What features should we work on?

Customize categories

Even if you could just create "subcategories" under a specific categoty to fit your needs. For instance, under "assets", I would put "music" and "equipment". Under "office supplies", I might add "lesson supplies". I am a music teacher. This would still be aligned with the schedule c categories, bit would allow me to stay more organized as these broad categories apply to my business.

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AdminQB Self-Employed Team (Product Manager, QuickBooks Self-Employed) shared this idea  ·   ·  Flag idea as inappropriate…  ·  Admin →

As of 04/29/2019, all customers in the United States can try out our first version of “Custom Categories”! You’ll see we’ve called it Tagging.

You can try it out by logging in to QuickBooks Self-Employed through your favorite web browser and going to our Labs section by clicking on the Gear Icon and going to Labs (note you can also go this URL- https://selfemployed.intuit.com/home#/preferences/labs)

Currently Tagging is only available through the Web (not our Mobile Apps just yet) for US customers.

We would love your feedback as you start using this first version! Please use the “Give Feedback” link on the Labs page as our team will be closely monitoring this.


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  • V A commented  ·   ·  Flag as inappropriate

    I am simply in disbelief that an accounting software program does not allow custom categories; particularly for self employed. What a gimmick!!!

  • Denise commented  ·   ·  Flag as inappropriate

    "Other business expenses" is too broad a category for tax reporting purposes.The IRS requires more specificity than this!

  • Anonymous commented  ·   ·  Flag as inappropriate

    Just reading through the plethora of comments you are failing your customers. I am in the U.K. so is this written for the US??

  • Anonymous commented  ·   ·  Flag as inappropriate

    I am self employed AND retired so I get two pensions. I need to be able to categorise the pensions and the tax I am deducted through my P60s. It would also be beneficial to have categories so that I can keep a record of my expenses in more detail. “Other business expenses” could mean anything!! Give us custom categories - a basic requirement.

  • Obed commented  ·   ·  Flag as inappropriate

    This is disappointing

    Not having custom categories is very basic feature missing

  • Scott commented  ·   ·  Flag as inappropriate

    Here's how you do it: Have two separate tags. Each and every transaction gets a tag to assign it to one of the three schedule C categories. Then, after expenses are tagged for tax reasons, you allow users to put them into whatever custom category they want with another tag. In your database, you have a category column, containing the user's custom categories. Each transaction has a field with it's category's primary key. On each transaction there's another field for which schedule C category the transaction belongs to. A cake walk feature, guys. Not to mention it's the whole point of using an accounting software, and you're missing it.

    I dropped my subscription not an hour after signing up once I realized that you don't have this incredibly basic feature. This is literally the only reason I signed up, I want to organize my spending and see where my money is going, in a way that syncs to my bank account. "business" "personal" and "transaction" may be good for the IRS, but I'm not the IRS. Those categories are entirely useless to me except during tax time. Why would I pay for a subscription year round for something I'm only going to use once a year?

  • NA commented  ·   ·  Flag as inappropriate

    I really cannot believe that you cannot change the system to allow this, it is making the self-employed software virtually useless. Additionally, the data cannot be transferred to Online? REALLY??? This fact should be disclosed to customers prior to signing up for self-employed. Fail.

  • Tabitha Elliott commented  ·   ·  Flag as inappropriate

    Why can't you add tags so a person could sort out the different sources of their income for their own purposes? That wouldn't mess with your categories at all. I'm cancelling because it just doesn't function for me without the ability to create custom categories.

  • Anonymous commented  ·   ·  Flag as inappropriate

    What about having a separate nested label system (similar to Gmail "folders") for each transaction which can be used to report against, and keep the current categories for Schedule C purposes only.

  • Anonymous commented  ·   ·  Flag as inappropriate

    its important to be able to sub cat and analyse otherwise there are free options on the market that have more flexibility. To only be able to record one type of business income is ridiculous. To make this system really usable there needs to be much better reporting and analysis as the reports that are there are too basic and inflexible. Im a little disappointed to be honest as my spreadsheets were giving me more information

  • Stuart commented  ·   ·  Flag as inappropriate

    Sub Categories should be implemented in the following way. A sub-category can only be created as a child of an IRS Schedule C Category. Their usefulness to the user comes in being able to review transactions within those sub-categories as a bookkeeping measure. Do it this way and sub-categories won't negatively impact how your app syncs with Turbo Tax.

  • Chris Smith commented  ·   ·  Flag as inappropriate

    I'm fascinated to see people here still using MS Money. Can't understand why it was withdrawn, I've repeatedly tried current packages but I can't find anything remotely as comprehensive, customisable or flexible as it. I run a property portfolio so am not interested in being able to issue invoices or VAT, but do want to be able to see where my cost centres are with custom reports. Unless I'm missing something, QB Self Employed at least on the trial version only really allows me to crudely split expenses by "Business" or "Personal". I have 328 specific categories and sub categories in my Money accounts!! All quickly searchable. Looks like the 2018-19 tax year is going to be Money again, as long as W10 allows the web based advice patches that keep it working. But it would be nice to have my accounts in eh Cloud and on an App.

  • Catherine commented  ·   ·  Flag as inappropriate

    Just finished working on the income categories on my taxes. I do work that technically should be divided into 3+ categories, and I just spent a few hours adding and subtracting by hand to figure out what to list where. Also, if you have more than one type of gig, you cannot choose which gig to apply the expenses to.

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