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

API Key — the TaxCloud API key for your connection (from Set up your TaxCloud account). 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.

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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.

Sync options

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.

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).

Sync scheduling

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

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 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).

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.

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