Overview
As of July 17th 2024, we have released a new QuickBooks Online integration version (2.1). In this article, we'll take a closer look at how to get the most out of this integration.
In a few simple steps, you will be able to sync your invoices between Bonsai and QuickBooks Online. This means you won't need to manually upload invoices and your information will always be in sync between your two accounts.
Note: To confirm if your paid subscription has access to this integration, visit our pricing page.
What information is synced between Bonsai and QuickBooks Online?
When you sync an invoice from Bonsai to QuickBooks Online, the following invoice data will be pushed:
Client / Company name
Client / Company address
Invoice number
Invoice / Issued date
Invoice / Due date
Invoice / Item name
Invoice / Discount (if applicable)
Invoice / Tax amount (if applicable)
Invoice / Expenses (will be pushed as line items)
Payment date and amount (when invoice is paid)
Note: at this time, the QuickBooks Online integration only syncs invoice amounts without online payment fees.
Connecting to QuickBooks
If you're new to using the QuickBooks Online integration:
Navigate to the profile icon in the bottom lefthand corner of your account
Select 'Settings'
Select 'Integrations & Data'
Here, you can select the QuickBooks Online integration:
Next, select your preferences for when invoices are synchronized between Bonsai and QuickBooks Online:
Once you're ready, select 'Connect to QuickBooks'.
This will redirect you to a QuickBooks Online login screen where you can sign into your QuickBooks account:
Once you've signed into your QuickBooks Online account, you'll be redirected to the Bonsai integration page where you'll see a checkmark that indicates QuickBooks Online is now connected:
Once you're connected, when you navigate to your Invoices page, you'll notice a syncing icon to the right of each of your invoice lines. Each time an invoice has successfully synced to QuickBooks Online and the icon will turn green:
If you've previously connected to the QuickBooks Online integration:
All you need to do to update your QuickBooks Online integration to the latest version is disconnect and then reconnect. This will not impact any of the data previously synced between Bonsai and QuickBooks Online. Follow these steps to disconnect your current QuickBooks Online integration:
Navigate to the profile icon in the bottom lefthand corner of your account
Select 'Settings'
Select 'Integrations & Data'
Here you can select the QuickBooks Online integration:
Next, select 'Disconnect':
Once you've disconnected from QuickBooks Online, you'll receive a message in the bottom righthand corner that says "Successfully disconnected from QuickBooks":
With that, you'll notice that the QuickBooks Online integration no longer has a checkmark next to it to indicate a connection:
When you're ready, select 'QuickBooks Online' to reconnect to the integration.
Here, you can choose your new integration preferences and select 'Connect to QuickBooks':
Once completed, this will ensure that you're connected to the latest version:
Now you're ready to start syncing your invoice data to QuickBooks Online.
Sync Settings
Manual Syncing:
You have the ability to manually sync 'drafted' invoices or invoices that you created prior to connecting to the integration. To manually sync an invoice, simply navigate to Financial Management > Invoices.
Here you can manually select the syncing icon on the righthand side of your invoice:
Once you've selected this, this will push your invoice into QuickBooks Online:
This way, you can stay up-to-date with any invoice or invoice drafts you have across Bonsai and QuickBooks Online.
Automatic Syncing of Paid Invoices:
You have the ability to automatically sync invoices that have been paid from Bonsai to QuickBooks Online.
To set your preferences to allow this:
Navigate to the profile icon in the bottom lefthand corner of your account
Select 'Settings'
Navigate to 'Integrations & Data'
Select 'QuickBooks Online'
Here, select 'Automatically push Paid invoices from Bonsai to QuickBooks':
Next, select 'Connect to QuickBooks'.
This will ensure that all paid invoices moving forward will sync to QuickBooks Online.
Automatic Syncing of Sent Invoices:
You have the ability to automatically sync invoices that have been 'sent' to your clients, but have not yet been paid.
When you are connecting to the QuickBooks Online integration, select 'Automatically push Sent invoices from Bonsai to QuickBooks':
When you're ready, select 'Connect to QuickBooks'.
This ensures that any invoice that you've 'sent' to a client in Bonsai, is automatically synced within QuickBooks Online. This allows you to track the progress of your invoices every step of the way.
Syncing data from QuickBooks Online to Bonsai
Our QuickBooks Online integration can retrieve data from QuickBooks and sync it to your Bonsai account. This means that when you receive an online payment or record a payment on an invoice in QuickBooks, you can sync that paid status within Bonsai.
When you are connecting to the QuickBooks Online integration, you'll want to select 'Automatically sync Paid invoices from QuickBooks to Bonsai':
Once completed, you'll have the ability to sync a paid invoice status from QuickBooks Online into Bonsai.
To action syncing a paid invoice from QuickBooks Online to Bonsai, you must receive an online payment in QuickBooks or manually record a payment in QuickBooks.
To manually record a payment in QuickBooks Online:
Sync your 'drafted' or 'sent' invoice from Bonsai to QuickBooks Online:
From here, in QuickBooks Online, select 'receive payment' to record the payment:
Once you've recorded payment in QuickBooks Online, it will update the synced invoice status in Bonsai from ‘drafted’, ‘outstanding’, ‘overdue’ to ‘Paid’:
Detailed Data Syncing Rules
1. Client Information:
If the client does not have a Bonsai account, the company name or default contact name is sent.
If the client has a Bonsai account, the company name is sent.
2. Address and Email:
The client’s profile address and email are sent if they have a Bonsai account. This data is only passed to QuickBooks Online when the client is created.
3. Invoice Line Items:
Line items with descriptions are sent as “Name - Description.” If no description is available, only “Name” is sent.
New services or item codes are not created in QuickBooks Online.
4. Invoice Amount with Online Payment Fees:
The original invoice amount is sent, excluding payment fees.
Example: For a $100 invoice with $3 in fees, $100 is sent.
5. Expenses:
Currently, expenses are sent as invoice line items with the format: "Expense — Name of the expense."
6. Tax:
0% Tax Rate: Works without additional setup for US users.
Non-0% Tax Rate: You must ensure the corresponding custom sales tax rate is created in QuickBooks Online. Helpful article: Custom Rates in QuickBooks Online
7. Discounts:
Discount amount is pushed to QuickBooks Online
Note: Discrepancies may occur in invoices with discounts, tax > 0%, and expenses due to different discount application methods between Bonsai and QuickBooks.
- In Bonsai the full discount amount is applied to the subtotal excluding expenses.
- In QuickBooks the discount is pro-rated within line items from both the taxable subtotal and the non-taxable subtotal. As Expenses are passed as non-taxable line items, QuickBooks is prorating part of the discount to those expenses, which creates a difference between the taxable subtotal in Bonsai and QuickBooks.
8. Tips:
Tips are not supported by the integration.
Integration Limitations
Partially paid invoices are not synced.
Online payment fees and refunds are not sent to QuickBooks Online.
Invoices that have been synced to QuickBooks Online and later deleted cannot be re-synced.
Non-invoice income is not sent to QuickBooks Online.