We've put together a list of the most common errors or questions we get about the QuickBooks integration, along with some tips and instructions for managing them.
You can check for any alerts or errors by heading to the Setup > Add ons page. Any errors will be displayed at the top of the page in the yellow box. Once an error has been addressed, it will disappear/be hidden after 30 days.
If your question or error isn't covered here, please get in touch with us by submitting a Help Form at our Help Centre.
- What QuickBooks products can I connect to Timely?
- I want to sync my Timely customers to QuickBooks.
- I want to sync my historic invoices to QuickBooks.
- I want to disconnect QuickBooks from my Timely account.
- Troubleshooting QuickBooks Online error messages.
- Other relevant information for QuickBooks Online customers.
What QuickBooks products can I connect to Timely
We can only connect to QuickBooks Online products, not QuickBooks Desktop accounts.
From the QuickBooks online packages, you can connect either the Essentials or Plus plans.
You can only connect an active QuickBooks Online account to Timely. If you are still in a trial period with QuickBooks, the integration can't be performed. However, it is possible to connect an active QuickBooks Online account during your Timely trial.
It's not possible to connect a Simple start or QuickBooks Self-Employed account to Timely.
I want to sync my Timely customers to QuickBooks
When it comes to the customer information, this is only synced to QuickBooks when an invoice for that customer is synced across. So your customers won't automatically be synced across in bulk.
We send customers to QuickBooks based on the First name + Last name + Company name in Timely. To match with an existing contact in QuickBooks, we look for their "Display name" which is a combination of the same fields as we use.
If there is a customer in QuickBooks with the same First name and Last name, but they have a different display name (e.g. they have a different/no company listed), then this flags an error (find out more).
Once a customer is synced to QuickBooks, we will record the QuickBooks ID of the customer we synced the invoice to. Any future invoices for that same customer will then be synced to the same record in QuickBooks.
If you would like to sync all customers in bulk to QuickBooks, you could import your customer list from Timely directly. The Customer list report can be exported in Excel or CSV format, which will allow you to re-format and import that into QuickBooks.
Our How to export your customer list guide steps you through that process.
Then, QuickBooks have a guide that steps you through the import process from their end, here: https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/customer-list/import-customers-vendors-email-contacts-quickbooks/L12erg8Db_US_en_US?uid=m4gkk7z0
I want to sync my historic invoices to QuickBooks
QuickBooks Online requires any invoice synced from Timely to use a tax code that originates from QuickBooks. Any invoices that were raised before the connection was established can't be synced to QuickBooks.
The only way to sync those invoices from Timely would be to delete/edit the existing invoices and raise them again, using tax codes that originate from QuickBooks.
As part of the setup process, you will need to import your tax codes from Vend and apply these to your products and services in Timely. Our How to connect your QuickBooks Online account to Timely guide steps you through that process in greater detail - specifically steps #2 and #3!
Alternatively, if you have a backlog of invoices you wish to bring across, you may want to investigate importing those to QuickBooks directly. QuickBooks doesn't allow you to import sales invoices in bulk directly, but there is a third-party system that does allow you to do this: https://quickbooks.intuit.com/app/apps/appdetails/zed_axis_import_qbo/
To download your sales history in Timely, you can use the Invoice details report.
I want to disconnect QuickBooks from my Timely account
If you no longer want your invoices automatically syncing from Timely to QuickBooks, you can disconnect QuickBooks from your Timely account.
Our How to remove QuickBooks from your Timely account guide steps you through that in more detail.
Troubleshooting QuickBooks Online error messages
These are some common error messages that can occur in Timely when using the QuickBooks integration. If you don't see your error message here, reach out to us by submitting a Help Form at our Help Centre.
One of or more of the items does not have a QuickBooks tax assigned.
QuickBooks Online requires any invoice synced from Timely to use a tax code that originates from QuickBooks. If there are historic invoices, or new invoices that don't use that code, they can't be synced to QuickBooks.
As part of the setup process, you will need to import your tax codes from QuickBooks and apply these to your products and services in Timely.
Our How to connect your QuickBooks Online account to Timely guide steps you through that in greater detail - specifically steps #2 and #3!
Unfortunately, this means that historic invoices can't be synced to QuickBooks, unless they are deleted and raised again using the correct tax codes.
