QuickBooks Online Customers

QuickBooks Online Customer Management

Overview

Customers are the foundational entity in QuickBooks Online for MSP billing workflows. Each managed services client maps to a QBO Customer record. Customers hold billing addresses, payment terms, outstanding balances, and serve as the parent reference for invoices, payments, and estimates. MSPs commonly use sub-customers to break down billing by service line (e.g., "Acme Corp:Managed Services", "Acme Corp:Project Work").

Key Concepts

Customer Hierarchy

QuickBooks Online supports a parent/sub-customer hierarchy for organizing billing:

Parent Customer: Acme Corporation
+-- Sub-Customer: Acme Corp:Managed Services
+-- Sub-Customer: Acme Corp:Project Work
+-- Sub-Customer: Acme Corp:Hardware

Sub-customers allow MSPs to track revenue and outstanding balances per service line while rolling up to a single client.

Customer vs Job

In QBO, "Jobs" are implemented as sub-customers. A project or engagement for a client is represented as a sub-customer under the parent.

Payment Terms

Payment terms control when invoices are due:

Term	Description	Common MSP Usage
Due on receipt	Due immediately	Break-fix work
Net 15	Due in 15 days	Small clients
Net 30	Due in 30 days	Standard managed services
Net 45	Due in 45 days	Enterprise clients
Net 60	Due in 60 days	Government/education

Balance Tracking

QBO automatically tracks the customer balance (sum of all unpaid invoices minus unapplied payments). This is critical for MSP accounts receivable management.

Field Reference

Core Fields

Field	Type	Required	Description
Id	string	System	Auto-generated unique identifier
DisplayName	string	Yes	Unique display name (customer-facing)
CompanyName	string	No	Legal company name
GivenName	string	No	Contact first name
FamilyName	string	No	Contact last name
Active	boolean	No	Whether customer is active (default: true)
Balance	decimal	Read-only	Outstanding balance
BalanceWithJobs	decimal	Read-only	Balance including sub-customers
SyncToken	string	Required for updates	Optimistic locking token

Contact Fields

Field	Type	Description
PrimaryPhone.FreeFormNumber	string	Primary phone number
AlternatePhone.FreeFormNumber	string	Alternate phone
Mobile.FreeFormNumber	string	Mobile phone
Fax.FreeFormNumber	string	Fax number
PrimaryEmailAddr.Address	string	Primary email (used for invoice delivery)
WebAddr.URI	string	Website URL

Address Fields

Field	Type	Description
BillAddr.Line1	string	Billing street address
BillAddr.City	string	Billing city
BillAddr.CountrySubDivisionCode	string	Billing state/province
BillAddr.PostalCode	string	Billing postal code
BillAddr.Country	string	Billing country
ShipAddr	object	Shipping address (same structure as BillAddr)

Billing Fields

Field	Type	Description
SalesTermRef.value	string	Payment terms ID (e.g., Net 30)
PaymentMethodRef.value	string	Default payment method ID
CurrencyRef.value	string	Currency code (e.g., "USD")
PreferredDeliveryMethod	string	"Print", "Email", or "None"
Taxable	boolean	Whether customer is taxable

Hierarchy Fields

Field	Type	Description
ParentRef.value	string	Parent customer ID (for sub-customers)
Job	boolean	Whether this is a job (sub-customer)
Level	integer	Depth in hierarchy (0 = top-level)
FullyQualifiedName	string	Full path (e.g., "Acme Corp:Managed Services")

Metadata Fields

Field	Type	Description
MetaData.CreateTime	datetime	Creation timestamp
MetaData.LastUpdatedTime	datetime	Last update timestamp

API Patterns

Query Customers

GET /v3/company/{realmId}/query?query=SELECT * FROM Customer WHERE DisplayName LIKE '%Acme%'&minorversion=73
Authorization: Bearer {access_token}
Accept: application/json

curl example:

curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $QBO_ACCESS_TOKEN" \
  -H "Accept: application/json" \
  "https://quickbooks.api.intuit.com/v3/company/$QBO_REALM_ID/query?query=SELECT%20*%20FROM%20Customer%20WHERE%20DisplayName%20LIKE%20'%25Acme%25'&minorversion=73"

Common Queries:

-- All active customers
SELECT * FROM Customer WHERE Active = true ORDERBY DisplayName

-- Customers with outstanding balance
SELECT * FROM Customer WHERE Balance > '0' ORDERBY Balance DESC

