If it is important to your organization to track and report on specific uses of promo codes in QuickBooks Online, admins will want to take an extra step when setting up promo codes.
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Accounting Setup and Implications
Instructions for Setting Up Promo Code Accounting
Determine Method for Item Mapping: When creating a promo code, decide how to track its accounting.
Quick Setup Option:
Select Use the Ticket/Product/Dues Rule's Item & Class.
This option is the fastest to set up and will directly offset the item and corresponding income account in QuickBooks.
Note: This approach makes it harder to generate detailed usage reports in QuickBooks Online. See Auditing below for more information.
Detailed Reporting Option:
To ensure financial reports are more detailed and accessible, assign promo codes to a Custom Item & Class.
This setup allows the accounting department to quickly generate reports that show the promo code as an offset to the income the association would have received.
If choosing this option, continue reading the next section below.
Custom Item & Class for Promo Code Tracking: What to Configure in QuickBooks Online
When mapping a promo code to a Custom Item & Class, an association's bookkeeper or accountant will need to do some prep work in QuickBooks Online.
Set Up Item & Class in QuickBooks Online:
Create a Product and Service Item:
Bookkeeper/accountant creates a unique Product and Service in QuickBooks Online for the promo code.
Map the Product and Service Item to a GL account (Chart of accounts):
Determine how the item should be mapped to a GL account (Chart of accounts). This decision should be made by a qualified accounting expert.
The unique Product and Service item can be mapped to the same GL account as the original revenue item or to a different account, depending on reporting needs.
Create or Identify a Class (if applicable):
Ensure a class is created or identified in QuickBooks for additional categorization.
This setup ensures detailed financial reporting for promo code usage.
Detailed Reporting In QuickBooks Online:
Use the Sales by Product/Service Report in QuickBooks Online to find and report on specific promo code usage. The effectiveness of this report depends on having unique items (Products or Services) to base the reports on.
Reporting In Novi:
The Item Sales Report in Novi provides detailed promo code usage information, including customer/member names, the discounted amount, the discount date, and about 85 other data fields (accessible via the List View gear icon).
Additionally, this report can be filtered for specific members (or their family trees) under the Accounting > Sales tab of their records.
Auditing
If promo codes are set up to Use the Ticket/Product's Item & Class (and not the Custom Item & Class), it is possible to see or count individual uses of those promo codes, but the process can be time-consuming.
This is accomplished by manually reviewing the line items on invoices.
The Sales by Product/Service Report in QuickBooks Online can help with this process.
However, keep in mind that this process takes significantly more time compared to using a unique item for the promo code, since admins will have to sift through many transactions that were never tied to a promo code.
Tips
Communicate: However this is set up, it's crucial for staff to maintain strong communication between operational departments and accounting.
Establish a Policy: An association should have a policy for how promo codes and other accounting is set up inside of Novi and QuickBooks to ensure that reporting will be consistent and correct.
Reporting and Tracking Usage in Novi
Admins can view promo code usage in Novi in the Promo Code List, including the Redemptions and Availability tabs within a specific promo code, and the Promo Code Report.
Promo Code List
Best for: A high-level overview of promo codes and how many times they've been used.
To get a general sense of how many times a promo code has been used, visit the promo code list. To view, select Ecommerce > Promo Codes in the left-hand navigation menu.
All admins can view the following details for each promo code:
Name of the promo code
The code itself
The discount type and amount
What the code is valid for
Quantity limits and number of uses
Start date and end date
Active status
Promo Code Redemptions Tab
Best for: Viewing the specific usage of a particular promo code.
Select a specific promo code to view in the Redemptions tab, which provides a comprehensive log of each time the promo code was redeemed, including:
Promo code name
Redemption date
Redeemer details (name, contact info)
Purchaser details
Quantity redeemed
Dollar amount discounted
Tips on using the Redemptions Tab:
Use the search bar to search by name, phone, email, or address.
Select the Filter button to filter by usage status (redeemed or ignored), date range, member(s), member type(s), group, or committee.
Add more columns to display via the List view (the gear on the right side above the list).
Depending on the promo code’s settings, the Redeemed By and Purchaser columns display records based on the following scenarios:
If Limitations > Limit Uses is set to "None", the promo code is redeemed by the Purchaser.
If Limitations > Limit Uses is set to "By Individual Purchaser", the promo code is redeemed by the Purchaser.
If Limitations > Limit Uses is set to "By Purchaser’s Immediate Family", the promo code is redeemed by the Purchaser’s Parent at the time of purchase (this doesn’t change even if the purchaser’s parent changes later).
If Limitations > Limit Uses is set to "By Purchaser’s Entire Family Tree", the promo code is redeemed by the Top Level Parent in the family tree at the time of purchase (this doesn’t change even if the family tree changes later).
Ignore and Allow Additional Use Functionality:
If a promo code has usage limits set (If Limitations > Limited Uses is any setting other than None) admins can choose to "ignore" that redemption so it doesn't count against the limit.
Ignored redemptions can be "un-ignored" to be counted again. Click the Filter button to locate ignored redemptions.
Availability Tab
The Availability tab provides a filtered list view of users who are eligible to use a specific promo code based on promo code's restriction settings.
Admins can quickly see which users qualify for the promo code based on the defined criteria. This makes it easier for admins to manage and monitor who can use the promo code.
Tips on using the Availability report:
Use the Search bar to search by name, phone, email, or address.
Select the Filter button to filter by total redemptions, remaining uses, member(s), and active/inactive in QuickBooks Online.
Add more columns to display via the list view (the gear on the right side above the list).
Read more about the settings for availability and limitations on promo codes in our Promo Code Limitation Settings article.
Promo Code Usage Report
Best for: A comprehensive report of all promo code usage.
In the left-hand navigation menu, select Reporting > General Reports > Promo Code Usage.
This report provides a unified view of all promo code redemption activity. The default columns that display include:
The promo code name
Redemption date
Redeemed By name
Purchaser name
Number redeemed
Discount amount off
Related transaction.
Tips for using the Promo Code Usage Report:
Use the Search bar to search by name, phone, email, or address.
Select the Filter button to filter by promo code(s), date range, member(s), member type(s), group/committee, and/or usage status (redeemed or ignored)
Add more columns to display via the List View (the gear on the right side above the list).
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