Overview
If you log billable time in QuickBooks Online, you can pull those time activities straight into an Ignition invoice. When the invoice is deployed to QuickBooks Online, the original time entries are linked to it and automatically marked as billed, so you don't have to reconcile anything by hand.
This works for time logged in QuickBooks Time, imported from a third-party tracker, or entered directly in QuickBooks Online, as long as the entry is marked billable.
Early access: This feature is currently available to a small group of QuickBooks Online-connected practices. If you don't see the option in your account, please navigate to Settings → Labs to enable the feature.
Before you start
You'll need:
A QuickBooks Online connection. Your Ignition account must be connected to QuickBooks Online.
Time entries marked as billable in QuickBooks Online. Only entries with the "Billable" checkbox ticked will appear in Ignition.
Client mapping. The Ignition client must be mapped to the matching QuickBooks Online customer.
Service mapping. The QuickBooks Online service item linked to the time activity must be mapped to the Ignition service.
How to add time activities to an invoice
When creating a one-off invoice
Create a new invoice and select a client.
If the client has unbilled QuickBooks Online time activities, a callout appears in the services box: "X hours of billable time also available."
Click Add to invoice.
Each time entry is added as its own line on the invoice, showing the service, hours, date, and any notes from QuickBooks Online.
Any edits to the service name will remain and will show up on the invoice. Preview the email to see how the service names and descriptions are displayed to your client.
Remove any entries you don't want to bill before issuing the invoice. Anything you remove stays billable in QuickBooks and will be available again next time you bill the client.
From the client's billing schedule
Go to the client's billing schedule.
The same callout appears when there are unbilled time activities to pull in.
Click Create invoice. Each entry is added as a separate line, and you can remove any you don't want before issuing.
What happens when the invoice deploys
When the invoice is deployed to QuickBooks Online:
A QuickBooks Online invoice is created with each time entry as its own line item.
The original TimeActivity entries in QuickBooks Online are linked to that invoice and marked as converted.
Any entries you removed from the Ignition invoice before issuing remain billable in QuickBooks Online, so they'll appear again the next time you bill the client.
If you delete the Ignition invoice before it's deployed, every time activity on it goes back to being available.
Limitations to know about
One line per time entry. Each QuickBooks Online time activity becomes its own line on the Ignition invoice. There's no option to consolidate them into a single line per service in early access.
Tax comes from the Ignition service. The tax rate on each line is taken from your mapped Ignition service, not from the QuickBooks Online time entry's tax code.
Edits in Ignition don't sync back to QuickBooks Time. If you change the quantity or rate on a line in Ignition, the original QuickBooks Online entry is still marked as billed against the deployed invoice. Ignition will warn you in-product when this happens.
On-demand sync. Time activities are pulled from QuickBooks Online when you open the invoice flow or view the client. If you log new time in QuickBooks Online mid-flow, refresh the page to see it.
QuickBooks Online only. Xero, QuickBooks Time Desktop, and other workflow apps aren't supported in early access.
FAQs
Where does the tax rate on the invoice come from?
The tax rate comes from your Ignition service, not from QuickBooks Online. Set your service rate on Ignition services before pulling time in.
My time entries aren't showing up. What should I check?
Three things: (1) the entry is marked Billable in QuickBooks Online, (2) the QuickBooksO customer is mapped to the Ignition client, and (3) the QuickBooks Online item on the entry is mapped to a service in the Ignition service library.
Can I exclude specific time entries?
Yes. After the entries are added to the invoice, remove any lines you don't want before issuing. Removed entries stay billable in QuickBooks Online and will be available the next time you bill the client.
What if I use a third-party time tracker?
As long as your tracker pushes time into QuickBooks Online with the billable flag set, Ignition can pick it up. Ignition reads from QuickBooks Online, not from the tracker directly.
Does this work for invoices from my proposals or additional services?
Not in early access. Time activities are only added to the one-off invoice flow.
Will this work with Xero?
Not yet. We're starting with QuickBooks Online during early access and will look at Xero and other workflow apps based on what we learn.
Need help?
If you're in the early access cohort and run into anything, reach out to support@ignitionapp.com or via the support chat in-app. Feedback on what's working and what isn't goes a long way to shaping the broader rollout.