Understanding Location Tracking in QuickBooks Online
Learn how to set up and use Location Tracking in QuickBooks Online, and how it works with ClientSynq's file import tool.
What is Location Tracking?
Location Tracking in QuickBooks Online lets you track transactions by physical location or business unit.
Common uses:
- Physical stores: Store #1, Store #2, Store #3
- Offices: NYC Office, LA Office, Chicago Office
- Warehouses: Warehouse A, Warehouse B
- Regions: East Coast, West Coast, International
- Facilities: Manufacturing Plant 1, Distribution Center 2
Why use it?
- Track sales and expenses by location
- See which locations are most profitable
- Manage inventory across locations
- Run location-specific reports
- Better understand multi-location performance
ClientSynq Integration: Locations sync from QuickBooks and can be mapped during file imports.
Location vs. Class: What's the Difference?
QuickBooks offers both Class and Location tracking. Here's when to use each:
Class Tracking
Purpose: Track what type of business activity
Examples: Department, Project, Product Line
Use for: Sales Department, Marketing Campaign, Product A
Location Tracking
Purpose: Track where business activity happens
Examples: Physical location, office, store
Use for: Store #1, NYC Office, Warehouse B
Can You Use Both?
Yes! You can use both Class and Location together for powerful multi-dimensional reporting.
Example:
Invoice #1001
Location: NYC Office
Class: Sales Department
Item: Consulting Services $1,000
This transaction is:
- Happening at: NYC Office (Location)
- Related to: Sales Department (Class)
Reporting benefit:
- See Sales Department performance across all locations
- See NYC Office performance across all departments
- See Sales Department at NYC Office specifically
Best practice: Use Location for physical "where" and Class for logical "what".
How Location Tracking Works
Always Transaction-Level
Unlike Class Tracking (which has transaction-level and line-item options), Location is always transaction-level.
What this means:
- One location per transaction (invoice, bill, payment)
- Cannot assign different locations to different line items
- Simpler than Class Tracking
Example Invoice:
Invoice #1001
Location: Store #1
Item: Product A $500
Item: Product B $300
Total: $800
ALL $800 is assigned to "Store #1"
If you need line-item location tracking: Use Classes instead, and name them by location.
How to Enable Location Tracking in QuickBooks
Step 1: Turn On Location Tracking
- Log in to QuickBooks Online
- Click Settings (gear icon) → Account and Settings
- Select Categories (or Advanced in some versions)
- Find Track locations section
- Toggle Track locations to ON
Step 2: Choose Tracking Option
You'll see options:
"Warn me when a transaction isn't assigned a location"
- QuickBooks warns if you forget to add location
- Allows blank locations
- More flexible
"Make location required"
- Forces location on every transaction
- Better for ensuring complete data
- Can be restrictive
Recommendation:
- Start with "Warn" to learn the system
- Switch to "Required" once your team is comfortable
- Consider your business needs
Step 3: Create Your Locations
- Go to Settings (gear icon) → All Lists → Locations
- Click New
- Enter location name (e.g., "Store #1", "NYC Office")
- Click Save
Naming tips:
- Use numbers for multiple similar locations: Store #1, Store #2
- Use city names for offices: NYC Office, LA Office
- Use codes if you have many: LOC-001, LOC-002
- Be consistent!
Location Tracking & ClientSynq File Import Tool
How It Works
When importing transactions via ClientSynq's file import tool, you can map a location column from your spreadsheet to QuickBooks locations.
Important: Since location is always transaction-level, you need one location per invoice (per row in your import file).
Import File Structure
Example CSV with Location:
Customer,InvoiceDate,Amount,Location,Description
ABC Corp,2025-01-15,1000,Store #1,January Sales
XYZ Inc,2025-01-16,2000,Store #2,January Sales
DEF LLC,2025-01-17,1500,Store #1,Consulting
Result:
- Invoice for ABC Corp → Assigned to Store #1
- Invoice for XYZ Inc → Assigned to Store #2
- Invoice for DEF LLC → Assigned to Store #1
Import Mapping:
- Map your "Location" column to QuickBooks "Location"
- One value per row (transaction-level)
- Location name must match QuickBooks exactly
Using Both Class and Location in Import
You can import with both Class and Location!
Example CSV:
Customer,InvoiceDate,Amount,Class,Location,Description
ABC Corp,2025-01-15,1000,Sales,Store #1,Product Sale
ABC Corp,2025-01-15,500,Service,Store #1,Consulting
XYZ Inc,2025-01-16,2000,Sales,Store #2,Product Sale
Mapping:
- "Class" column → QuickBooks "Class"
- "Location" column → QuickBooks "Location"
Result:
- Invoice #1 for ABC Corp (2 line items)
- Location: Store #1 (both line items)
- Line 1: $1,000 - Class: Sales
- Line 2: $500 - Class: Service
- Invoice #2 for XYZ Inc (1 line item)
- Location: Store #2
- Line 1: $2,000 - Class: Sales
Note: Location applies to the entire invoice, but each line item can have its own class (if using line-item class tracking).
