Linking MagManager to QuickBooks – MagManager

In these notes:

Part 1: Setting up MagManager to link to QuickBooks

Part 2: Transferring invoices to QuickBooks

Part 4: Syncing information between MagManager and QuickBooks

Things to be aware of:

The QuickBooks API will only allow one admin user to connect via 3rd party applications such as MagManager. It does not support multi admin users.

The QuickBooks API does not support payment methods - so all invoices transferred over are set to 'Let customer make payment' by default. So if you are using QuickBooks in conjunction with GoCardless to collect payments automatically on the due date you would have to manually mark the invoices in QuickBook as Direct Debit. Note: As an alternative option Xero does support payment methods.

NOTE: Before you start invoicing, please contact us with the invoice number of the next invoice to be raised, and we will set up MagManager to start at this number.

Part 1 Setting up MagManager to Link to QuickBooks

1. Go to Settings, and select System Defaults

Next to Accounts Package, select ‘QuickBooks’

Set the switch to ‘Link to QuickBooks’.

Below ‘Link to QuickBooks’ you’ll see on option to ‘Use Company Name as Display Name’. By default QuickBooks displays a business by the name of the client, eg ‘Joe Smith’ rather than the name of the company, eg ‘Joe’s Shoes’. Switching on ‘Use Company Name as Display Name’ will ensure that QuickBooks lists the business under the company name instead.

Optional: Set the switch to 'Keep QuickBooks Contacts Synced'- (if you do this, then the version of the client details you have in MagManager will always be written to QuickBooks. If you update information in QuickBooks but not in MagManager, then the MagManager version will be copied to QuickBooks again. To avoid MagManager over-riding the changes you make to your clients in QuickBooks, switch this off.)

Click Update.

2. Connect to QuickBooks

Go to the main Settings page > Under Accounts > Select QuickBooks. The first time you do this, you will be prompted to connect to QuickBooks.

If you are already logged in to QuickBooks, you will see this dialogue box- click on connect.

3. Sync data with QuickBooks

Go to the main Settings page > Under Accounts > Select QuickBooks.. When you are connected to QuickBooks, you will see the following options:

When you first set up with QuickBooks you need to click the following:

Sync Tax Rates – Tax Rates Updated will appear across the top of the screen
Sync Products - Products Updated will appear across the top of the screen
Sync Accounts - Accounts Updated will appear across the top of the screen
Reconcile Customers - see step 7 below.

4. Set Account Codes / Inventory Codes

Go to the main Settings page > Under Publications & Bookings > Select Publications > Select each publication in turn > Select the Defaults tab > Choose your Account Code from the Dropdown (the accounts codes listed are those you have setup in your Quickbooks account) > Click Save.

If you use Inventory codes they can also be selected from the lower part of the page, by choosing the Inventory Code from the dropdown menu (again this information comes directly from your QuickBooks account) > Click Save.

5. Updating your Tax Settings

Go to the main Settings page > Under Accounts > Select Company Details.

The tax options available to you here have been updated to reflect your QuickBooks tax settings. You can now select from a pre-populated drop-down menu to complete your tax & VAT details.

6. Update User Settings

From the main settings page > Under Admin > Select Users > Click the users name > Scroll dow to the bottom section and check the box 'Can Use Quickbooks' in the user settings.

The QuickBooks API will only allow one admin user to connect via 3rd party applications such as MagManager. It does not support multi admin users.

7. Reconcile Customers

The integration between MagManager and QuickBooks links your clients on the company name. However, if you have a different name in the two systems, you can match the two corresponding companies up using “reconcile customers”.

In MagManager, go to Settings > QuickBooks and click on Reconcile Customers.

You will see two columns: one lists your clients in MagManager (right side) and the other your clients in QuickBooks (left side). MagManager will match these where possible. You can change the match by clicking the green “change” button.

If you have a QuickBooks customer without a match in MagManager, click the “Look Up” button, and you will have the option to search through your MagManager clients to find the appropriate match If no match is found, select “New Client” and MagManager will create a new client with the same details as in QuickBooks.

When you have finished matching clients, click the green “Reconcile” button in the top-right of the screen. If you are creating new clients as part of this process, make sure that the small tick box to the left of their company name is ticked before you click Reconcile.

NOTE: Clients in MagManager are linked to clients in QuickBooks on company name. If you change the company name in MagManager or in QuickBooks, use “Reconcile Customers” to match up the records again.

NOTE: If you have an accounts contact set in MagManger their details will transfer to QuickBooks.

Part 2. Transferring invoices from MagManager to QuickBooks

If your installation of QuickBooks is new, you will first need to create a dummy invoice in QuickBooks. EG open QuicBooks and create an invoice for £1.

Once you have done that, you'll then be able to transfer invoices from MagManager to QuickBooks. If you do not create the dummy invoice in QuicBooks, you'll get an error message 'Unable to transfer invoices' when trying to transfer invoices over.

There are 2 methods to link Invoicing, via the Client screen or from the Invoice screen

If you raise an ad hoc or individual invoices on the Client Screen these invoices will import directly into QuickBooks.
When you raise a batch of invoices from the Invoicing Screen – MagManager will ask you to link to your QuickBooks account and request how you would like these invoices to be imported ‘Draft, Awaiting Approval, Approved’. This batch of invoices will then automatically appear in QuickBooks.

Part 3. Payment terms in MagManager and QuickBooks

You can set default invoice terms in MagManager by going to Settings > Accounts > Company Details and enter the number of days in the box next to “Payment Terms”. You can over-ride this on an individual client by going to the Details tab for that client and entering the number of days for that client in the “payment terms” box.

Then when you transfer an invoice to QB, the due date will be set accordingly, so if your payment terms in MagManager is 14 days, the “due date” in QuickBooks will be 14 days after the date of the invoice. If the payment terms for an individual client is 7 days, their invoice due date will be 7 days after the invoice date.

In QuickBooks, invoices have a “due date” and also a “terms” box. Invoices transferred from MagManager will now pick up the default “terms” set in QuickBooks.

Here’s an example from my test site: I have set up “Net 14” as my Terms in QuickBooks and this is now picked up in the invoices transferred from MagManager. Also, the Due Date is worked out by the number of days terms I have for this client in MagManager:

Part 4. Syncing information between MagManager and QuickBooks

When an Invoice is marked as paid in QuickBooks, it will automatically be updated as paid in MagManager.

You can choose whether or not client details updated in MagManager is also updated in QuickBooks.

Go to Settings > Settings > System Defaults.

Syncing client details from MagManager to QuickBooks

If you create a new client in MagManager and you already have a record for this client in MagManager, then go to Settings > QuickBooks > Reconcile Customers as described above to link up the client in MagManager with the corresponding record in QuickBooks.

When you create a new client in MagManager that does not exist in QuickBooks, then when you create your first invoice for that client, a new client will automatically be set up in QuickBooks and the client contact details you have set up in MagManager will be copied across to this new client.

When you have "Accounts Package" set to QuickBooks, there will be a switch option for "Keep QuickBooks Contacts Synced". If this switch is on (green), then clients’ details from MagManager will always be Synced to QuickBooks (this means that even if you change the client details in QuickBooks, they will be changed back to the MagManager version if you don't also change them in MagManager.) If you do not want this, switch off "Keep QuickBooks Contacts Synced".

Part 5. Deleting invoices

If you need to delete an unpaid invoice, you should cancel it in MagManager and the corresponding amendment will be cancelled QuickBooks.

NOTE: If an invoice has been deleted in MagManager, that invoice number will no longer be available to use again.