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QuickBooks integration

QuickBooks integration

How to connect QuickBooks and send purchase orders from Inventory Mate.

The QuickBooks integration links Inventory Mate to QuickBooks Online so purchase orders (POs) you create or update in Inventory Mate can be reflected as QuickBooks Purchase Orders in the connected company (or QuickBooks sandbox, when using sandbox mode).

End-to-end workflow

Here is the complete flow from creating a PO to having it ready for your bookkeeper:

  1. Create a PO in Inventory Mate — a matching Purchase Order is automatically created in QuickBooks.
  2. Receive the PO in Inventory Mate — your Shopify inventory levels update automatically.
  3. Mark the order delivered in Inventory Mate — then go into QuickBooks, open the PO, and click Copy to Bill. This creates an open Bill in Accounts Payable and closes the QuickBooks PO, ready for your bookkeeper.
  4. Your bookkeeper pays the Bill when the vendor invoice arrives — this is what posts to your inventory asset account.

The Copy to Bill step is a single click in QuickBooks. It keeps everything clean and ensures the PO hits your books correctly before your bookkeeper closes it out.

What you set up in the app

  1. Connect — On Dashboard → Integrations, choose Connect for QuickBooks. Sign in with Intuit and pick the QuickBooks company this shop should use.
  2. Purchase order sync — After you are connected, turn on PO sync for that shop. That enables both:
    • Sending purchase orders to QuickBooks, and
    • Auto sync on save (when you save a purchase order, Inventory Mate sends it automatically if these are on).

If PO sync is off, purchase orders stay in Inventory Mate even while QuickBooks stays connected.

When a PO is synced

With PO sync and auto sync on save turned on, saving a purchase order sends it to QuickBooks after the save succeeds. Inventory Mate only sends it when QuickBooks is still connected and sync is turned on for that shop.

What gets created or updated in QuickBooks

Each sync creates or updates a Purchase Order in QuickBooks.

  • Document number — QuickBooks shows the number as PO-{your number}, using the purchase order number you see in Inventory Mate, so later saves update the same order.
  • Vendor — The supplier on the purchase order is matched to a QuickBooks vendor. If none exists yet, Inventory Mate can create one from the supplier name and reuse it next time.
  • Line items — Product lines go over with quantity, unit cost, line total, and tax. If a product is not in QuickBooks yet, Inventory Mate can create it using your chart of accounts.
  • Cost lines — Extra costs on the purchase order, such as fees, are sent as expense lines.
  • Addresses and email — A supplier address or email on the supplier record can be included. The ship-to address is included when you have set a destination.
  • Dates and notes — Transaction date, due date (when set), an internal note, and your memo or reference are sent when QuickBooks has a place for them.

Create vs update

  • The first time a given Inventory Mate PO syncs, QuickBooks creates a new purchase order (unless one is already found by document number).
  • Inventory Mate remembers which QuickBooks purchase order belongs to yours. The next time you save, it updates that same purchase order instead of creating a second one.
  • If Inventory Mate no longer has that link, but QuickBooks already has a purchase order with the same number, it uses that order and keeps updating it.

Environments (sandbox vs production)

Connect the QuickBooks company you want purchase orders to land in. A sandbox company is for testing. A live company is what your bookkeeper uses. Sign in to the company that matches how you are using Inventory Mate.

If something goes wrong

  • Reconnect — If QuickBooks access has expired or you revoked it, sync asks you to open Integrations and connect again. Disconnecting in Inventory Mate removes the connection for that shop.
  • Nothing to send — A purchase order with no product lines and no cost lines cannot be synced. Add at least one line, then save again.

Related

Open to Buy (OTB)