Advanced QuickBooks Desktop Integration Overview
The QuickBooks Desktop integration is in maintenance mode. Buildertrend continues to support and fix issues, but new accounting capabilities are being built for QuickBooks Online and Intuit Enterprise Suite.
Managing Bills & Expenses in Buildertrend
Implementing Bills into your QuickBooks Desktop workflow will streamline your accounting processes and enhance your financial operations by eliminating duplications and boosting reporting capabilities with detailed insights at the Project & Services level.
‼️Important:
When you pay a bill or a purchase order online through Buildertrend, Buildertrend does not post that payment back to the matching bill in QuickBooks Desktop. The bill stays open in QuickBooks Desktop until you record the payment there yourself.
After you pay a bill or purchase order online in Buildertrend, go to QuickBooks Desktop and apply the payment to the corresponding bill manually. If you skip this step, the bill remains outstanding in your accounts payable and your QuickBooks Desktop aging report will not match Buildertrend.
Which QuickBooks workflows will be effected when implementing Bills?
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Match Bills to bank transactions instead of creating a new expense.
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To learn how to match bills pushed from Buildertrend to a bank transaction, go to Bank Feed | Matching Bills below.
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Pay Bills with credit cards to populate register in Chart of Accounts, rather than creating a type credit card transaction or importing CSV bank statement
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Pay Bills with checks instead of creating a type check transaction
‼️Important:
If you have already created a check in QuickBooks, there are two ways to get this cost into your Buildertrend Budget while avoiding duplicated costs.
1. Enable the Include costs entered in QuickBooks in the Budget under the Advanced Settings section of the Job Details.
2. Create a Bill in Buildertrend, but DO NOT push it to QuickBooks. Then mark that Bill paid with an offline payment.
When buying ad hoc items for your project, matching a Bill from Buildertrend to the bank feed will ensure both program budgets are up to date.
✏️ Note: You'll most often match bills in the QuickBooks bank feed alongside the Inbox on the Bills page.
- For more information on how to scan your receipts into Buildertrend and to create a Bill from the receipt, review this article.
- For more information on how to push the Bill created from the receipt to QuickBooks, review this article.
In QuickBooks, navigate to Bank and Credit Cards.
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If there is a transaction of the exact same amount, QuickBooks will suggest a match for the unpaid bill within the Recognized tab.
Check the bill and click Confirm to create a bill payment.
✏️ Note: Selecting Results may populate multiple matches. Select the correct option and click Confirm.
Create a Bill in Buildertrend. Be sure to push the Bill over to QuickBooks.
Once the Bill payment has been created, both Bills will be marked as paid.
Having trouble finding a match?
If QuickBooks doesn’t automatically suggest matches—often due to discrepancies in the vendor, invoice date, or total—you can manually search for a match.
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Navigate to the Bank and Credit Cards in QB. Select the account (bank or card) used for payment.
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Next, navigate to the Unrecognized tab to locate the transaction. Use the search feature if necessary.
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Once the correct transaction is located, use the checked actions to select the transaction, then select Match to existing transactions from the dropdown.
Sending Bill Payments to QuickBooks Desktop
This section walks you through how to configure Buildertrend to push Bill Payments to QuickBooks Desktop. Once a bank account in Buildertrend is linked to the correct General Ledger account in QuickBooks, Bill Payments are automatically sent to QuickBooks after the associated Bill has been pushed and the QuickBooks Web Connector has run.
✏️ Note: You must be an Organization Owner or Trusted Payment User in Buildertrend to complete the setup steps below.
Part 1: Buildertrend Setup
Complete the following steps in Buildertrend to link your bank account to the correct QuickBooks General Ledger account.
- Navigate to Company Settings → Online Payments → Bill Pay.
- Select the Bill Pay tab.
- In the Bank account section, click the Pencil icon.
- Click the Link to QuickBooks dropdown.
- Select the General Ledger account that matches your bank account in QuickBooks Desktop. *Note: The General Ledger account selected here must match the bank account in QuickBooks Desktop that you use to issue payments. If you are unsure which account to select, check with your accountant or QuickBooks administrator.
