When your Boatyard account is connected to QuickBooks, your purchase orders (POs) will automatically sync once they are marked as complete. This guide explains how that sync works, how purchase orders appear in QuickBooks, and what to check for accurate syncing.
When Does a Purchase Order Sync?
Purchase Orders in ‘Ordered’ and 'Completed' status get sent to QuickBooks, and we also include the customer billing address with each invoice. If an "ordered" PO is reverted, the corresponding PO will be deleted from QBO.
Draft and Ordered POs will not sync. Only Completed POs are sent to QuickBooks.
What Information Is Synced
When a PO syncs, Boatyard sends the following details to QuickBooks:
Vendor name
Parts listed in the order
Shipping fees
Total amount of the order (excluding tax unless specified)
This appears in QuickBooks as a standard purchase order under the vendor’s account.
How Tax Works with Purchase Orders
Boatyard does not send tax data directly. If your items are taxable in QuickBooks, you need to ensure that the Purchase Account on each part is marked as taxable.
To control taxability:
Item-Level: Go to the individual part and ensure the Part Purchase Tax Type is set to taxable.
Global Settings: If all your parts are always taxable, you can update the global Part Purchase Tax Type setting so that new parts default to a taxable purchase account.
Note: If a part is not marked as taxable in Boatyard, it will not appear as taxable in QuickBooks.
Inventory Tracking
Boatyard tracks inventory levels—not QuickBooks.
Purchase orders sent to QuickBooks are for financial records only.
All inventory counts, adjustments, and usage should continue to be managed within Boatyard.
What Happens in QuickBooks
Once a PO is synced:
A purchase order is created under the vendor (e.g. “Mercury”) within Expense Transactions
All listed parts and any shipping fees will be itemized.
You can review and confirm the details.
To complete payment in QuickBooks, copy the PO into a bill and proceed as you normally would.
Tips & Troubleshooting
QuickBooks Online Requirements for Purchase Order Sync
Boatyard supports sending Purchase Orders (POs) directly into QuickBooks Online through the QBO integration.
However, QuickBooks only enables the Purchase Order feature on certain subscription tiers. For the connection to work correctly, the QBO company must have Purchase Orders enabled in Settings.
Required QuickBooks Online Subscription Tier
Purchase Orders are only available in QBO plans that include Inventory Tracking, which begins at the Essentials tier and higher.
How to Enable Purchase Orders in QuickBooks Online
Switch QBO to Business View (Purchase Order settings are not visible in Accountant View).
Navigate to: Gear → Account and settings → Expenses
Scroll to Purchase Orders.
Toggle “Use purchase orders” to ON, then Save.
What Happens If Purchase Orders Are Disabled
If Boatyard attempts to send a PO to a QBO account that does not have Purchase Orders enabled, QuickBooks will reject the request.
To use Boatyard’s Purchase Order sync with QuickBooks Online, the customer must:
Be on a QBO tier that supports Inventory Tracking (Essentials or higher)
Have Purchase Orders enabled in QBO → Account & Settings → Expenses
Once these requirements are met, Boatyard can successfully create and send POs to QuickBooks without interruption.
Shipping Fees Not Showing?
Double-check that the Shipping Fee field is filled in before completing the PO.
Parts Not Marked as Taxable?
Edit the individual part in Boatyard and set the correct purchase account type.
If many parts need updating, use the global default setting for future items.
Once your purchase orders are set up correctly, syncing them to QuickBooks is seamless and automatic. For questions or help with errors, contact our support team or refer to the full QuickBooks integration guide.