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ACO_llc
May 24, 2025
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Projects functionality

  • May 24, 2025
  • 1 reply
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I have just discovered the Projects function and thought that it would be perfect to track events or, in my case, productions (we're a nonprofit community theatre). In my searches I found this post from 2019 that seems to indicate this is NOT possible (though I'm not sure why).

 

We have been using Classes to track all income and expenses related to each production, and that works OK. But the reporting is a huge hassle, requiring lots of Excel work to make the reports presentable. So I created a Project for a show with the Customer being the name of the theatre. Then I added a few historical transactions to it by selecting the appropriate project for each transaction.

 

The Project Overview doesn't reflect any activity, however. The transactions only show up when I dig down into Transactions on the Project screen. Why are these transactions not captured for the Overview or any reports?

Best answer by ACO_llc

Yes, @ACO_llc, if you categorize bank deposits as asset, liability, or equity accounts, they will not appear on the Overview page, only the profit loss accounts.

 

On the Bank Deposit page, under Add funds to this deposit, tick the check box beside "Track Returns for Customers" to assign your income to a specific project without associating an invoice.

 

To show the income transactions on the Overview page, follow the steps below:

 

  1. In the RECEIVED FROM dropdown, select the appropriate project.
  2. In the CUSTOMER/PROJECT, choose the customer.

 

 

Similarly, for expenses, choose the appropriate project in the Customer/Project column and use the expense account to ensure visibility in the project overview or any project reports.

 

Use this link to create projects in QuickBooks Online. It will guide you in viewing and editing the associated transactions and running project-specific reports.

 

Lastly, for enhanced reporting and optimal use of QuickBooks, contact our Live Expert Assisted team for personalized support and guidance, ensuring confident and efficient use of QuickBooks.

 

If you need more clarification about your Projects, get back to this thread by clicking the REPLY button. We are here to support and guide you through every step of the process.


Income that is not linked to sales transactions will not appear in the project's Overview or any other reports. However, you can run the Project Profitability Summary Report to display the income transactions. 

 

This seems self-contradictory. You say that income "not linked to sales transactions" will NOT appear in the Overview or reports. But then you say they will appear in the Profitability Summary Report. They can't both be true. But through experimentation myself I found the answer I need:

 

There a Customer/Project field on the Expense form (checks too) so those can be assigned even if there is no associated Bill. Those transactions appear in the Project and the Profitability Report. Now I notice on the Bank Deposit form there's a checkbox that says "Track Returns for Customers." I've never had that on because we don't do returns. But when I DO turn it on the Customer/Project field appears in the Bank Deposit form. Now I can assign income for which there are no invoices to a specific project (show) and easily run a profitability report for the show.  And GUESS WHAT? The transactions ALSO appear in the Overview for the Project. So what you said above is NOT true.

 

THAT'S WHAT I NEEDED TO KNOW. I hope this is helpful to others. 

 

 

1 reply

Clark_B
Clark_B
May 24, 2025

We can generate the Project Profitability report to track your income and cost transactions as the Overview section only displays the total income and expenses, @ACO_llc.

 

First off, you're right that utilizing a project for your production company is not suitable as it is designed to handle only one customer per project. Thus, the transactions tracked are only those assigned to that specific project.

 

To run the Project Profitability report, follow these steps:

 

  1. Navigate to Projects in the left navigation panel.
  2. Select the specific projects for which you want to analyze income and costs.
  3. Click on Project Reports and then view the Project Profitability.

 

 

In case you want to use your reports outside of QuickBooks, check this guide to help you export them: Export your reports to Excel from QBO.

 

Feel free to click Reply if you have further concerns about projects. We're always available to help you out.

A
ACO_llcAuthor
May 24, 2025

First off, you're right that utilizing a project for your production company is not suitable as it is designed to handle only one customer per project. Thus, the transactions tracked are only those assigned to that specific project.

 

I AM using only one customer per project. The theater is the customer, and related to the production there is both income (mostly from one source) and expenses (to a variety of vendors). It seems from everything you say that using a Project for each show should work perfectly. Any idea why it doesn't?

 

M
mv32
May 25, 2025

Hi, @ACO_llc. Allow me to offer additional insights into the Projects Overview feature, highlighting a few pros and cons.

 

You've observed that despite receiving income and incurring expenses for the project, these transactions are not visible in the project's Overview or any other reports. If there is a specific report you are interested in, could you please specify the data you wish to view? This information will assist me in identifying if a suitable option is available in QuickBooks Online. Additionally, within the Overview, these transactions will be displayed as a total amount per account or service item category.

 

You are correct; the transactions will be displayed in the Projects' Transactions tab. Given that the Overview tab summarizes all transactions involved in a project, I recommend clicking on the amounts for each category to view further details.

 

To track income, we can start by creating a "service" item for the total sales from customers, naming it "Customer Total Sales," and assigning it to the appropriate project. Additionally, make sure this service item is linked to an income account under the same name for consistency. I also recommend seeking accounting advice for effective tracking.

 

It's important to note that invoicing individual customers who watch the play can't be feasible as tracking them in the project can be challenging. However, by using this method, it will be easier to account for the income received from theatre-goers and view the breakdown of total income including billable expense income, markup, and other types of income. The amounts will be displayed in the Income section. I have included a video snippet to demonstrate how I invoiced the project for clarity.

 

 

To ensure expenses are accurately reflected in the Overview, create a billable expense that can be included on the invoice when it is associated with the project. This will be recorded as billable income, and any markup on the expense will be displayed accordingly in the project's Overview window. The source of the expense doesn't affect its reflection, provided that the Customer/Projects column is correctly labeled with the project's name. These transactions can be specifically viewed in the Costs section.

 

 


Please note that billable expenses and markups listed in the Costs section will appear as Billable Expense Income and Markup respectively in the Income section when these billable expenses are converted as invoices. Additionally, if the Billable checkbox is left unchecked in a transaction, yet the Customer/Project section is populated with the project's name, the transaction will continue to appear under Costs.

 

Furthermore, utilizing class and location for tracking can facilitate the breakdown into specific reports. It’s crucial to recognize that each report has designated targets and sources. Consequently, you are correct in exporting them to Excel to enable strategic customization.

 

For additional details on utilizing Projects, please refer to this article: Create projects in QuickBooks Online or Intuit Enterprise Suite. This resource provides links on how to add transactions, existing invoices, timesheets, and expenses to a project, serving as your future reference.

 

Always feel free to post if you have additional questions about the Project feature or other QuickBooks-related concerns, ACO_llc. We are always here to support you.

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