-- Find by company name
SELECT * FROM Customer WHERE CompanyName LIKE '%Tech%'

-- Find by email
SELECT * FROM Customer WHERE PrimaryEmailAddr = 'billing@acmecorp.com'

-- Count all customers
SELECT COUNT(*) FROM Customer

Get Single Customer

GET /v3/company/{realmId}/customer/123?minorversion=73
Authorization: Bearer {access_token}

curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $QBO_ACCESS_TOKEN" \
  -H "Accept: application/json" \
  "https://quickbooks.api.intuit.com/v3/company/$QBO_REALM_ID/customer/123?minorversion=73"

Create Customer

POST /v3/company/{realmId}/customer?minorversion=73
Content-Type: application/json
Authorization: Bearer {access_token}

{
  "DisplayName": "Acme Corporation",
  "CompanyName": "Acme Corporation",
  "GivenName": "John",
  "FamilyName": "Smith",
  "PrimaryPhone": {
    "FreeFormNumber": "555-123-4567"
  },
  "PrimaryEmailAddr": {
    "Address": "billing@acmecorp.com"
  },
  "BillAddr": {
    "Line1": "123 Main Street",
    "City": "Springfield",
    "CountrySubDivisionCode": "IL",
    "PostalCode": "62704"
  },
  "SalesTermRef": {
    "value": "3"
  },
  "PreferredDeliveryMethod": "Email",
  "Notes": "MSP managed services client. Contract: 36-month. Primary contact: John Smith."
}

curl -s -X POST \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $QBO_ACCESS_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Accept: application/json" \
  "https://quickbooks.api.intuit.com/v3/company/$QBO_REALM_ID/customer?minorversion=73" \
  -d '{
    "DisplayName": "Acme Corporation",
    "CompanyName": "Acme Corporation",
    "PrimaryEmailAddr": { "Address": "billing@acmecorp.com" },
    "SalesTermRef": { "value": "3" }
  }'

Update Customer (Sparse)

POST /v3/company/{realmId}/customer?minorversion=73
Content-Type: application/json
Authorization: Bearer {access_token}

{
  "Id": "123",
  "SyncToken": "2",
  "sparse": true,
  "PrimaryPhone": {
    "FreeFormNumber": "555-999-8888"
  },
  "Notes": "Updated billing contact: Jane Doe (555-999-8888)"
}

Deactivate Customer

{
  "Id": "123",
  "SyncToken": "2",
  "sparse": true,
  "Active": false
}

Create Sub-Customer

{
  "DisplayName": "Acme Corp:Managed Services",
  "CompanyName": "Acme Corporation",
  "ParentRef": {
    "value": "123"
  },
  "Job": true,
  "BillWithParent": true
}

Common Workflows

New MSP Client Onboarding

1. Create parent customer with billing info and payment terms
2. Create sub-customers for each service line (managed services, projects, hardware)
3. Set payment terms based on contract (typically Net 30)
4. Configure email delivery for automated invoice sending
5. Link to PSA using Notes or custom fields for cross-reference

async function onboardMspClient(clientData) {
  // Step 1: Create parent customer
  const customer = await createCustomer({
    DisplayName: clientData.companyName,
    CompanyName: clientData.companyName,
    GivenName: clientData.contactFirstName,
    FamilyName: clientData.contactLastName,
    PrimaryPhone: { FreeFormNumber: clientData.phone },
    PrimaryEmailAddr: { Address: clientData.billingEmail },
    BillAddr: {
      Line1: clientData.address,
      City: clientData.city,
      CountrySubDivisionCode: clientData.state,
      PostalCode: clientData.zip
    },
    SalesTermRef: { value: clientData.paymentTermId || '3' }, // Net 30
    PreferredDeliveryMethod: 'Email',
    Notes: `MSP client. Contract start: ${clientData.contractStart}. PSA ID: ${clientData.psaId}`
  });

  // Step 2: Create sub-customers for service lines
  const serviceLines = ['Managed Services', 'Project Work', 'Hardware'];
  for (const line of serviceLines) {
    await createCustomer({
      DisplayName: `${clientData.companyName}:${line}`,
      ParentRef: { value: customer.Id },
      Job: true,
      BillWithParent: true
    });
  }

  return customer;
}

Customer Balance Review

async function getClientBalances() {
  const query = `SELECT Id, DisplayName, Balance, BalanceWithJobs
    FROM Customer
    WHERE Active = true AND Balance > '0'
    ORDERBY Balance DESC`;

  const response = await qboQuery(query);
  const customers = response.QueryResponse.Customer || [];

  return customers.map(c => ({
    id: c.Id,
    name: c.DisplayName,
    balance: c.Balance,
    balanceWithJobs: c.BalanceWithJobs
  }));
}

