How do I send an email to a customer from QuickBooks Online?

QuickBooks Online sends email only for the forms it produces, such as invoices, estimates, sales receipts, and statements. There is no general email composer inside the product, so a message that stands on its own has to come from your own email application.

Sending a transaction by email

A form can go out at the moment you create it, or later from the saved copy. The customer receives the form itself, either as a PDF attachment or as a link to open it online.

To send one as you create it:

1. Select + New and choose the form, for example Invoice.
2. Fill in the customer and the transaction details.
3. Choose the option to save and send in one step, or save the form and send it later from the saved copy.
4. In the message window, confirm the customer’s email address and adjust the subject or the note.
5. Send the message.

Every form type works the same way, so the steps for an estimate or a sales receipt match the steps for an invoice. The same window accepts a courtesy copy if someone else needs to see the form. A one-off message cannot be scheduled for a later time; the send happens when you trigger it.

Emailing a customer statement

Statements are handled separately, because one statement can summarize months of activity. The product can generate them and email them in a batch.

1. Open the Customers list under Sales.
2. Open the batch actions menu at the top of the list.
3. Choose the option to send statements.
4. Pick the statement type, such as balance forward or open item, and set the date range.
5. Choose all customers, or select specific ones.
6. Review the message and send.

Before a batch run, confirm that each selected customer has a current email address on file; the batch uses whatever the records contain.

What about a plain email?

The product has no standalone email client, and Intuit has not added one. You cannot compose an arbitrary message to a customer from inside QuickBooks Online. Three approaches cover most needs:

• Use your regular email application for anything that is not a form.
• Save a form as a PDF from QuickBooks Online and attach it to a message you write yourself.
• Put a short note in the message box that travels with a form’s email, so it reaches the customer alongside the document.

The message and the sender

Each form type carries its own standard subject line and body text, which you can edit once and reuse. Those templates live in the Sales section of Account and settings, reached from the gear icon. The message window also lets you tailor the wording for a single send.

The messages travel through Intuit’s mail servers under your company name, and some email programs display a QuickBooks sending address beside it. Replies are routed to the email address on file for your company, so keep that address current in your settings.

Recurring invoices are the one exception to manual sending. A recurring template can be set to email itself on its own schedule, which suits retainer billing and other fixed charges.

When an email does not arrive

A mistyped address on the customer’s profile is the most common cause, so open the customer record and check the email field first. Ask the customer to check their spam folder as well, since the messages pass through Intuit’s servers and filters occasionally catch them.

When delivery fails outright, the form is marked as bounced. You can correct the address from that notice and send the form again without rebuilding it.