Citrus-Lime are pleased to provide an integration between Cloud POS and QuickBooks. This integration sends two types of data from Cloud POS to QuickBooks:

• Transactional data
• Closed Purchase Orders

This article explains more about how the integration works and where you can expect to see this data appear in your QuickBooks account. It covers the following topics:

• When is the data transferred to QuickBooks?
• Sales
• Returns 
• Gift Voucher Purchases
• Gift Voucher Redemptions 
• Deposits paid on customer orders
• Deposits redeemed against customer orders 
• Deposits returned to the customer 
• Purchases using ‘Customer Account’
• Payments made against Customer Accounts 
• Pay-In / Pay-Out 
• Purchase Orders
• Frequently Asked Questions

When is the data transferred to QuickBooks?

The data transfer will run once every 24 hours. We typically set this up to process overnight, so that your transactional data is transferred after you have closed your store for the day.

Transactional data is only transferred for closed batches. Therefore, we would strongly recommend opening a new batch each morning and closing a batch each evening, to allow for a timely transfer of data. You can read more about managing batches in Cloud POS here:

How do I open a new batch? 

How do I close a batch with a Z Report? 

Purchase Orders are transferred when they are closed, i.e. when items have been received via Goods In. If a Purchase Order is received in stages, resulting in child Purchase Orders in Cloud POS, each Purchase Order will be transferred as it is received into inventory. You can read more about this in the Purchase Orders section below.

Sales

Each individual transaction is posted to QuickBooks as an invoice. The tender(s) for that transaction are posted as payments. Payments are matched to applicable invoices automatically.

For example, if a customer purchased an item costing £100, and paid on their card in full, we would expect to see an invoice for £100 and a corresponding £100 card payment.

Transactional data can be viewed in several places in QuickBooks, including:

• in the customer record (Customers & Leads > Customers)
• in your Cloud POS control accounts (Transactions > Chart of Accounts)
• in your sales list (Sales > All Sales)
• in your tax reporting (Taxes > VAT)

Here is an example of a sale transaction posted to QuickBooks.

In Cloud POS, there was a sale for a jacket and a water bottle:

In QuickBooks, we see an invoice line has been posted, followed by a payment line. This view shows sales list (Sales > All Sales), but you can also view this information by customer if you prefer (Customers & Leads > Customers).

Each invoice and payment will have a unique number. 

Here, the invoice number is CLT1521643B1.

CL: indicates that this has been generated from Cloud POS. It stands for ‘Citrus-Lime’. 
T: marks the beginning of the transaction number 
1521643: this is the Cloud POS transaction number for this sale 
B: marks the beginning of the batch number 
1: this is the batch number for this sale in Cloud POS

The payment number is CL15315T1521643B1.

CL: indicates that this has been generated from Cloud POS. It stands for ‘Citrus-Lime’. 
15315: this is the Tender ID for the tender type ‘Manual Credit Card’ in this Cloud POS group.  
T: marks the beginning of the transaction number  
1521643: this is the Cloud POS transaction number for this payment 
B: marks the beginning of the batch number 
1: this is the batch number for this sale in Cloud POS

You can click to ‘Edit’ an invoice to view more information, including the item lines and the VAT:

In the Cloud POS Sales Control Account, you can view all invoices with the item lines displayed in a grid format. Here is an example, showing the same transaction as in the example images above:

Sales that only contain the ‘SHIP’ item

QuickBooks treats shipping charges differently to items — the shipping appears in a separate area of the invoice, rather than as an item line (as it does in Cloud POS).

Therefore, if your transaction only includes the shipping item, and no other item lines, Cloud POS would be trying to create an ‘empty’ invoice. To ensure this doesn't cause problems, Cloud POS will automatically create a ‘Cloud POS Item’ on the invoice with the description ‘No items’. The shipping amount will then be shown in the ‘Shipping’ area of the invoice.

Here is an example of a Cloud POS transaction that only included the ‘SHIP’ item, priced at £5.00.

 

Returns

When items are returned in Cloud POS:

• A Credit Note is created in QuickBooks. This contains the taxable amounts for the refund and will show the item(s).
• An Expense is created for each tender type that was used in the refund. The Expense will also be mapped to the relevant control account (the default for most tender types is ‘Cloud POS Till Takings Control Account’). The Expense will not contain any taxable amounts — it is tax inclusive and simply represents a movement of money from one account to another.
• A Payment is created which links the Credit Note and the Expense(s) together. Click to View/Edit the payment and you will see the Credit Note and the Expense(s) listed.
• The Credit Note, Expense(s) and Payment will all be mapped to the Cloud POS Debtor (A/R) Control Account.