Client Offboarding

async function offboardClient(customerId) {
  // Get current customer with SyncToken
  const customer = await getCustomer(customerId);

  // Verify no outstanding balance
  if (customer.Balance > 0) {
    throw new Error(`Cannot offboard: outstanding balance of $${customer.Balance}`);
  }

  // Deactivate all sub-customers
  const subs = await qboQuery(
    `SELECT * FROM Customer WHERE ParentRef = '${customerId}'`
  );
  for (const sub of subs.QueryResponse.Customer || []) {
    await updateCustomer({
      Id: sub.Id,
      SyncToken: sub.SyncToken,
      sparse: true,
      Active: false
    });
  }

  // Deactivate parent
  await updateCustomer({
    Id: customer.Id,
    SyncToken: customer.SyncToken,
    sparse: true,
    Active: false,
    Notes: `${customer.Notes || ''}\nOffboarded: ${new Date().toISOString().split('T')[0]}`
  });
}

PSA Cross-Reference Lookup

async function findCustomerByPsaId(psaId) {
  // Search in Notes field for PSA ID reference
  const allCustomers = await queryAll('Customer', "Active = true");

  return allCustomers.find(c =>
    c.Notes && c.Notes.includes(`PSA ID: ${psaId}`)
  );
}

Error Handling

Common API Errors

Code	Message	Resolution
6240	Duplicate Name	Use a unique DisplayName
610	Object Not Found	Verify customer ID
5010	Stale Object	Re-fetch SyncToken and retry
2050	Invalid Reference	Check ParentRef or SalesTermRef values
3200	Auth Failed	Refresh access token

Validation Errors

Error	Cause	Fix
DisplayName required	Missing DisplayName	Add DisplayName to request
Duplicate DisplayName	Name already exists	Use unique name or append qualifier
Invalid ParentRef	Non-existent parent	Verify parent customer ID
Invalid SalesTermRef	Bad term ID	Query Terms entity for valid IDs

Error Recovery Pattern

async function safeCreateCustomer(data) {
  try {
    return await createCustomer(data);
  } catch (error) {
    const fault = error.Fault;
    if (!fault) throw error;

    const errorCode = fault.Error?.[0]?.code;

    if (errorCode === '6240') {
      // Duplicate -- find existing customer
      const existing = await qboQuery(
        `SELECT * FROM Customer WHERE DisplayName = '${data.DisplayName}'`
      );
      return existing.QueryResponse.Customer?.[0];
    }

    if (errorCode === '5010') {
      // Stale SyncToken -- re-fetch and retry
      const fresh = await getCustomer(data.Id);
      data.SyncToken = fresh.SyncToken;
      return await updateCustomer(data);
    }

    throw error;
  }
}

Best Practices

1. Use DisplayName for uniqueness - QBO enforces unique DisplayNames; include a qualifier if needed
2. Set CompanyName separately - CompanyName can differ from DisplayName and does not need to be unique
3. Create sub-customers for service lines - Track revenue per service type
4. Set payment terms at creation - Ensures invoices have correct due dates
5. Use email delivery - Set PreferredDeliveryMethod to "Email" for automated invoice sending
6. Include billing address - Required for mailed invoices and tax calculation
7. Track PSA IDs in Notes - Cross-reference QBO customers with PSA records
8. Deactivate, don't delete - Preserve transaction history by deactivating former clients
9. Review balances regularly - Use balance queries to monitor aged receivables
10. Use sparse updates - Only send changed fields with sparse: true to avoid overwriting data

Endpoint Reference

Operation	Method	Endpoint
Create	POST	/v3/company/{realmId}/customer
Read	GET	/v3/company/{realmId}/customer/{id}
Update	POST	/v3/company/{realmId}/customer
Query	GET	/v3/company/{realmId}/query?query=...

Related Skills

• QBO Invoices - Invoice management for customers
• QBO Payments - Payment processing
• QBO Reports - A/R Aging and balance reports
• QBO API Patterns - API reference