How to Sync Time Entries with QuickBooks Online

Typing time entries into your accounting system once a month is the kind of work that disappears the moment you connect the two systems. The Timesheet integration with QuickBooks Online does exactly that: tracked time becomes billable time on the right customer, and invoice status flows back so your time tracker knows what's been billed.

This is the practical setup, the mapping decisions that matter, and the troubleshooting list for the few things that can go sideways. The integration lives on the Pro plan, which has a 30-day free trial (no credit card).

#What the Integration Does

#Out from Timesheet, into QuickBooks

• Time entries sync as billable time
• Projects map to QuickBooks customers
• Team members map to QuickBooks employees

#Back from QuickBooks, into Timesheet

• Invoice status: when time is invoiced in QuickBooks, the entries are marked billed in Timesheet
• Edits to synced time in QuickBooks flow back to Timesheet

#Sync Cadence

• Changes sync as they happen: creating, editing, or deleting an entry triggers a sync
• QuickBooks pushes its changes back via webhook
• A full reconciliation runs nightly
• Manual sync on demand with Sync Now

#Prerequisites

Before you connect:

• Timesheet Pro (active subscription or trial)
• QuickBooks Online (not QuickBooks Desktop)
• Admin access to both accounts
• Projects set up in Timesheet
• Customers set up in QuickBooks

#Connecting

#Step 1: Initiate

1. In the Timesheet web app, open Integrations in the main menu
2. Click Browse Marketplace and install QuickBooks Online
3. Open the integration and click Connect

#Step 2: Authorize in QuickBooks

1. You'll be redirected to QuickBooks
2. Sign in to your account
3. Review the requested permissions
4. Click Connect to authorize

#Step 3: Confirm

1. Back in Timesheet, the QuickBooks company name appears
2. You're connected

#Mapping Projects to Customers

The critical step. Without mappings, no time flows.

#Where to Map

1. Open the QuickBooks integration
2. Switch to the Mappings tab
3. Find the Project Mapping section

#Creating Mappings

For each project you want to sync:

1. Click + Add to create a pair
2. Pick the Timesheet project
3. Pick the matching QuickBooks customer
4. Save

#Mapping Examples

#A Few Things That Save Trouble

Names don't have to match exactly. Mapping is by selection, not by name string.

Create new customers in QuickBooks first. If a customer doesn't exist there, create it in QuickBooks, then come back and map.

Skip internal projects. Leave the mapping empty for projects you don't want to sync (admin, learning, internal R&D).

#Mapping Team Members

For teams, map members to QuickBooks employees. A member's time only syncs once they're mapped, so do this for everyone whose hours should land in QuickBooks.

#Setup

1. Open the Mappings tab of the QuickBooks integration
2. Find the User Mapping section
3. For each team member, add a pair with the matching QuickBooks employee
4. Save

#Why It Matters

Mapped team members let QuickBooks:

• Track time by person for payroll
• Generate reports by employee
• Apply correct labor costs

#What the Sync Sends

As changes happen:

• New time entries
• Updates to existing entries
• Corrections and deletions

#What Triggers a Sync

• Creating, editing, or deleting a time entry (including marking it billed)
• An inbound change pushed from QuickBooks via webhook
• The nightly full reconciliation
• Clicking Sync Now

#Checking Sync Status

• Open the QuickBooks integration
• The Sync Dashboard shows recent runs, the connection state, and the last sync result
• The Logs tab lists each run with its status, trigger, and duration

#Creating Invoices from Synced Time

Once time is in QuickBooks, invoicing is the normal QuickBooks workflow.

#In QuickBooks

1. Sales → Invoices
2. Click Create Invoice
3. Select the customer
4. QuickBooks shows the unbilled time entries
5. Add entries to the invoice
6. Review and send

#Status Flows Back

When you invoice time in QuickBooks:

• Timesheet marks those entries Billed
• Paid status stays in QuickBooks; it doesn't sync back to Timesheet
• The two-way sync keeps time entries and billed status aligned without anyone re-keying data

#Manual Sync

For when you don't want to wait for the nightly reconciliation.

#Force a Sync

1. Open the QuickBooks integration
2. Click Sync Now
3. Wait for completion
4. Review the result

#When to Use It

• After a bulk time entry edit
• Right before sending an invoice
• After fixing mapping errors
• When troubleshooting

#Handling Conflicts

A few patterns to be aware of:

Edited in both places. Same time entry changed in Timesheet and QuickBooks. Resolution: Timesheet is the source of truth for time entries; QuickBooks is the source of truth for invoice status.

Deleted on one side. Entry deleted in one system. Resolution: deletions in Timesheet remove from QuickBooks; deletions in QuickBooks don't propagate back to Timesheet.

Mapping changed mid-stream. Project remapped after some entries synced. Resolution: previously synced entries stay with the original customer; new entries use the new mapping. To move historical entries, do it manually in QuickBooks.

#How to Mostly Avoid Them

• Edit time in Timesheet, not QuickBooks
• Invoice in QuickBooks and let the billed status flow back; track paid status in QuickBooks
• Don't delete synced time from QuickBooks

#Best Practices

Map before tracking. Set up project-customer mappings before the team starts tracking. Otherwise you get "orphan" entries that don't sync.

Use consistent project names. Mapping handles the connection, but consistent names mean you can remember what links to what without opening the settings.

Weekly check. Five minutes on the sync status: any failed syncs, any unmapped projects with time, any customer assignments that look off.

Monthly reconciliation. Before close:

1. Ensure all time is synced
2. Create invoices for billable time
3. Record received payments
4. Verify the totals match between systems

Document the mappings. A simple spreadsheet or doc with project → customer and member → employee saves you ten minutes the next time someone asks.

#Troubleshooting

#Time Not Appearing in QuickBooks

• Is the project mapped?
• Is the team member mapped?
• Does the sync direction allow Timesheet to write to QuickBooks?
• Is the connection still active? Check the Logs tab for failed runs

#Connection Expired

QuickBooks tokens can expire after a long period without syncing.

1. Open the QuickBooks integration
2. Click Connect again
3. Re-authorize in QuickBooks

#Duplicate Entries

• Don't delete in QuickBooks (they'll re-sync from Timesheet)
• Check whether the entries were modified in Timesheet
• Contact support if it keeps recurring

#Time on the Wrong Customer

1. Update the project mapping in Timesheet
2. In QuickBooks, manually move the affected entry to the right customer
3. Future entries use the new mapping

#Disconnecting

If you need to remove the integration:

1. Open the QuickBooks integration
2. Open the Actions menu and choose Uninstall Integration
3. Confirm

After removal:

• Sync stops immediately
• The integration and its mappings are removed in Timesheet
• Time already synced stays in QuickBooks
• You can reinstall and reconnect anytime

#Summary

The integration replaces manual data entry with:

• Connect: OAuth authorization between Timesheet and QuickBooks Online
• Map: projects → customers, team members → employees
• Sync: as changes happen, with a nightly reconciliation and Sync Now on demand
• Invoice: in QuickBooks, from synced time
• Status: invoiced time flows back to Timesheet as billed

Set it up once and the monthly close stops being a re-keying exercise.

#Where to Go Next

• Connect to Zapier for broader workflow automation
• Generate PDF invoices when you want the invoice produced from Timesheet directly
• Export to Excel for one-off reports outside the QuickBooks flow