Common Import Issues & Solutions
Issue 1: "Location not found" error
Problem: Location name in your file doesn't match QuickBooks exactly
Solution:
- Check spelling (case-sensitive!)
- "Store #1" ≠ "store #1" ≠ "Store 1"
- Go to QuickBooks → Locations → Copy exact names
- Update your import file to match exactly
Example:
QuickBooks has: "NYC Office"
Your file says: "New York Office"
❌ Error: Location not found
Fix: Change your file to "NYC Office"
Issue 2: "Location required but not provided"
Problem: QuickBooks set to require locations, but your file has blank location fields
Solutions:
- Add locations to your file for all rows
- Or turn off "require location" in QuickBooks temporarily
- Settings → Account and Settings → Categories
- Change from "Required" to "Warn"
- Import your file
- Turn "Required" back on
- Or assign a default location in import tool settings (if available)
Issue 3: Multiple rows for same invoice have different locations
Problem: Trying to create one invoice with multiple line items, but each row has a different location
Example (Won't Work):
Customer,Date,Item,Amount,Location
ABC Corp,1/15,Product A,500,Store #1
ABC Corp,1/15,Product B,300,Store #2 ← Different location!
Why it fails: Location is transaction-level - one per invoice.
Solution:
- If these should be separate invoices: Make dates different
- If these should be one invoice: Use the same location for both rows
- If you truly need line-level location tracking: Use Classes named by location instead
Fixed Example:
Customer,Date,Item,Amount,Location
ABC Corp,1/15,Product A,500,Store #1
ABC Corp,1/15,Product B,300,Store #1 ← Same location
Issue 4: Location column mapping not showing
Problem: Import tool doesn't show "Location" as a mapping option
Check:
- ✅ Is location tracking enabled in QuickBooks? (Settings → Categories)
- ✅ Has ClientSynq synced recently? (Settings → QuickBooks → Sync Now)
- ✅ Wait 5 minutes after enabling, then sync again
Location Tracking Best Practices
1. Naming Conventions
Be consistent:
- ✅ Good: Store #1, Store #2, Store #3
- ❌ Bad: Store 1, Store #2, Third Store
Use clear identifiers:
- ✅ Good: NYC-Manhattan, NYC-Brooklyn
- ❌ Bad: Location A, Location B
Include location type if needed:
- Office - New York
- Warehouse - Chicago
- Store - Los Angeles
2. Start Simple
Begin with major locations only:
- Main Office
- Store #1
- Store #2
Add detail later as needed:
- Main Office - Sales Floor
- Main Office - Back Office
- Store #1 - Retail
- Store #1 - Warehouse
3. Document Your System
Create a reference document:
Location Name | Physical Address | Manager | Notes
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Store #1 | 123 Main St, NYC | John Smith | Flagship
Store #2 | 456 Oak Ave, LA | Jane Doe | Opened 2024
Warehouse A | 789 Industrial Dr, TX | Bob Johnson | Main warehouse
Share with your team to ensure consistency.
4. Align with Your Accounting Structure
Match your chart of accounts:
- If you have separate bank accounts per location → Track by location
- If you track inventory per location → Track by location
- If locations are truly independent → Definitely use location tracking
Consider tax implications:
- Different sales tax rates per location? → Use location tracking
- Multiple states/jurisdictions? → Location tracking helps
5. Use with Inventory (Plus & Advanced plans)
Location tracking is especially powerful with inventory:
- Track stock levels per location
- Transfer inventory between locations
- See which locations move products fastest
Enable:
- Settings → Account and Settings → Sales
- Turn on "Track inventory quantity on hand"
- Turn on "Track locations"
- Assign inventory to locations
Location-Based Reporting
Key Reports to Run
1. Profit and Loss by Location
- Reports → Business Overview → Profit and Loss
- Customize → Filter → Location → Select specific location
- See profitability per location
2. Sales by Location
- Reports → Sales and Customers → Sales by Location
- Compare location performance
- Identify top-performing locations
3. Expenses by Location
- Reports → Expenses and Vendors → Expenses by Location
- See where money is being spent
- Manage location-specific costs
4. Inventory by Location (Plus/Advanced)
- Reports → Inventory → Inventory Valuation Summary by Location
- Track stock levels per location
- Identify where products are sitting
Multi-Dimensional Reporting
Combine Location + Class:
- Reports → Custom Reports → Transaction Detail by Location
- Customize → Add "Class" column
- See Sales Department performance at Store #1 vs Store #2
Example insights:
- "Marketing campaigns at NYC Office are outperforming LA Office"
- "Service Department at Store #1 has higher profit margin than Store #2"
- "Operations costs are higher at Warehouse B vs Warehouse A"
Location vs. Other Tracking Methods
Location vs. Customer
Don't use Customer field for locations!
