---
title: "TaxCloud QuickBooks Plugin settings reference"
description: "This is a reference for every field in the plugin's Settings window and when to change it. The defaults work for most QuickBooks Desktop businesses — read this when you have a specific reason to customize something."
canonical_url: "https://support.taxcloud.com/articles/taxcloud-quickbooks-plugin-settings-reference-Y5hZd8YLYm"
md_url: "https://support.taxcloud.com/articles/taxcloud-quickbooks-plugin-settings-reference-Y5hZd8YLYm.md"
---
# TaxCloud QuickBooks Plugin settings reference

This is a reference for every field in the plugin's **Settings** window and when to change it. The defaults work for most QuickBooks Desktop businesses — read this when you have a specific reason to customize something.

## Open the Settings window

Right-click the **TaxCloud** icon in the system tray (near the clock) and choose **Open Settings**.

The window has a **Settings** tab (all the fields below) and a **Capture History** tab (a read-only list of recent capture activity, handy for troubleshooting). **Save** and **Cancel** are pinned to the bottom.

## Connection

 ![Connection section of the Settings window](https://support.taxcloud.com/api/attachments.redirect?id=f8ce74fc-ece4-460e-93c6-1f01f27d27d2 " =1904x248")

**API Key** — the TaxCloud API key for your connection (from **[Set up your TaxCloud account](https://support.taxcloud.com/en-us/articles/set-up-your-taxcloud-account-for-quickbooks-desktop-qPQgfTk5ES)**). After you save it, the field shows a masked value and a **Replace** button; the key is stored encrypted on your PC and never written back in plain text.


:::info
If you click **Replace**, paste a new key, then click **Cancel**, the new key is discarded. Click **Save** to keep it.

:::

**Connection ID** — the ID of your TaxCloud connection. If you have more than one connection (for example, one per legal entity), use the one tied to this company file.

**Customer Reference** — which QuickBooks customer field the plugin uses as the customer ID when sending orders to TaxCloud: **ListID** (the stable QuickBooks-internal ID — the default), **Account Number** (to reconcile across systems), or **Name** (the customer's FullName). If the chosen field is blank on a customer, the plugin falls back to ListID. This matters for exemptions: an exemption certificate in TaxCloud must be filed under the **same** identifier the plugin sends, so if you change this after you've been running, existing certificates may no longer match. See **[Mark a customer tax-exempt](https://support.taxcloud.com/en-us/articles/mark-a-customer-tax-exempt-in-quickbooks-desktop-zo7zb1LeKW)**.

## Sync options

 ![Sync options section of the Settings window](https://support.taxcloud.com/api/attachments.redirect?id=544f41b0-a07e-4ba3-a810-d5a4c9a05504 " =1840x796")

These control which QuickBooks transactions the plugin sends to TaxCloud.

**Sync Invoices** *(on by default)* — send every saved invoice to TaxCloud for tax calculation and filing. Turn off only if you use TaxCloud for sales receipts but not invoices (rare).

**When to capture invoices for filing** — controls *when* TaxCloud records an invoice for remittance:

* **On invoice creation (accrual)** — recorded the moment you save the invoice, regardless of payment. Right for accrual-basis filers.
* **When the customer pays (cash)** — recorded the first time any payment lands against the invoice, including a partial payment. Right for cash-basis filers.

If you're not sure, check what your bookkeeper files on. Most QuickBooks Desktop businesses are on accrual.

**Capture only finalized invoices** — when on, the plugin captures an invoice for filing only once it's final. Use this if you build invoices as QuickBooks **Pending** (non-posting) drafts: pending invoices are skipped (they show as skipped in **Capture History**) and capture automatically after you choose **Edit → Mark Invoice as Final** and save. Only invoices are affected — sales receipts and credit memos are always captured.

