The QuickBooks Online (QBO) integration in the Expense module lets you manually export reimbursed expense claims into QuickBooks as journal entries. Transfers are always admin-initiated — there is no automatic or scheduled sync. Only claims that have been marked Reimbursed and have not been previously transferred are available to export.
Before You Begin
- JustLogin role: You must be a Superuser, an Expense Admin, or hold the Expense role permission View Integration Menu to access the Integration area.
- QuickBooks Online account: You need a QuickBooks Online company that you can sign in to with admin rights.
- Chart of accounts: Your QuickBooks chart of accounts should already be configured before you connect, as you will map your JustLogin expense categories to those accounts during setup.
- No Intuit developer registration needed: JustLogin connects via its own QuickBooks app. You simply sign in and authorise — no additional setup is required on your side.
Step 1: Connect to QuickBooks Online
- In the Expense module, select Integration from the left-hand menu.
- Locate the QuickBooks card and switch the integration on.
- Click Connect to QBO. Intuit's sign-in page will open.
- Sign in to QuickBooks and select the company you want to connect.
- You will be returned to JustLogin. The QuickBooks card will show Connected.
Important Note The QuickBooks connection is tied to your browser session, not your company account. If you switch to a different browser, clear your browser data, or another admin opens the Integration page, the status will show Disconnected and the connection must be re-authorised. Each admin can independently maintain their own connection. |
Step 2: Map Account Codes to Expense Categories
- From the QuickBooks card, click View Details.
- Open Account Codes Mapping.
- For each expense category, select a Debit account code and a Credit account code. The dropdowns pull your active QuickBooks accounts in real time.
- Click Save Mapping.
Important Note Every expense category used in the claims you intend to transfer must be mapped before you run a transfer. If even one selected claim contains an unmapped category, the entire batch will be blocked — nothing will post to QuickBooks. You will see an error indicating that debit and credit codes are not mapped. Add the missing mapping and then retry the transfer. |
Step 3: Choose an Export Level
Under Other Settings, select how journal entry lines are grouped when posted to QuickBooks:
| Export Level | Behaviour in QuickBooks |
|---|---|
| Category | Lines are grouped by expense category. The report number is included in each line description. |
| Reports (Employee Level) | Lines are grouped by employee expense report. |
Click Save after making your selection.
Step 4: Transfer Reimbursed Expenses
- Click Save & Continue to open the Transfer to QuickBooks screen.
- The list shows only Reimbursed claims that have not been previously transferred.
- Select the rows you want to export.
- Click Transfer.
A successful transfer creates one journal entry in QuickBooks for that transfer action, with a debit line and a credit line for every expense line included.
Step 5: Review Transfer History
Click View History to see a log of completed transfers. Each record shows the transfer date, the admin who ran it, item count, total amount, and success or failure counts. Use the view action to inspect a specific batch.
Failed transfers do not appear in History. If a transfer fails, you will see an error message on screen and the affected items will remain in the pending list — nothing will have been posted to QuickBooks. Resolve the issue (such as fixing an unmapped category) and run the transfer again.
What Gets Posted to QuickBooks
- Entry type: A journal entry, dated the day you run the transfer — not the original claim or report date.
- Lines: One debit line and one credit line per expense line in the batch.
- Line description: The expense description is used. If none is set, the category name is used as a fallback. In Category export mode, the report number is also included.
- Currency: Amounts are posted in your Expense module's base currency, with no currency marker attached. Your QuickBooks company's home currency must match; a mismatch will cause figures to be misstated in QuickBooks.
- Tax: Tax is not broken out as a separate line, and no GST or tax code is sent to QuickBooks. The full claim amount is posted as a single figure. If tax reporting in QuickBooks is a requirement, we recommend discussing this behaviour with your accountant before going live.
Additional Considerations
- Transfer within the correct accounting period. Because journal entries are dated the day of the transfer, we recommend exporting before the close of the accounting month to which the expenses belong.
- This integration is separate from Payroll's QuickBooks connection. JustLogin's Payroll module has its own independent QuickBooks integration. Connecting the Expense integration does not connect Payroll, and vice versa. Each must be set up separately.