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Expense defaults

Set default expense and payment accounts for vendors.

Updated October 15, 2026

Expense defaults control how bills and expenses post: the expense account for lines that are not catalog items and the account you pay from. New vendors inherit the expense account and you can change it per vendor.

  1. Click your avatar in the top right, choose Account Settings, then click QuickBooks.
  2. Click Defaults, then Expense Defaults.
  1. Pick the expense account and the account bills are paid from. New vendors, bills and expenses use these unless overridden.

Good to know

  • A vendor can carry its own expense account. Edit the vendor to change it.
  • Credit card expenses post to the card account you pick on the expense, not the default.
  • Defaults only apply to records created after you set them.

Expense defaults FAQ

I do not see my account in the list.

Click Sync Now on the QuickBooks page to pull the latest chart of accounts, then come back.

Can I change a default later?

Yes. Existing records keep their accounts; new ones use the new default.