QuickBooks integration

Agency invoicing that syncs to QuickBooks

Handl builds the invoice from your milestones, hours and retainers. QuickBooks stays your books. Invoices and payments push across, so nothing gets typed twice.

Start your 7-day free trialSee how it connects

Free for 7 days, then flat plans from $29/mo.

What syncs

What syncs from Handl to QuickBooks

Two things, both one way: from Handl into QuickBooks. Each is set up in the QuickBooks settings inside Handl.

  • Invoices go to QuickBooks

    Handl creates the invoice in QuickBooks with the same invoice number, dates, currency, line items, discount and tax. Change it in Handl later and Handl updates that same QuickBooks invoice instead of making another.

    When

    You pick the timing: when the invoice is sent, when payment is received, or only when you hit Sync. QuickBooks has no draft invoices, so an invoice has to be sent before it can sync.

  • Payments go to QuickBooks

    When a Handl invoice is paid in full, Handl records a payment against that invoice in QuickBooks, deposited to the account you chose: a bank account or Undeposited Funds.

    When

    Right after the invoice is marked paid. Payment sync is off until you switch it on and choose a deposit account, so QuickBooks never gets a payment you didn't set up.

Division of labour

What stays where

Handl does

  • Scope and milestones
  • Time and retainers
  • Drafting the invoice
  • Payment reminders
  • The client portal

QuickBooks does

  • Chart of accounts
  • Bank feeds
  • Sales tax reporting
  • Reporting
  • Payroll

Handl isn't your accounting system and doesn't pretend to be.

Setup

How to connect Handl to QuickBooks

It takes a couple of minutes. You need to be an owner, admin or project manager in Handl, and sign in to QuickBooks Online as someone who can authorise apps on your company.

Check these in QuickBooks first

  • Custom transaction numbers switched on (Settings, Account and settings, Sales). Handl uses its own invoice number in QuickBooks and needs QuickBooks to keep it.
  • At least one product or service of type Service. Handl attaches invoice lines to the first one it finds.
  • If you charge tax: an active sales tax code that matches the rate on your Handl invoices.
  • If you invoice in a foreign currency: multicurrency switched on in QuickBooks, with that currency added.

  1. Step 1: Open Integrations in Handl

    In Handl go to Settings, then Automation, then Integrations. The Accounting card has Xero and QuickBooks on it.

  2. Step 2: Click Connect on the QuickBooks card

    A QuickBooks window opens. If you already have Xero connected, disconnect it first. Handl connects to one accounting system at a time.

  3. Step 3: Sign in to QuickBooks and allow access

    Sign in, choose the QuickBooks Online company you want to connect, and authorise Handl. When the window closes, the QuickBooks card in Handl shows Connected.

  4. Step 4: Choose when invoices sync

    On the QuickBooks card, click Settings. Under Sync invoices to QuickBooks pick Manual or When sent. When payment received shows up once payment sync is on and a deposit account is chosen.

  5. Step 5: Turn on payment sync and pick the deposit account

    Switch on Sync payments to QuickBooks, then choose the account the payment should be deposited to: one of your bank accounts, or Undeposited Funds.

    Pick the account that matches where the money really lands, so the payment sits where you'd expect when you reconcile.

  6. Step 6: Match your clients to QuickBooks customers

    The first time an invoice for a client syncs, Handl looks for a QuickBooks customer with exactly the same name. No exact match? The invoice shows Needs mapping. Click it, then Choose customer to link an existing customer, or Create the client in QuickBooks from the same box.

    Handl remembers the match for next time.

  7. Step 7: Catch up older paid invoices (optional)

    Turning on payment sync only covers payments from now on. For invoices that were already paid, use Check for unsynced payments in the same settings. It shows you what it would send and waits for your OK.

That's it. If the connection ever drops, the QuickBooks card shows a Reconnect button. Use that instead of disconnecting.

Time in, books out

Works alongside your time tracker

Hours go into Handl from the tracker your team already uses, Handl builds the invoice, and QuickBooks gets the result. They're all listed on the integrations page.

  • Harvest

    Tracked hours sync into Handl and land on the next hourly invoice, which then pushes to QuickBooks.

  • Toggl

    Toggl entries flow into Handl, onto the invoice, and across to QuickBooks without an export in between.

  • Clockify

    Clockify hours come into Handl and ride the same invoice path to QuickBooks.

  • Hubstaff

    Hubstaff time lands in Handl first, then goes to QuickBooks on the invoice.

See all integrations

Frequently asked questions

Does Handl replace QuickBooks?
No. QuickBooks stays your books: chart of accounts, bank feeds, sales tax reporting, payroll. Handl does the project side, building the invoice from milestones, hours and retainers, and pushes the result across so you're not typing it twice.
Can I enter a payment in QuickBooks and have Handl see it?
No. Payments go one way, from Handl to QuickBooks. Record the payment in Handl, or let your client pay through Handl with Stripe, and it pushes across to QuickBooks. A payment you type straight into QuickBooks stays in QuickBooks.
Does it work with QuickBooks Desktop?
No. Handl connects to QuickBooks Online only.
What do I need in QuickBooks before I connect?
Custom transaction numbers switched on, at least one product or service of type Service, and, if you charge tax, an active sales tax code that matches the rate on your Handl invoices. For foreign-currency invoices you also need multicurrency on. Handl checks these before it sends anything, so a missing setting never leaves half an invoice in your books. It tells you what to fix and you sync again.
Why won't my invoice sync until I've sent it?
QuickBooks has no draft invoices. Anything Handl creates there is a live invoice straight away, so Handl waits until the invoice has been sent.
What happens if I edit the invoice in QuickBooks?
Handl won't overwrite your changes on its own. If the QuickBooks invoice has changed since Handl last wrote it, the automatic update is refused and the invoice is flagged, so you decide. Only a manual Sync replaces the QuickBooks version.
Does it handle sales tax?
Handl looks in QuickBooks for an active sales tax code that matches the tax rate on the invoice. If it can't find one, or finds several it can't choose between, it doesn't guess. The invoice is flagged and tells you what to change in QuickBooks.
What if I disconnect?
Handl stops syncing, clears the stored connection and revokes its access at QuickBooks. Invoices already in QuickBooks stay exactly where they are, nothing is deleted from your books. If you're just fixing a dropped connection, use Reconnect instead.
Which plans include it?
Accounting sync is included from the Solo plan up, and there's a 7-day free trial, so you can connect QuickBooks and watch a real invoice go across before you pay anything.
Can you help me set it up?
Yes. Most people are done in a few minutes, but if you want a hand with the deposit account or the tax code, grab a time with Darren. Book a time with Darren.

Free tools

Take something with you

Try it on a real invoice

Connect QuickBooks and send one across.

7-day free trial on every plan, from $29/mo. Connect QuickBooks, send an invoice, and watch it land in your books.

Start your 7-day free trial

Keep going

Where to next