Are you facing an error if you try to sync QuickBooksDesktop with your EZRentOut account? This blog will take you through some common issues you might face when integrating QuickBooks with our equipment rental software, and tell you how to resolve them in no time!
A general overview
The QuickBooks desktop app has to be manually synced by the user. Before we get into specific issues you might encounter, here are some general guidelines to keep in mind as you go through the syncing process:
- Before installing any of the applications, it is recommended that you restart your computer.
- To set up the sync, you will need to have an active EZRentOut account, a PC with any version of Windows 7, 8 or 10, as well as an installed version of QuickBooks Desktop 2012 (or later).
- You must install QuickBooks before installing EZRentOut Sync, but make sure it’s not running in the background as the installation for EZRentOut Sync takes place.’
- Ensure that you have the latest version of the EZRentOut Sync Utility. You can get it by clicking ‘Download Application’ here. Please note that you must extract the zip file before continuing!
- If you collect tax in EZR, make sure Sales Tax is enabled in QuickBooks as well.
You could follow all the steps outlined above and still face a syncing error. Scroll through some of the most common QuickBooks-EZRentOut syncing errors below to find out how to fix them.
QuickBooks is already running
Make sure that QuickBooks is not running as the EZRentOut Sync Utility is being installed. You can open the Task Manager by clicking Alt+Ctrl+Del to ensure that QuickBooks has indeed been closed properly.
The tax rates are not set up (for US customers)
1) Create a fresh company file in QuickBooks.
2) In Edit → Preferences → Sales Tax → Company Preferences, make sure the following box is checked if you do apply taxes on orders:
3) You will then have to add at least one tax rate:
4) Now run the EZR Sync Utility afresh to see if everything goes well.
Note: Canadian customers wishing to integrate with QuickBooks can click here for more information.
The account doesn’t match or exist
You must ensure that your accounts ‘match’ across the two apps. You can click here to see a table detailing how account titles in EZRentOut map to account types in QuickBooks Desktop.
If you’re being told an account doesn’t exist, you’re going to need to create it from scratch. Click here to see how to create an account that doesn’t already exist in the system.
Note: You may receive an error asking you to choose an account to proceed (such as ‘Select an Inventory Asset Account to proceed’) when attempting to sync your orders. This can be addressed by ensuring the appropriate account has been mapped to that account in the sync utility set up.
The API key is wrong
In the event that you receive an incorrect API key, you can simply generate a new one. To do this, sign in as an EZRentOut account owner and go to Settings → Add-Ons → API Integration → Generate New Access Token.
The customers are duplicating
Two customers with the same names in EZRentOut will get mapped separately in QuickBooks, with their IDs appended at the end. So two customers, each called John Smith, might be differentiated in QuickBooks like this:
John Smith – 1
John Smith – 2
Note that you can also change the field called ‘QuickBooks Display Name’ in EZRentOut by going to Customer List → Customer → QuickBooks Display Name. If two customers have the same QuickBooks Display Name in EZRentOut, they’ll get mapped as the same customer in QuickBooks.
Mapping similarly named items
Items will be synced over to QuickBooks with their IDs and asset types. This can help you map similarly named items.
- An Asset in EZRentOut will have the asset type FA in QuickBooks.
- An Asset Stock in EZRentOut will have the asset type No Sale in QuickBooks.
- An Inventory in EZRentOut will have the asset type Sale in QuickBooks.
So, an asset called Forklift with an ID of 11 will be synced to QuickBooks as:
11 – FA
Of course, you can see the name of the item in the description box.
I can’t find my error log file
We might ask you to send us an error log file for the EZRentOut utility for troubleshooting purposes. To locate this:
1) Go to File Explorer → Local Disk (C:)
2) Click on View → Hidden Items. Depending on your windows version, the hidden items options might be a little different.
3) Locate the log file in the Program Data folder:
The company file does not allow for Sales Tax to be charged
You would need to enable Sales Tax on QuickBooks. Click here to learn how to do that.
The program file isn’t installing
You shouldn’t have this problem if you’re using the EZRentOut Sync Utility version 1.8 or higher. For earlier versions, this could simply be an antivirus program or firewall blocking the file from being installed. It could also be an issue with corrupt pre-installation. To fix this, go to Programs and Features → Uninstall or Change a Program → Uninstall EZRentOut Sync Utility and QBFC.
