This is part of our Getting Started with QuickBooks Online series (Chapter 1 of the QuickBooks tutorial hub):

• Lesson 1: Choosing the Right QuickBooks Online Plan
• Lesson 2: Setting Up Your QuickBooks Company File
• Lesson 3: Building Your Chart of Accounts in QuickBooks
• Lesson 4: Navigating the QuickBooks Dashboard and Mobile App
• Lesson 5: Adding Customers and Products in QuickBooks

Before sending your first invoice, it is worth setting up your customer list and products or services properly.

1. Adding a new customer

Enter their name, contact details and any payment terms specific to them.

2. Setting up products and services

Add the items or services you commonly bill for, with a default price and tax rate, so invoicing is faster later.

3. Organising products into categories

If you sell a range of items, grouping them into categories makes finding the right one at invoicing time much quicker.

4. Keeping customer details up to date

A quick check every so often that contact and billing details are current avoids invoices going to the wrong place.

QuickBooks Australia’s YouTube channel has a Getting Started playlist covering this setup: see the official Getting Started playlist. Our tradie bookkeeping service can help set this up efficiently from the start.