QuickBooks bookkeeping for manufacturers

A manufacturer's trade customers usually pay on terms, sometimes after a deposit on a made-to-order job, so much of the money earned sits in unpaid invoices until each customer pays. We keep that sales side moving in your QuickBooks file: invoicing each shipment, matching what customers pay and showing you who is overdue.

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By Book Keeping Pros
Sources checked 15 Oct 2026

What we keep current in QuickBooks on the sales side

We work from your dispatch paperwork, customer orders and remittances, so each invoice and payment in QuickBooks ties back to an order.

Invoices raised in QuickBooks for each shipment from the delivery paperwork you send, quoting the customer's purchase order number so their accounts team can match it
Each customer payment applied to the invoices its remittance lists, including payments that clear several invoices together
Short payments left open on the invoice and listed for you, then booked as a discount, fee or credit only when the customer's remittance or your instructions confirm it
Deposits and progress payments on made-to-order work tracked using the treatment your accountant specifies, so the balance still owing on each order is clear
A large or custom order kept as its own project, if your QuickBooks plan includes projects, so the customer's invoices and the expenses recorded for that order sit together
Each month's accounts receivable ageing report, sorting trade customers by how far behind their terms they are
Classes for product lines or sales channels, if your QuickBooks plan includes class tracking, so sales can be reported for each
Bank feeds for your business accounts through Open Banking, if your bank offers it, with each account reconciled to its statement and differences, such as an uncleared customer payment, explained

Not included

Chasing customers for payment, setting credit terms or valuing inventory. We give you the overdue list to follow up, and inventory valuation sits with your accountant.

Businesses in Manufacturing (ANZSIC division C)

Actively trading businesses across Australia: 90,663 businessesAustralian Bureau of Statistics, Counts of Australian Businesses, June 2025, checked 15 October 2026
Of those, classified as non-employing: 42,895 businessesAustralian Bureau of Statistics, Counts of Australian Businesses, June 2025, checked 15 October 2026
Of those, with 1 to 4 employees: 25,136 businessesAustralian Bureau of Statistics, Counts of Australian Businesses, June 2025, checked 15 October 2026

Businesses by main state or territory

New South Wales28,884 businesses
Victoria23,606 businesses
Queensland18,355 businesses
Western Australia9,957 businesses
South Australia6,631 businesses
Tasmania1,894 businesses
Australian Capital Territory652 businesses
Northern Territory493 businesses

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, June 2025. Counts of Australian Businesses, data cube 8: Businesses by industry division by Statistical Area Level 2 by employment size ranges (8165DC08.xlsx). Checked 15 Oct 2026.

Businesses by number of employees

Non-employing42,895 businesses
1 to 4 employees25,136 businesses
5 to 19 employees15,478 businesses
20 to 199 employees6,616 businesses
200 or more employees538 businesses

The service

QuickBooks bookkeeping

The industry

Manufacturing

More for manufacturing

QuickBooks bookkeeping for other industries

What manufacturers ask about QuickBooks

Can you show us which trade customers are behind?

Yes. The accounts receivable ageing report in QuickBooks shows what each customer still owes and how overdue each amount is. We keep payments matched so the report is current, and send it to you to follow up the overdue accounts.

A customer paid less than the invoice. How is that recorded?

We record what they paid against the invoice and leave the rest open. The gap is booked as a discount, a credit or anything else only when their remittance or your instructions confirm it, and how it is treated is your accountant's call.

We take deposits on custom orders. How are they tracked?

Each deposit is recorded against the customer and the order it was paid for, using the treatment your accountant specifies, leaving a clear picture of what remains to be invoiced or collected when the order ships.

Can QuickBooks show whether a big order was worth taking on?

If your QuickBooks plan includes projects, a project groups that customer's invoices and the expenses recorded for the order, and its reports set the income against those costs. How materials drawn from stock are costed to it is your accountant's call.

Do our invoices reduce stock in QuickBooks?

They can, if your QuickBooks plan includes inventory tracking. QuickBooks lowers the quantity on hand of each inventory product on an invoice. Adding finished goods from the factory floor to stock, and the values used for them, are settled with your accountant first, and we record them that way.

Sources

Counts of Australian Businesses, data cube 8: Businesses by industry division by Statistical Area Level 2 by employment size ranges (8165DC08.xlsx)
Australian Bureau of Statistics. Actively trading businesses at 30 June 2025, released 16 December 2025. Checked 15 October 2026.
Based on Australian Bureau of Statistics data, Counts of Australian Businesses, including Entries and Exits, June 2021 to June 2025, licensed under CC BY 4.0 Licence: CC BY 4.0.
Correspondence, GCCSA 2021 to GCCSA 2026 (CG_GCCSA_2021_GCCSA_2026.csv)
Australian Bureau of Statistics. ASGS Edition 4, July 2026 to June 2031, released 22 July 2026. Checked 15 October 2026.
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) Edition 4, licensed under CC BY 4.0 Licence: CC BY 4.0.
Greater Capital City Statistical Areas digital boundary file, 2026 (GCCSA_2026_AUST_SHP_GDA2020.zip)
Australian Bureau of Statistics. ASGS Edition 4, July 2026 to June 2031, released 22 July 2026. Checked 15 October 2026.
Based on Australian Bureau of Statistics data, Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) Edition 4, licensed under CC BY 4.0 Licence: CC BY 4.0.
Run an accounts receivable ageing report in QuickBooks (Australia)
Intuit Australia Pty Ltd. Current at 16 October 2026, released 16 October 2026. Checked 16 October 2026.
QuickBooks is a trademark of Intuit Inc. Licence: Intuit Australia legal terms (facts quoted with attribution, no endorsement implied).
Create projects in QuickBooks Online (Australia)
Intuit Australia Pty Ltd. Current at 17 October 2026, released 17 October 2026. Checked 17 October 2026.
QuickBooks is a trademark of Intuit Inc. Licence: Intuit Australia legal terms (facts quoted with attribution, no endorsement implied).
Get started with class tracking in QuickBooks Online (Australia)
Intuit Australia Pty Ltd. Current at 17 October 2026, released 17 October 2026. Checked 17 October 2026.
QuickBooks is a trademark of Intuit Inc. Licence: Intuit Australia legal terms (facts quoted with attribution, no endorsement implied).
Set up and track your inventory in QuickBooks Online (Australia)
Intuit Australia Pty Ltd. Current at 16 October 2026, released 16 October 2026. Checked 16 October 2026.
QuickBooks is a trademark of Intuit Inc. Licence: Intuit Australia legal terms (facts quoted with attribution, no endorsement implied).
Connect a new bank account to Open Banking in QuickBooks Online (Australia)
Intuit Australia Pty Ltd. Current at 16 October 2026, released 16 October 2026. Checked 16 October 2026.
QuickBooks is a trademark of Intuit Inc. Licence: Intuit Australia legal terms (facts quoted with attribution, no endorsement implied).
Reconcile an account in QuickBooks Online (Australia)
Intuit Australia Pty Ltd. Current at 16 October 2026, released 16 October 2026. Checked 16 October 2026.
QuickBooks is a trademark of Intuit Inc. Licence: Intuit Australia legal terms (facts quoted with attribution, no endorsement implied).