Each business unit controls the accounting format for its batch downloads, how much detail those downloads include, and the default invoice and receipt templates it uses. After you create a business unit, you set these options on that business unit.
What It Controls
These settings control how batches from a business unit download for your accounting software. They also set the default templates for invoices, payment receipts, and refund receipts, unless a more specific setting, such as a product’s own template, overrides the business unit default.
Where to Find It
Go to Finance & Billing › Setup › Business Units, then select Edit for the business unit. After you save the business unit at least once, the accounting software and download settings appear in the Financial Software Integration card, and the document templates appear in the Templates card.
To edit the templates themselves, go to Finance & Billing › Setup › Templates › Invoices. You can add fields such as the member’s name, organization, and ship-to address so they print or appear on the invoice.
The Settings
| Setting | Options | Default | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Financial Management System (FMS) | Quickbooks, Quickbooks Online, Great Plains, Peachtree, NetSuite, Sage Intacct, Other | Other | Sets the accounting software format for this business unit’s batch downloads. When you choose Sage Intacct, batches from that business unit download as a CSV file with Sage Intacct-specific fields because Sage Intacct is one of Rhythm’s built-in packages. This setting controls the batch download format for the business unit you are editing. |
| Quickbooks Online Account | A connected QuickBooks Online company | None | Appears only when the FMS is Quickbooks Online. Choose the connected company that should receive these batch downloads; you need an active QuickBooks Online connection in Integrations first. This setting also controls which QuickBooks account receives batches when you post them, so confirm it names the account that should receive posted batches. |
| Batch Download Method: | Summary, Batch-Level Summary, Detail | Batch-Level Summary | Controls whether the download includes every line, totals by account, or totals by account within each batch. |
| Custom Download Template: | A batch download template | Use the default template | Uses a custom layout you built instead of the built-in layout for this accounting package. See Batch Download Templates. If a custom template still cannot produce every field or structure you need, the built-in NetSuite layout may get you closer than additional changes to your custom template. |
| Inherit project code on A/R lines | On, off | Off | When this is on, downloads copy a revenue line’s accounting project to its matching receivable line by invoice line item, so you can report receivables by project the same way you report revenue. Rhythm fills in only a receivable line that does not already have its own project, and it never changes cash lines. |
| Invoice Template: | An active invoice template | Use System Default Template | Sets the default invoice layout for this business unit. If new invoices are missing content you expect, choose the Default template here instead of leaving the field blank to use the system default; the two options can behave differently for newly created invoices. |
| Payment Receipt Template: | An active payment receipt template | Use System Default Template | Sets the default payment receipt layout for this business unit. |
| Refund Receipt Template: | An active refund receipt template | Use System Default Template | Sets the default refund receipt layout for this business unit. |
Sponsorship has its own setup option to create pro forma invoices for users who choose to pay later. While that option is on, those pay-later sponsorship invoices are generated as pro forma and are never sent to your accounting software, no matter what these download settings say. Turn off that Sponsorship option if new pay-later sponsorship invoices should flow to your accounting integration instead of staying pro forma.
Dependencies and Precedence
- QuickBooks Online needs a connection first. You cannot choose a QuickBooks Online company here until your account has an active QuickBooks Online connection in Integrations.
- A custom download template must already exist. Build the template before you choose it here; see Batch Download Templates.
- Templates you choose here are defaults only. A more specific choice, such as a template set for a particular invoice type, can still override the business unit’s default. To change the template for one invoice when you print it, open the invoice, go to Invoice Options › Edit Details, and assign the template you want. To change the default for invoices that do not specify their own template, update the business unit’s Invoice Template setting instead.
- Project code inheritance needs projects on the revenue lines. If an invoice’s revenue lines do not include an accounting project, Rhythm has nothing to copy to the receivable line.
Change Impact and How to Revert
Changing the accounting software, download method, or a document template affects only downloads and documents generated after the change. Batches you already downloaded are not regenerated in the new format. To return to a previous setting, select it again; changing these settings back and forth does not remove anything.
If you added or changed a field on an invoice template to fix missing content, check whether your other invoice templates need the same update. A field change to one template does not carry over to your account’s other templates, so review them and repeat the change where needed while keeping any customizations they already have.
Warning
In some reports, printing from Rhythm's built-in default invoice template has left a line item's quantity and product name or description blank. A new template started from that same built-in starting point has also reproduced the same blank fields. If you see this, check the affected template's line-item table structure and re-add those fields, and contact Support if a template built from the current starting template still prints them blank.
If you later remove your QuickBooks Online connection in Integrations, this business unit still names that company here. Reconnect to resume automatic downloads for it. A lockbox batch download can also fail if that connection’s QuickBooks authorization has expired, even when the connection still appears to be in place; reauthorizing QuickBooks in Integrations resolves it.
You can temporarily switch a business unit’s FMS from Quickbooks Online to Quickbooks to download already-posted batches as a local file instead of sending them to QuickBooks Online. Change the setting back afterward to resume normal QuickBooks Online delivery.
Permissions
You need the Collect Administrator role to change any of these settings. See Set Access and Permissions in Finance & Billing.
Validation and Errors
- If you choose Quickbooks Online as the FMS but your account has no active QuickBooks Online connection, Quickbooks Online Account has no company to show.
- A custom download template you choose must exist, and after you choose it, you cannot delete it while this business unit still names it.
Related Tasks
Build a custom layout for your batch downloads in Batch Download Templates. For the rest of a business unit’s setup, see Business Units.