Sage Expense Management’s QuickBooks Desktop integration works with all major QuickBooks Desktop editions, including Pro, Pro Plus, Premier, and Enterprise.

Connect Sage Expense Management to QuickBooks Desktop

Before You Begin

Make sure the following setup requirements are in place:

Install and update QuickBooks Desktop to the latest release.
- If you plan to upgrade your QuickBooks Desktop version, complete the upgrade before setting up the integration, since upgrades may require regenerating the .QWC file later.
Download and install the QuickBooks Web Connector version compatible with your QuickBooks Desktop version.
Ensure Web Connector is installed in the same environment where QuickBooks Desktop and the company file are located.
- If QuickBooks is hosted (for example on Right Networks), install Web Connector inside the hosted session, not on your local machine.
- Confirm that your hosting plan supports Web Connector and third-party integrations.
Close all QuickBooks windows and any existing Web Connector sessions.
Open QuickBooks Desktop as Admin.
Switch QuickBooks to Single-user Mode.
Open only the company file you want to integrate.
Enable third-party integrations in QuickBooks.
- Navigate to Edit > Preferences > Integrated Applications > Company Preferences.
- Ensure integrations are allowed.
Launch QuickBooks Web Connector as Admin once QuickBooks is fully open and idle.
Ensure the .QWC integration file is stored on the same system where QuickBooks Desktop and Web Connector run.
- For easier management, keep the .QWC file in the same folder as the company file.

Step 1: Accessing the Integration flow

Log into your Sage Expense Management account with your Admin credentials.
Navigate to Integration and select QuickBooks Desktop as your integration option.

Step 2: Reviewing prerequisites

Verify the prerequisites displayed on the integration screen.
Click Next to proceed.

Step 3: Connect Sage Expense Management to QuickBooks Desktop

Generate the Integration file

Locate your QuickBooks company file (.qbw):
- Open the company file in QuickBooks.
- Press F2 (or Ctrl + 1) to open the Product Information window.
- Copy the full File Location shown there.
  Example: C:\Users\[Username]\Documents\QuickBooks\Company Files
Double-check the file path for accuracy and paste it in the company path field. Press Enter.
Sage Expense Management will now generate the .QWC (Web Connector) file.
- If it doesn’t auto-download, click Download manually.
- Save the .QWC file ideally in the same folder as your company file.
- Do not add the .QWC file multiple times to the Web Connector. It can result in duplicate OwnerID/FileID errors.

Add the file in QuickBooks Web Connector

Sage Expense Management generates a unique integration password for the connection. Select the Copy to Clipboard option to save the password before completing the setup.

Open QuickBooks Web Connector using either of the following methods:
- Navigate to File > App Management > Manage Web Apps in QuickBooks Desktop, or
- Right-click the downloaded .QWC file and select Open With > QuickBooks Web Connector.
Paste the integration password into the Web Connector.
- Select Yes when prompted to save the password.
- Check “Allow this application to log in automatically”
- Allow the app to run as admin (by selecting the admin role from the dropdown).
Click Update Selected to establish the connection.
Return to the integration setup page in Sage Expense Management and click Next.
Error Handling: If an error occurs:
- Verify the file path and ensure the correct company file is open.
- Retry the connection process.
- For persistent issues, contact [email protected].

Data synchronization

Sage Expense Management begins syncing dimensions like Chart of Accounts, Vendors, and Employees.
You'll be able to preview the number of values synced. If discrepancies appear:
- Continue the setup. Remaining values may sync automatically.
- If not, contact [email protected] for assistance.[email protected].

