Answers to common questions about the QuickBooks Online integration.
General questions
What QuickBooks Online versions are supported?
Sync2Books supports all current versions of QuickBooks Online, including:
QuickBooks Online Simple Start
QuickBooks Online Essentials
QuickBooks Online Plus
QuickBooks Online Advanced
Do I need a QuickBooks Online subscription?
Yes, you need an active QuickBooks Online subscription to use the integration. You can use the QuickBooks Online sandbox for testing without a subscription.
Can I connect multiple QuickBooks Online companies?
Yes, each company in Sync2Books can have its own QuickBooks Online connection. You can also connect multiple companies to the same QuickBooks Online account if needed.
Authentication
How does OAuth work with QuickBooks Online?
Sync2Books uses OAuth 2.0 to authenticate with QuickBooks Online. When you create a company and get an authorization URL, your customer completes the OAuth flow to grant access. Sync2Books handles token management automatically.
How long do connections stay active?
Connections remain active as long as:
The OAuth token hasn't expired
The user hasn't revoked access in QuickBooks Online
The connection hasn't been manually disconnected
What happens if a connection expires?
If a connection expires, you'll need to reconnect the company. Sync2Books will attempt to refresh tokens automatically when possible.
Expense transactions
What expense types are supported?
Payment - Standard expense payment
DirectCost - Direct cost expense (COGS)
Reimbursable - Billable to customers
Transfer - Transfer between accounts
Adjustment - Refunds, chargebacks, rewards
Can I create draft expenses?
Yes, set postAsDraft: true when creating an expense. The expense will be created as a draft in QuickBooks Online and won't affect the books until posted.
How are expenses categorized?
Expenses are categorized using:
Account reference - Maps to QuickBooks Online chart of accounts
Tax rate reference - Maps to QuickBooks Online tax rates
Tracking categories - Maps to classes, locations, etc.
Can I update expenses after they're synced?
Currently, Sync2Books creates expenses but doesn't support updates. To modify an expense, you'll need to do it directly in QuickBooks Online or create a new adjustment transaction.
Attachments
What file types are supported?
Images: JPG, JPEG, PNG, GIF
Documents: PDF, DOC, DOCX, XLS, XLSX, TXT, CSV
Max file size: 10 MB
Can I attach multiple files to one expense?
Yes, but you need to upload each file separately. Each upload creates a separate attachment record.
Where do attachments appear in QuickBooks Online?
Attachments appear in QuickBooks Online as "Attachables" linked to the expense transaction. They're accessible from the transaction detail page.
Sync process
How long does syncing take?
Most expense syncs complete within 5-15 seconds. Large batches may take longer. Use the sync batch status endpoint to monitor progress.
What happens if a sync fails?
Failed syncs are tracked in the sync batch. You can:
Check the error message in the sync batch response
Retry failed items using the retry endpoint
Fix any data issues and resubmit
Can I sync expenses in bulk?
Yes, you can create multiple expenses in a single request. They'll be processed as a batch and share the same sync batch ID.
Rate limits
What are the rate limits?
QuickBooks Online has rate limits based on your subscription tier. Sync2Books respects these limits and handles rate limit errors automatically with retries.
What happens if I exceed rate limits?
If you exceed rate limits, Sync2Books will:
Return a rate limit error
Automatically retry after the rate limit window expires
Queue requests if needed
Troubleshooting
Connection status shows ERROR
Check the connection details in Sync2Books Dashboard
Verify the OAuth token hasn't expired
Try reconnecting the company
Check QuickBooks Online for any account issues
Expenses aren't syncing
Verify the connection is active (status: "CONNECTED")
Check the sync batch status for error messages
Ensure all required fields are present (account, tax rate, etc.)
Verify account and tax rate IDs exist in QuickBooks Online
Invalid account ID error
Retrieve accounts using the accounts endpoint
Verify the account ID exists in QuickBooks Online
Ensure the account is active
Check that the account type matches the expense type
Invalid tax rate ID error
Retrieve tax rates using the tax rates endpoint
Verify the tax rate ID exists in QuickBooks Online
Ensure the tax rate is active
Check that the tax rate applies to the expense location
Best practices
How should I handle errors?
Always check sync batch status after creating expenses
Implement retry logic for transient failures
Log errors for debugging
Set up alerts for high failure rates
Should I set company-level defaults?
Yes, setting company-level defaults reduces transaction complexity and ensures consistent categorization. See Map transactions for details.
How often should I sync expenses?
Sync expenses as they occur for real-time updates. Batch multiple expenses together for better efficiency.