Setting Up ServiceTitan Integration with QBO

Welcome back to our ServiceTitan series! In our previous article, “Understanding ServiceTitan’s Auto-Batching and Auto-Exporting Features,” we demonstrated how to automate workflows. Now, we will guide you step-by-step to set up ServiceTitan with QuickBooks Online.

ServiceTitan is a powerful CRM for contractors, but its accounting integration can feel overwhelming without clear guidance. We’ve helped many clients with this setup and would like to share what we’ve learned to make it easier for you.

What Are Business Units & How to Set Them Up

Before integrating ServiceTitan with QuickBooks Online, you’ll first need to set up your business units—this step is required for all ServiceTitan users, regardless of your accounting setup. Business units in ServiceTitan represent the different areas of your business (like HVAC, Plumbing, or Electrical). Business units are crucial for organizing tasks, tracking performance, and maintaining accurate operational data.

To configure business units:

1. Go to Settings > Operations > Business Units.
2. From there, you can create and manage the segments that best reflect how your company operates.

Once your business units are set up, it’s time to connect them to QuickBooks Online. To do this:

1. Navigate to Settings > QuickBooks Online, then click Connect Business Units.
2. Select the checkbox next to each business unit you want to connect and click Connect.
3. A QuickBooks Online authentication pop-up will appear—sign in and authorize access.
4. After authentication, assign each ServiceTitan business unit to its corresponding QuickBooks class (if applicable).
5. Review and confirm your sync preferences.

With your business units set up and connected, you’ll have a solid foundation for syncing operational and financial data accurately between ServiceTitan and QuickBooks Online.

If your company uses class tracking in QuickBooks Online, you can enhance this setup by mapping each business unit in ServiceTitan to a corresponding QuickBooks class. This optional step allows for segmented financial reporting, making it easier to analyze income and expenses by department, trade, or location.

To enable class tracking in QuickBooks Online:

1. Go to Settings > Account and Settings > Advanced.
2. Turn on Track classes under the Categories section.

Once enabled, in ServiceTitan:

1. Click Edit next to a business unit.
2. Go to the QuickBooks tab and enter the class name that matches the one in QuickBooks.

This mapping enables cleaner, segmented financial reporting, making it easier to analyze your business’s performance by division.

Set Up ServiceTitan General Ledger (GL) Accounts

Once your business units are connected, the next step is setting up your General Ledger (GL) accounts in ServiceTitan. These accounts determine how your financial transactions sync with QuickBooks Online and are crucial for accurate bookkeeping.

To begin, navigate to Settings > Accounting > General Ledger Accounts. This section is where you’ll map every major financial category in ServiceTitan to a specific account in QuickBooks Online.

General ledger accounts serve as the bridge between your operational activity and your financial reports. Without them, your ServiceTitan transactions can’t land correctly in QuickBooks Online. That’s why getting this part right is essential.

At a minimum, your general ledger setup should include the following account types:

• Income Accounts – where revenue from completed jobs is recorded.
• Bank Accounts – where deposits, refunds, and payments are tracked.
• Accounts Receivable (A/R) – used to track unpaid invoices.
• Undeposited Funds – a temporary holding account for payments not yet deposited.

You can also set up additional accounts as needed. These might include:

• Accounts Payable (A/P) – only required if you’re tracking vendor bills in ServiceTitan.
• Materials or Expense Accounts – applicable for categorizing purchases by type (e.g., parts, supplies, subcontractors).

General ledger accounts in ServiceTitan must match the naming and formatting used in QuickBooks Online exactly. If the account names are even slightly off, sync errors will occur.

ServiceTitan uses colons (:) to define sub-accounts. For example, if you have a revenue account called ‘Sales’ and a sub-account called ‘Service Income’, it should be entered as ‘Sales: Service Income’ in both systems. Matching formatting isn’t just best practice—it’s essential for seamless data flow between platforms.

For New QuickBooks Online Users

If you’re starting with QuickBooks, begin by building your Chart of Accounts directly in QuickBooks Online. Consider how you want to categorize your revenue, costs, and payments.

Once that’s set up, go into ServiceTitan and mirror those accounts. Use the same names and sub-account structure to avoid sync issues later. This upfront setup will make all future financial activity much easier to manage and reconcile.

For Existing QuickBooks Online Users

If you already have a Chart of Accounts in QuickBooks, you’ll need to create matching general ledger accounts in ServiceTitan. A matching ledger will prevent export errors when sending batches from ServiceTitan to QuickBooks.

Don’t guess or create placeholders—take the time to match your existing account list line by line. Doing so avoids hours of cleanup and makes the lives of your accounting team members a lot easier.

Import or Create the Price Book in ServiceTitan

Once your GL accounts are set, the next step is to build or import your price book in ServiceTitan. Importing ensures that your services, materials, and tasks are correctly linked to your income accounts for accurate revenue tracking.

If you already have a price book from QuickBooks or another CRM, you can import it into ServiceTitan. Use the CSV import tool or any supported method provided by ServiceTitan.

Before importing, review the file for issues. Check for duplicate items, outdated pricing, and missing categories. Cleaning these up ahead of time prevents errors once you go live.

After importing, make sure all items are mapped to the correct income GL accounts. This step is crucial—if items aren’t linked to an account, they won’t show up correctly in your financial reports.

If you’re building a new price book from scratch in ServiceTitan, take time to structure it clearly. Set up service categories, add tasks, and include material items. Assign each one to the proper income account to ensure clean data flow into QuickBooks Online.

Optional: Test the Export Workflow

Before going live, it’s smart to run a test of the integration. Start by creating a test invoice or job in ServiceTitan. Then, export it to QuickBooks Online using your usual export process.

Once the export completes, check QuickBooks Online to make sure:

• The data was transferred without any mapping errors.
• The invoice was posted to the correct income and payment accounts.
• No export failures or warnings appeared during the process.

Finally, review your QuickBooks reports—especially your Profit & Loss, Accounts Receivable aging, and Bank Register. Confirm that the totals align with your expectations, and the data appears clean. This optional step helps catch configuration issues early. Fixing them now will save time and frustration later.

Setting up ServiceTitan to integrate with QuickBooks Online takes some effort, but it’s worth it. Once your business units, GL accounts, and Price Book are configured, your financial data will sync cleanly and reliably. Running a quick test ensures your hard work pays off and helps you avoid common mistakes down the line.

If you need extra support, check out ServiceTitan’s QuickBooks Online Help Hub for more tools and documentation.