Overview
Structur integrates directly with QuickBooks Online (QBO) through a two-way sync. Once connected, the financial data you create in Structur, invoices, bills, expenses, and payments, flows into QuickBooks automatically. Clients and vendors sync between both systems. And changes made in either platform replicate to the other, so your books and your project data stay aligned without any manual reconciliation.
The integration is built to reduce the gap between how construction businesses manage projects and how they manage their accounting. Instead of exporting spreadsheets or re-entering data by hand, Structur acts as the operational layer and QuickBooks handles the accounting, with the two systems staying in sync in real time.
Important: Structur only integrates with QuickBooks Online (QBO). QuickBooks Desktop is not supported. You need at least QuickBooks Online Essentials or higher to use the integration.
Understanding the QuickBooks Integration
What It Does
The Structur–QuickBooks integration allows you to:
Establish a two-way sync between Structur and QuickBooks Online for all key financial data
Auto-create the accounting structure in QuickBooks on connection, five products/services (Labor, Materials, Subcontractors, Equipment, Other), a Structur Income account, and a link to your existing Cost of Goods Sold account, with no manual setup in QuickBooks required
Sync clients - create a client in Structur with sync enabled and they appear in QuickBooks automatically; or import existing QuickBooks customers into Structur
Sync vendors - same behavior as clients, with no email address required for the sync to work
Sync bills and bill payments - vendor payables and payments made
Sync expenses - project costs with cost code mapping and payment method/account details from QuickBooks
Sync invoices and invoice payments - client billing with line items mapped to QuickBooks products/services
Map cost codes to QuickBooks products/services - standard codes map automatically by category letter; custom codes can be mapped manually
Import existing clients and vendors from QuickBooks with merge and priority controls
View connection status and manage or disconnect the integration from Settings
When to Use It
The QuickBooks integration is most valuable when you need to:
Connect QuickBooks during initial Structur setup to establish the sync before creating financial records
Import your existing QuickBooks customer and vendor lists into Structur so contacts are available for leads, projects, subcontracts, and bills
Eliminate the need to re-enter invoices, bills, or expenses in QuickBooks after creating them in Structur
Ensure your accountant or bookkeeper has accurate, up-to-date financial records in QuickBooks without relying on manual exports
Troubleshoot a sync issue or update cost code mapping after the initial connection
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Connect QuickBooks Online
Click your profile picture in the top-right corner
Select Settings
Navigate to Integrations
Click Connect QuickBooks Account
You'll be redirected to the QuickBooks login page
Sign in with your QuickBooks credentials
Authorize Structur to access your QuickBooks data
You'll be redirected back to Structur, the connection is now active
What Structur creates in QuickBooks automatically on connection:
Five products/services: Structur - Labor, Structur - Materials, Structur - Subcontractors, Structur - Equipment, Structur - Other
Income Account: "Structur Income" for revenue tracking
Expense Account: Linked to your existing QuickBooks Cost of Goods Sold account
You don't need to set up anything in QuickBooks before connecting. Structur builds the initial accounting structure automatically.
2. Understand the Two-Way Sync
The integration works as a two-way sync, but Structur is the recommended starting point for creating records:
Create the document in Structur first - bill, invoice, expense, client, vendor
Auto-sync to QuickBooks - the record appears in QuickBooks automatically
Edit in either system - once synced, changes in Structur update QuickBooks, and changes in QuickBooks update Structur
Changes replicate automatically - both systems stay in sync without manual intervention
Best practice: Always create the initial record in Structur. Items created in QuickBooks first may not sync properly into Structur.
3. Understand What Syncs
Currently syncs (two-way):
✅ Clients - customer information and contact details
✅ Vendors - vendor and subcontractor information
✅ Bills - vendor bills and payables
✅ Bill Payments - payments made to vendors
✅ Expenses - business expenses and transactions
✅ Invoices - client invoices
✅ Invoice Payments - payments received from clients
Does not currently sync:
❌ Projects / Jobs - project-level data does not yet sync between Structur and QuickBooks jobs. Financial transactions sync, but they are not organized by project in QuickBooks. Project/job syncing is in development.
4. Sync Clients with QuickBooks
Enable sync when creating a new client:
Go to Settings → Clients and click New Client (or create a client anywhere in Structur)
Toggle Sync with QuickBooks to ON
Save, the client appears in QuickBooks automatically
A QuickBooks icon appears next to synced clients in your list
Import existing QuickBooks customers into Structur:
Go to Settings → Clients
Click Import → Import from QuickBooks
Choose your import method:
Quick Import - imports all customers at once
Manual Selection - choose specific customers to import
Configure import options:
Merge clients with the same name - prevents duplicates by merging matching names
Prioritize QuickBooks information - when merge is enabled, determines whether QuickBooks data overwrites Structur data (enabled) or Structur data is kept (disabled)
Import
5. Sync Vendors with QuickBooks
Vendor sync works identically to clients.
Enable sync when creating a new vendor:
Go to Settings → Vendors and click New Vendor
Toggle Sync with QuickBooks to ON when filling in company details
Save, the vendor appears in QuickBooks automatically
Import existing QuickBooks vendors:
Go to Settings → Vendors
Click Import → Import from QuickBooks
Use Quick Import or Manual Selection
Configure merge and priority settings before confirming
Note: Email addresses are not required for QuickBooks vendor sync to work. Vendors without email addresses can be imported and synced without issue.
