    bobkc
    April 5, 2022

    MaryJoyD - thanks for this reply.  The instructions make sense but I don't have the option to turn on "Show items table on expense and purchase forms Track expenses and items by customer.  See attached screen shot of my options when I edit.  Thanks.

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