I cannot access third-party applications in QuickBooks
If you do not have access to any third-party applications in QuickBooks, you will not be able to sync QuickBooks to EZRentOut. To fix this, simply log in as an administrator.
Payment data sync errors
As a general rule of thumb, we highly recommend generating and manipulating payments either in EZRentOut or in QuickBooks. Creating, deleting or modifying payments at both ends can cause trouble with your sync.
Below, we’ve outlined four common workflows that might cause payment related errors when you sync data between QuickBooks and EZRentOut.
Case 1: Editing a balanced order so that the customer has overpaid
Say you’ve enabled the option to ‘Sync All Orders’. Now assume you pick out an active Order (such as an order that is Booked, Drafted, or Rented Out). This order has already been balanced such that the $120 amount payable has been already paid by the customer. Now you edit the order and reduce the amount payable to $80. According to the edited order, the customer has now overpaid by $40. EZRentOut resolves this issue, but since QuickBooks does not allow for customers overpaying on a payable amount, the order will not sync over correctly.
How to avoid this: Try to resolve overpayments within the same order by logging refunds or credits through custom entries.
Case 2: Logging payments in both EZRentOut and QuickBooks
Assume an order with an amount payable of $250 has been synced to QuickBooks. The customer then pays you $250. You log these values in both EZRentOut and QuickBooks, and then sync the orders. Because EZRentOut and QuickBooks perform a two-way sync when it comes to payments (that is, payments made in EZRentOut get synced over to QuickBooks, and vice versa), this act of logging the payment in both systems will register as a double payment. This means the paid amount in EZRentOut will become $500. As discussed in Case 1, since QuickBooks does not allow for customers to overpay, the paid amount will still register as $250 in QuickBooks. This will create an inconsistency.
How to avoid this: Do not log payments in both EZRentOut and QuickBooks. We recommend logging payments on one system and syncing it over to the other.
Case 3: Mass payment of orders within QuickBooks
Assume you have two orders drawn up against a customer. Order A has a payment pending worth $100, and Order B has a payment pending worth $90.
Say the customer pays both the $100 towards Order A, as well as the $90 towards Order B. You log the payment of $100 for Order A into EZRentOut, which is then synced over to QuickBooks. You then go into QuickBooks, and add a new line item for $90 meant to act as payment for Order B. When this syncs over to EZRentOut the next time, the $90 will not sync over correctly. This is because you edited a line item within QuickBooks for an order whose payment originated in EZRentOut.
How to avoid this: There are many ways to bypass this; you just have to ensure that you are not using QuickBooks to add a line item to an order that originated in EZRentOut. For example, you could add the payment of $90 directly to EZRentOut. If you’d rather use QuickBooks, be sure to not add the payment as a line item, but as a separate payment.
Case 4: Deleting or Voiding payments in EZRentOut
Assume you’ve logged order payments on QuickBooks. If a user deletes or voids them on EZRentOut, they won’t be deleted or voided in QuickBooks.
How to avoid this: We recommend you delete or void any orders directly on QuickBooks. If you’ve already deleted or voided an order on EZRentOut, be sure to do the same on QuickBooks too.
Syncing Businesses from EZRentOut to QuickBooks
EZRentOut enables you to treat a business exactly like an actual one. This means you have the ability to add employees under each business. However, when you map a Business to QuickBooks, it maps as a Customer, not a Business. Furthermore, all the employees of a Business in EZRentOut map as separate Customers in QuickBooks. This defeats the entire purpose of creating a Business.
A solution for this is to create a business as a Customer in QuickBooks yourself. To make use of this solution, you first have to enable the relevant settings. Go to Settings → Add Ons → Integrate QuickBooks Desktop and enable the “Sync orders based on business names instead of individual customer names” setting.
To add the structure of a business within that Customer, i.e. adding the employees, you have to create sub-customers. Each sub-customer can act as an employee. Then when you make any changes on an employee in a Business in EZRentOut, those will also be updated on the sub-customer in QuickBooks.
It is important to note that in order to make any changes in EZRentOut and for them to be updated in QuickBooks too, you need to ensure that you create the same ‘Display Name’ for the business in both EZRentOut and QuickBooks.
This is the only solution available to map Businesses from EZRentOut to QuickBooks Online.
Have feedback for our equipment rental software?
EZRentOut is the leading equipment rental software used by a diverse set of rental businesses worldwide. For more assistance, drop us an email at support@ezo.io.