Here is an example of a customer who returned a transaction for £100.00. We can see that a Credit Note and Expense have both been created, along with a zero value payment that links them together.

The Credit Note number is CLT1522923B3.

CL: indicates that this has been generated from Cloud POS. It stands for ‘Citrus-Lime’. 
T: marks the beginning of the transaction number  
1522923: this is the Cloud POS transaction number for this return 
B: marks the beginning of the batch number 
3: this is the batch number for refund sale in Cloud POS

The Expense number is CL15318T1522923B3.

CL: indicates that this has been generated from Cloud POS. It stands for ‘Citrus-Lime’. 
15318: this is the Tender ID for the tender type ‘Cash’ in this Cloud POS group. This is the tender type for the refund.
T: marks the beginning of the transaction number  
1522923: this is the Cloud POS transaction number for this return 
B: marks the beginning of the batch number 
3: this is the batch number for refund sale in Cloud POS

The Payment number is CLT1522923B3.

CL: indicates that this has been generated from Cloud POS. It stands for ‘Citrus-Lime’. 
T: marks the beginning of the transaction number  
1522923: this is the Cloud POS transaction number for this return 
B: marks the beginning of the batch number 
3: this is the batch number for refund sale in Cloud POS

Refunds that only contain the ‘SHIP’ item

QuickBooks treats shipping charges differently to items — the shipping appears in a separate area of the Credit Note, rather than as an item line (as it does in Cloud POS).

Therefore, if your transaction only includes the shipping item, and no other item lines, Cloud POS would be trying to create an ‘empty’ Credit Note. To ensure this doesn't cause problems, Cloud POS will automatically create a ‘Cloud POS Item’ on the Credit Note with the description ‘No items’. The shipping amount will then be shown in the ‘Shipping’ area.

Here is an example of a Cloud POS refund that only included the ‘SHIP’ item, priced at £6.00.

 

Gift voucher purchases

Sales of gift vouchers will also post an invoice and corresponding payment(s) into QuickBooks. For example, here is an example showing the purchase of a £50.00 gift voucher, paid for using the tender type ‘Manual Credit Card’:

The ‘No.’ field is populated from Cloud POS data, as follows:

Payment: CL15315T1521645B1

CL: indicates that this has been generated from Cloud POS. It stands for ‘Citrus-Lime’. 
15315: this is the Tender ID for the tender type ‘Manual Credit Card’ in this Cloud POS group.  
T: marks the beginning of the transaction number  
1521645: this is the Cloud POS transaction number for this payment 
B: marks the beginning of the batch number 
1: this is the batch number for this sale in Cloud POS

Invoice: CLT1521645B1

CL: indicates that this has been generated from Cloud POS. It stands for ‘Citrus-Lime’. 
T: marks the beginning of the transaction number  
1521645: this is the Cloud POS transaction number for this sale 
B: marks the beginning of the batch number 
1: this is the batch number for this sale in Cloud POS

Gift voucher purchases are also mapped to the Cloud POS Vouchers Control Account as a liability against your business. Purchases of gift vouchers are shown in the ‘Increase’ column of this account. The ‘Memo’ field uses the ‘GIFTVOUCHER’ item from Cloud POS.

Gift voucher redemptions

Gift voucher redemptions are also mapped to the Cloud POS Vouchers Control Account. These redemptions reduce the liability against your business.

Voucher purchases are shown in the ‘Increase’ column. Voucher redemptions are shown in the ‘Decrease’ column. In the example below, a gift voucher has been purchased (for £50), and £7 has been redeemed so far. This makes the total liability balance on the account £43, i.e. there is £43 of outstanding gift voucher balance in issue.

When a gift voucher is redeemed against a transaction, the invoice total is reduced. You will see a discount line on the invoice using the Cloud POS Voucher Item. In the example below, the entire transaction has been paid for using a voucher, reducing the total to zero.

