Getting Started with Quickbooks Online

How to connect QuickBooks Online to Lifetimely and use it in your financial reports

Lifetimely’s integration with QuickBooks Online (QBO) lets you automatically sync and categorize your cost and expense data for more accurate profit, CAC, and LTV reports in Lifetimely, without manual uploads.

What You Can Do with the QuickBooks Integration

• Connect your QuickBooks Online account securely via oAuth. (OAuth is used for a more secure way to connect integrations).
• Automatically import up to 3 years of historical cost and expense data
• Replace manual entries in Lifetimely with QBO-synced values for cleaner, more reliable reporting
• Map QuickBooks Online accounts to key Lifetimely cost and expense categories
• Use synced data in P&L - Income Statement, CAC, and LTV reports
• See QBO-powered data clearly marked with a QuickBooks icon
• Keep financials fresh with automatic 6-hour syncs

How to Connect QuickBooks to Lifetimely

Step 1: Start the connection

1. Open Lifetimely and go to the Integrations page

2. Select QuickBooks or visit:

   www.lifetimely.useamp.com/integrations/quickbooks

3. Click Connect to QuickBooks
4. Sign in using your QBO Admin or Account Owner credentials
5. Click Allow to authorize Lifetimely

6. Once successful, you’ll see a confirmation screen and a progress bar as data is imported

   
   

In most cases this takes a few minutes, however in some cases the import may take up to 30 minutes depending on your QBO data volume. Progress updates every 5 seconds.

Step 2: Map your QuickBooks Online accounts

After connecting, you’ll be prompted to map your QBO accounts to four Lifetimely cost categories. Your data will only be mapped one way (from QuickBooks → Lifetimely).

We recommend mapping your QuickBooks Online accounts to the most relevant category in Lifetimely. This way your costs will be organised in a way that makes sense for your business.

The four Lifetimely cost categories are:

• Personal Cost
• Other Marketing Costs
• Other Operating Expenses
• Other COGS (includes shipping and transaction fees for now)

You can preview your mapping using Apply

Don’t forget to click Save to finalize changes

⚠️ Important: Once mapped, QBO data will replace any manual entries for those categories across the past 3 years. If you disconnect, Lifetimely will revert to manual data - if available.

While every business is different, here is an example of typical mapping. Please review and adjust for your business.

Step 3: Check your data in reports

Once mapping is complete:

• Go to Reports → Income Statement, CAC, or LTV
• Look for QBO-mapped categories - they’ll show a QuickBooks logo
• Your synced data will now power cost-based metrics like profit, CAC, and LTV

Syncing & Reauthorization

• Lifetimely automatically syncs with QBO every 6 hours
• Changes made in QuickBooks won’t appear in Lifetimely instantly - check back after the next sync
• If your QBO session expires, a Reauthorize button will appear
• Avoid disconnecting QBO unless necessary - it resets your 3-year data import to the new connection date

Tips for a Smooth Setup

• Understand what data will be enriched in Lifetimely: If you’ve manually added costs within Lifetimely, be sure you’re okay replacing them with QBO data
• Don’t skip the mapping: Reports rely on accurate category mapping to reflect true financials
• Use the icon: Watch for the QuickBooks symbol to understand which data is synced
• Expect delays: The 6-hour sync means changes to your QBO books won’t be real-time

You’re All Set!

Once your account is connected and accounts mapped:

• Reports update automatically with QBO-powered financials
• Manual entries are replaced and gaps are filled for cleaner metrics
• You can analyze profitability, CAC, and LTV with confidence

Need help? Chat with us in-app or visit our Help Center for more support.