When entering a sales order, Quickbooks shows the order as paid even though the customer has not paid. How do I enter sales orders for customers who don't pay upfront?

Hello, @samantha-perfect.

I'm glad you reached out to the Community about this. QuickBooks Online does not have Sales Orders, so this may be the source of your confusion. The desktop version has sales orders, and if you are new to QuickBooks Online, this can be a learning curve.

However, you can create an Estimate as a replacement and later on, convert it into invoices. Both are non-posting transactions and will not be included on the Profit & Loss report.

Sales Orders help you record sales of products & services your customer orders. It then allows you to keep track of multiple orders & then combine them on a single invoice. Similarly, an Estimate is a proposal for something for a specific price that you can turn into an invoice.

You also have the option to rename the transaction form from Estimate to Sales Order. This way when you create an Estimate, your customer will receive a Sales Order. Here's how:

1. Go to the Gear icon, then select Custom Form Styles.
2. Locate the Estimate form, then under the Action column, click Edit.
3. Select the Content tab, then click the Title section of the form.
4. Replace the Form names from estimate to Sales Order.
5. Click the Done button.

I'm linking a helpful article for your reference: Creating Estimates.

Please know I'm here if you have further concerns about QuickBooks Online features. Have a great rest of your Wednesday!