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Monograph sends invoices and expenses to a specific customer record in QuickBooks Online, called the QuickBooks destination. A destination can be set for an entire project or for a single invoice, and new sub-customer records can be created in QuickBooks Online directly from Monograph.
What the QuickBooks Destination Is
The QuickBooks destination is the record in QuickBooks Online that receives invoices and expenses sent from Monograph. It is always one of the following:
The client record - the QuickBooks customer synced with the project's client in Monograph.
A sub-customer - a record nested beneath that client in QuickBooks Online.
In QuickBooks Online, a sub-customer appears indented beneath its parent customer.
Why use a sub-customer
Sending everything to the client record keeps all of that client's transactions in one place. Firms that want project-level financial tracking inside QuickBooks Online typically create one sub-customer per project, so each project's invoices and expenses are recorded separately beneath the client.
Editing or removing a sub-customer record
Sub-customer records belong to QuickBooks Online. Renaming a sub-customer, converting it to a QuickBooks project, or deleting it has to happen in QuickBooks Online.
Clearing the QuickBooks destination field in Monograph removes the link between the project or invoice and that record. It does not delete the record in QuickBooks Online.
Selecting an Existing Customer or Sub-Customer
The QuickBooks destination field appears in two places. Where it is set determines what it applies to.
Project Details - Go to Projects > [Project name] > Details. The field is in the Basic info section, beside the Client field. A destination set here belongs to the project. Other fields on this page are covered in Adding Project Details.
Invoice Preview - On an invoice, open the Preview tab and find the QuickBooks panel, which shows the prompt Select destination in QuickBooks to send invoice. A destination set here belongs to that invoice alone. The rest of this page is covered in Previewing and Sending Your Invoice.
What the dropdown shows
The dropdown lists the client at the top, with its existing sub-customers beneath it. + Add sub-customer record appears at the bottom of the list. Sub-customers created in QuickBooks Online appear here alongside any created in Monograph.
Permissions
The permissions required depend on where the field is used.
Location | Required permissions |
Project Details | Edit projects and Send invoices, bills and expenses to QuickBooks |
Invoice Preview | Edit invoices and Manage clients |
Creating a New Sub-Customer from Project Details
When the right sub-customer does not exist yet, create it from the project's Details page.
Go to Projects > [Project name] > Details.
In the Basic info section, open the QuickBooks destination dropdown.
Select + Add sub-customer record.
In the Add sub-customer record window, enter a Display name (required).
Click Create and save, or click Cancel to close the window without creating a record.
The window includes the note: Go to QuickBooks Online if you need to edit this record or convert to a QuickBooks project.
After clicking Create and save:
The record is created in QuickBooks Online immediately, beneath the project's client.
The new record becomes the project's QuickBooks destination.
The Basic info section is saved and the project form exits edit mode.
The new record is available in the QuickBooks destination dropdown everywhere else in Monograph.
Creating a New Sub-Customer from Invoice Preview
The same Add sub-customer record window, with the same fields and buttons, is available from an invoice.
Open the invoice and go to the Preview tab.
In the QuickBooks panel, open the QuickBooks destination dropdown.
Select + Add sub-customer record.
Enter a Display name (required).
Click Create and save.
When the record is created
The sub-customer is written to QuickBooks Online immediately. It does not wait for the invoice to be sent to QuickBooks Online, and it stays in QuickBooks Online whether or not the invoice is ever sent.
How this affects the project's destination
Creating a sub-customer from Invoice Preview sets the destination for that invoice only.
🚨 The project's saved QuickBooks destination does not change. The new record becomes available as an option in Project Details, but it is not selected there automatically.
To make the new sub-customer the project's ongoing destination:
Go to Projects > [Project name] > Details.
In the Basic info section, select the new record in the QuickBooks destination field.
Save the changes.
Troubleshooting
The display name is already in use
The display name is already in use
QuickBooks Online does not allow two sub-customers with the same display name beneath the same client. When a name is already taken, this error appears:
There is already a sub-customer named [name] under [client name]. (Ref: XXXXXXXX)
To resolve it, either:
Enter a different Display name, or
Click Cancel to close the window, then select the existing record from the QuickBooks destination dropdown instead of creating a duplicate.
+ Add sub-customer record or customers are missing from the dropdown
+ Add sub-customer record or customers are missing from the dropdown
A sub-customer is created beneath the client assigned to the project, so that client must be synced with QuickBooks Online first. A client created in Monograph that has never been sent to QuickBooks Online has no parent record for a sub-customer to sit beneath.
Follow the steps in Syncing Clients in Monograph and QuickBooks Online to send the client to QuickBooks Online, then return to the QuickBooks destination dropdown.
A sub-customer was created, but the project still points somewhere else
A sub-customer was created, but the project still points somewhere else
This is expected. A sub-customer created from Invoice Preview sets the destination for that invoice only and does not change the project's saved destination. See How this affects the project's destination above to make the new record the project's destination.