How-to: Connect to QuickBooks Desktop

Brigid Bello · December 2019

In order to integrate Expensify with QuickBooks Desktop, we suggest that you host QuickBooks Desktop on a Right Networks server. Right Networks is our recommended hosting platform for the QuickBooks Desktop integration and is a cloud-based service. If you don’t already have an account with Right Networks, get in touch with a Sales Consultant by filling out the form here.

Before you can connect your Expensify policy to QuickBooks Desktop, make sure you are logged in as an Admin in QuickBooks, and that the company file that you need to connect to is the only company file that you have open.

Step 1: Set Up Submitters in QuickBooks Desktop

All report submitters must be set up as Vendors in QuickBooks Desktop with the email that they use in Expensify on file in the "Main Email" field of their Vendor record.

To set this up, click into your vendor section of QuickBooks:

If you want to export reports to your users' employee records instead of their vendor records, you will need to select Check or Journal Entry for your reimbursable export option. If you are setting up Expensify users as employees, you will need to activate QuickBooks Desktop Payroll to view the Employee Profile tab where submitter's email addresses need to be entered.

Step 2: Initiate the Connection

To connect, navigate to Settings > Policies > Group > [Policy Name] > Connections > QuickBooks Desktop.

Select the Connect to QuickBooks Desktop radio button and click Connect to QuickBooks:

Step 3: How do you access QuickBooks Desktop?

While we have no definitive plans to stop supporting certain QBD setups, at some point in the future, Expensify may only support QuickBooks Desktop through Right Networks. It is highly recommended that you select "Third-Party Remote Desktop" and then "Right Networks" in order to get the best experience and to avoid needing to adjust your setup in the future.

Step 3A: Enable the Expensify Sync Manager in Right Networks

* NB: Single-user mode in QBD is required.

If you don't yet have an account with Right Networks, you will first need to get in touch with Right Networks here. You can then either enable the Expensify Sync Manager yourself from the "My Account" section of your Right Networks portal or reach out to Right Networks for assistance.

Step 3B: Enable the Expensify Sync Manager in Your Third-Party Remote Desktop

You will need to reach out to your third-party remote desktop provider to be granted the ability to download the Sync Manager to your desktop provider. Some security restrictions may be in place, so we recommend reaching out to your provider directly to prevent any future issues with the Sync Manager. Please note, the Sync Manager has to be stored in the same location where you open your QB company file.

Step 4: Complete the Connection

Launch QuickBooks and open your desired Company File using the QuickBooks Admin credentials. Admin credentials are required to create the connection due to the permission requirements, but you will not need to be logged in as an admin when you sync or export.
Go to your Expensify policy settings and copy the Token by selecting the clipboard icon.
While you still have QuickBooks running, launch the Expensify Sync Manager. Paste your Token and click Save.
Once the Sync Manager status is updated to “Connected,” return to Expensify and click the “Continue” button.
Go back to QuickBooks and you will see an "Application Certificate" screen pop up. On the first page of the Certificate screen, click "Yes, always; allow access even if QuickBooks is not running.” and click "Continue." On the second page of the Certificate screen, select the Admin user from the dropdown, then click "Done" to finish this step. Selecting Admin does not mean you need to be logged in as an admin to use this connection - this is just what you need to select when setting the permissions.
Navigate back to Expensify and wait for the syncing process to complete. You're all set!

Next Steps

Before you can start exporting reports, you will need to Configure your Export and Coding options.
If you need to connect more than one policy to QuickBooks Desktop, check out this guide for more details.

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