MinuteDock can automatically apply QuickBooks accounting fields (Classes and Service Items) to your invoices and Time Activities based on the User, Contact, Project, or Task associated with each Time Entry.
You can also link MinuteDock Users to QuickBooks Employees for Time Activity syncing.
This guide covers your QuickBooks integration settings, including how sub-customers import and where invoices land in QuickBooks.
Configure Classes and Service Items
Customise how MinuteDock automatically assigns QuickBooks Classes and Service Items to your Time Activities and invoice line items. These settings apply to both invoice syncing and Time Activity syncing.
Understanding the priority order
MinuteDock applies settings in a specific priority order. Higher-priority settings override lower-priority ones:
Task settings (highest priority) - override all others
Project settings - override Contact and User settings
Contact settings - override User settings
User settings - override system defaults
System defaults (lowest priority)
ℹ️ Note: This order applies to QuickBooks fields only. Billing rates use a different, more detailed order — see Setting up Billing Rates.
This cascading system gives you precise control over how time is categorised in QuickBooks while maintaining flexibility.
Configure default settings
Set organisation-wide defaults that apply unless overridden by more specific settings:
Click the QuickBooks button in the top-right navigation bar
Select Integration Settings from the dropdown
In the Default QuickBooks Fields section, set:
Default Class - Applied to all Time Activities and invoice lines
Default Service Item - The service or product from your QuickBooks inventory
Configure User-specific settings
Apply QuickBooks fields based on which team member performed the work:
Navigate to the Account screen
Go to the Team screen to view all Users
Open the User's settings
In the QuickBooks section, configure:
QuickBooks Employee - Required for Time Activity syncing
Class - Override the default Class for this User's time
Service Item - Override the default Service Item
Click Update
Configure Contact settings
Apply QuickBooks fields based on which client you're working with:
Navigate to the Contacts screen
Hover over the relevant Contact and click the edit button
Scroll to QuickBooks Settings
Set specific Classes or Service Items for this Contact
Click Update Contact
Configure Project/Task settings
Apply QuickBooks fields for specific types of work within a Contact:
Navigate to the Projects screen
Click into the Tasks sub-tab (if configuring a Task)
Hover over the relevant Project or Task and click the edit button
Scroll to QuickBooks Settings
Set specific Classes or Service Items
Click Update Project or Update Task
✅ Success! When you send invoices to QuickBooks, the configured fields will automatically apply to each line item based on your settings hierarchy. You'll see these reflected in your QuickBooks draft invoices, ready for final review.
Common configuration examples
Here are practical ways businesses use these settings:
Department tracking - Set a Class for each User to track time by department
Service categorisation - Assign Service Items to Tasks for automatic service classification
Project profitability - Use Classes on Projects to track profitability in QuickBooks
Location tracking - Apply Classes to Contacts based on their location or business segment
Verify your configuration
After setting up your QuickBooks integration settings:
💡 Tip: Create a test invoice or send a test Time Activity to verify your configuration. Check that the correct Classes and Service Items appear in QuickBooks based on your settings hierarchy.
When you send invoices or Time Activities to QuickBooks, the configured fields will automatically apply based on your priority settings. Review the results in QuickBooks to ensure proper categorisation for your accounting needs.
Choose how sub-customers import
Two settings on the Integration Settings screen control how MinuteDock handles QuickBooks sub-customers. You'll need the Manage MinuteDock Account & Users Permission to change either one.
Sync QuickBooks sub-customers as MinuteDock projects — with this on, each top-level QuickBooks Customer imports as a Contact and every sub-customer beneath it imports as a Project on that Contact. With it off, every Customer and sub-customer imports as its own Contact.
Send invoices to matching QuickBooks sub-customers — with this on, an invoice goes to a sub-customer when all of the time on it sits on a single Project. Anything more mixed than that goes to the top-level Customer. With it off, every invoice goes to the top-level Customer.
The two settings are independent. Time sent through Send Time follows the first setting, not the second, so Time Activities can land on sub-customers even when your invoices go to the top-level Customer.
⚠️ Important: Changing the first setting has consequences for time you've already tracked. See How QuickBooks sub-customers import for worked examples of both options and what to expect when you switch.
Link Users to QuickBooks Employees
For Time Activities to sync to QuickBooks, each MinuteDock User must be linked to a QuickBooks Employee. This connection is required for payroll processing and Time Activity reporting in QuickBooks.
Set up Employee linking
Navigate to the Account screen using the top right navigation bar
Go to the Team screen to view all Users
Open the User's settings
In the QuickBooks section, select the matching QuickBooks Employee from the dropdown
Click Update
MinuteDock attempts to automatically match Users to QuickBooks Employees based on names, but you should verify each connection is correct.
⚠️ Important: Time Activities won't sync for Users who aren't linked to a QuickBooks Employee. If you're using Time Activity syncing, ensure all active Users are properly linked.