Deposits paid on customer orders

When a customer pays a deposit for an order, you will see this reflected as an invoice and a corresponding payment. You may find it helpful to view this in the Customer record, where you will see the invoice and deposit payment side by side:

The ‘No.’ field is populated from Cloud POS data, as follows:

CL15312D701026B1

CL: indicates that this has been generated from Cloud POS. It stands for ‘Citrus-Lime’. 
15312: this is the Tender ID for the tender type ‘BACS’ in this Cloud POS group.  
D: signifies that this invoice or payment is for a deposit 
701026: this is the order number in Cloud POS. 
B: marks the beginning of the batch number 
1: this is the batch number for this sale in Cloud POS

When viewing the invoice in full (click ‘Edit’ to open this view), you will see that the Cloud POS Deposit Item is used to represent the deposit amount:

Deposits are also mapped into the Cloud POS Deposits Control Account. They show in the ‘Increase’ column and increase the liability against your business. In the example below, we can see two different deposit invoices from the same day. We can tell from the reference numbers that they relate to Cloud POS order number 701027 (£30 deposit paid) and 701026 (£75 deposit paid).

Deposits redeemed against customer orders

When a customer redeems a deposit against a customer order (because one or more items has been collected/despatched), QuickBooks will show an invoice and corresponding payment(s). 

The ‘No.’ field is populated from Cloud POS data, as follows:

Invoice: CLT1521649B2

CL: indicates that this has been generated from Cloud POS. It stands for ‘Citrus-Lime’. 
T: marks the beginning of the transaction number  
1521649: this is the Cloud POS transaction number for this sale 
B: marks the beginning of the batch number 
2: this is the batch number for this sale in Cloud POS

Payment: CL15315T1521649B2

CL: indicates that this has been generated from Cloud POS. It stands for ‘Citrus-Lime’. 
15315: this is the Tender ID for the tender type ‘Manual Credit Card’ in this Cloud POS group.  
T: marks the beginning of the transaction number  
1521649: this is the Cloud POS transaction number for this sale 
B: marks the beginning of the batch number 
2: this is the batch number for this sale in Cloud POS

The invoice amount will reflect the amount the customer paid after the deposit amount was redeemed. Click ‘Edit’ on the invoice to view further information. You will see the redeemed deposit as a discount line on the invoice, reducing the overall invoice total. 

Deposit redemptions are also mapped into the Cloud POS Deposits Control Account. They show in the ‘Decrease’ column and decrease the liability against your business. In the example below, we can see two deposit payments (one for £30 and one for £75) and one deposit redemption (for £75). This means the overall deposit liability is currently £30.

Deposits returned to the customer

If a deposit is returned in Cloud POS:

• A Credit Note is created in QuickBooks. This contains the ‘Deposit’ item.
• An Expense is created for each tender type that was used in the deposit refund. The Expense will also be mapped to the relevant control account (the default for most tender types is ‘Cloud POS Till Takings Control Account’). The Expense represents a movement of money from one account to another.
• A Payment is created which links the Credit Note and the Expense(s) together. Click to View/Edit the payment and you will see the Credit Note and the Expense(s) listed.
• The Credit Note, Expense(s) and Payment will all be mapped to the Cloud POS Debtor (A/R) Control Account.

Here, we can see an example of a $65.99 deposit being refunded:

The numbers for all three entries are CL15315D701652B5.

CL: indicates that this has been generated from Cloud POS. It stands for ‘Citrus-Lime’. 
15315: this is the Tender ID for the tender type ‘Manual Credit Card’ in this Cloud POS group.  
D: signifies that this invoice or payment is for a deposit 
701652: this is the Cloud POS order number
B: marks the beginning of the batch number 
5: this is the batch number for the deposit refund in Cloud POS

Deposits and deposit returns are also shown in the Cloud POS Deposits Control Account.

If a deposit is taken and returned in the same batch, you will not see an invoice/payment/credit note in QuickBooks. The transactions have cancelled one another out.

Purchases using ‘Customer Account’

If a customer makes a purchase using their Customer Account, an invoice is created in QuickBooks. This can be viewed in several places in QuickBooks, including:

• in the customer record (Customers & Leads > Customers)
• in your Cloud POS control accounts (Transactions > Chart of Accounts)
• in your sales list (Sales > All Sales)

Here is an example invoice for a customer account purchase:

QuickBooks will automatically set a ‘Due date’ on the invoice that matches the ‘Invoice date’. You can change this ‘Due date’ by clicking to ‘Edit’ the invoice. However, most users would typically manage the settlement of customer account balances using the functionality within Cloud POS.

These invoices will remain unpaid until a corresponding payment has been applied. Please refer to the section below for more information.

Payments made against Customer Accounts

When a customer makes a payment against their account balance, a payment is created in QuickBooks. Initially, the status of the payment will be ‘Unapplied’, as it needs to be matched to the corresponding invoice.

Here is an example of an account payment and the unpaid invoice before matching has taken place. This view shows the customer record.