- Click Save.
✏️ Note: The General Ledger account selected here must match the bank account in QuickBooks Online that you use to issue payments. If you are unsure which account to select, check with your accountant or QuickBooks administrator.
Part 2: How Bill Payments Sync to QuickBooks Desktop
Requirements for Automatic Sync
- The bill in Buildertrend has already been pushed to QuickBooks Desktop.
- The bank account in Buildertrend is linked to the correct GL account in QuickBooks (as set up in Part 1).
- The payment is submitted through Buildertrend's Bill Pay feature.
‼️Important:
What Gets Created in QuickBooks Desktop
When the Web Connector runs and the sync completes, a bill payment will be created in QuickBooks Desktop and automatically attached to the correct Bill. The payment will appear under the vendor's bill payment history in QuickBooks.
Verifying the Payment Pushed to QuickBooks
To confirm a Bill Payment has been sent to QuickBooks Desktop, view the Payment Details from the Bill's Payment History in Buildertrend.
- Open the Bill in Buildertrend.
- Navigate to the Payment History on the Bill.
- Click View Details on the payment entry.
- In the Payment Details panel, check the Accounting Status field.
The Accounting Status will show Sent to QuickBooks as soon as the payment is initiated.
If the Bill Payment is not found in QuickBooks Desktop, verify that the Web Connector has run.
✏️ Note: Selecting If the Accounting Status does not show Sent to QuickBooks, verify that the Bill itself was previously pushed to QuickBooks. A payment cannot sync if the parent Bill has not been sent first.
Part 3: Web Connector
What is the Web Connector?
The QuickBooks Web Connector is a small application installed on the same computer as QuickBooks Desktop. It acts as the bridge between Buildertrend and QuickBooks, running on a schedule to push and pull data between the two systems.
How it Works with Bill Payments:
- When a Bill pPyment is submitted in Buildertrend, the Accounting Status is immediately set to Sent to QuickBooks.
- A sync must first be requested in Buildertrend, then the Web Connector must run to transfer the data into QuickBooks Desktop.
- Once the sync completes, a Bill Payment record is created in QuickBooks and automatically attached to the correct Bill.
- The Accounting Status in Buildertrend updates to Sent to QuickBooks to confirm the sync is complete.
Step 1 of 2: Request a Sync in Buildertrend
Before the Web Connector can pick up the payment, a sync must be requested from within Buildertrend:
- In Buildertrend, click your initials in the top-right corner.
- Click Sync with QuickBooks.
- In the Web Connector sync info, click Request Sync.
✏️ Note: Requesting a sync in Buildertrend queues the data for transfer. The Web Connector must then run (step 2) to complete the process and push the Bill Payment into QuickBooks Desktop.
Step 2 of 2: Run the Web Connector
Once a sync has been requested in Buildertrend, the Web Connector must run to complete the transfer. It can run automatically on a schedule or be triggered manually:
- Open the QuickBooks Web Connector application the computer where QuickBooks Desktop is installed.
- Check the checkbox next to the Buildertrend application in the list.
- Click Update Selected to run the sync immediately.
- Wait for the sync to complete. The Last Result column will confirm success.
✏️ Note: If you are unsure whether the Web Connector is configured or running on a schedule, contact your QuickBooks administrator or IT team.
Troubleshooting
| Issue | Resolution |
| Bill Payment not appearing in QuickBooks Desktop | Verify that the Web Connector has run. The Accounting Status in Buildertrend will show Sent to QuickBooks as soon as the payment is initiated, but the Bill Payment will not appear in the QuickBooks Desktop until the Web Connector runs. |
| GL Account not appearing in the Link to QuickBooks dropdown | Ensure QuickBooks Desktop is connected to Buildertrend and the integration is active. Try running the Web Connector to refresh the account list or re-authenticate the connection. Contact Buildertrend Support at support@buildertrend.com for further assistance. |
| Edit pencil not visible in Bill Pay settings | You must be an Organization Owner or Trusted Payment User in Buildertrend. Contact your account administrator to update your role. |
| Bill Payment is in QuickBooks but linked to the wrong bank account | Check that the correct GL Account is selected in the Bill Pay bank account settings in Buildertrend (Part 1). Update the GL link and re-send the payment if needed. |
Online Payments
Payments sent to Quickbooks from Buildertrend can be sent in multiple methods, dependent upon your workflow and preference for the Check Register.
