How to Fix Duplicate Bill and Expense Entries in QuickBooks Online

Duplicate entries in QuickBooks Online (QBO)—whether for bills, expenses, or other transactions—can throw off your financial records.

This makes it harder to reconcile accounts and generate accurate reports.

Thankfully, tools within QuickBooks Online can help you identify and resolve these duplicates effectively.

In this post, we’ll walk you through how to spot, fix, and prevent duplicate bill and expense entries in QBO so you can maintain clean and accurate books.

Quick Instructions:

Match the Bill & Expense:

  1. Open the expense
  2. Click the arrow in a gray box in the upper right edge
  3. Click Add on the bill
  4. On the Bill Payment, verify the Bank/Credit account and AMOUNT PAID are correct
  5. Click Save and close

Mark the Bill Paid:

  1. Open the bill
  2. Click the Mark as paid button
  3. Make sure the correct Bill and Expense are checked
  4. Click Save and close

Keep reading for a complete walkthrough with screenshots:

Why Duplicate Entries Happen in QuickBooks Online

Duplicate bills and expenses can occur for several reasons:

  • Manual Entry Errors: A bill or expense may be accidentally entered twice.
  • Bank Feed Imports: Transactions downloaded from your bank feed might overlap with entries manually created in QuickBooks.
  • Receipt Uploads: Adding receipts to QuickBooks without matching them to existing transactions can result in duplication.
  • Bill and Payment Not Matched: A bill is entered, and payment is made, but the payment is entered as an expense, and they’re not matched.

That last one is what we’re talking about in this post.

How to Identify Duplicate Bill/Expense Entries in QuickBooks Online

Before fixing duplicates, you need to identify them.

Vendor Screen

One of the ways to spot duplicate bill and expense entries is if you’re on a Vendor’s screen and notice that the Open balance is $0.00, but there’s an Overdue payment.

Discovering a duplicate bill or expense on a vendor's screen in QBO

QuickBooks is smart enough to add everything up, and when it does, the result is $0.00, which is the Open balance.

So why is there any Overdue payment? Because there’s something that hasn’t been marked as paid.

A/P Aging Summary Report

It’s a good idea to check the Accounts Payable Aging Summary Report regularly.

You know something is wrong if you ever see a vendor on this list with a $0.00 total.

A/P Aging Summary report showing zero dollars in QBO


When you click on $0.00, you will see a list of the transactions. Here, you can see a Bill and Expense that add up to $0.00, and they need to be connected:

A/P Aging Detail Report in QBO showing duplicate entries

Two Methods to Fix Duplicate Bill and Expense Entries

You can fix this problem in two ways, starting with the bill or starting with the expense.

Match the Bill to the Expense

This is the method I prefer; it’s cleaner than the other method.

The first step is to open the Expense. Then, on the far right, up towards the top of the screen, look for a gray box with an arrow inside (it can be hard to see).

Add-to pop-out arrow in QBO

When you click that arrow, an Add to Expense screen slides out. Click the blue Add link on the Bill.

Adding a bill to an expense in QBO

This converts the expense to a Bill Payment.

The bill will already be checked off in the Outstanding Transactions section. Verify that the Bank/Credit account is where the money came from and the AMOUNT PAID is correct. Then click Save and close in the lower right corner.

Converting an expense to a bill payment in QBO

Now, on the Vendor screen, you’ll see a Bill and Bill Payment, no more Expense, and the Overdue payment amount will be $0.00.

Vendor with an overdue payment in QBO

Mark the Bill Paid

The second method to match a duplicate bill and expense starts with the Bill.

On the right of the Bill click the Mark as paid button.

Marking a bill as paid in QBO

This will create a Bill Payment. Make sure the correct Bill and Expense are checked. Then click Save and close in the lower right corner.

Connect an expense to a bill payment in QBO

This marks the bill paid, and the Overdue payment amount is $0.00, but you now have three transactions: a Bill, Expense, and Bill Payment.

Vendor screen with a bill, expense and bill payment in QBO

This is why I prefer the first method. It leaves you with just a Bill and Bill Payment.

Final Thoughts

Duplicate bill and expense entries in QuickBooks Online can disrupt your financial records, but they’re easy to fix when you find them.

You can keep your books clean and error-free by running reports, reviewing transactions, and leveraging QuickBooks’ built-in tools like bank rules and receipt matching.

If you need further assistance with QuickBooks Online or help managing your financial records, feel free to reach out for expert guidance. Keeping your books organized has never been easier!

☕ If you found this helpful, you can say “thanks” by buying me a coffee… https://www.buymeacoffee.com/gentlefrog

If you have questions about the Chart of Accounts QuickBooks Online, click the green button below to schedule a free consultation.

Need some one-on-one QuickBooks assistance?
Share Now

This content is for information purposes only and should not be considered legal, accounting, or tax advice, or a substitute for obtaining such advice specific to your business. Additional information and exceptions may apply. Applicable laws may vary by state or locality. No assurance is given that the information is comprehensive in its coverage or that it is suitable in dealing with a customer’s particular situation. Gentle Frog, LLC does not have any responsibility for updating or revising any information presented herein. Accordingly, the information provided should not be relied upon as a substitute for independent research. Gentle Frog, LLC does not warrant that the material contained herein will continue to be accurate, nor that it is completely free of errors when published. Readers and viewers should verify statements before relying on them.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Read similar articles

QuickBooks Tags Are Being Discontinued: What You Need to Know and How to Prepare

QuickBooks announces discontinuation of tags. Learn how this change affects your financial tracking and the replacement options.

How to Record a Deposit in QuickBooks Online When Fees Were Deducted First

Learn how to record deposits when there's a fee taken out, from a credit card or merchant processor.

How to Record Stripe Deposits with Fees in QuickBooks Online

Learn how to find your Stripe fees and record them in a deposit in QuickBooks Online.

Have a QuickBooks / Bookkeeping Question?

Let me know what you’d like to see in future videos, blog posts, and courses.

Review Your QuickBooks

Are you a small business owner struggling to make sense of your QuickBooks data?

  • Discover how to spot costly mistakes in your bookkeeping and fix them quickly and easily.

  • Save time and money by streamlining your bookkeeping process and reducing errors.

  • Learn how to identify trends in your financial data so you can make smarter business decisions.

  • Get organized and stay on top of your finances by tracking expenses, managing receipts, and closing your books effectively.

Sign up now for this free mini-course and start mastering the essential bookkeeping skills that every small business owner needs to succeed!

FREE Mini Course

Sign up now and enjoy the peace of mind that comes with knowing your bookkeeping is accurate, up-to-date, and free from costly errors.

We won’t send spam. Unsubscribe at any time.

Review Your QuickBooks

Are you a small business owner struggling to make sense of your QuickBooks data?

  • Discover how to spot costly mistakes in your bookkeeping and fix them quickly and easily.

  • Save time and money by streamlining your bookkeeping process and reducing errors.

  • Learn how to identify trends in your financial data so you can make smarter business decisions.

  • Get organized and stay on top of your finances by tracking expenses, managing receipts, and closing your books effectively.

Sign up now for this free mini-course and start mastering the essential bookkeeping skills that every small business owner needs to succeed!

FREE Mini Course

Sign up now and enjoy the peace of mind that comes with knowing your bookkeeping is accurate, up-to-date, and free from costly errors.

We won’t send spam. Unsubscribe at any time.