Editor's Note: Intuit recently released its QuickBooks Desktop 2023 line-up. Murph has been evaluating various pre-release versions of these products for almost a year, spending hours communicating with Intuit personnel so we can help you learn about the new products. This is the second in our series of individual product articles intended to provide additional content to what can be found in our QuickBooks Desktop 2023 Product Summary.
About Track Vehicle Mileage
Vehicle mileage isn't a new feature to QuickBooks, but the method of tracking the mileage is entirely different for 2023.
This new Track Vehicle Mileage experience is available to all 2023 Desktop Plus, Enterprise and Accountant users within the US as of its initial 2023 product (R1) release.
The enhanced experience for tracking and managing vehicle mileage can be accessed from the Company menu. Users also can add trips from a mobile device or their QuickBooks Desktop and get them approved.
A new mobile app for iPhone or iPad (iOS devices) works with QuickBooks to track vehicle mileage and incorporate it into the QuickBooks Company file. Currently, this new app is only available from the Apple App Store.
Source: Image captured from a pre-release version of QuickBooks 2023.
With this new mileage app, you don't need to manually track the odometer readings of your business trips. You just enter the "start" and "end" trip locations, and the miles will be calculated for you.
You also don't have to worry about the current IRS mileage allowance because QuickBooks tracks the rate and uses it to compute each trip's mileage expense.
And while employees are using the QuickBooks Desktop Mobile app or Desktop to keep track of their trips, they are available for approval by their supervisor or other approving authority once sent to QuickBooks Desktop. They can be easily billed to the appropriate customer or used to process employee reimbursements once approved.
Using the New Track Vehicle Mileage Features
The initial setup of this feature will vary somewhat depending on if you have existing mileage data in your QuickBooks Company file and if you have an existing Intuit account. For this article, we will assume the answer to both of these is "yes."
Setting up Track Vehicle Mileage
- Open your QuickBooks Desktop Company file as the Company Admin
- Go to the Company menu and select Track Vehicle Mileage
- Answer "Yes, copy now" when QuickBooks asks you to copy data to advanced track mileage
- Enter your Intuit account login credentials when prompted
- After a few moments (depending on the quantity of data), the Track vehicle mileage dashboard will be displayed
Source: Image captured from a Pre-release version of QuickBooks Desktop 2023
From this Track vehicle mileage dashboard, you can:
- Add a Trip
- Add a Vehicle (under "Manage")
- Add/modify/delete Mileage Rates (under "Manage")
- View/run Reports on trips, vehicles, mileage, etc.
- Review/approve/reject Pending trips
- Review previously Approved trips
- Refresh data from mobile app devices via the Intuit Cloud
- Learn more about track mileage
Add a Trip using the Track vehicle mileage Dashboard
Source: Image captured from a pre-release version of QuickBooks 2023.
- Open the Track vehicle mileage dashboard: QuickBooks >> Company >> Track Vehicle Mileage
- Select "Add trip" (example shown above)
- Add the Start Date and End Date. [Required fields]
- Add a Purpose of the trip
- Select an Employee email
- Mark Billable if the trip should be invoiced to a customer
- If billable, enter the Customer:Job. [Required field if the trip is billable]
- Select an appropriate Class
- Select the appropriate Item. [Required field if the trip is billable]
- Mark Reimbursable if the employee should be reimbursed
- Enter Starting and Ending locations to calculate the distance using Google information. Note: Entering the odometer start and end information overrides the location distance calculation)
- Enter Distance (Note: Only if you wish to override the location or odometer calculated distance)
- Add Notes, if desired
- Select the Vehicle [Required field]
- When you're done, select Save
Setting Up the QuickBooks Desktop iOS Mobile App
- From your iOS mobile device (Apple iPhone or iPad), select the QuickBooks Desktop iOS Mobile App from the Apple App Store
- Install the latest (3.0.0) version of QuickBooks Desktop iOS Mobile App on your iOS device (Apple iPhone or iPad)
- If you have a previous version of the QuickBooks Desktop app, you will get the option to update the app
- Click "Open," then "Next"
- Using the QuickBooks Desktop Mobile App on your iOS device, sign in to your Intuit Account and select the appropriate Company file
- Choose Continue
- You are ready to proceed with any mobile app features you have access to, including the new vehicle mileage tracking feature
Add a Trip using the QuickBooks Desktop Mobile App
Source: Images captured from Pre-release version of iOS QuickBooks Desktop Mobile App
- Open the QuickBooks Desktop Mobile App
- Select "Track vehicle mileage"
- Sign in with your Intuit credentials
- Select "Get Started"
- Click on the + button to add a trip
- Add the Trip date
- Enter the Starting location (Note: You can allow the App to use your location)
- Enter the Ending location Note: The distance is auto-calculated; you can edit if necessary
- Enter the Purpose of the trip
- Toggle to mark if it is Billable
- When you are done, select Save
- The app will display a success or error message (Successful entries are posted as "Pending approval" on the track vehicle mileage Desktop)
Source: Image captured from a Pre-release version of the iOS QuickBooks Desktop Mobile App (track vehicle mileage feature)
Approve a Trip using the Track vehicle mileage Dashboard
Source: Image captured from a Pre-release version of QuickBooks Desktop 2023
- Open the Track vehicle mileage dashboard: QuickBooks >> Company >> Track Vehicle Mileage
- Unapproved trips will appear on the "Pending approval" tab (as shown above)
- Review the trip details as required
- When you are ready, click "Approve" in the Action column
- Confirm Approval
- The same trip should now have been posted from pending to the "Approved" tab (shown below)
Source: Image captured from a Pre-release version of QuickBooks Desktop 2023.
Vehicle Mileage Reporting
A variety of vehicle mileage reports are available from the "View reports" drop-down of the Track vehicle mileage dashboard. These include Mileage by Vehicle Summary, Mileage by Vehicle Detail (example shown below), Mileage by Job Summary and Mileage by Job Detail.
Source: Image captured from a Pre-release version of QuickBooks Desktop 2023.
The 2023 enhancements to vehicle mileage tracking are a vast improvement over the prior method available to QuickBooks Desktop users. Once users begin using the new mobile app, they should realize both time and convenience in maintaining accurate mileage records for billing and reimbursement purposes.
To learn more about this QuickBooks 2023 Desktop feature:
Please attend our September QB Talks webinar, scheduled for 2 p.m. (EST), Sept. 21, 2022. Here, Laura Madeira will bring you "A First Look at QuickBooks Desktop 2023." Laura develops this year's QuickBooks Desktop training content and exam materials for Intuit, so nobody is more knowledgeable about the new features. You can REGISTER HERE for the webinar.
Disclosures
Materials within this feature, including graphic illustrations, were developed from various pre-release versions of QuickBooks Desktop 2023. Therefore, the final product version you may acquire may appear, act, or be functionally different from that illustrated or described herein.
Portions of this feature have been adapted from Intuit QuickBooks Desktop 2023-related content. All such source materials were adapted by Insightful Accountant solely for educational purposes.
As used herein, QuickBooks, QuickBooks ProAdvisor, QuickBooks Payroll, QuickBooks Payments, and QuickBooks Desktop (products) refer to one or more registered trademarks of Intuit Inc.; a NASDAQ publicly traded "INTU" corporation, headquartered in Mountain View, California (USA).
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