**Capture skip rules** — skip the TaxCloud capture for invoices that match a rule, so you avoid double-recording when another system also feeds the same sales into TaxCloud. Each rule tests a regular expression against one QuickBooks invoice header field (**RefNumber**, **PO Number**, **Memo**, or a custom field); rules are checked top to bottom and the first match wins. **Tax is still calculated on the QuickBooks invoice — only the send to TaxCloud is skipped.**

 ![Customer Reference, Capture Skip Rules, and Capture Only Finalized Invoices settings](https://support.taxcloud.com/api/attachments.redirect?id=8cb898cc-df0d-4453-8505-a1991cfa62eb " =1834x1300")

**Sync Credit Memos** *(on by default)* — send every saved credit memo to TaxCloud as a refund, reducing your collected tax. The basis setting above doesn't apply to credit memos — a refund reduces tax whether you're on accrual or cash. Leave on unless you have a specific reason to manage refunds separately.

**Sync Sales Receipts** *(on by default)* — send every saved sales receipt and record it for filing immediately. Sales receipts are sale-plus-payment, so the basis setting doesn't apply.

**Unmapped tax-code notifications** — how the plugin tells you when an item is missing a product tax code (TIC). Options: **Do nothing** (default — the item still syncs using your connection's default code), **Balloon** (a passive tray notification), or **Popup** (a window that lets you assign codes on the spot). See **[Assign product tax codes (TICs)](https://support.taxcloud.com/en-us/articles/assign-product-tax-codes-tics-in-quickbooks-desktop-KPkDQ5U14K)**.

## Sync scheduling

 ![Sync scheduling section of the Settings window](https://support.taxcloud.com/api/attachments.redirect?id=d722b7bc-5543-408b-bf50-5f0ebd459b3b " =1862x300")

**Enable Sync** — master on/off for the background sync engine. When off, the plugin keeps running but sends nothing to TaxCloud. Useful for pausing without uninstalling.

**Real-time Sync vs. Auto Sync:**

* **Real-time Sync** *(recommended)* — syncs each transaction as you save it, so tax appears in QuickBooks and TaxCloud within seconds.
* **Auto Sync** — syncs on a fixed schedule (you set the interval in minutes). Useful for throttling API traffic on a slow connection.

**Run Sync Now** — triggers a one-time sync immediately, regardless of the schedule. Handy after changing a setting or restoring a backup.

## Logging

 ![Logging section of the Settings window](https://support.taxcloud.com/api/attachments.redirect?id=12fe44c4-206d-43b1-bf90-d8c51d6ef037 " =1866x322")

**Enable Logging** *(on by default)* — keep this on; without logs, diagnosing an issue is much harder.

**Log Level** — how detailed the log is: **Error** (default), **Warning**, **Info**, or **Debug**. Support may ask you to switch to **Debug** to reproduce an issue, then switch back.

**Log File Location** — where the log is written. **Browse…** changes it; **Open Location** opens the folder. If you change it, make sure the new folder is writable.

## Export and import tools

 ![Export and import tools section of the Settings window](https://support.taxcloud.com/api/attachments.redirect?id=add9f956-1d8e-4bf8-b6ad-a5e26bbd370b " =1932x1214")

**Export Transactions** — pick a date range and export the invoices, credit memos, and sales receipts in that window to a CSV + JSON bundle. Useful for reviewing what the plugin would send, or for an audit record. The export honors your current basis setting.

**Export Items / Import Item TICs** — round-trip your product tax codes in bulk: **Export Items** writes a CSV of every item and its current tax code; fill in the codes; **Import Item TICs** writes them back. Safe to re-run. See **[Assign product tax codes (TICs)](https://support.taxcloud.com/en-us/articles/assign-product-tax-codes-tics-in-quickbooks-desktop-KPkDQ5U14K)**.

**Backfill Historical Transactions** — push past invoices, credit memos, and sales receipts to your TaxCloud dashboard so historical transactions show up for filing alongside live ones.


1. Pick a **From** and **To** date (defaults to January 1 of this year through today).
2. Click **Run Backfill**.
3. A confirmation dialog restates the range and reminds you that **your QuickBooks invoices are not modified**. Confirm to proceed.
4. A progress bar shows how many transactions have processed. You can **Cancel** at any time.


:::info
Backfill never changes your QuickBooks invoices — it only records the transactions on the TaxCloud side for filing. Ranges over 12 months add an extra warning so you don't accidentally queue years of history.

:::