Managing Locations in QuickBooks Online

Locations provide another dimension for categorizing transactions in QuickBooks Online. GrantLink can link Locations to grants where that matches your accounting design.

What Are Locations?

Locations are flat transaction tags. They can represent a physical site, region, program, or organizational unit, but they do not support parent/child hierarchy. A Location applies to the entire transaction rather than to each transaction line.

Use Locations for:

• Organizational units - Departments, divisions, teams
• Programs - Service programs, initiatives
• Locations - Physical sites or regions
• Cost centers - Budget responsibility areas

Locations vs. Classes

Feature	Classes	Locations
Possible use	Grant, program, or other analysis	Site, region, program, or other analysis
Hierarchy	Supports sub-classes	Flat; no sub-locations
Assignment	Configurable as one per transaction or one per row	One per transaction
Reports	Class-based reports	Location-based reports

Using Locations with GrantLink

Setting Up Locations

In QuickBooks Online, enable Location tracking in the company settings. Because labels and navigation can change, use Intuit's current in-product guidance for the exact path.

Creating Locations

1. Open the Locations list in QuickBooks Online
2. Click New
3. Enter the Location name
4. Set as active
5. Save

Program Tracking Example

A nonprofit with three programs:

Locations in QuickBooks:

• Youth Services
• Senior Programs
• Community Outreach

Classes in QuickBooks (for grants):

• DOE Youth Grant 2024
• State Senior Services Grant
• Community Foundation Grant

When entering a transaction:

• Account: Program Supplies
• Amount: $500
• Class: DOE Youth Grant 2024 (which grant pays)
• Location: Youth Services (which program benefits)

Because the Location applies to the whole transaction, split transactions that genuinely need different Locations or use another documented accounting approach.

Reporting and Functional Expenses

Using both Classes and Locations can help you:

• See all spending on Youth Services across all grants
• See all spending on DOE Youth Grant across all programs
• Analyze funder activity by program area

Location tagging can support functional analysis, but it does not alone create a GAAP Statement of Functional Expenses. Natural-expense-by-function reporting and shared-cost allocations require a documented, consistently applied process reviewed with your CPA.

Best Practices

1. Define structure first - Plan your Locations before entering data
2. Keep it simple - Don't create more Locations than needed
3. Train staff - Ensure everyone assigns Locations consistently
4. Review regularly - Check for transactions without Locations

Integration with GrantLink

GrantLink can use a selected Location in a grant's per-grant QuickBooks links. Linking an expense dimension lets eligible synced expenses allocate automatically; it does not change the source QuickBooks Online transaction.

How GrantLink supports this today

Add a grant manually or from PDF documents, then use its per-grant Expenses and Money received QuickBooks links. Expense links drive eligible automatic allocations. Money received is a UI label for relevant QuickBooks Online income/revenue records, not necessarily cash receipts. Create reports in Chats > New Chat; they then appear on the grant's Reports tab. Any supported QuickBooks Online writeback requires the relevant workflow and explicit permission.

GrantLink does not rewrite QuickBooks Online automatically; shared account mappings are restricted-account mappings only.

Sources

• Intuit: Set up and use location tracking — Location availability, setup, and transaction-level behavior.
• FASB: ASU 2016-14 — analysis of expenses by both nature and function.
• IRS: 2025 Form 990 instructions — Part IX program, management and general, and fundraising columns.