--- title: Why You Should Be Using QuickBooks' Bill Pay Tools description: "Thirty years ago, we didn't have a choice: We either mailed off checks immediately or put the paper bills in a folder or on a stack. Maybe we marked..." image: https://blog.portebrown.com/hubfs/980x411%20-%20Why%20You%20Should%20Be%20Using%20QuickBooks%20Bill%20Pay%20Tools.jpg --- [![Porte Brown logo](https://blog.portebrown.com/hubfs/PB%20Logo%20-%20Web%20400dpi%20--%20LARGE-HighRes-01.svg "Porte Brown logo")](https://portebrown-6854056.hs-sites.com/) [![Porte Brown logo](https://blog.portebrown.com/hubfs/PB%20Logo%20-%20Web%20400dpi%20--%20LARGE-HighRes-01.svg "Porte Brown logo")](https://portebrown-6854056.hs-sites.com/) Search # Why You Should Be Using QuickBooks' Bill Pay Tools ![calendar-icon](https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/2040891/Marketplace/WASABI/icons/icon-calendar.svg) * By [ Porte Brown ](https://blog.portebrown.com/author/porte-brown-llc) - February 20, 2025 * Why You Should Be Using QuickBooks' Bill Pay Tools 4:36 **Thirty years ago, we didn't have a choice:** We either mailed off checks immediately or put the paper bills in a folder or on a stack. Maybe we marked their due dates on a calendar or clipped them to calendar pages a few days before the due date so we wouldn't forget. But we sometimes forgot anyway, especially if we didn't have a system for organizing our accounts payable. When this happened, it could lead to late fees and uncomfortable relationships with the people and companies to whom we owed money. These days, of course, you may pay your bills directly on the website of your biller or your bank. You still need to keep track of when they're due (for example, by making a notation in Google Calendar or Outlook) and you must remember that you paid them. QuickBooks can prevent problems associated with fulfilling your accounts payable obligations. You can enter bills when they come in, get reminders of upcoming due dates, and either mark the bills as paid or pay them online, directly from the software. There's really no downside. Here's how it works. ## Set Reminders First The first reason you should be using QuickBooks to manage your AP is because it won't let you miss a bill payment (as long as you follow through the process). It does this by allowing you to set up **Reminders**. You can use these for all kinds of actions that you want to schedule, like printing checks and reordering inventory. Open the **Edit **menu and select **Preferences**, then **Reminders**. Click the **My Preferences **tab and check the box in front of **Show Reminders List when opening a Company file**. Then click the **Company Preferences **tab. ![QuickBooks Company Preferences](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/5b89215f86d604eeaac8ad09/67a51a5e28d6ea3506330462_QB_06_2024_image1.jpeg) **Bills to Pay **is near the bottom of the list. You can click in the columns to request a **Summary **or **List** of upcoming bills and enter a number in front of days before due date. Click **OK **when you're done with this window. ## Enter Bills Second The second reason you should be using QuickBooks' to manage AP is because you'll have records of the bills themselves and of their payments, *all* of them, in one place. Before you can pay bills, you'll have to record them. Open the **Vendors **menu and click **Enter Bills**. In the window that opens, you'll need to select a **Vendor **from the drop-down list and complete the fields in the top half of the window to match your bill. These include **Date**, **Terms**, and **Amount**. The other fields are optional or will fill in automatically. Check the box in front of **Bill Received **if applicable. If you want a scanned copy of the bill available, click **Attach File **in the toolbar and select it from your PC's directory. ![QuickBooks Bill Setup](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/5b89215f86d604eeaac8ad09/67a51a5eb7ab53f00bb12942_QB_06_2024_image2.jpeg) The bottom half of the window displays a table with two tabs. If your bill is for an expense, such as a utility bill, make sure the **Expenses **tab is highlighted. If it's for products, click the **Items **tab. The **Amount **field will be filled in, but you'll need to select an **Account**. If the bill is for products or services you've purchased on behalf of a customer, select the correct one from the drop-down list under **Customer: Job **and put a checkmark in the **Billable **field. When you've finished, save the bill. ## Accessible and Organized How do you find the bill you just entered? Open the **Vendors **menu and select **Vendor Center**. With the **Vendors **tab highlighted, click on the correct name to open their information window. The bill you just paid *should *be at the top of the list, along with all of that vendor's other transactions. If you've never explored a vendor record, take some time to look around and see what you can see and do there. Vendor records give you a comprehensive look at your history with each vendor. Right-click on a name to see what your options are there, as pictured below. ![QuickBooks transactions list](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/5b89215f86d604eeaac8ad09/67a51a5eab5bd6ed5447b64a_QB_06_2024_image3.jpeg) If a particular vendor is very active and this list grows too unwieldy, click the down arrow in the **Show **field in the upper left. You'll be able to view individual transactions by type. ## Convenient and Quick What is the third reason you should be using [QuickBooks](https://www.portebrown.com/newsblog-archive/quickbooks-online-bill-pay) for your bill-paying tasks? When it's time to pay a bill, there's no scrambling around, trying to find a piece of paper or an email. It's a couple clicks away in the software. If you're using QuickBooks 2021, you've probably noticed that some of your financial services have stopped working. As of May 31, 2024, Intuit stopped supporting that version, which means you also won't get security updates or have access to technical support. If you're in this position, [contact Porte Brown](https://www.portebrown.com/contact-us) as soon as possible to talk about your next moves. [![QuickBooks logo](https://blog.portebrown.com/hubfs/QB%20Logo.png "QuickBooks logo")](https://www.portebrown.com/software-tech/quickbooks) #### SERVICE SPOTLIGHT ### Outsourced Accounting & Advisory Services QuickBooks Online provides a slightly different experience compared to its desktop cousin. It is designed to make tasks both easier and more efficient while being used anywhere and on any device. No longer will QuickBooks users be forced to work solely from their office. With QuickBooks Online, employees can send invoices, run payroll, and reconcile accounts... 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