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Sync invoices to QuickBooks

If you use QuickBooks Online for bookkeeping, Service Buddy can push invoices straight to QuickBooks so you don’t have to enter them twice.

This article covers the day-to-day push workflow. For first-time setup (account connection, custom fields, class tracking, tax rate matching) see Connect QuickBooks Online.

Before you start

Section titled “Before you start”

Connect your QuickBooks Online account first:

  1. Go to Settings → Integrations.
  2. Find QuickBooks Online and click Connect.
  3. Sign in with your QuickBooks credentials and authorize Service Buddy.
  4. Complete the one-time QuickBooks-side setup (custom fields, class tracking, matching tax rates) — see Connect QuickBooks Online for the full checklist.

Once connected, you’ll see a QuickBooks column on the invoice list showing sync status.

Push a single invoice

Section titled “Push a single invoice”
  1. Open the invoice from the Invoices list.
  2. Click More Actions in the top-right → Push To QuickBooks. This queues the invoice for the next sync.
  3. Go to Settings → Integrations → QuickBooks Online.
  4. Click Manual Sync to send the queued invoice to QuickBooks.

Push multiple invoices at once

Section titled “Push multiple invoices at once”

There are two ways to push several invoices in one go:

Option A — Queue from the invoice list and run Manual Sync:

  1. Open each invoice you want to send and click More Actions → Push To QuickBooks. This queues them for the next sync.
  2. Go to Settings → Integrations → QuickBooks Online.
  3. Click Manual Sync. Every queued invoice pushes at once.

Option B — Bulk push from the list (where available):

  1. Go to the Invoices list.
  2. Use filters to narrow to the invoices you want to push (for example, Status: Paid and QuickBooks: Not Pushed).
  3. Select the invoices using the checkboxes.
  4. Click the Bulk Push To QuickBooks button that appears at the top of the page.
  5. Confirm.

Invoices list with QuickBooks status column and bulk action menu open

What happens next

Section titled “What happens next”
  • Each invoice is created in QuickBooks Online with the same line items, client, tax, and totals.
  • The QuickBooks status on the invoice changes to Pushed to QuickBooks with a timestamp.
  • If the client doesn’t exist in QuickBooks yet, Service Buddy creates them automatically.
  • When the invoice is later marked Paid in Service Buddy, the Paid status flows through to QuickBooks automatically — that’s the only field that updates after the first push.
  • Other edits to the invoice in Service Buddy after the first push (price changes, line item edits) do not auto-update QuickBooks — make the same edit on the QuickBooks side, or treat one system as the master for edits.

Filter invoices by QuickBooks status

Section titled “Filter invoices by QuickBooks status”

On the invoices list, use the QuickBooks filter to show:

  • Pushed to QuickBooks — invoices already synced.
  • Not Pushed to QuickBooks — invoices that still need to be pushed.

This makes month-end reconciliation fast.

FAQ

Section titled “FAQ”
Does Service Buddy support QuickBooks Desktop?

No — only QuickBooks Online is supported. If you’re on Desktop, you’d need to export invoices manually or migrate to QuickBooks Online to use this integration.

Is the sync one-way or two-way?

It depends on the entity:

  • Invoices push one-way (Service Buddy → QuickBooks) on an ongoing basis. Invoices made in QuickBooks come into Service Buddy only on the first sync, never after that. The one exception: when a synced invoice is fully paid in Service Buddy, the Paid status updates in QuickBooks automatically.
  • Clients, properties, and items sync two-way and ongoing.
  • Payments push one-way to QuickBooks (when the Sync payments option is enabled in the integration settings).

See Connect QuickBooks Online for the full direction matrix.

When should I push an invoice to QuickBooks?

Most retailers push after the invoice is Paid, since that’s when the books actually need to reflect the revenue. Pushing earlier (e.g., when the invoice is generated) is also fine if your bookkeeper prefers to see open AR in QuickBooks.

What happens if the client doesn’t exist in QuickBooks yet?

Service Buddy creates the client automatically as part of the push. The contact, address, and email come over so you don’t need to set them up manually.

Why did my push fail?

The three most common causes:

  1. Tax mismatch — a tax rate on the invoice doesn’t exist in QuickBooks with the same name and percentage. Fix the tax rate in QuickBooks (or rename it in Service Buddy to match), then retry.
  2. Client name mismatch or duplicate — Service Buddy can’t reconcile the client to QuickBooks because there’s a duplicate or near-duplicate (e.g., “Smith Family” vs “Smith Family Trust”). Clean up duplicates in QuickBooks first.
  3. Custom field name mismatch — a Service Buddy invoice custom field has no exact-match field on the QuickBooks side. Add the field in QuickBooks (Internal, Active) with the same name, or rename the Service Buddy field.

See Connect QuickBooks Online — Troubleshooting for more.

Can I un-push an invoice?

Not directly. If an invoice was pushed in error, delete it on the QuickBooks side. The Service Buddy side keeps its record of the push timestamp — re-pushing creates a fresh QuickBooks invoice.

How do payments and refunds flow through?

Payments push one-way to QuickBooks when Sync payments is enabled in the integration settings. They sync alongside their parent invoice — make sure the invoice has already pushed first. Two limits to know about:

  • Zero-amount invoices can sync, but their payments cannot — that’s a QuickBooks restriction.
  • Refunds are not auto-synced; record refunds on the QuickBooks side as well so the books match.
Can I push quotes or only invoices?

The day-to-day push workflow is for invoices. Quotes stay in Service Buddy until they’re approved and converted into a job and an invoice — at which point you push the resulting invoice.

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