How To Set Up Recurring Payments To Vendors in QuickBooks Desktop

If you have a vendor or vendors that you pay on a regular basis, you should consider setting up recurring payments in QuickBooks Desktop to streamline your transaction process. Once your payment details are set up, you can move forward confidently, knowing that your vendors get paid the right amount and at the right time.

Today, we’ll show you how to set up recurring payments to vendors in QuickBooks Desktop, including how to edit and delete recurring payments. The initial step of setting up recurring payments in QuickBooks Desktop depends on whether you have an existing check for the vendor you wish to pay on a recurring basis.

If you haven’t purchased a QuickBooks desktop product yet, consider signing up for QuickBooks Desktop Pro, one of our best small business accounting software, or check out its other desktop products. Visit the Intuit website to learn more about each product, or read our comparison of all QuickBooks Desktop software to help you decide.

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Watch the video tutorial below and the step-by-step instructions that follow:

How To Set Up Recurring Payments in QuickBooks Desktop With a New Check

If it’s your first payment, then you need to enter the first check to set up a recurring transaction. To do this, follow the steps below:

1. Write a new check.
2. Memorize the transaction.

1. Write a New Check

To write a new check, select the Write Checks icon under the Banking menu on your QuickBooks Desktop homepage:

The Write Checks window will appear. To enter your check, you need to enter the following information in QuickBooks Desktop:

1. Bank Account: Select the bank account from which the payment will be deducted.
2. Print Later: Click the box if you want to create the check now but wish to print it later.
3. Pay to the Order of: Select the vendor’s name.
4. No.: If you’re printing the check now, enter the number from the check you’ll place in the printer.
5. Date: Enter the date when you’re issuing the check.
6. Amount: Enter the amount.
7. Address: This field is populated automatically based on the information entered during the payee setup.
8. Memo (optional): Enter additional information to describe the transaction.
9. Expenses or Items tab: Assign the check to an expense account or item.

Click on the Save menu on top of the screen.

If you need a guide in creating a check, check out our tutorial on how to write and print checks in QuickBooks Desktop.

2. Memorize the Transaction

To set up a recurring payment, you need to memorize the check that you created. To execute this, click on the Memorize button on top of the write check screen as indicated by the long arrow in the screenshot above.

QuickBooks Desktop will display the Memorize Transaction screen. From here, select the Automate Transaction Entry button, and fill in the following fields:

1. How Often: Select the frequency of the payment. Choose from the options provided, such as daily, weekly, every two weeks, and twice a month.
2. Next Date: Enter the schedule of your next payment.
3. Number Remaining: Indicate a specific number of payment times. For instance, if it’s a 24-month loan, enter 23 (24 including the first check).
4. Days in Advance to Enter: Set a specific number of days prior to the transaction date.

Click OK to memorize the transaction.

The transaction is recorded in the check register. To view it, click on the Check Register icon under the Banking menu:

How To Set Up Recurring Payments in QuickBooks Desktop With an Existing Check

If you already have an existing check, follow the steps below to set up a recurring payment:

1. Find the check in the register.
2. Memorize the transaction.

1. Find the Check in the Register

Select Check Register from the Banking menu. Highlight the transaction you want to memorize by simply clicking anywhere on the line entry. Tap on the Edit button in the upper right corner of the screen, and then click the Memorize Check drop-down menu:

2. Memorize the Transaction

QuickBooks Desktop displays the same Memorize Transaction screen that appears when memorizing a new check. Select Automate Transaction Entry, provide the required information, and click OK to continue.

Edit or Delete a Recurring Payment

To view memorized transactions, click on the Lists menu on top of the screen, and select Memorized Transaction Lists.

As you can see in the screenshot below, QuickBooks Desktop recorded our two memorized transactions:

Edit a Recurring Payment

If you want to make some changes to your recurring transaction, click on Edit on top of the screen, and select Edit Memorized Transaction. Again, it’ll bring up the memorize transaction screen. Make your desired changes, and click OK to proceed:

Delete a Recurring Payment

You’ll notice that there’s no option to edit the amount in your recurring transaction. In this case, you need to delete the recurring payment and enter a new one. Deleting a recurring payment also makes sense if your payment has ended and you want to take your transaction out of QuickBooks. To delete a recurring payment, tap on Edit, and select Delete Memorized Transaction:

A message prompt will appear, asking if you want to delete the memorized transaction. Click OK to continue:

Wrap Up

That’s how easy it’s to set up recurring payments to vendors in QuickBooks Desktop. Thank you for your time, and we hope you found this helpful. You might also want to study our tutorial on How to Reconcile a Credit Card Balance in QuickBooks Desktop.

If you want to take your desktop file to the cloud, be sure to check out our tutorial on how to convert QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online.