Setting up an integration between Re-Leased and QuickBooks Online streamlines your accounting by a 1:1 connection, linking one Re-Leased company to a corresponding QuickBooks Online company. This article provides detailed steps to establish the connection and ensure that your historical and real-time data is accurately synced. It will also outline how the Invoice Numbering works. Once connected, the two systems cannot be reconfigured with different companies, so it's important to proceed with the correct setup from the start.
Preparing to Connect
Before initiating the sync between Re-Leased and QuickBooks Online, ensure that in QuickBooks Online you have:
- Tax types established
- Chart of accounts in place
- Products/services defined - see here for a demonstration video
- Classes at the line item level for property tracking (Plus & Advanced QuickBooks Online plans)
- Custom transaction numbers turned OFF in QuickBooks Online (Settings > Sales)
If you have been using QuickBooks Online for rent invoicing, it's essential to cancel any repeating invoices before the first Re-Leased invoice is created. This helps consolidate all income under Re-Leased for synchronized tracking.
Connecting to QuickBooks Online
To begin the connection process:
- Go to the Settings section and select your company from the dropdown menu at the top left corner.
- Scroll down and click on Manage Integrations & Add ons.
- Find QuickBooks Online and press Connect.
- Sign in to your QuickBooks Online account when prompted.
- Select the company you wish to sync and click Next.
- Confirm by clicking Connect. You will be redirected to Re-Leased to finalize the setup.
If Re-Leased has existing data, you'll need to match Tax Types, Chart of Accounts, Tracking Options, and Contacts with QuickBooks Online. Otherwise, for a new Re-Leased company, no matching is required.
IMPORTANT: In QuickBooks Online, all income invoices (including all Rent invoices) must be created with a Product or Service item, NOT a standard Chart of Account. Therefore its critical that if a Chart of Account for Rent already exists in Re-Leased, that this is matched with a Product or Service Item, not a Chart of Account, at matching time.
In Re-Leased, we show the difference by using prefixes.
- A - represents a Chart of Account
- S - represents a Sales item. Rent should always be linked to a Sales item
- P - represents a Purchase item
In the image above, it would be critical to ensure that all Rent invoices and Rent templates in Re-Leased are linked to S-037, [S] Commercial Rent.
Setting Up Your Sync Preferences
When syncing for the first time:
- Choose a Sync From Date.
- Reconcile any Tax Types not matching QuickBooks Online by archiving or replacing them with a QuickBooks rate using the dropdown.
- Align your Accounts, ensuring that any Re-Leased accounts not in QuickBooks Online are either archived or replaced. As per above - ensure that any existing Rent Chart of Accounts in Re-Leased are matched to a Sales item, with an S prefix.
- Match Tracking Options with QuickBooks Online classes.
- Synchronize Contacts by creating them in QuickBooks Online, matching them with existing ones, or archiving.
After reconciliations, click Continue to proceed with onboarding, and select Confirm to initiate the first sync. The initial sync duration will depend on the amount of data.
When the sync is complete, the integration status in the header will update from a spinning circle to a blue flag, indicating a successful connection.
Invoice Numbering with QuickBooks Online
When you create an invoice in Re-Leased, it's assigned a unique Re-Leased invoice number. This number persists until the invoice is Approved and synced with QuickBooks Online. Assuming that the setting for custom numbering is turned OFF in your QuickBooks Online settings, the invoice will then receive its QuickBooks Online invoice number. Once generated, this number will replace the original in Re-Leased and be used for future reference in both systems.
Invoices Created in QuickBooks Online
Conversely, invoices that are originated in QuickBooks Online will begin with their assigned QuickBooks Online invoice numbers. These numbers will be retained when the invoices synchronize with Re-Leased, preserving consistency across both platforms.
Disconnection from QuickBooks Online
If ever you disconnect your Re-Leased system from QuickBooks Online, there will be a change in how your invoices are numbered. Post-disconnection, all invoices in Re-Leased will revert to the Re-Leased numbering system. This means that moving forward, new invoices will no longer carry QuickBooks Online numbers, and you’ll utilize Re-Leased's own numbering conventions again.