> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.spott.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Invoicing with QuickBooks

> Create QuickBooks invoices from contingent, retained and contract placements, including approved timesheets.

You create invoices from the **placement record**. Spott sends each invoice to QuickBooks
Online straight away. There is no draft step: the invoice shows as **Authorised** in Spott
and as an open invoice in QuickBooks, ready for your finance team to send.

This needs the [QuickBooks integration](https://docs.spott.io/docs/integrations/quickbooks.md) connected and your pay
codes synced. Once an invoice is in QuickBooks, its status comes back to the placement, as
described under [Track invoice status](#track-invoice-status).

## Invoice a contingent placement

![The New invoice dialog with QuickBooks as provider, a QuickBooks company selected, and the QuickBooks customer search open with Create QuickBooks customer at the bottom](https://mintcdn.com/spott-docs/0_dAphR9fauZYMnj/images/integrations/quickbooks-customer-search.webp?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=0_dAphR9fauZYMnj\&q=85\&s=62dbfcfb5ff42550177957932f839b2a)

1. Open the placement and click **+ New invoice** in the **Invoices** section.
2. **Provider:** select **QuickBooks**.
3. **Recipient:** Spott selects the placement's company. Switch to **Contact** if you bill a
   person instead.
4. **QuickBooks company:** pick the QuickBooks company the invoice goes to. It is only shown
   when more than one company is connected. Spott preselects the primary company if the Spott
   company already has a QuickBooks customer there, otherwise a company where it has one,
   otherwise the primary. Settle it before the customer and line items, because changing it
   clears both. It cannot be changed once the invoice is created.
5. **QuickBooks customer:** the first time you invoice a company in a QuickBooks company,
   start typing to search for its customer, or choose **Create QuickBooks customer** if it
   does not exist yet. Confirm **Link**. Spott remembers the link for every future invoice to
   that company in that QuickBooks company, so you will not see this step again. To change it
   later, unlink it from **External Links** on the company page.
6. Click **Next** and check the invoice details:
   * **Invoice date** and **Due date**, both required.
   * **Currency**, taken from the placement. Spott does not convert between currencies.
   * **Line items:** choose a pay code from those of the invoice's QuickBooks company, and
     Spott fills in the description. Set **Units** and **Unit cost**. For a one-off placement
     fee, units is usually 1 and unit cost is the placement's total fee. Add more lines with
     **+ Line item**.
7. Click **Create**. The invoice appears in the placement's **Invoices** table with its
   QuickBooks invoice number, status **Authorised** and provider **QuickBooks**.

### Edit or open an invoice

From the **⋮** menu on the invoice's row:

* **Open in QuickBooks** opens the invoice in QuickBooks, where you can see the full history
  of changes. The invoice history is kept in QuickBooks, not in Spott.
* **Edit** lets you change the invoice while it is **Authorised**. The recipient and
  QuickBooks company are locked. Your changes sync to the invoice in QuickBooks.

> [!TIP]
>
> You can also link a company to its QuickBooks customer ahead of time, from the company's
> **External Links**. See [Link companies to QuickBooks customers](https://docs.spott.io/docs/integrations/quickbooks.md#link-companies-to-quickbooks-customers).

## Invoice a retained search

Retained searches are invoiced **per milestone**, so you can bill each stage as it is reached.
The milestones come from the fee structure on the job, set up as described under
[retained placements](https://docs.spott.io/docs/placements/placements.md#retained-placements).

1. Open the retained search and click **New invoice**.
2. Under **What would you like to invoice?**, tick the milestones to include, for example only
   **Shortlist** for the first payment. Each shows its percentage and amount.
3. Click **Next** and continue with provider, recipient, QuickBooks company, QuickBooks
   customer and line items, as for a contingent placement.
4. Click **Create**. The invoice appears under the search's **Invoices**.

## Invoice a contract placement from timesheets

For contract placements, you invoice the time actually worked. Each placement needs a
**rate card**, and you invoice its **approved timesheets**. Setting up rate cards and logging,
submitting and approving timesheets is covered in [Timesheets](https://docs.spott.io/docs/placements/timesheets.md),
since none of it depends on QuickBooks.

1. Click **New invoice** on the placement. Under **What would you like to invoice?**, choose
   **Specific timesheets** and tick the ones to bill. Only **Approved** timesheets can be
   ticked; the others say "Only approved timesheets can be invoiced." To bill a single
   timesheet, you can also click **+ New invoice** in the **Invoice** column of its row.
2. Confirm provider, recipient, QuickBooks company and QuickBooks customer, as for any other
   invoice.
3. Spott fills in the line items from the timesheets: pay code, description, units worked and
   unit cost. Lines are split by rate, so standard and overtime hours appear separately.
4. Click **Create**. Each timesheet on the invoice now links to the new invoice.

Several timesheets can go on one invoice, so a month of weekly timesheets can be billed
together.

![The Invoices tab on a contract placement, with a QuickBooks invoice created from a timesheet and showing as Authorised](https://mintcdn.com/spott-docs/0_dAphR9fauZYMnj/images/integrations/quickbooks-invoice-timesheet.webp?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=0_dAphR9fauZYMnj\&q=85\&s=738980d5a0912813b46c07d8f50df96e)

### Invoice the placement as a whole

Choose **Placement** instead of **Specific timesheets** and Spott suggests a single line for
the whole placement: the charge rate times the estimated units, worked out from the working
schedule and the start and end dates, or 1 unit when the placement has no end date. It does
not look at the hours actually logged, so check the line and edit it before you click
**Create**.

## Track invoice status

Once an invoice is in QuickBooks, Spott keeps its **invoice number** and **status** in sync.
Updates can take a minute or two to appear and may need a page refresh.

| Status in Spott | What it means | Can you edit it in Spott? |
| - | - | - |
| **Authorised** | Created in Spott and sent to QuickBooks, open and awaiting payment | Yes |
| **Paid** | Payment recorded in QuickBooks | No |
| **Deleted** | The invoice was deleted in QuickBooks | No |

## Frequently asked

* **Can I create a draft first?** No. Invoices from Spott go to QuickBooks as open invoices
  and show as **Authorised**. You can still edit them from Spott while they are
  **Authorised**.
* **My customer received the invoice before we checked it.** **Automatically send imported
  invoices** is on in QuickBooks. Turn it off under
  **Settings → Account and settings → Sales → Invoice payments**.
* **Can I record a payment in Spott?** No. Record payments in QuickBooks, and Spott updates
  the invoice to **Paid**.
* **The QuickBooks customer I need is not in the list.** The list starts empty, so type part
  of the name to search. If the customer does not exist in QuickBooks, choose
  **Create QuickBooks customer**.
* **A pay code is missing.** Ask an admin to click **Sync** next to **Sync pay codes** under
  **Settings → Templates → Rate Card Templates → Pay Codes**. If it is still missing, check
  that the product or service exists in QuickBooks.
* **I deleted an invoice in QuickBooks.** Spott shows it as **Deleted** after a refresh.
* **Can I link more than one QuickBooks company?** Yes. An admin can connect several, for
  example one per legal entity, with **Connect another company** on the QuickBooks
  integration page. Each invoice goes to the company you pick in the **New invoice** dialog.
  See [Connect your QuickBooks companies](https://docs.spott.io/docs/integrations/quickbooks.md#connect-your-quickbooks-companies).


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