❌ Wrong approach:
- Create customers named "Store #1 Sales", "Store #2 Sales"
- Makes customer list cluttered
- Loses actual customer information
✅ Right approach:
- Keep real customers in Customer field
- Use Location field for location tracking
- Much cleaner reporting
Location vs. Vendor Tags
For expenses:
- Use Location to track where expense occurred
- Use Vendor to track who you paid
- Use Class to track what type of expense
Example:
Bill from Acme Supplies
Vendor: Acme Supplies
Location: Store #1 (where supplies will be used)
Class: Operations (type of expense)
File Import Mapping Guide for Location
Basic Mapping Example
Your Import File Columns:
- Customer Name
- Invoice Date
- Amount
- Store
- Description
Mapping in ClientSynq Import Tool:
- "Customer Name" → Customer
- "Invoice Date" → Invoice Date
- "Amount" → Amount
- "Store" → Location
- "Description" → Description/Memo
Advanced Mapping (Location + Class)
Your Import File Columns:
- Customer
- Date
- Item
- Quantity
- Price
- Department
- Store Location
Mapping:
- "Customer" → Customer
- "Date" → Invoice Date
- "Item" → Product/Service
- "Quantity" → Quantity
- "Price" → Rate
- "Department" → Class
- "Store Location" → Location
Result: Fully tracked invoices with item, class, and location.
Common Scenarios
Scenario 1: Retail Chain
Business: 5 retail stores
Setup:
- Locations: Store #1, Store #2, Store #3, Store #4, Store #5
- Classes: Product Sales, Service Revenue, Returns
Import file:
Customer,Date,Amount,Class,Location
Walk-in,2025-01-15,500,Product Sales,Store #1
Walk-in,2025-01-15,750,Product Sales,Store #2
John Smith,2025-01-16,200,Service Revenue,Store #1
Reports you can run:
- Which store has the most product sales?
- Which store has the most service revenue?
- Total revenue per store
Scenario 2: Multi-Office Services Firm
Business: Consulting firm with 3 offices
Setup:
- Locations: NYC Office, Chicago Office, LA Office
- Classes: Consulting, Training, Support
Import file:
Client,Date,Service,Hours,Rate,Class,Location
ABC Corp,2025-01-15,Consulting,10,200,Consulting,NYC Office
XYZ Inc,2025-01-16,Training,8,150,Training,Chicago Office
Reports you can run:
- Which office generates the most consulting revenue?
- Compare training hours across offices
- Profitability by location and service type
Scenario 3: E-commerce with Warehouses
Business: Online seller with multiple fulfillment centers
Setup:
- Locations: Warehouse East, Warehouse West, Warehouse Central
- Classes: Product A, Product B, Product C
Use:
- Track inventory by warehouse location
- Ship from nearest warehouse
- Manage costs per warehouse
Troubleshooting Import Issues
Validation Errors
Error: "Transaction for [Customer] on [Date] has conflicting locations"
Cause: Multiple rows for same invoice have different locations
Fix:
- Review rows with same customer + date
- Make location consistent
- Or change date to create separate invoices
Error: "Location 'Store 1' not found in QuickBooks"
Cause: Exact name mismatch
Fix:
- Export locations from QuickBooks
- Copy exact names (including spaces, caps, punctuation)
- Update import file to match exactly
Import Not Assigning Location
Issue: Imported transactions show in QuickBooks but have no location
Check:
- Did you map the location column? (Review mapping step)
- Is location field populated for all rows?
- Are location names spelled correctly?
Solution:
- Re-import with correct mapping
- Or manually assign locations in QuickBooks after import
QuickBooks Official Resources
Related Articles
- Class Tracking in QuickBooks
- Transaction-Level vs Line-Item Class Tracking
- File Import Tool: Complete Mapping Guide
- Understanding Import Errors
Still Have Questions?
Need help setting up location tracking or troubleshooting imports? Contact our support team - We're here to help!
Last Updated: October 26, 2025
QuickBooks Version: QuickBooks Online (Essentials, Plus, Advanced)
Note: Location tracking is not available in QuickBooks Online Simple Start