QuickBooks Integration

The QuickBooks Online (QBO) integration keeps your accounting data synchronized with Blueprint Studio — automatically updating invoices, payments, purchase orders, and more. This integration helps ensure your design and accounting teams always work from a single source of truth.

💡 Tip: Only administrators can connect or modify QuickBooks settings. All other users benefit from automatic syncing in the background.

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Connecting to QuickBooks Online

1

Navigate to the QuickBooks integration

Go to Settings → Integrations → QuickBooks Online.

2

Connect to QuickBooks

Click Connect to QuickBooks.

3

Sign in

Sign in using your QuickBooks Online administrator credentials.

4

Authorize data sharing

Review and authorize the data-sharing permissions.

5

Confirm connection

Once connected, Blueprint Studio will display the integration status as Active.

⚠️ Note: Only QuickBooks Online is supported — not QuickBooks Desktop or Self-Employed editions.

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Mapping Setup

The mapping setup defines how entities in Blueprint Studio correspond to those in QuickBooks.

Entity Mappings

Blueprint Entity	QuickBooks Entity	Sync Direction	Description
Clients	Customers	Outbound	Blueprint clients are created or matched by name in QBO.
Vendors	Vendors	Outbound	Vendors sync when used in Purchase Orders or Bills.
Items	Products & Services	Outbound	Items are created or matched by name; categories map to QuickBooks Item Types.
Invoices	Invoices	Outbound	Blueprint invoices are created in QBO as customer invoices.
Payments	Payments	Outbound	Blueprint payments are applied to QBO invoices.
Purchase Orders	Purchase Orders	Outbound	Sent to QuickBooks with linked vendor, items, and costs.
Bills	Bills	Outbound	Created when vendor invoices are recorded.
Bill Payments	Bill Payments	Outbound	Recorded when vendor bills are paid in Blueprint.
Credits	Credit Memos	Outbound	Credits issued to clients are created as QBO Credit Memos.
Deposits / Retainers	Sales Receipts	Outbound	Represent client funds held as liabilities.

💡 Tip: Each mapping runs automatically in the background when documents are saved or updated. Duplicate checks prevent multiple entries in QBO.

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Integration Points

Blueprint Studio syncs key accounting data to QuickBooks as follows:

Invoices

• Created automatically when an invoice is sent or finalized.

• Each line item syncs with its corresponding QuickBooks Product/Service.

• Tax codes map to your QuickBooks tax rates.

• Client, project, and due date fields are included for full traceability.

Payments

• Payments applied in Blueprint are synced to QuickBooks as Payment records linked to the corresponding invoice.

• The payment method (e.g., Check, ACH, Credit Card) is included for reconciliation.

Proposals

• Proposals themselves are not directly synced.

• Once approved and converted into invoices, the resulting invoice syncs automatically to QuickBooks.

Purchase Orders

• POs created in Blueprint appear in QuickBooks as Purchase Orders with linked vendors, items, and project references.

• Quantities, unit costs, and taxes are mirrored.

Bills

• When a vendor invoice is entered in Blueprint, a Bill is created in QuickBooks.

• The Bill links to the related Purchase Order for reconciliation.

Bill Payments

• Payments made against vendor bills in Blueprint are sent as Bill Payments in QuickBooks.

• The payment references both the Bill and Vendor, maintaining audit traceability.

Credits

• Client credits issued in Blueprint appear as Credit Memos in QuickBooks.

• When applied, the Credit Memo reduces the client’s balance due in QuickBooks automatically.

Deposits & Retainers

• Deposits and retainers collected in Blueprint become Sales Receipts in QuickBooks.

• These are mapped to a Liability Account (e.g., “Client Retainers” or “Unearned Income”).

• When applied to invoices later, the liability is reduced and income is recognized.

💡 Tip: This accounting flow mirrors best practices — deposits are not treated as income until earned.

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Liability Account Management

When creating Sales Receipts for deposits or retainers, Blueprint Studio posts them to your configured Client Retainers liability account in QuickBooks.

1

Specify liability account

During setup, specify your liability account under Settings → Integrations → QuickBooks Options.

2

Default usage

All retainer and deposit transactions use this account by default.

3

Applying deposits

When a deposit is applied to an invoice, the liability account decreases and the income account increases accordingly.

💡 Tip: This method ensures your balance sheet correctly reflects unearned revenue until it’s applied to an invoice.

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QuickBooks Dashboard

The QuickBooks Dashboard in Blueprint Studio provides a central overview of all synced entities and statuses.

You can view:

• Connected Company name and ID

• Last Sync Timestamp

• Recent Sync Activity (Invoices, Payments, POs, Bills, etc.)

• Error Logs for failed sync attempts

• Manual Sync Controls (Run Now, Retry, or Disconnect)

From here, admins can quickly confirm which records are in sync and re-run failed operations if needed.

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Sync Status Indicators

Every major document in Blueprint Studio (Invoice, Purchase Order, Bill, Payment, etc.) includes a Sync Status indicator in the top-right corner.

Statuses include:

• 🟢 Synced: Successfully synced to QuickBooks.

• 🟡 Pending: Waiting for next scheduled sync.

• 🔴 Error: Failed to sync (hover for message).

• ⚪ Not Sent: Not yet pushed to QuickBooks.

💡 Tip: Syncing runs automatically in the background. You can trigger a manual sync anytime using the Sync Now option on the document or from the QuickBooks Dashboard.

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Background Sync Process

The integration uses a background service that periodically checks for new or updated documents and syncs them in batches to QuickBooks. This keeps the user experience smooth without requiring manual pushes.

• Sync Frequency: Every few minutes (configurable).

• Retry Logic: Automatically retries failed syncs.

• Logging: All sync activity is logged for review in the Dashboard.

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Disconnecting QuickBooks

1

Open QuickBooks integration settings

Go to Settings → Integrations → QuickBooks Online.

2

Disconnect

Click Disconnect.

3

Confirm

Confirm the action when prompted.

⚠️ Note: Disconnection stops future syncing but retains all previous records for reference. Disconnecting does not delete any synced data from QuickBooks.

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Best Practices

• Always finalize documents before syncing to avoid revisions after sync.

• Ensure QuickBooks Products/Services and Tax Rates are configured before connecting.

• Regularly monitor the QuickBooks Dashboard for any sync errors.

• Use meaningful naming for accounts (e.g., “Blueprint Retainers Liability”) for easy reporting.

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Next Steps

Once QuickBooks is connected and running smoothly, you can configure your Harvest Integration to track time entries and billable hours — seamlessly combining accounting and time tracking in one system.