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How to Create a Custom Report in QuickBooks Online

QBO's standard reports cover most needs, but sometimes you need a specific date range, a comparison view, or a breakdown by customer or category. Here's how to build it yourself.

QBO comes with a set of standard financial reports, but sometimes you need something more specific — a P&L by a specific date range, a breakdown of one expense category, or a report that compares this year to last. The custom report function lets you build these without your bookkeeper having to do it for you.


What You'll Need

  • Access to QuickBooks Online

Normal Procedure


Customizing an Existing Report

Most useful custom reports start from a standard report and then adjust the settings.

  1. Go to Reports in the left menu.
  2. Open the report you want to customize (e.g., Profit & Loss, Balance Sheet, Accounts Receivable Aging).
  3. Click Customize in the top right.
  4. Adjust the settings in the panel that appears (see settings below).
  5. Click Run report to preview.
  6. To save the customization for future use, click Save customization and give it a name.

The key settings you can adjust:


Report period: Set the exact date range you want — custom dates, month to date, year to date, etc.


Accounting method: Switch between Cash and Accrual if your business uses both for different purposes.


Rows/Columns: Change what's shown on each axis. For a P&L, you can add columns by month (to see monthly trends side by side) or by year for a year-over-year comparison.


Filter: Narrow the report to a specific customer, vendor, account, class, or location — useful if you want to see all transactions with a particular supplier or client.


Saved Reports

Customized reports are saved under Reports > Custom reports. You can run them again any time without re-entering the settings.


Useful Custom Reports for Business Owners

What you want to see

Starting report

Key customization

Month-by-month P&L for the year

Profit & Loss

Set period to this year; add columns by month

This year vs. last year

Profit & Loss

Set comparison period

P&L for a specific time range

Profit & Loss

Set custom date range

All transactions for one expense category

Transaction Detail by Account

Filter by account

All invoices for one customer

Customer Balance Detail

Filter by customer

All bills from one supplier

Vendor Balance Detail

Filter by vendor

What you spent on a specific category

Expenses by Vendor Summary

Filter by account

Abnormal Procedures

The report isn't showing what you expect.

Check: (1) the date range is correct, (2) the accounting method (cash vs. accrual) matches what you're looking for, and (3) the filters aren't too narrow. Cash basis reports don't show unpaid invoices; accrual does.


You want a report that QBO doesn't have built in.

For highly custom reports, export to Excel — click Export (top right of any report) and choose Excel format. You can then manipulate the data however you need. Alternatively, ask your Mesa CPA bookkeeper if they can pull what you need.


FAQ

Can I share a saved report with my bookkeeper or advisor?

You can export any report as a PDF or Excel file. QBO doesn't have a built-in sharing link for reports, but exporting and emailing is straightforward.


Will my customized reports be overwritten if QBO updates?

Saved customizations are stored in your account and persist through QBO updates.


Can I schedule a report to run automatically?

Yes. From a saved custom report, click More actions > Schedule to set it to run and email to you on a schedule (daily, weekly, monthly).


What's the difference between cash and accrual reports?

Cash basis: shows revenue when received and expenses when paid. Accrual basis: shows revenue when earned (invoice sent) and expenses when incurred (bill received), regardless of cash timing. Your Mesa CPA advisor will tell you which is more relevant for your business decisions.