1) Module HUD

  • Module #: 12 / 13
  • Time: 10–15 min
  • Outcome: “After this, you can use the Problems Hub to diagnose QBO issues fast, jump to the right fix module, and stop random-walking through settings.”
  • Prereqs: None
  • Stop here if: you already have clean workflows and you’re only using this library as reference.
  • Level tags used in this module: ✅ Baseline / 🛠️ Operator Upgrade / ⚠️ Advanced

2) Answer Box (snippet block)

  • What it is (2 lines)
    A diagnostic index: you start with the symptom you’re seeing and jump to the right fix.
    It prevents “clicking around until it works,” which is the official method of broken bookkeeping.
  • When to use it (2–4 bullets)
    • Your Profit and Loss looks wrong and you don’t know why
    • A/R or A/P is weird (negative, stale, or doesn’t match reality)
    • Bank feeds are duplicating transactions
    • Job profitability looks fake (revenue with no costs, costs with no revenue)
  • The common mistakeS (1-2 line)
    Trying to solve a report problem by changing settings instead of fixing the underlying workflow.
  • The fixES (1-2 line)
    Identify the symptom category, run the “first report,” then go straight to the mapped module.

3) The mental model (keep short)

  • Symptoms map to workflows, not “features.”
  • Every problem starts with one of five places:
    • Banking intake
    • Sales (invoices/payments)
    • Expenses (bills/expenses/cost coding)
    • Accounting (COA/reconcile)
    • Projects (job containers + assignment)
  • Fix the input. Then trust the report.
  • If you don’t run the checkpoint report, you’re just guessing.

4) Do this in QBO (step-by-step)

  1. Identify your symptom (pick the closest match below)
  2. Run the “first report” for that symptom (listed)
  3. If the report looks broken, apply the “one fix” and re-run the report
  4. If it’s still broken, jump to the mapped module and follow the steps exactly
  5. Stop changing settings “to see if it helps.” It won’t.

Symptom map (use this every time)

1) Profit looks too high / too low

  • First report: Profit and Loss
  • One fix: click into the biggest weird line and recode the top transactions
  • Go to: [Module 4 — Bank Feeds] + [Module 3 — Easy COA Your CPA Will Love] + [Module 11 — QBO Cleanup / Rebuild]

2) Expenses are duplicated

  • First report: Profit and Loss (click vendor/category that looks doubled)
  • One fix: find one duplicate pair (bill + bank Add) and remove the duplicate
  • Go to: [Module 4 — Bank Feeds] + [Module 11 — QBO Cleanup / Rebuild]

3) A/R is negative or doesn’t match reality

  • First report: Accounts Receivable Aging Summary
  • One fix: find one customer with a credit/overpayment and apply it correctly
  • Go to: [Module 6 — Progress Billing, Deposits, Retainers] + [Module 10 — Monthly Close in QBO] + [Module 11 — QBO Cleanup / Rebuild]

4) A/P is negative or doesn’t match reality

  • First report: Accounts Payable Aging Summary
  • One fix: find one vendor with a duplicate bill or misapplied credit and correct it
  • Go to: [Module 10 — Monthly Close in QBO] + [Module 11 — QBO Cleanup / Rebuild]

5) Payments are sitting in limbo

  • First report: Balance Sheet (look for weird balances)
  • One fix: clear Undeposited Funds via Bank deposit
  • Go to: [Module 6 — Progress Billing, Deposits, Retainers] + [Module 4 — Bank Feeds]

6) Job profitability is wrong

  • First report: Project Profitability Summary
  • One fix: assign the biggest unassigned job-cost transactions to the correct Project
  • Go to: [Module 8 — Enhanced Job Costing & Profit Reporting] + [Module 9 — Labor Costing in QBO] + [Module 5 — Advanced Products & Services (Start simple → grow)]

7) Bank balance doesn’t match the bank

  • First report: Balance Sheet
  • One fix: reconcile the account in Accounting → Reconcile
  • Go to: [Module 10 — Monthly Close in QBO] + [Module 4 — Bank Feeds]

8) Items list is a mess / invoicing inconsistent

  • First report: Sales by Product/Service Summary
  • One fix: standardize naming and stop creating near-duplicate items
  • Go to: [Module 5 — Advanced Products & Services (Start simple → grow)]

Pro tip: Always fix the oldest broken month first. Otherwise you’re stacking guesses on top of guesses.

5) Real-world example (mandatory)

Symptom: “Profit is way too high this month.”

  • You run Profit and Loss and see Job Costs are tiny
  • You click the materials vendor and notice most charges are coded to overhead (or Uncategorized)
  • You recode the top 15 material charges into job costs and assign to the right Project
  • You re-run Profit and Loss
    Now profit drops to a believable number. That’s not “bad news.” That’s you finally seeing reality.

6) Run this report now (mandatory checkpoint)

  • Report name: Profit and Loss
  • Filters/settings:
    • Go to Reports → Profit and Loss
    • Date range = last full month
    • Click Run report
  • What “good” looks like:
    • Income and job costs are believable
    • Uncategorized is minimal
    • No obvious duplicates
  • What “broken” looks like:
    • Uncategorized is big
    • Job costs are missing
    • One vendor/category looks doubled
  • One fix if broken:
    • Click the biggest broken line, fix the top transactions, then re-run Profit and Loss.

7) Lab (do it on your file)

  • [PASS/FAIL] You used the symptom map (didn’t freestyle)
  • [PASS/FAIL] You ran the correct “first report” for your symptom
  • [PASS/FAIL] You applied one fix and re-ran the report
  • [PASS/FAIL] You identified the correct module to go deeper
  • [PASS/FAIL] You stopped changing settings randomly
  • [PASS/FAIL] You wrote down the root cause (workflow) in one sentence
  • [PASS/FAIL] You identified one prevention step (process) for next month

8) Knowledge check (3 questions)

  1. Why do you run a “first report” before changing anything?
  2. If A/R is negative, what report do you run first?
  3. If job profit is wrong, what’s the most common root cause?

9) Next + Related

  • Previous: [Module 11 — QBO Cleanup / Rebuild]
  • Next: [Module 13 — Glossary + Cheatsheets]
  • Related modules (2–3)
    • [Module 4 — Bank Feeds]
    • [Module 10 — Monthly Close in QBO]
    • [Module 8 — Enhanced Job Costing & Profit Reporting]
  • Don’t do this warnings
    • Don’t change settings to fix data problems. Fix the workflow.
    • Don’t ignore Balance Sheet issues. That’s where the bodies are buried.
    • Don’t “solve” duplicates by recoding. You must remove the duplicate transaction.
    • Don’t build new reports until the basic ones are trustworthy.

Fast now = slow forever.

FAQ (short)

What’s the fastest way to find what’s wrong in QBO?
Start with the symptom, run the first report, fix one obvious issue, and re-run. Then go to the mapped module.

Why does my Profit and Loss change when I refresh it?
Usually bank feeds duplicates, uncategorized transactions getting coded later, or payments/deposits being applied differently.

What report do I run first for job costing issues?
Project Profitability Summary. If it’s wrong, your job assignment is wrong.

What if I don’t use Projects?
You can still clean up monthly financials, but job profitability will stay limited until you adopt job containers.

Can I use this hub as a training tool for my bookkeeper?
Yes. Make them follow the symptom map and pass the Lab before they touch anything else.

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