The payment number is CL15318A6802B2

CL: indicates that this has been generated from Cloud POS. It stands for ‘Citrus-Lime’. 
15318: this is the Tender ID for the tender type ‘Cash’ in this Cloud POS group.  
A: this indicates that the payment relates to a Customer Account
6802: this ‘Header ID’ is a unique value from the Cloud POS database. It is used to ensure that all account payments in QuickBooks have a unique number.
B: marks the beginning of the batch number 
2: this is the batch number for this transaction in Cloud POS

Once you have applied the payment to the invoice, the payment status will change to ‘Closed’ and the status of the invoice will update to reflect if it has been ‘Paid’ (in full) or ‘Partially paid’. Here is the same payment and invoice after the matching has taken place:

Pay-In / Pay-Out

A Pay-In (where money is added to the register) is created as a Sales Receipt in QuickBooks. This is reflected as an increase in the relevant tender control account (the default is ‘Cloud POS Till Takings’) and a decrease in the relevant money movement control account (the default is ‘Cloud POS Drops and Payouts’). 

A Pay-Out (where money is removed from the register) is created as an Expense in QuickBooks. This is reflected as a decrease in the relevant tender control account (the default is ‘Cloud POS Till Takings’) and an increase in the relevant money movement control account (the default is ‘Cloud POS Drops and Payouts’). 

Here is an example of a £100 Pay-In and a £5 Pay-Out in the Cloud POS Till Takings control account:

Here we see the same £100 Pay-In and £5 Pay-Out in the Cloud POS Drops and Payouts control account:

The reference number of a Pay-In / Pay-Out is formed as follows:

CL15318DP11788B1

CL: indicates that this has been generated from Cloud POS. It stands for ‘Citrus-Lime’. 
15318: this is the Tender ID for the tender type ‘Cash' in this Cloud POS group.  
DP: this indicates that the transaction is a Pay-In / Pay-Out. It stands for ‘Drop’. 
11788: this is the unique ID for this Pay-In / Pay-Out in QuickBooks. They are used to ensure that every Pay-In / Pay-Out number is unique, even if they took place in the same batch with the same tender type. 
B: marks the beginning of the batch number 
1: this is the batch number for this transaction in Cloud POS

Purchase Orders

Purchase Orders are transferred to QuickBooks when they are closed. This means when items have been received into the store via Goods In. If you have partially received a Purchase Order, only the items that have been received will appear in QuickBooks. Further items will be posted to QuickBooks once they have been received.

By default, Cloud POS will create a Purchase Order and a corresponding Bill in your QuickBooks account. You can view the Purchase Orders and Bills from ‘Expenses > Expenses’. To view just the Bills, navigate to ‘Expenses > Bills’. The date of the Bill will match the date of the Purchase Order.

If you prefer, you can disable the automatic creation of Bills (so that only Purchase Orders are created in your QuickBooks account). To arrange this, get in touch with the Citrus-Lime Support Team. 

The item lines received on Purchase Orders are mapped to the ‘Cloud POS Purchases Control Account’. We also map additional information as follows:

• Purchase Order shipping (added into the Header of the Purchase Order in Cloud POS) is transferred to the ‘Cloud POS Purchases Shipping Control Account’
• Any other fees on Purchase Orders (added into the Header of the Purchase Order in Cloud POS) are transferred to the ‘Cloud POS Purchases Other Fees Control Account’

This example shows some Purchase Orders (and corresponding Bills) in the 'Expenses' view. The Purchase Orders and Bills have numbers that allow you to identify their ‘pair’:

CL: indicates that this has been generated from Cloud POS. It stands for ‘Citrus-Lime’. 
306130: this is the Purchase Order number from Cloud POS 
B: this indicates a Bill

You can click into the Purchase Orders to view the item lines. The shipping will also be displayed in this view, along with the Purchase Order Title and the Supplier Order Reference from Cloud POS (if entered):

Frequently Asked Questions

How is customer information transferred?

If a customer has been set on a transaction in Cloud POS, their sales, returns, deposits, Customer Account activity and so forth will be mapped to a corresponding Customer record in QuickBooks. The first time this customer is used, the integration will automatically create a record for them in your QuickBooks account.

To avoid any potential duplication, the name will be formed from the unique ‘Account Number’ in Cloud POS, for example:

 

The number before this (here, 1651) is your unique Cloud POS account number.

If no customer is set on the transaction in the Point of Sale, the transactional data will be mapped to a Customer record for the store. You can see an example of this in the image above ('Ulverston Store - Cloud POS Store').