📋 Requirements
Before you begin, make sure:
Your Buildern account is connected to QuickBooks Online.
Accounting Integration has been configured.
Vendors, Cost Codes, Tax Rates, and Projects are synced between Buildern and QuickBooks Online.
Understanding Bill and Expense Synchronization
Buildern | QuickBooks Online |
Bill | Bill |
Expense | Expense |
Pay To | Vendor |
Date | Bill Date |
Due Date | Due Date |
Bill ID / Reference | Bill No. (maximum 21 characters) |
Attachments (first 10 files) | Attachments |
Amounts Are | Amounts Are |
Cost Line Description | Description |
Cost Code | Product/Service |
Quantity | Qty |
Unit Cost | Rate |
Project | Customer/Job |
Bill Payment | Payment |
Configure Automatic Synchronization from Buildern to QuickBooks Online
Buildern can automatically send newly created Bills and Expenses to QuickBooks Online.
To enable automatic synchronization:
Navigate to Company Settings.
Select Accounting Integration.
Locate the Project Default Settings section.
Enable Bills.
Once enabled, newly created Bills and Expenses will automatically be marked for synchronization with QuickBooks Online.
ℹ️ Note - Existing Bills and Expenses are not synchronized automatically. To sync previously created transactions, edit the transaction and enable Send to QuickBooks manually.
Configure Two-Way Synchronization from QuickBooks Online to Buildern
Buildern can also import Bills and Expenses created or updated directly in QuickBooks Online.
To enable importing:
Navigate to Company Settings.
Select Accounting Integration.
Locate the Project Default Settings section.
Enable:
Bring Bills and Expenses from QuickBooks
Bring Updated Bills and Expenses from QuickBooks
Bills and Expenses created in QuickBooks Online will automatically appear in Buildern.
You can also enable:
Import Bills and Expenses from Synced Projects
Import Updated Bills and Expenses from Synced Projects
These settings limit imports to transactions associated with projects that are already synchronized between Buildern and QuickBooks Online.
Create and Sync a Bill or Expense
To create and synchronize a new Bill or Expense:
Navigate to Bills.
Click Create.
Enter the required information, including:
Name
Vendor or Subcontractor
Date and Due Date
Cost Lines
Attachments
Review the transaction details.
Verify that Send to QuickBooks is enabled in the synchronization section.
Click Save.
Buildern will automatically create the corresponding transaction in QuickBooks Online.
ℹ️ Note - Bills created in Buildern are synced as Bills in QuickBooks Online, while Expenses are synced as Expense transactions.
👉 Learn more about How to Add a New Bill in Buildern
Verify Synchronization Status
The Sync column in the Bills list displays the synchronization status of each transaction.
When a Bill or Expense has been successfully synchronized:
A QuickBooks Online icon appears in the Sync column.
Clicking the icon opens the corresponding transaction in QuickBooks Online.
Sync an Existing Bill or Expense
To synchronize a previously created transaction:
Navigate to Bills.
Locate the transaction.
Click the ⋯ (three-dot menu).
Select Edit.
Make any necessary changes.
Scroll to the synchronization section.
Enable Send to QuickBooks.
Click Save.
Buildern will create or update the corresponding transaction in QuickBooks Online.
Resolve Synchronization Errors
Synchronization may fail when related records have not yet been synced with QuickBooks Online.
Common causes include:
New Cost Codes
Vendors or Subcontractors
New Projects
For example, if a Cost Code referenced by a Bill has not been synchronized with QuickBooks Online, Buildern will display an error message during synchronization.
When available:
Click Fix Issues.
Review the missing dependencies.
Synchronize the required records.
Save your changes.
Retry synchronization.
Once all required records are synced, the Bill or Expense can be successfully synchronized.
View Synced Bills and Expenses in QuickBooks Online
To confirm synchronization:
Open QuickBooks Online.
Navigate to Expenses > Bills to review Bills.
Navigate to the Expenses section to review Expense transactions.
Transaction Updates and Ongoing Synchronization
After a Bill or Expense has been synchronized, most updates continue to sync automatically between Buildern and QuickBooks Online.
To receive updates from QuickBooks Online, ensure Bring Updated Bills and Expenses from QuickBooks remains enabled in Accounting Integration settings.
The following changes are synchronized from Buildern:
Status changes
Vendor updates
Date and Due Date changes
Reference updates
Amounts Are (Australian QBO only)
Payment synchronization
Line item updates:
Description
Quantity
Unit Cost
Cost Code
Tax (Australian QBO only)
For Expenses only:
Payment Method
Payment Account
The following changes are synchronized from QuickBooks Online:
Status changes
Vendor updates
Date and Due Date changes
Reference updates
Amounts Are (Australian QBO only)
Payments created in QBO
Line item updates:
Description
Quantity
Unit Cost
Cost Code
Tax (Australian QBO only)
Special Synchronization Behaviors
If a Bill from a Cost Plus project has been added to a Client Invoice, updates made in QuickBooks Online are not imported back into Buildern.
If a new line is added in QuickBooks Online and assigned to a different Customer/Project, Buildern imports that line as a separate Bill.
If all lines are removed from a synchronized Bill in QuickBooks Online, the corresponding Bill is deleted from Buildern.
If a synchronized Bill or Expense is deleted in QuickBooks Online, Buildern removes the synchronization link but retains the Buildern transaction.
You're now equipped to make the most of this functionality and improve your day-to-day operations.
Happy Building!