Setting up recurring bills in QuickBooks saves you time, keeps you organized and reduces the risk of data entry errors. To create a recurring bill, you must first create and memorize a transaction. After memorizing the transaction, QuickBooks can automatically record the bill or remind you about it at certain intervals.

Create the Transaction

  1. From the main QuickBooks home screen, navigate to the Banking menu and choose Write Checks.
  2. Fill in the name of the vendor, the address and a memo indicating the purpose of the payment.
  3. If the recurring bill is always in the same amount -- for example, a monthly rent check -- fill in the check amount. If the bill amount varies month to month, like a utilities bill normally does, leave the amount blank.
Tip

If you leave the check amount blank, you can memorize the transaction but QuickBooks can't automatically enter it.

Choose Your Recurring Option

  1. On the check screen, click the Automate Transaction Entry option. Alternatively, right click on the check screen and select Memorize Bill. QuickBooks will launch a Memorize Transaction pop-up window.
  2. On the left side of the Memorize Transaction screen, choose "Remind Me," "Don't Remind Me" or "Automatically Enter." If you select "Remind Me," QuickBooks will launch a reminder popup the day that the transaction is due. If you select "Don't Remind Me," the transaction will remain in your Memorized Transactions list but QuickBooks won't automatically record it. If you select "Automatically Enter," QuickBooks will automatically enter the transaction for you. 

Record Recurring Bill Details

  1. Choose the date you want the next transaction to occur in the Next Date field.
  2. Select how often you want QuickBooks to record the transaction in the How Often drop-down menu.
  3. Enter the number of transactions remaining. For example, if you only have three monthly payments left on a loan, you would enter "3" in the field.
  4. If you want QuickBooks to record the transaction before the bill comes due, enter a number in the Days in Advance to Enter field. Otherwise, leave it at zero.
  5. Click OK to memorize the transaction.