The payment amount on this invoice is greater than the remaining balance of this invoice in QuickBooks. Please check the payments for this invoice in your QuickBooks account.
This error usually means that a payment has already been applied to the invoice in QuickBooks i.e. the payment recorded in Timely hasn't be synced.
You can delete the manually applied payment from QuickBooks, then attempt to sync the payment again. Open the invoice in Timely and click Sync to QuickBooks next to the payment.
Invoice was not found which may be due to the invoice being voided since it was queued for sync to QuickBooks
This message will appear in your Add-on Integration errors if an invoice that was created in Timely is deleted, before the invoice is successfully synced to QuickBooks. You can ignore this message and it will disappear within 30 days.
However, if an invoice has been synced to QuickBooks and you delete it in Timely, you will need to also delete the associated invoice in QuickBooks.
Could not find Invoice, Customer, Item or Payment. Check your QuickBooks account for the item
This error will occur if you have not assigned a liability account for your gift vouchers or customer credits. To update these settings:
- Go to the QuickBooks settings page: https://app.gettimely.com/Settings/QuickBooks
- Click the Edit settings button.
- On the Invoice settings page, update the Liability account for gift vouchers and/or the Liability account for credit.
- Click Save to apply your changes.
If you see an error message with "There was an error creating the item" or you have no options available here, then you will need to create a liability account in QuickBooks.
In QuickBooks, head over to your Chart of Accounts, click New and select Other current liabilities. You can then choose a detail type and name the account before you click Save.
The customer used has the same full name as another customer in QuickBooks, please review you customer settings
Customers will only be synced to QuickBooks when an invoice is created in Timely. When an invoice is synced to QuickBooks, we will check to see if there is an existing contact in QuickBooks with the same as the customer in Timely.
We send customers to QuickBooks based on the First name + Last name + Company name in Timely. To match with an existing contact in QuickBooks, we look for their "Display name" which is a combination of the same fields as we use.
If there is a customer in QuickBooks with the same First name and Last name, but they have a different display name (e.g. they have a different/no company listed), then this flags this specific error.
There are two ways to approach that error:
- In Timely: Update the customer's record in Timely, so that the First name, Last name and Company name match what's recorded in QuickBooks:
https://help.gettimely.com/hc/en-gb/articles/360060618594-How-to-add-or-edit-customers -
In QuickBooks: Update the customer's record in QuickBooks to match what is recorded in Timely. QuickBooks themselves don't have a guide, but the general process is as follows:
Customers (in the left-hand menu) > Search > Click on customer record > Click Edit (top right corner).
Once the invoice is synced to the correct customer, we'll remember the QuickBooks ID of that customer, so all future invoices will be synced to the same account.
Your QuickBooks account has been disconnected
If you see this error message in your account it means that the connection between Timely and QuickBooks has been broken and invoices can no longer be synced.
There are two actions at the Timely end that cause QuickBooks to be disconnected:
- Downgrading your plan from Build to Basic. This disables all of the sales features in Timely, including all third party accounting apps
- If this is manually disconnected by a staff member under Setup > Add ons > QuickBooks > Disconnect.
To fix this:
- Head to Setup > Add ons > QuickBooks (Configure):
https://app.gettimely.com/Settings/QuickBooks - Click the Renew now link from the options provided. This will allow you to re-establish the connection.
- You may be required to customise your account settings again.
Only the staff member/administrator that setup the integration will be authorised to Renew the connection. If another staff member attempts to renew the connection, then the authorisation will expire immediately.
Other relevant information for QuickBooks customers
There are a few other things to note when using the QuickBooks integration:
- If you sync an Unpaid invoice to QuickBooks, the invoice's due date in QuickBooks will be set based on your invoice terms in Timely. You can update those settings by heading to this link: https://app.gettimely.com/Settings/QuickBooks, clicking Edit settings and updating the Global terms.
- There is a known rounding issue between Timely and QuickBooks when discounts are applied to invoices. This is related to a discrepancy in how those tax rates are calculated between the two systems. We recommend updating the invoice in QuickBooks, so that it matches the total balance recorded in Timely.
- There is a 25 character limit on each of the First name, Last name and Company fields in QuickBooks. This is something to keep in mind when recording customer names in Timely.