Choose the appropriate Owner Invoice options in the QuickBooks integration settings, located in the Client of the Job Details.
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Choose an account to send your record of payment to via the Deposit Online Payments dropdown.
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Choose an expense account to post the payment processing fees via the Expense Account for Online Transaction Fees dropdown.
✏️ Note: Client Payments settle in 3-5 business days. The fees posted to your expense account are Buildertrend's processing fees – 2.99% for card payments and a flat $15 per ACH payment. Amex is not accepted.
To configure your integration preferences in Buildertrend, go to QuickBooks Desktop | Initial Setup!
Reconciling Payments Sent from Buildertrend
Reconcile Payments using the Undeposited Funds Account
If payments are sent to Undeposited Funds, the amount of the bank deposit will be displayed on your Check Register.
Buildertrend posts the payment to Undeposited Funds and creates a journal entry to account for the payment processing fee. You will see both records in the customer transaction record.
Navigate to Banking dropdown, select Make Deposits.
Locate and select both the payment and the journal entry, then click OK.
Verify that the account and date are correct, then click Save & Close.
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This will create an entry on the Checking Account Register, showcasing the deposit amount (Undeposited Funds amount – the bank fees).
Reconcile Payments using the Checking Account
If payments are sent to a Checking Account, the amount of the bank deposit and journal entry will be displayed on your Check Register.
Buildertrend posts the payment to your Checking Account and creates a journal entry to account for the payment processing fee. You will see both records in the customer transaction record as well as your check register.
Setting Up Canadian Sales Taxes in Buildertrend
To make sure taxes from Buildertrend Invoices push correctly to Quickbooks Desktop, complete the following configuration in both systems.
The following settings are required:
- A sales tax rate is added to each item in Quickbooks Desktop. Note: This rate may be exempt or out of scope but cannot be left blank.
- Tax Rate(s) must be created in Buildertrend.
- The invoice tax option must be set to Exclusive in Buildertrend Accounting settings.
- A default tax rate must be assigned to the job.
- Each invoice line must be marked taxable or non-taxable based on the tax settings assigned to the product or service code.
Add Sales Tax to Items in Quickbooks Desktop
To add tax rates to items in bulk:
Navigate to Lists then select Item List from the dropdown. 
Select the Item dropdown in the bottom left corner and choose Add/Edit Multiple Items. 
Click Customize Columns in the top right and add the Sales Tax column to your view.
Assign the appropriate sales tax to each item, then save your changes and run your Web Connector.
✏️ Note: This can be exempt but cannot be left blank. In this example, we see a mix of HST (H), GST (G), and Exempt (E).
Create Tax Rates in Buildertrend
Navigate to Company Settings and select % Taxes.
Click + Tax rate to create each tax.
If multiple taxes apply, create a Tax group:
Click Tax group, name the group, then select the taxes to include.
Set Invoice Tax Option to Exclusive
Navigate to Company Settings then select Accounting.
Set the invoice tax option to Exclusive.
✏️ Note: Selecting Inclusive will deduct tax from the invoice subtotal rather than adding it to the subtotal.
Assign a Default Tax Rate to the Job
Navigate to Job Details and select Advanced settings to assign a default tax rate to each job.
Create and Push the Invoice
Create the invoice in Buildertrend and mark each line item taxable or non-taxable according to the assigned product or service code.
When the tax configuration matches in both Buildertrend and Quickbooks Desktop, the invoice totals will match in both systems.
For example, if one line item is tax exempt and another includes 5% GST, and the Quickbooks item codes match those tax settings, both invoices will reflect the same total:
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