Advanced QuickBooks Desktop Integration Overview

Setting up Canadian Sales Taxes for Quickbooks Desktop

To ensure taxes from Buildertrend Owner Invoices push correctly to Quickbooks Desktop, the following configuration must be completed in both systems.

 

The following settings are required: 

  1. 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.
  2. Tax Rate(s) must be created in Buildertrend. 
  3. The invoice tax option must be set to Exclusive in Buildertrend Accounting settings.
  4. A default tax rate must be assigned to the job. 
  5. 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 Owner 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:

 


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.


Which QuickBooks workflows will be effected when implementing Bills?

  • Match Bill to bank transaction instead of creating a new expense.

    • For more information on how to match Bills pushed from Buildertrend to the bank transaction, check out this section!

  • 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

  • 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 option from the Buildertrend Job's Accounting Settings.

 

2. Create a Bill in Buildertrend, but DO NOT push it to QuickBooks. Then mark that Bill paid with an offline payment.


Bank Feed | Matching Bills

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.

✏️NoteMatching Bills in the QuickBooks Bank Feed will be commonly used with the Cost Inbox.

  • 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.

Create a Bill in Buildertrend. Be sure to push the Bill over to QuickBooks.

In QuickBooks, navigate to Bank and Credit Cards.

  • 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: Results may populate multiple matches. Select the correct option and click Confirm.

     

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.

  1. Navigate to the Bank and Credit Cards in QB. Select the account (bank or card) used for payment.

  2. Next, navigate to the Unrecognized tab to locate the transaction. Use the search feature if necessary.

  3. Once the correct transaction is located, use the checked actions to select the transaction, then select Match to existing transactions from the dropdown.


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 Homeowner tab of the Job Details.

  • Choose an account to send your record of payment to via the Deposit Online Payments dropdown.

  • Choose an expense account to post the payment processing fees via the Expense Account for Online Transaction Fees dropdown.

For more information on configuring your Integration Preferences in Buildertrend, check out this article!

Reconciling Payments sent from Buildertrend

How to 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.

  • 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.


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