The following steps will show you how to create a new purchase order in the Method Purchase Orders app, part of the Purchase Transactions pack.
NOTE: Differences exist between how QuickBooks Desktop and QuickBooks Online accounts sync with Method, which means some of the fields appear differently (and sometimes do not appear at all). We note where these discrepancies appear.
For the purpose of this article we will separate the purchase order screen into three sections.
NOTE: You can also create Purchase orders from Estimates, Invoices, and Sales Orders. For more information, see our article "Convert Sales Transactions to Purchase Orders".
Purchase Order Details
Click ⊕ New on your Purchase Orders App, or click ⊕ New Purchase Order from your Purchase Order List.
This opens the New / Edit Purchase Order screen. Choose a vendor to associate with this purchase order. This opens more fields to be filled out.
The top will show if the total, the vendor, and whether or not the purchase order is open:
Except for Date, the following fields are optional:
Date* and Due: Today's date appears in the Date and Due fields (these can be changed manually).
Purchase Order #: Assign a purchase order number if applicable.
Terms (QuickBooks Desktop Only): Assign terms to this Purchase order.
Ship To: Select a customer, lead, or vendor you want to ship to. For those who use QuickBooks Desktop, you will have the option to choose a different ship address if you have multiple shipping addresses.
Ship Method: How the product will be shipped, if applicable.
Class (QuickBooks Desktop Only): Classes are used to sort your transactions.
Tags: Label and categorize your transaction. (See Tags.)
Wait for approval before QuickBooks sync?: Prevents the purchase order from syncing to QuickBooks until a user unchecks this option and saves.
To be emailed in QuickBooks (QuickBooks Desktop Only): Flags the purchase order in QuickBooks as "to be emailed"; group and email multiple purchase orders in QuickBooks.
To be printed in QuickBooks (QuickBooks Desktop Only): Flags the purchase order in QuickBooks as "to be printed"; group and print multiple purchase orders in QuickBooks.
Manually Closed (QuickBooks Desktop Only): Marks the purchase order as closed.
Line Items and Accounts
After you fill in the Purchase details, you can choose Item Details or Account Details.
Note: Items and accounts are not saved until you save the whole purchase orders. If you update the items or accounts and log out of your session, they will not be saved in the purchase order.
Item Details
Line items are added to the purchase order using the Line Items grid. Items available are taken from the Items App which is synced with your QuickBooks account. By clicking on a row, each column (other than the Amount) can be edited to fill in details for each line item.
To add QuickBooks items to this purchase order, add them directly in the grid. To add more lines, select the Add Lines button.
Account Details
QuickBooks Online users will also be able to select Account Details to add an Account Expense. Accounts available are taken from the Accounts App which is synced with your QuickBooks account.
Choose an account from the dropdown in the Account column and fill out the rest of the row. If you want to add multiple account expenses, select Add Lines.
Purchase Order Total
Below the item lines grid, you will find the total as well as a few more fields to fill in:
Memo (Internal): Note to yourself and Method users with access to this purchase order. The memo is not visible to the customer.
Message: a message to appear on your purchase order for the customer to see (e.g. "looking forward to your business").
Attachments: You can add a file to this purchase order.
Total: The total for the purchase order.
Note: If you are on QuickBooks desktop, this is a dropdown list of messages. Currently, these messages are managed within QuickBooks. Find the Customer Message List within QuickBooks Desktop if you wish to change the messages.
Purchase Order Buttons
More Actions [ ∨ ]:
Clear & New: Clear the current P.O. so it is empty and you can create a new one.
Delete: Delete the P.O. This cannot be undone!
Make a Copy: Create a brand new P.O. with the same information and items.
Print: Creates a pdf file of the P.O. which you can print. Pop-ups must be enabled for Method, else the document will be blocked and nothing will happen when you click this button. The pdf is created using a template chosen within the app preferences. The PDF link created will expire within 5 to 10 minutes. You should not reference the link in any permanent document.
Email: Email the vendor a link to their portal where they will be able to view the P.O. online. You will get a preview of the email before sending it out.
Save [ ∨ ]: This button is clickable and will save the transaction.
Save & New: Save the purchase order and clear the form to enter in a new one.
Save & Back: Save the purchase order and go to the previous screen.