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DevotedDreamer
April 3, 2020
Question

What is the purpose of the Open Balance column on the Sales by Product/Service Detail report?

  • April 3, 2020
  • 2 replies
  • 0 views

Can someone tell me what the Open Balance column is for on the Sales by Product/Service Detail report?  It definitely doesn't show what I consider the open balance i.e. the balance currently outstanding on a customer invoice.  I have a test customer that I have created an invoice for and recorded a partial payment, but the Open Balance column on this report is completely blank.  I would have expected it to show the outstanding amount due.  What is this column in fact supposed to show?

    2 replies

    AddieC
    AddieC
    April 3, 2020

    Hi there, 

     

    QuickBooks Online comes stocked with tons of awesome reports that help you better understand the inner workings of your business finances. I know how helpful it is to include additional columns and make custom changes to the way your report is displayed. I'll explain what the Open Balance column does in the Sales by Product/Service Detail Report. 

     

    Since this report is centred around information pertaining to the products/services in QBO, the invoice balance is simply demonstrative of transactions that include each item. The "Open Balance" column won't apply to this specific report.


    If you're looking for a more in-depth report that will display open balances for each of your customers, try running the Customer Balance Detail Report. This report shows you how much each customer owes you, and the corresponding individual invoices.

     

    I hope this helps you gather all the information you need about your customers and their open balances. 

     

    If you need any additional assistance, please reach out to our tech support team.

     

    Cheers. 

    D
    DevotedDreamerAuthor
    April 10, 2020

    Thanks for your response.  Unfortunately, while the Customer balance Detail report is helpful, I am looking for a report that shows outstanding balances as well as the products that were purchased on the particular invoice.  I have tried doing that on the Customer Balance Detail report, but unfortunately that report won't show any memo/description, so I assume that the purpose of the memo/description column in that report serves the same purpose as the Open Balance column in the Sales by Product Detail report i.e. none :(

      AddieC
      AddieC
      April 10, 2020

      That's correct. The Memo/Description field appears blank in this report, as it typically doesn't pertain to the information being extracted from the transaction. I can see how it would serve a useful purpose for your needs, and I'd recommend submitting feedback about this to our product development team so we can consider it for future updates. I'll be happy to pass along your feedback on my end as well.


      Have a great day.

      N
      nmarshik
      July 7, 2022

      Found this in 2022 and it is still wonky but there's a workaround:

       

      In the Sales by Product/Service Detail > Group by Customer > Filter by whichever products/services you're investigating. THEN under "Columns" add "A/R Paid". It won't show you the customer's open balance but it will at least show if the invoice containing those P/S has been paid.

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