Autotask QuickBooks Integration Guide [2026 Updated]

Connecting Autotask to your QuickBooks account is a sure way to improve your workflow, but figuring out how to do it can be confusing. Since a direct, built-in connection doesn't exist, you'll need a different approach. This guide will walk you through the most effective methods for integrating these two platforms, providing step-by-step instructions to get your financial data flowing automatically.

Why Integrate Autotask and QuickBooks?

As a Professional Services Automation (PSA) tool, Autotask is the operational hub for many Managed Service Providers (MSPs). It manages tickets, projects, and customer billing. QuickBooks, on the other hand, is your financial system of record. When these programs don't communicate, you're stuck with manual data entry, which is slow and prone to errors. Integrating them bridges this gap and produces four key benefits:

• Reduced Manual Work: Automatically syncing invoices from Autotask to QuickBooks eliminates the need to create them twice. This frees up your team's time for more valuable activities.
• Improved Accuracy: Manual data entry inevitably leads to mistakes like transposed numbers or incorrect customer information. Automation ensures that the invoice data in QuickBooks perfectly matches the billing records in Autotask, leading to cleaner books and fewer payment disputes.
• Faster Cash Flow: When invoices are created and sent faster, you get paid faster. Automating the flow of billing information from your service delivery platform to your accounting system shortens the entire billing cycle.
• Better Financial Visibility: With up-to-date and accurate financial data in QuickBooks, you can generate reliable reports about revenue, profitability, and accounts receivable. This gives you a clear picture of your business's financial health without waiting for month-end reconciliation.

Understanding Your Integration Options for 2026

As of 2026, Autotask does not provide a native, direct integration for QuickBooks Online or Desktop. This means you can't simply turn on a switch inside Autotask to connect it. Instead, you'll need to use one of the following methods to bridge the two systems.

1. Third-Party Connectors (The Most Common Method)

This is the most popular and practical approach for most businesses. Middleware or "connector" platforms act as a bridge between Autotask and QuickBooks. They listen for an event in one application (like a new invoice in Autotask) and trigger a corresponding action in the other (creating that same invoice in QuickBooks).

• Examples: Tools like Zapier, Make (formerly Integromat), or Workato.
• Difficulty: Easy to medium. These platforms are designed for non-developers, but setting up detailed field mapping for invoices can require some initial focus.
• Cost: Subscription-based, typically starting around $20-$50 per month, increasing with the volume of data you sync. This cost is usually far less than the labor expense of manual data entry.

2. Dedicated MSP Integration Tools

Some software providers specialize in creating integrations specifically for the MSP industry. These platforms often connect multiple MSP tools (PSA, RMM, documentation) to accounting systems like QuickBooks. While they can be powerful, they often come at a higher price point and may offer more features than you need for a simple Autotask-to-QuickBooks connection.

3. Custom API Integration

This is the most powerful and flexible option, but also the most complex and expensive. Both Autotask and QuickBooks offer Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), which allow developers to write custom code to make the two systems communicate directly. This method is ideal for businesses with unique workflow requirements that off-the-shelf connectors can't handle.

• Difficulty: Complex. This requires a developer or an IT consultant who understands both the Autotask REST/SOAP API and the QuickBooks API.
• Cost: Varies widely, from a few thousand dollars for a simple sync to tens of thousands for a highly customized, bidirectional integration.

For most businesses, a third-party connector like Zapier offers the best balance of functionality, cost, and ease of setup. The rest of this guide will focus on this method.

Step-by-Step Guide: Connecting Autotask and QuickBooks via Middleware

We'll use Zapier as our example, as it is one of the most widely used platforms for this purpose. The general steps are similar for other middleware tools.

Prerequisites

• An active Autotask account with administrator permissions (to access API credentials).
• An active QuickBooks Online account (middleware connections for QuickBooks Desktop are more complex and often require special connectors).
• A subscription to a middleware platform like Zapier (a paid plan is usually required for multi-step workflows involving QuickBooks).

Step 1: Get Your Autotask API Credentials

Before you start in Zapier, you need to set up an API User in Autotask. This gives the middleware secure access to your data.

1. Log into Autotask as an administrator.
2. Navigate to Admin > Account Settings & Users > Resources (Users).
3. Find the "API User" section and create a new API User.
4. Securely copy the generated Username (Key) and Secret. You will need these in the next step. Important: The Secret is only shown once, so store it in a password manager immediately.

Step 2: Connect Autotask and QuickBooks to Zapier

Inside your Zapier account, you first need to authenticate both applications.

