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# QuickBooks Integration

# QuickBooks Online Integration

**_Plan Requirement_**: ${color}[#4338ca](**Ultimate**)

> **⚠️ Important Disclaimer**: CloudBridal is not an accounting service and we do not provide accounting advice. This integration simply transfers your order data to QuickBooks to save manual data entry time. You should work with your accountant to ensure the synced data is properly categorized and meets your accounting and tax requirements. Additional manual work in QuickBooks may be required.

[QuickBooks Online](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/) is a popular accounting and business software that many businesses use to help them manage their finances. CloudBridal integrates with QuickBooks Online to make it easier to synchronize your customer order data from **CloudBridal** → **QuickBooks Online**.

## How the QuickBooks Online Integration Works

Customer orders created in CloudBridal are automatically synchronized to QuickBooks every 6 hours, or you can sync manually whenever you need to. You can also disable automatic sync if you prefer to have full control over when your data is transferred.

When your data syncs, here's what happens:

| What's in CloudBridal | Becomes This in QuickBooks | What This Means                                                         |
| --------------------- | -------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Orders**            | **Invoices**               | Each order becomes an invoice showing what the customer purchased       |
| **Customers**         | **Customers**              | Your customer contact information is copied over                        |
| **Payments**          | **Payments**               | Payment records are linked to the correct invoices                      |
| **Refunds**           | **Credit Memos**           | Each refund becomes one credit memo, with a line per item credited      |
| **Cancellations**     | **Credit Memos**           | A cancelled order's value is reversed with a credit memo                |
| **Surcharges & Tips** | **Invoice income lines**   | Card surcharges and tips you collect post to income accounts you choose |

### What to Expect

By default, all orders will sync to QuickBooks as generic "Service" line items. You can categorize your sales into specific QuickBooks products/services by mapping your inventory item types in CloudBridal's QuickBooks settings, or keep an item type out of QuickBooks altogether (see "Improving Your Sync" section below). Each invoice line also notes whether the sale was **From inventory** or a **Special order**, along with the item's size and color when set.

## Setting Up the QuickBooks Online Integration

### What You'll Need

- An active QuickBooks Online subscription
- CloudBridal Ultimate plan
- Admin access to both systems

### Step 1: Connect CloudBridal to QuickBooks

1. In CloudBridal, go to [Settings › Integrations](https://go.cloudbridal.com/settings/integrations), find **QuickBooks** and click **Set up**
2. Click **Turn on**, then **Connect to QuickBooks**
3. Sign in to your QuickBooks Online account when prompted
4. Click **Authorize** to let CloudBridal access your QuickBooks data
5. You'll be brought back to CloudBridal, connected to your company

||| **⚠️** Once customers, orders or payments have synced, CloudBridal won't connect to a different QuickBooks company, because synced records would update the wrong records there. If you're moving to a new QuickBooks company, contact CloudBridal support first.

### Step 2: Configure Your Sync Preferences

Now that you're connected, tell CloudBridal how you want the sync to work:

1. Turn on **Send orders to QuickBooks**
2. Tick **Sync every 6 hours** to sync automatically, or leave it off and sync by hand with **Sync now**
3. Set **Start from**: orders before this date aren't sent. This keeps old orders out of QuickBooks, and lets you test the integration with a limited number of orders first
4. Click **Save**

### Step 3: Do Your First Test Sync

**Important**: Start with a small test before syncing any historical data.

1. Click **Sync now**
2. **Choose a short date range** - select just a few recent orders
3. Click **Start sync** to transfer these test orders to QuickBooks
4. **Review the results in QuickBooks** - check that invoices, customers, and payments look correct
5. **Work with your accountant** to verify the sync results meet your accounting requirements
6. Once you're satisfied with the test results, you can expand the date range as needed

## Understanding Your Data Sync

### What Information Gets Transferred

**Orders become Invoices with**:

- Customer information
- What they bought (with proper categories if you set them up) — each line is labeled with the order type and the item's size/color when set, e.g. _From Inventory: Designer Name Style Name (8, Ivory)_
- Prices and any discounts applied
- Tax amounts
- Order notes (saved as private notes)

**Customer Information**:

- Names, email addresses, phone numbers
- Addresses
- Your CloudBridal customer numbers

**Payments**:

- Payment amounts and dates
- Payment methods
- Automatically linked to the right invoices

### Cancelled and Refunded Orders

Cancellations and refunds reach QuickBooks as **credit memos**, and the original invoice is left untouched — so a period you have already filed is never edited after the fact.

