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February 25, 2021
Question

Invoicing all monthly invoices in advance

  • February 25, 2021
  • 2 replies
  • 0 views

Hello,

 

Another question.  We issue deposit invoices throughout the year (on a difference frequency per project).  It would be easy for me to review the contract on Jan 1st each year and raise all the deposit invoices at that time and post date them.  Internally, the team are somewhat resistant to sending a stack of invoices to the clients in advance, but this would be much more efficient that going through each month and figuring out which of the contracts need to be invoiced.

 

I would appreciate feedback - is this generally bad practise?

 

Thanks,

Aksinia

2 replies

Fiat Lux - ASIA
February 25, 2021

Consider to utilize the billing app and integrate it with your QBD.

AS37Author
February 25, 2021

I'm in Canada, so not all the apps seem to be available.  Is it just called Quickbooks billing? Thanks!

Fiat Lux - ASIA
February 25, 2021

@AS37 

If you want to process it manually, you may create an Invoice data with the following template

CustomerTransaction DateRefNumberPO NumberTermsClassTemplate NameTo Be PrintedShip DateBillTo Line1BillTo Line2BillTo Line3BillTo Line4BillTo CityBillTo StateBillTo PostalCodeBillTo CountryShipTo Line1ShipTo Line2ShipTo Line3ShipTo Line4ShipTo CityShipTo StateShipTo PostalCodeShipTo CountryPhoneFaxEmailContact NameFirst NameLast NameRepDue DateShip MethodCustomer MessageMemoCust. Tax CodeItemQuantityDescriptionPriceIs PendingItem Line ClassService DateFOBCustomer Acct NoSales Tax ItemTo Be E-MailedOtherOther1Other2Unit of MeasureAR AccountCurrencyExchange RateSales Tax Code
Anne's Bakery01/09/2020100    Y15/09/2020Anne's BakeryOne Harbor Street  AnytownNY12345USAAnne's BakeryOne Harbor Street  AnytownNY12345USA(123) 456-7890          NonCabinets10Cabinets1000              Non
Anne's Bakery01/09/2020100    Y15/09/2020Anne's BakeryOne Harbor Street  AnytownNY12345USAAnne's BakeryOne Harbor Street  AnytownNY12345USA(123) 456-7890          NonHardware10Hardware50              Non
John's Barber Shope02/09/2020101    Y15/09/2020John's Barber Shope1 Main Street  AnytownNY12345USAJohn's Barber Shope1 Main Street  AnytownNY12345USA(999) 888-8888          NonBlueprints1Blueprints500              Non
Main St Bank03/09/2020102    N16/09/2020Main St Bank1 State Street  AnytownNY12345USAMain St Bank1 State Street  AnytownNY12345USA(888) 888-8888          NonDoor1Door300              Non
Main St Bank03/09/2020102    N16/09/2020Main St Bank1 State Street  AnytownNY12345USAMain St Bank1 State Street  AnytownNY12345USA(888) 888-8888          NonHandles1Handle10              Non
Main St Bank03/09/2020102    N16/09/2020Main St Bank1 State Street  AnytownNY12345USAMain St Bank1 State Street  AnytownNY12345USA(888) 888-8888          NonHinges3Hinges5              Non

 

then utilize one of these importer tools.

https://transactionpro.grsm.io/qbd

https://partners.saasant.com/affiliate/idevaffiliate.php?id=5051_2

 

Another option, explore this billing app to integrate with your QBD.

https://billcom.grsm.io/qbd

 

Rebecca R
February 25, 2021

Hello there Aksinia,

 

Staying on top of your bookkeeping by entering your transactions early is a great idea. There are a few ways that you could do this using QuickBooks Online to make your life a little easier. Let me give you a hand.

 

Your first option is to simply enter the Invoices using the + New button and specify the Invoice date and Due date as the date in the future. Hit Save and close when you've finished so that the Invoice isn't sent to the customer early. When you're ready to send the Invoice to the customer all you'll need to do is locate it from the Sales menu and hit Save and send

There's another option however, that I think might be useful for you if you're using QuickBooks Online Essentials or Plus. While you're working on an Invoice you should see the option to Make recurring from the bottom. You can also create recurring transactions by accessing the Gear icon and then choosing Recurring transactions from the Lists column. Almost any transaction can be made Recurring which essentially means that you can set things up in QuickBooks so that invoices or other transactions that you create regularly will be created automatically. 

 

You'll have the option to choose between a ScheduledReminer, or Unscheduled recurring transaction. Scheduled is the right choice if you want to have your transactions created automatically on a set schedule. You can also opt to have them sent via email automatically once created. A Reminder prompts you with a series of transactions according to a schedule you set. You'll have to decide to create and send them once you've received the reminder. An Unscheduled transaction is essentially created with some or all the necessary data but without a schedule. The template will only be used if you choose to use it. It's useful if you have transactions that you enter regularly but that don't follow a set schedule or that go to different customers.

 

I think this feature might be a great option for your business as it'll allow you to enter the necessary Invoice details ahead of time and have them set up to automatically send or automatically create on the date they need to be sent. This way you won't have to spend the time each month going through and sending or creating transactions if you don't want to. Please check out the article below and the additional articles linked at the bottom of this one for all the information you'll need on our Recurring transactions feature:

 

 

If you're wondering whether or not this is good practice, I'd recommend reaching out to an accounting professional to learn more about that. They'll be able to give you some advice on whether or not you should create your transactions in advance of when they need to be sent. You can invite your accountant to QuickBooks or locate a new accountant through the My Accountant tab. We have a database of QuickBooks-certified ProAdvisors that can be found from the Find a pro to help button. 

 

Let me know if you have more questions. I'm happy to give you a hand. Have a great day!

AS37Author
February 25, 2021

Thanks Rebecca.  I'm using Quickbooks Enterprise not Online.  I will look to see I create all my invoices in advance and mark "email later" and then have a monthly process to email out based on invoice date. I'm not sure if that works in Enterprise, but I'll be back if I need more help! :)