1. In Zapier, go to "My Apps" and click "Add connection."
2. Search for Autotask PSA and select it.
3. A pop-up window will ask for your Username (Key) and Secret from Step 1, along with something called an "Integration Code." Your Integration Code should be your selected middleware tool; "ZAPIER" is a great option here. Enter the details and authorize the connection.
4. Repeat the process for QuickBooks Online. For QuickBooks, you will be prompted to log in to your Intuit account and grant Zapier permission.

Step 3: Create Your Zap (Workflow) - The Trigger

A "Zap" is Zapier's term for an automated workflow. It always starts with a trigger.

1. Click "Create Zap."
2. For the trigger app, search for and select Autotask PSA.
3. Choose the trigger event. A common one is "New Invoice." This means the workflow will start every time a new invoice is created in Autotask.
4. Select the Autotask account you just connected and test the trigger. Zapier will pull in a sample invoice from your account to use for mapping.

Step 4: Map Autotask Invoice Data to QuickBooks - The Action

This is the most important part of the setup. You need to tell Zapier how to translate the information from an Autotask invoice into a QuickBooks invoice.

1. For the action step, search for and select QuickBooks Online.
2. Choose the action event, such as "Create Sales Receipt" or "Create Invoice." Use "Create Invoice" if you expect payment later; use "Create Sales Receipt" if you have already received payment.
3. Select your connected QuickBooks account.
4. Now, you will see a list of fields for a QuickBooks invoice. You need to map the Autotask data from the trigger step to these fields. It will look something like this:
   • Customer: Use the "Customer Name" field from the Autotask trigger data. Zapier can even search for an existing customer in QuickBooks or create a new one if it doesn't exist.
   • Invoice #: Map this to the "Invoice Number" field from Autotask.
   • Date: Map to the "Create Date" or "Invoice Date" from Autotask.
   • Line Items: This is a crucial area. You'll need to map the Product/Service, Description, Quantity, Rate, and Amount from Autotask's line items to the corresponding line item fields in QuickBooks. Ensure your Autotask item names match your QuickBooks product/service names for clean reporting.
   • Tax Rate: If you use tax codes, map the tax information from Autotask to the appropriate tax code in QuickBooks.
5. Take your time with this step. Mapping every field correctly is the key to accurate records.

Step 5: Test and Activate Your Zap

Once you've mapped all the fields, Zapier will let you test the action. It will use the sample invoice data from Autotask and attempt to create a real invoice in QuickBooks. A great pro tip is to have both platforms open on your computer or separate monitors as you work on this part of the integration process, which makes any real-time troubleshooting easier to deal with.

1. Click the test button.
2. Go to your QuickBooks account and look for the new invoice. Check that the customer name, invoice number, amounts, and line items all look correct.
3. If anything is wrong, go back to the mapping step and adjust the fields.
4. Once you're satisfied with the test, give your Zap a name (e.g., "Autotask Invoices to QuickBooks") and turn it on.

Your integration is now live. From this point forward, every new invoice created in Autotask will automatically appear in QuickBooks within minutes.

Common Issues and Best Practices

Even with a well-configured workflow, you might encounter a few bumps. Here are some common issues and how to manage them.

• Data Mismatches: The most common problem is when an item from Autotask doesn't match a product/service in QuickBooks. Best Practice: Standardize your product and service catalog across both platforms before you build the integration. The names should match exactly.
• Sync Errors or Delays: Sometimes an API might be temporarily unavailable or your workflow might run into an error. Best Practice: Regularly check the logs or history in your middleware tool. Zapier keeps a detailed record of every run, showing you which ones succeeded and which ones failed, along with an error message to help you troubleshoot.
• Authentication Failures: API keys can expire or be revoked. Best Practice: If your connection stops working, the first step is always to reconnect your apps within the middleware platform. You may need to generate new API credentials.

Final Thoughts

Getting your operational and financial data in sync is a big step toward a more efficient business. While Autotask doesn't offer a direct QuickBooks integration, using a middleware platform gives you a reliable and customizable way to automate your invoicing process, save time, and ensure accuracy across your accounting records.

Once your invoices are accurately synced, confirming the tax implications becomes the next priority—especially with clients in different states. Correctly classifying revenue for services versus products or tracking sales tax obligations for different jurisdictions can be a major challenge. We built Feather AI to help you get instant, accurate answers to these kinds of complex tax questions, all backed by citations from the IRC and state tax codes, so you can go from billing to filing with confidence.