Order Sync Overview: How Invoices and Sales Receipts Sync

Overview:

This article explores how the Parex Bridge app works behind the scenes to sync orders from Shopify to QuickBooks, including key features, data mapping, automation settings, and how it ensures accuracy in financial reporting. Whether you are a store owner or an accountant, understanding this sync process can help streamline your workflow and keep your books in order.

Detailed Information:

Once you have installed the Parex Bridge app and saved your configuration settings, the app is ready to begin syncing your Shopify orders with QuickBooks. One of the key features of the app is its ability to let you choose how your orders appear in QuickBooks—either as invoices or sales receipts.

This flexibility is critical because QuickBooks offers two distinct transaction types for recording sales, and each behaves differently:

Option 1: Sync as Invoice + Payment

An invoice is typically used when payment is expected after a sale. In this workflow:

• An invoice is generated for the order in QuickBooks

• A payment transaction is then created and applied to that invoice once payment is received

With this method, you will see two separate entries in QuickBooks:

1. Invoice – Shows the amount owed by the customer

2. Payment – Shows the amount received and applied to the invoice

Use Case: This is ideal for businesses that offer Net terms, manual payment methods, or want detailed tracking of receivables and cash flow.

Option 2: Sync as Sales Receipt

A sales receipt is used when payment is received at the time of sale—typical for most online transactions. In this case:

• Only one entry is created in QuickBooks: the sales receipt

• The receipt includes both the sale and the payment, meaning there’s no need for a separate payment transaction

Use Case: This is recommended for prepaid online orders, where the customer pays at checkout (via Shopify Payments, PayPal, etc.).

How Parex Bridge Supports These Options

To accommodate both workflows, the Parex Bridge app allows you to select your preferred transaction type under its settings:

• You can choose to sync orders as either:

  • Invoice + Payment

  • Sales Receipt

✅ Example Scenario

Let’s say a customer places a paid order on your Shopify store:

• If you have chosen to sync as a Sales Receipt, the app creates a single sales receipt in QuickBooks with the full order amount marked as paid.

• If you’ve chosen to sync as a Sales Receipt, however, the order is unpaid in Shopify; in that case, our app will sync that unpaid order as an invoice

• If you have chosen to sync as an Invoice, the app first creates the invoice. It then records the payment against that invoice as a separate transaction.

This ensures accurate financial reporting, whether you operate on a cash basis or an accrual basis.