Understanding Classes in QuickBooks Online

Classes in QuickBooks Online are a powerful way to categorize transactions beyond your chart of accounts. GrantLink leverages Classes to seamlessly track grant expenses.

What Are Classes?

Classes are custom labels you can apply to transactions in QuickBooks Online. They provide a secondary layer of categorization that runs across your entire chart of accounts.

Common uses for Classes include:

• Location tracking - Different offices or sites
• Department tracking - Various organizational departments
• Grant tracking - Individual grants or funding sources
• Program tracking - Different programs or services

How GrantLink Uses Classes

When you configure GrantLink to track grants via Classes:

1. Each grant in GrantLink maps to a Class in QuickBooks
2. When you allocate an expense to a grant, the Class is applied
3. Transactions with Classes already assigned auto-allocate to the matching grant

Setting Up Classes for Grant Tracking

1. In QuickBooks Online, go to Settings > Account and Settings
2. Select the Advanced tab
3. In the Categories section, turn on Track classes
4. Optionally enable Warn me when a transaction isn't assigned a class

Creating Classes for Grants

Option 1: Let GrantLink create them

• When you create a new grant, GrantLink can automatically create the matching Class

Option 2: Create manually in QuickBooks

• Go to Settings > All Lists > Classes
• Click New and enter the grant name
• Map it to your grant in GrantLink

Class Hierarchy

QuickBooks supports sub-classes, which can be useful for organizing related grants:

Foundation Grants (Parent Class)
├── Ford Foundation 2024
├── Ford Foundation 2025
└── Kellogg Foundation 2024

Government Grants (Parent Class)
├── HHS Grant 2024
└── DOE Grant 2024

GrantLink respects this hierarchy and displays grants organized by their parent class.

Best Practices

1. Use consistent naming - Match Class names to grant names exactly
2. Enable warnings - Set QuickBooks to warn about unclassified transactions
3. Review regularly - Check for transactions missing Classes
4. Archive old Classes - Inactive grants should have inactive Classes

Troubleshooting

Class Not Syncing

• Ensure the Class is active in QuickBooks
• Trigger a manual sync in GrantLink
• Check that the Class isn't a sub-class of an inactive parent

Transactions Not Auto-Allocating

• Verify the Class is mapped to a grant
• Check that the transaction has the Class applied at the line level
• Review the sync history for errors