- A cancelled order's credit memo is numbered `CB-CANCEL-…` and dated the day of the cancellation. It's applied against the original invoice automatically.
- Each refund produces one credit memo numbered `CB-REFUND-…`, carrying a line per item credited.

Because a synced order has an invoice in QuickBooks, it can't be deleted from CloudBridal — **cancel it instead**, so the reversal reaches your books. See [Returns, Refunds & Exchanges](https://help.cloudbridal.com/en/article/returns-refunds-exchanges-h6e3zy/).

||| **⚠️** Store credit and payment swaps aren't offered when refunding a QuickBooks-synced order — the refund has to reach QuickBooks as a credit memo.

### Things to Watch For

CloudBridal is a point of sale, not an accounting system, so a few things are represented more simply in QuickBooks than an accountant might do by hand. None of them put your books out of balance, but they're worth knowing — share this list with whoever reconciles your accounts.

- **Refunds don't create a separate refund transaction.** When you refund a payment, the synced QuickBooks payment is restated at what the customer kept, with the credit memo applied through it. A payment refunded in full after a cancellation has nothing left to apply, so it is removed from QuickBooks and the cancellation memo closes the invoice instead. Your bank feed will still show the original deposit and the later withdrawal — reconcile those two lines against each other (or to a clearing account) rather than looking for a matching refund receipt.
- **Amounts are CloudBridal's; the rest of a synced payment is yours.** A synced payment's date, method, memo or deposit account can be edited in QuickBooks and the edit stays — unless the payment is changed in CloudBridal, which restates the whole record. Never change an amount in QuickBooks; make that correction in CloudBridal.
- **A refund changes the original payment, not the month the refund happened.** Credit memos are dated the day of the cancellation or refund, but the cash side is reflected on the original payment. If you report cash by month and a refund lands in a later month, expect the original month's receipts to change.
- **Payments land in Undeposited Funds.** Deposit them in QuickBooks as you normally would. If a payment has already been included in a bank deposit and is later refunded in CloudBridal, QuickBooks won't let the sync change it ("This transaction has been deposited…") and it appears as a sync issue. Either remove the payment from that deposit in QuickBooks and click **Retry**, or record the refund in QuickBooks by hand and click **Leave out** for that payment under **Sync problems**.
- **The sync is one-way.** Changes you make to synced invoices, credit memos or customers in QuickBooks are overwritten the next time that order syncs. Make changes in CloudBridal. (Payments are the exception described above.)
- **Card payments sync once the money is actually collected.** A card charge that's still pending doesn't appear in QuickBooks until it completes, so an invoice never shows as paid before it is.
- **Store credit isn't a QuickBooks concept here.** Money a customer holds in CloudBridal without an order (store credit, unassociated payments) doesn't reach QuickBooks until it's applied to an order — it then syncs as that order's payment.
- **Stock quantities never sync.** Map sales to Service or Non-inventory items only — see "Setting Up Product Categories".

### When Syncing Happens

- **Automatically**: With **Sync every 6 hours** ticked, CloudBridal checks for new or changed orders every 6 hours and syncs them to QuickBooks.
- **By hand**: Click **Sync now** and choose exactly which dates to sync, up to a year at a time.
- Orders dated on or after your **Start from** date that never reached QuickBooks are caught up on the next sync.
- History imported from another system, such as BridalLive, is never sent to QuickBooks.

## Improving Your Sync with Additional Setup

By default, the integration works without any additional setup in QuickBooks. However, you can improve the accuracy and organization of your synced data by setting up matching Items and Payment Methods in QuickBooks.

