How to Choose Between a Change Order or Billable Expense in QuickBooks |

How to Choose Between a Change Order or Billable Expense in QuickBooks

Published 09/06/2010 |

I have my first QuickBooks question. Situation: Estimate complete, PO for one aspect of job complete, Bill paid for PO.—When I go to invoice that customer, I see the options for invoicing. Once I select the option I want, another box pops up telling me there are items billed to this customer. 1) should I uncheck "billable" to prevent this if my estimate revenue is good? 2) can I use this feature for change orders, say 5 doorknobs did not make it on the estimate, go straight to "enter bill" and invoice them that way.

You should uncheck billable unless it’s a time & materials contract. You could add the doorknobs this way, but I prefer adding the change order to the estimate. This way you maintain a good Estimate vs. Actuals report.

If you are using QuickBooks for Contractors edition, when you make a change to the estimate you’ll get a popup asking if you want to make a note of the change order at the bottom of the estimate. I usually add a few lines to the change order info so that the customer can sign and date it. If you don’t have the Contractors version, you can manually add the change order description at the bottom of the estimate.

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Ruth Perryman - QuickBooks Specialist Written by +Ruth Perryman, CMA, CFE, CFM, MBA

Ruth has provided QuickBooks help to thousands of businesses around the world since 1996. She is an Intuit Solutions Provider, an Advanced Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor, and a member of the Intuit Trainer/Writer Network. She is also certified in QuickBooks Point of Sale and QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions.

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