Step 4: Configure export settings

Reimbursable expenses:
- Choose the type of transaction to represent your reimbursable expenses in QuickBooks Desktop. Options include:
  - Bill
  - Journal Entry
- Specify how employees are recorded in QuickBooks Desktop to map expenses correctly:
  - Vendor: Select this if employees are listed as vendors in QuickBooks Desktop. (This will be the default option if your export module is Bill)
  - Employee: Choose this if employees are directly listed as employees in QuickBooks Desktop.
- Decide when expenses should be exported from Sage Expense Management:
  - Processing: Export expenses that are approved and awaiting payment.
  - Closed: Export expenses where payment has already been settled.
- Choose how expenses should appear in QuickBooks Desktop:
  - Expense: Export each expense as a single line item.
  - Report: Group multiple line items into a single report for easier management
- Configure the date to use when posting reimbursable expenses to QuickBooks Desktop:.
  - Export Date: Use the date the expense was exported to QuickBooks Desktop.
  - Last Spend Date: Use the date of the most recent expense recorded in a report.
Corporate credit card expenses:
- Choose the type of transaction to represent corporate card expenses in QuickBooks Desktop:
  - Journal Entry
  - Charge Card Transaction (recommended for easy reconciliation)
- Specify a default credit card account to use in the following scenarios:
  - No card-to-card mapping is configured.
  - The expense lacks an associated corporate card transaction.
  Note: The default account ensures expenses are not left unmatched.
- Determine the state of expenses before they are exported:
  - Approved: Export expenses after approval, even if they are not yet closed.
  - Closed: Export expenses only after they are finalized and closed.
- Choose how corporate card expenses should appear in QuickBooks Desktop:
  - Expense: Export each expense as a single line item.
  - Report: Group multiple expenses into a single report.
- Configure the date to use when posting corporate card expenses to QuickBooks Desktop:
  - Transaction Post Date: Use the date of the credit card transaction.
  - Spend Date: Use the date of the expense as recorded in Sage Expense Management

Step 5: Configure import settings

Enable the toggles for the fields you want to import into Sage Expense Management as dropdown values for coding expenses:
The below fields from QuickBooks Desktop can be imported to the respective fields in Sage Expense Management and you can configure them based on your requirement.
- Chart of Accounts → Categories.
- Vendors → Merchants.
- Class → Projects, Cost Centers, or Custom Fields.
- Customers → Projects, Cost Centers, or Custom Fields.

Step 5: Configure advanced settings

Automate the export of expenses from Sage Expense Management to QuickBooks Desktop at regular intervals without manual intervention. Set a frequency based on how often you want expenses in Sage Expense Management to be exported to QuickBooks Desktop. This ensures timely and accurate updates to your accounting records.
If an employee in Sage Expense Management does not have a corresponding record in QuickBooks Desktop, the integration can automatically create a vendor record for that employee and post the expenses to it. This ensures that expenses are recorded in QuickBooks Desktop without delays. This is an optional setting that can be enabled if you are exporting reimbursable expenses as Bills.
Select the data points you want to include in QuickBooks Desktop’s top-level memo field for exported expenses. These data points will be exported as part of the top-level description in QuickBooks Desktop.
Select the data points you want to include in QuickBooks Desktop’s line-item level memo field for exported expenses. These data points will appear in the line-item level description in QuickBooks Desktop.
You can also set up conditional rules to skip certain expenses from being exported to QuickBooks Desktop. Define criteria to exclude specific expenses based on your accounting needs. Example: Skip exporting expenses created before a specific date or belonging to a particular category.

Step 6: Launch Integration.

Click Launch Integration to activate.

Review Mappings

You will now see a tab called Mappings, where you can view all the mappings of values in Sage Expense Management and their corresponding records in QuickBooks Desktop.
Most values are auto-mapped (except for credit card mappings). If values are not already mapped, you can manually map them to ensure that all data points in Sage Expense Management have a counterpart in QuickBooks Desktop, enabling smooth synchronization of data.

Export Expenses

In the dashboard, you have the option to:
- Export expenses.
- Resolve errors that may arise during the export process.
- Review all information about the last export.
Based on your configuration, all expenses that reach the state of export (Approved/Payment Processing/Closed) will be ready for export.
If you have set up an automated schedule, the export will occur automatically as per the schedule. If not, you can manually trigger the export by clicking the Export button. Once clicking on Export, click on Update Selected in your QuickBooks Web Connector as well.