6. Sync Expenses with QuickBooks
When creating an expense in Structur:
Toggle Sync with QuickBooks to ON on the expense
Select the Payment Method from your QuickBooks payment methods
Select the Payment Account from your QuickBooks accounts
Save, the expense syncs to QuickBooks with vendor information, cost code mapping, and payment details
7. Sync Invoices with QuickBooks
When creating an invoice in Structur:
Create the invoice as normal, line items, amounts, due date
Enable Sync with QuickBooks
Save, the invoice appears in QuickBooks with client information, line items mapped to products/services, payment terms, and due dates
Invoice payments recorded in Structur also sync to QuickBooks.
8. Set Up Cost Code Mapping
Cost codes in Structur map to QuickBooks products/services to ensure costs are categorized correctly in your accounting.
Automatic mapping for Structur Standard codes:
Each standard cost code maps to the QuickBooks product matching its category letter, codes ending in -L map to Structur - Labor, -M to Structur - Materials, and so on.
Manual mapping for custom codes:
Go to Settings → Cost Codes
Click on any cost code to open its details
Select the QuickBooks Product / Service to link it to
Save, the mapping applies to future transactions
Custom codes without a QB product assigned default to Structur - Other.
Connect QuickBooks before building your cost code library. Setting up the integration first means the five Structur products/services are already in QuickBooks when you start mapping custom codes.
9. View Connection Status and Manage the Integration
Check sync status:
Go to Settings → Integrations
View the connection status and last sync timestamp
Review any sync errors
Disconnect QuickBooks:
Go to Settings → Integrations
Find QuickBooks Online
Click Disconnect and confirm
Existing synced data remains in both systems after disconnection. The sync simply stops flowing new changes.
Best Practices
Connect QuickBooks before creating financial records - The integration creates the accounting structure in QuickBooks automatically on connection. If you connect after creating invoices, bills, and expenses, those earlier records won't be in QuickBooks.
Always create records in Structur first - The sync is designed to flow from Structur to QuickBooks. Items created in QuickBooks first may not sync properly back into Structur.
Map cost codes before creating expenses - If you create expenses before mapping cost codes to QB products, those transactions may land in the wrong QB category. Set up mapping upfront.
Review merge and priority settings every time you import - Each import is a fresh decision about which system's data takes priority. Don't assume the settings carry over from a previous import without checking.
Import existing QB customers and vendors before creating new ones in Structur - Import first to establish the linked records. Creating new records in Structur and then importing duplicates from QuickBooks creates cleanup work.
Use consistent naming for clients and vendors across both systems - The merge-by-name function depends on exact name matching. Inconsistencies, like "ABC Construction" vs. "ABC Construction LLC" will create duplicates instead of merging.
Check sync status regularly - Review the integration status in Settings periodically to catch any sync errors before they compound into larger accounting discrepancies.
Common Questions
Q: Does Structur work with QuickBooks Desktop?
A: No. Structur only integrates with QuickBooks Online (QBO). QuickBooks Desktop is not supported.
Q: What QuickBooks Online plan do I need?
A: You need at least QuickBooks Online Essentials or higher. The integration is not available with QuickBooks Simple Start.
Q: Do I need to set up anything in QuickBooks before connecting?
A: No. When you connect, Structur automatically creates five products/services (Labor, Materials, Subcontractors, Equipment, Other), a Structur Income account, and links everything to your existing Cost of Goods Sold account. No manual QB setup is required before connecting.
Q: If I change an invoice in QuickBooks, does it update in Structur?
A: Yes. Once a record is synced, changes in either system replicate to the other. The sync is two-way. However, it's best practice to make changes in Structur to keep the project data and accounting data consistent.
Q: What data doesn't sync between Structur and QuickBooks?
A: Projects and jobs do not currently sync. Financial transactions (bills, invoices, expenses, payments) sync, but they are not organized by project/job in QuickBooks. Project/job-level syncing is in development.
Q: Can I import QuickBooks vendors who don't have an email address?
A: Yes. Email addresses are not required for QuickBooks vendor sync. Vendors can be imported and linked to QuickBooks regardless of whether an email address is on file in either system.
Q: What happens to my synced data if I disconnect QuickBooks?
A: All existing synced data remains in both Structur and QuickBooks. Disconnecting stops the sync from flowing new changes, it doesn't delete or alter records that have already been synced.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
❌ Don't | ✅ Do |
Connect QuickBooks after already creating months of financial records | Connect QuickBooks at the start of your Structur setup, before creating invoices, bills, and expenses |
Create invoices, bills, or expenses in QuickBooks first | Always create financial records in Structur first so they sync properly to QuickBooks |
Map cost codes after creating expenses | Set up cost code to QB product mapping before creating any expense records |
Import clients or vendors from QuickBooks without reviewing merge settings | Check merge and priority settings every time before running a QB import |
Ignore the QuickBooks icon on client and vendor records | Use the QB icon as a quick indicator of what is and isn't linked — and investigate unlinking if you see gaps |
Never check the integration sync status | Review connection status in Settings regularly to catch errors before they create accounting discrepancies |