Why does QB lie when they say I can have the same setup as desktop?

Hello there, gr8mom6. Allow me to clarify the process for you.

Your books may appear a little bit different after switching from QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT) to QuickBooks Online (QBO). QBDT uses different terminology than QBO for menus, functionalities, lists, items, transaction types, and reports. 

In the online version, the concept of Jobs has been replaced with Projects. Your existing job-related data will indeed be migrated as projects, and you won't lose this valuable information.

The job numbers you've been using in QBDT will carry over and be recognized as projects. All the related costings, invoices, and other associated data will also be preserved and linked to the respective projects.

Please know that the Project feature is only available in the Plus, Advanced, and Accountant versions of QBO. If you're using Simple Start or Essentials, you'll have to upgrade your plan.

Once you're all set up and ready, here's how to set up projects:

1. Go to the Gear icon and select Account and settings.
2. Proceed to the Advanced tab and click Projects.
3. Toggle the Organize all job-related activity in one place option.
4. Hit Save then Done. 
5. Click Projects from the menu tab and select New project.
6. In the Project Name field, enter the project name.
7. Select the project customer from the Customer drop-down.
8. Enter the needed details for the project and click Save.

Feel free to refer to this article for more detailed instructions: Create and manage projects in QBO.

In addition, you can create templates for recurring transactions like recurring expenses: Create recurring transactions in QBO.

I'll keep an eye out for your reply. If you have further questions about the project number or any QuickBooks-related concerns, feel free to include them in the comments. We're here to assist you 24/7.