Why connect to QuickBooks?
QuickBooks automates time-consuming accounting tasks so that you have more time to grow your business. Create estimates, invoices, bills and more. In just one click you can create balance sheets, cash flow statements and over 60 other reports.
Connecting QuickBooks to your Ignition account allows you to automatically generate invoices in QuickBooks when your proposal is accepted by your client.
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How does Ignition create new (or identify existing) clients in QuickBooks?
Ignition uses the Client Name to determine if a new client should be created in QuickBooks. The following illustration breaks down exactly how this works.
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If the Client Name exactly matches a Client Name in QuickBooks, then Ignition will assign all invoices to that existing client.
In Ignition, you can manually map an Ignition client record to a QuickBooks client record.
For example, if your client has two entities: Entity A and Entity B. You want the Ignition proposal to address Entity A, but the invoices to be allocated to Entity B in QuickBooks, you will manually map them via Ignition.
To do this, simply click into Clients → Select the Client → Edit Client → Apps tab → use the search/dropdown to select the QuickBooks client you want to map to.
If there is no Client Name that exactly matches in QuickBooks, and you have not performed mapping then Ignition will create a new client.
The client's entity name, address, postal address and phone numbers will be pushed across to QuickBooks. If a new entity is created, their details are not pushed across to QuickBooks until a proposal for that entity has been accepted through Ignition.
How does Ignition create invoices in QuickBooks?
Ignition performs a one-way push of invoices to QuickBooks.
Invoices will only start sending to QuickBooks after a proposal is accepted by your client.
Ignition uses the default invoice functionality to create invoices in QuickBooks. The invoice will include the customer details (name, email address), the billing address, invoice number and due dates.
The services included in your proposal become line items in the invoice.
Internal view:
Client view:
When will Ignition create invoices for each client?
On Acceptance services: An invoice will be immediately generated in QuickBooks once the proposal is accepted. If you have more than one "On Acceptance" services, they become individual line items on the same invoice.
Recurring services: Invoices will be generated in QuickBooks depending on the cadence you choose in your Service Type.
Deposit services: The first invoice (Deposit) will be immediately generated in in Quickbooks once the proposal is accepted. Then, the second invoice (Balance) will need to be raised manually on or before your specified date.
On completion or Estimate services: These services will appear in the Billed Manually section of the client's Billing Schedule tab to be manually scheduled which will then trigger the invoice to be created in Xero.
Learn about the Billing Schedule tab here and learn about Ignition's centralised billing hub here.
Data transfer between Ignition and QuickBooks
The client's entity name is pushed across along with the invoice and the contact details (entity name, email and address) that we have in Ignition once the invoice is sent to QuickBooks. The sync also occurs every hour as well.
You can manually refresh the integration by going into the Apps → QuickBooks → Sync.
For more information about QuickBooks, you can visit their website using this link.
Got questions? Get in touch with us at support@ignitionapp.com