### Setting Up Product Categories (Items)

By default each order line syncs as a generic "Service" entry. To have lines land in specific QuickBooks products/services instead, first create those items in QuickBooks Online under **Sales** → **Products and Services**, choosing:

- **Service** (for item types like alterations or consultations)
- **Non-inventory** (for physical items you sell but don't track stock for in QuickBooks)

Then choose one of the two ways to connect them:

#### Option 1: Map item types in CloudBridal (recommended)

1. In your CloudBridal QuickBooks settings, find **Item types become these QuickBooks items**
2. For each CloudBridal [inventory item type](https://go.cloudbridal.com/settings/inventory), pick the QuickBooks product/service it should sync as

With this method the names don't have to match — you choose the QuickBooks item directly — and it keeps working even if you rename either side later. Item types you leave unmapped fall back to a QuickBooks item with the same name (see Option 2), or sync as a generic "Service" line if there's no match.

||| **⚠️** Only **Service** and **Non-inventory** items appear in the mapping list. QuickBooks **Inventory**-type items are intentionally excluded, because CloudBridal does not sync stock quantities to QuickBooks — mapping a sale to one would make QuickBooks' quantity-on-hand drift. If you want to track actual inventory quantities in QuickBooks, create and adjust those items manually there.

#### Option 2: Match by name automatically

If you'd rather not map each type, the integration will also match by name: create QuickBooks Items with **exact names** matching your CloudBridal Inventory Item Types:

- If CloudBridal shows "Wedding Dress", create an Item named exactly "Wedding Dress"
- If CloudBridal shows "Accessories", create an Item named exactly "Accessories"
- And so on for each of your inventory types

An explicit mapping from Option 1 always takes precedence over name matching.

#### Keeping an item type out of QuickBooks

Choose **Don't sync** for an item type whose sales shouldn't reach QuickBooks.

- Orders made up only of **Don't sync** item types stay out of QuickBooks, payments included.
- An order that mixes them with other item types doesn't sync and shows under **Sync problems** with guidance. The order form warns staff when they build an order like this — put those items on their own order instead.
- Turning a type back on doesn't send the orders it kept out.

### Setting Up Payment Methods

To have payments show with the correct payment method instead of generic entries:

1. In QuickBooks Online, go to **Settings** → **All lists** → **Payment methods**
2. Create payment methods with names that match what you use in the [CloudBridal Payments Settings](https://go.cloudbridal.com/settings/payments) area:

- "Credit Card", "Cash", "Check", "ACH", etc.

3. The integration will try to match payment method names between the two systems

### Setting Up Tax Code Mapping

Outside the US, you map CloudBridal tax rates to QuickBooks tax codes for accurate tax handling on synced invoices:

1. First, make sure your tax codes are set up in QuickBooks Online under **Taxes** → **Sales Tax Settings** (see [QuickBooks: Set up your sales tax](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/sales-taxes/set-sales-tax-quickbooks-online/L2uNuHuYS_US_en_US) for help)
2. In your CloudBridal QuickBooks settings, find **Taxes become these QuickBooks tax codes**
3. Map each of your CloudBridal tax rates to the corresponding QuickBooks tax code
4. Select a code under **No tax** for lines with no tax on them

This ensures that synced invoices reflect the correct tax treatment and simplifies reconciliation in QuickBooks.

### Setting Up Surcharge & Tip Income

If you charge a card surcharge or collect tips, tell CloudBridal which QuickBooks income items they should post to, so each synced invoice matches what the card was actually charged.

1. In QuickBooks Online, create a **Service** item for each under **Sales** → **Products and Services** (e.g. "Card surcharge" and "Tip"), each pointing at the income account you want that money to land in — ask your accountant which account to use
2. In your CloudBridal QuickBooks settings, pick those items under **Card surcharges** and **Tips** in **Item types become these QuickBooks items**

When set, each invoice carries a single net **Card surcharge** and/or **Tip** line — reduced automatically if part is later refunded — and the linked payment includes it, so the invoice balances against the amount deposited to your bank.

||| **⚠️** If an order includes a surcharge or tip but the matching item isn't mapped, that order **won't sync** and will show as a failure until you map it — rather than quietly leaving the amount off your books. Orders with no surcharge or tip aren't affected, so you only need this if you actually collect them.

