QuickBooks Online integration

How to set up and configure the QuickBooks Online (QBO) integration in Engine.

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1. Open the QBO integration from Settings

• In Engine, you must be an admin.
• Navigate to Settings → Integrations.
• Find the QuickBooks tile.
• Important prerequisite: you must have Direct Bill or Engine X enabled in Engine to access the QBO integration.

2. Complete the QuickBooks authentication flow

• Click the QuickBooks tile.
• Accept the notice that Engine uses Merge for connecting to QBO.
• In the Merge pop-up, confirm you are the admin and choose Production Data.
• Click Next, then Open Window to launch the QuickBooks login page.
• Log into QuickBooks and grant access. This will complete authentication.

3. Wait for Engine to sync QuickBooks data

• After authentication, Engine begins syncing QuickBooks data into the platform — this could take a few hours depending on the complexity of your QBO data.
• Synced data includes:
  • Vendor lists
  • Chart of accounts
  • Field-specific valid values
  • Other mapping-related accounting data
• The spinning indicator means the sync is in progress.
• Once complete, you will see an All done screen and can continue to setup.

4. Choose which invoice types to configure

• The left rail shows the invoice types Engine can sync to QuickBooks:
  • Lodging
  • Incidentals
  • Flights
  • Cars
  • Car insurance
  • Subscription
  • Engine X
  • Credits / adjustments
• You have the option to configure just the invoice types you plan to use.
• You can skip any invoice types you do not need.
• In the walkthrough, lodging is used as the example.

5. Select simple or custom mapping

• At the top of each invoice type setup, there are two mapping options:
  • Simple mapping
  • Custom mapping
• Simple mapping sends the total invoice amount as one bill in QuickBooks.
• Custom mapping lets you map line items to different accounts.
• Custom mapping is more flexible, but simple mapping is usually enough for most customers.

6. Map the lodging bill details

• Choose the vendor name from the synced vendor list; this becomes the vendor on the QuickBooks bill. You should choose Engine (or whichever custom name you have configured for Engine in your QBO account).
• Choose the invoice total account, which determines the expense account the bill hits.
  • Because Engine synced the chart of accounts, you can select from your own QuickBooks accounts in this dropdown.
• This is where the bill's core accounting destination is defined.

7. Map standard Engine fields to QuickBooks fields

• Standard Engine fields can be sent as metadata on the QuickBooks bill.
• These fields can map to either:
  • Invoice Memo at the header level, or
  • Invoice Total Line Item as a line-item description
• These are free-text fields, so multiple values can be concatenated there.
• This is useful for passing through general context without strict value matching.

8. Map custom fields carefully

• Custom Engine fields can map to specific QuickBooks targets.
• Examples shown:
  • Class
  • Department
  • Job Number
• Some targets are header-level fields, while others appear in specific QuickBooks columns like Customer/Project, which will be displayed on the configuration screen as Invoice total — Customer / Project.
• Example guidance:
  • Job number often maps well to Customer/Project
  • Department can map directly to Department
  • Class can be mapped to Memo if needed, or Class if you use this field in QBO.
• Be careful with non-free-text fields: the value in Engine must exactly match the valid value in QuickBooks, or sync errors can occur.
• You can choose to attach a PDF invoice to the QuickBooks bill using the checkbox.

9. Run a test invoice

• Before applying the setup, you must run a test invoice.
• The test invoice is a $0 invoice used to confirm QuickBooks can receive data from Engine.
• After sending, verify the invoice appears in QuickBooks in real time.
• Once confirmed, click I see the invoice in QuickBooks, confirm everything looks good, and continue.
  • Note: you will not be able to verify custom field mappings using the test invoice. These will need to be validated using a real booking after setup.

10. Apply the configuration and finish setup

• You must click Apply to save the configuration.
• Once applied, the invoice type shows as fully set up.
• In the demo, lodging is configured and the other invoice types are skipped.
• At the end, you will see a summary where you can click Submit.
• The QuickBooks Online integration is now active.

11. Understand when invoices actually sync

• Bills do not sync immediately after setup.
• Actual invoice syncing begins when your next statement drops.
• That sync includes all bills from the statement period.

12. Use the Billing tab to monitor sync status

• After setup, you will get a new view under Billing called QuickBooks Online Sync.
• This page shows all bills Engine attempted to sync to QuickBooks.
• It also shows whether each sync succeeded or failed.
• If there is a mismatch or error, you can investigate and resolve it in the UI.
• Once fixed, Engine will automatically try to re-sync the bill.