Beginner
How to add customers and vendors on QuickBooks
Quick Answer
Adding customers and vendors in QuickBooks involves accessing the Sales or Expenses menu and clicking the New Customer or New Vendor button. Fill out the required contact information, payment terms, and tax settings to complete the setup.
Prerequisites
- Active QuickBooks subscription
- Administrator or user access to QuickBooks
- Customer and vendor contact information
1
Access the Customer Management Section
Log into your QuickBooks account and navigate to the Sales menu in the left sidebar. Click on Customers to view your customer list. To add a new customer, click the New Customer button in the upper right corner of the screen.
Tip
You can also use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Alt+C to quickly add a new customer.
2
Enter Customer Information
Fill out the customer details form with the following information:
- Company Name or individual name
- Contact Information including email and phone
- Billing Address and shipping address if different
- Payment Terms from the dropdown menu
- Tax Information including tax ID if applicable
Tip
Enable the 'Is sub-customer' option if this customer is a division of another existing customer.
3
Configure Customer Payment and Tax Settings
In the Payment and billing tab, set up:
- Preferred payment method
- Terms (Net 15, Net 30, etc.)
- Opening balance if the customer has an existing balance
4
Access the Vendor Management Section
Navigate to the Expenses menu in the left sidebar and click on Vendors. This will display your current vendor list. Click the New Vendor button in the upper right corner to begin adding a vendor.
Tip
Use Ctrl+Alt+V as a keyboard shortcut to quickly add a new vendor.
5
Enter Vendor Contact Details
Complete the vendor information form:
- Company Name
- Contact person name and title
- Email address and phone number
- Mailing address
- Website (optional)
Tip
Adding the vendor's website helps you quickly access their online portal for orders and payments.
6
Set Up Vendor Payment Terms and Tax ID
Configure the vendor's business details:
- Select Payment terms that match your agreement
- Enter the vendor's Tax ID or Social Security Number
- Set an Opening balance if you owe money to this vendor
- Choose the appropriate 1099 category if applicable for tax reporting
Tip
Enable 'Track payments for 1099' if you'll pay this vendor $600 or more annually for services.
7
Verify and Test the New Records
Return to your Customer and Vendor lists to confirm the new entries appear correctly. Test the setup by creating a sample invoice for the new customer or entering a test bill for the new vendor. Check that all information displays properly and make any necessary corrections by clicking Edit next to the customer or vendor name.
Tip
Use the search function in the customer/vendor lists to quickly locate newly added contacts.
Troubleshooting
Cannot save customer or vendor due to duplicate name error
QuickBooks doesn't allow duplicate names. Add a distinguishing element like a location or department, such as ABC Company - Denver or ABC Company - Accounting Dept.
Tax rates are not showing up correctly for customers
Go to Taxes > Sales Tax and verify your tax rates are set up correctly. Ensure the customer's address matches a location where you have sales tax configured.
1099 tracking option is grayed out for vendors
Enable 1099 tracking by going to Settings > Account and Settings > Advanced and turning on the Track payments for 1099 option under the Bills and expenses section.
Customer or vendor information is not syncing across devices
Ensure you have a stable internet connection and try refreshing your browser or logging out and back in. If using QuickBooks Desktop, perform a File > Update to sync changes.
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