### What Happens After Setup

Once you've mapped (or name-matched) your Items and set up Payment Methods in QuickBooks:

- **New syncs** will automatically use the proper categories
- **Existing synced data** will remain as-is (you may need to manually update older entries if desired)
- **Unmapped item types** will still sync as generic "Service" entries

## Troubleshooting Common Issues

### Connection Problems

**"Connection expired" or similar error messages**

- **What happened**: Your QuickBooks connection expires after 100 days for security reasons
- **How to fix**: Go back to your QuickBooks settings in CloudBridal and click **Reconnect** under **Connection**
- **Prevention**: The **Connection** row shows the date to reconnect by. While QuickBooks is disconnected, **Needs attention** on Home shows an **Integration problems** alert to anyone who can change settings, until you reconnect.

**"Permission denied" errors**

- **What happened**: CloudBridal doesn't have the right permissions in QuickBooks
- **How to fix**: Disconnect and reconnect, making sure to click "Authorize" for all permissions

### Sync Issues

**Orders or payments listed under Sync problems**

- Anything that failed to sync is listed under **Sync problems** in your QuickBooks settings, grouped by reason, with guidance on what to fix
- Fix the cause, then click **Retry** to send them on the next sync
- Click **Leave out** to keep them out of QuickBooks for good

**Some orders didn't sync**

- Check that the order date is on or after your **Start from** date
- Make sure the order isn't marked as "Draft"
- Verify the customer has a name (required for QuickBooks)
- Check that its item types aren't set to **Don't sync**
- Orders imported from another system, such as BridalLive, are never sent

**A just-cancelled order hasn't appeared in QuickBooks yet**

- The cancellation is held back until its remaining value has been reversed, so the invoice is never sent over at full value
- This settles on its own — check again after the next sync

**Items showing up as "Service" instead of proper categories**

- Map the item type to a QuickBooks product/service under **Item types become these QuickBooks items** in your CloudBridal QuickBooks settings (see "Improving Your Sync" section above)
- If you're relying on name matching instead, ensure the Item names in QuickBooks match your CloudBridal Inventory Item Types exactly
- The system will automatically use the mapped categories for new syncs after setup

**An order failed to sync because a surcharge or tip income item isn't mapped**

- The order includes a card surcharge or tip, but you haven't chosen the QuickBooks income item it should post to
- Map it under **Card surcharges** or **Tips** in your CloudBridal QuickBooks settings (see "Setting Up Surcharge & Tip Income"), then click **Retry** under **Sync problems**

**Sync is taking a long time**

- This is normal for large amounts of data
- QuickBooks limits how fast data can be transferred to protect their system

### Need Help?

**For CloudBridal issues**: Contact your normal CloudBridal support team
**For QuickBooks questions**: Visit the [QuickBooks Help Center](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/)

## Best Practices for Success

### Getting Started Right

1. **Work with your accountant**: Before syncing, discuss with your accountant how this data should be organized in QuickBooks
2. **Clean up your data first**: Ensure customer info and orders are accurate in CloudBridal
3. **Choose a reasonable cutoff date**: Don't sync years of old data unless you really need it
4. **Start small and test thoroughly**:

- Sync only a few orders first (like one week)
- Review every aspect in QuickBooks with your accountant
- Verify invoices, customers, payments, and categories are correct
- Only proceed with larger syncs after confirming everything looks right

5. **Set up matching Items and Payment Methods**: For better organization (see "Improving Your Sync" section)

### Keeping Things Running Smoothly

1. **Use automatic sync**: It's more reliable than remembering to do manual syncs
2. **Monitor your connection status**: QuickBooks connections expire every 100 days and need to be refreshed
3. **Monitor for any failed syncs**: Check **Sync problems** and fix issues promptly to keep your books accurate
4. **Review synced data regularly**: Spot-check that new orders are syncing correctly
5. **Update QuickBooks Items when needed**: When you add new inventory types in CloudBridal, create the matching QuickBooks Items and map them under **Item types become these QuickBooks items**
6. **Remember this is just data transfer**: The integration saves data entry time but doesn't replace proper accounting practices