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February 14, 2024
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How do I create an invoice that shows only total price to the customer, but shows me the taxable and non-taxable breakdown?

  • February 14, 2024
  • 2 replies
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For example, I sell a deck project for $20,000.  I bought $10,000 in lumber out of state that I own 6% use tax on.  The invoice would show the following categories: Use taxable: $10,000, sales tax: $600, non-taxable: $9,400, Total: $20,000.
However, I only want the customer to see total: $20,000.  I need the breakdown for my purposes, but I don't always want the customer to see anything but the total.
-Thanks
Best answer by Rainflurry

@a1stove 

 

There's no need to put that on your customer's invoice.  Just issue a single line-item invoice for $20K for the job.  Handle the use tax on the expense/bill created when you bought the lumber out of state.  On the expense/bill, list the lumber expense as $10,600, then add a line item for -$600 and assign that to your sales tax payable account(s).  That will properly record the $10,600 in expenses, the $10,000 payment/balance owed and $600 payable to your state's sales tax agency.  

2 replies

MorganB
February 14, 2024

Welcome to the Community, a1stove.

 

I appreciate you brining your question forward about a separate invoice showing the taxable and non-taxable breakdown in QuickBooks Online.

 

While there are many different ways to customize invoices in QuickBooks Online, there isn't currently a way to show two views with the total vs. taxable and non-taxable items for you and your customer. I can see how this would be a beneficial option to have when creating invoices. In this instance, I recommend submitting your suggestion to the Product Development Team. This can be done directly through your QBO account by clicking the Gear icon in the top right corner, then select Feedback. 

 

Once you've done that, keep an eye out of the Firm of the Future site for the latest news about product updates and feature releases. These often come directly from great user suggestions like yours.

 

Please feel free to reach back out if you have any other questions for me. I'll be here to help in any way that I can.

BigRedConsulting
February 14, 2024

@MorganB 

RE: a separate invoice showing the taxable and non-taxable breakdown in QuickBooks Online.

 

@a1stove  did not ask about a separate invoice. Did you read the question?

 

RE: there isn't currently a way to show two views with the total vs. taxable and non-taxable items for you and your customer. I can see how this would be a beneficial option to have when creating invoices

 

Yes, very beneficial! That's why QuickBooks Desktop has been able to do it for 30 years or so.

 

RE: In this instance, I recommend submitting your suggestion to the Product Development Team.

 

That would be a waste of time. Customers have been asking for this for decades for QuickBooks Online. Intuit recently dumbed-down the QuickBooks Online invoices and made them even less functional than they were before. Doing what the OP asked for is so far from where QuickBooks Online invoices are at this point it's not even funny. If customers need real, functional invoices that look like business documents when they print, they should be using QuickBooks Desktop.

 

Rainflurry
February 15, 2024

@a1stove 

 

There's no need to put that on your customer's invoice.  Just issue a single line-item invoice for $20K for the job.  Handle the use tax on the expense/bill created when you bought the lumber out of state.  On the expense/bill, list the lumber expense as $10,600, then add a line item for -$600 and assign that to your sales tax payable account(s).  That will properly record the $10,600 in expenses, the $10,000 payment/balance owed and $600 payable to your state's sales tax agency.  

a1stoveAuthor
February 16, 2024

Thanks for the response.  It sounds like that will work well.  Just one follow up question- when I create "a single line-item invoice for $20K for the job" how do I categorize it?  Do I just categorize it as non-taxable?

Rainflurry
February 16, 2024

@a1stove 

 

You mentioned that you didn't want the customer to see anything but the total.  You can use as many line items as you want - just map them all to an income account.  Whether you charge sales tax depends on your state but I think most states don't require you to collect sales tax on real property improvements.  Maybe that's more than you were asking.