Getting Started

What customizations can I make to my FreshBooks account?

You can customize your FreshBooks account a few different ways, these include:

• Adding your own logo to your invoices and your account
• Changing the colours of your account
• Setting up permissions for what tabs your staff and clients can use

All of these customizations can be done yourself from the Settings area inside your account.

Changing your Subdomain

One other customization available is changing your FreshBooks subdomain.

Okay, imagine this - you are the owner of a company called Lemonade Stand and you have a FreshBooks account with the subdomain name LemonadeStand.freshbooks.com. Then, all of a sudden, you somehow acquire an inordinate amount of grapefruit. So much so that you decide to sell grapefruit juice instead.  Now what are you supposed to do with LemonadeStand.freshbooks.com? Cancel it and get a new account? No! 

You can email us from the Help page inside your account and we’ll change your domain name to GrapefruitKingOrQueen.freshbooks.com.

How do I customize the emails sent by FreshBooks?

You can customize your emails by following the steps below:

1. Login to your FreshBooks account as the Administrator.
2. Click on your Settings link at the top-right corner of your account.
3. In the sub-navigation bar, click on the Emails link.

You will find a list of the emails you can send to your clients through FreshBooks.  You can customize your emails by clicking on any of the links in this page.

Emails You Can Customize

Here are the types of the emails that you’re able to customize:

• New Client
• New Staff
• New Invoice
• New Estimate
• New Support Ticket
• Update Support Ticket
• Payment Notification
• Late Invoice Reminders

Is there a way to import data into my FreshBooks account?

Yes, however, the data that you are able to import is limited.  You are not able to import invoices or expenses.  You can only import client records into FreshBooks.

The following formats are directly supported in the FreshBooks system:

• Microsoft Outlook
• Gmail
• Yahoo! Mail
• vCard (e.g. Mac OS X Address Book)
• QuickBooks 2004
• QuickBooks 2005
• Simply Accounting
• FreshBooks Comma Separated File (CSV)

To import client records from any of the above sources, just navigate to:

1. Click on My Account on the top-right of your screen.
2. In the sub-navigation. click on the Import/Export link.
3. Choose what kind of file you want to upload.

If the upload was successful, you will be presented with a list to review and select contacts that you want to import to your FreshBooks account.

FreshBooks Comma Separated File (CSV)

When uploading a FreshBooks CSV, you must follow the same format provided in this Sample File. There are four columns in this file that must be filled in to ensure your file is imported correctly: Organization, First Name, Last Name and Email.

What is Send By Post/Snail Mail and how does it work?

Send By Post or Snail Mail is mail that is not sent through the internet.  Yes, that’s right!  On real paper.

With FreshBooks, you have the option of sending an invoice to your client by email or by post.

As soon as you click your “Send by Post” button, your invoice is printed and placed in a double-paned envelope along with a return envelope and sent directly to your client’s address via first class business mail within one business day. That’s right, you don’t have to print the invoice, buy envelopes or make runs to the post office.

Stamps

Every time you send an invoice through Snail Mail, it will cost you one Stamp.  This Stamp includes the price of printing, envelopes and postage to your client (return postage not included).  When you first sign up for FreshBooks, we give you two free stamps to try it out. The cost of additional stamps is listed here:

Note: Prices subject to change.

To buy more stamps, just follow this quick step-by-step:

1. Login to your FreshBooks account as the Administrator.
2. Click on your Buy Stamps tab, found under your Home tab.

Every Snail Mail invoice has a perforated bottom section that your client can tear off, put into the return envelope and send back to you.  Here is a what an actual Snail Mail invoice looks like:

A few things to note about Snail Mail:

• Freshbooks Snail Mail is sent through the United States Postal Service (USPS).
• Invoices sent via FreshBooks are circulated through USPS the following business day.

International Snail Mail

You can send by post anywhere in the world through FreshBooks. The only difference is that two Stamps are needed for international (non-US or Canada) addresses.

Snail Mail Accidentally/Incorrectly Sent

If you accidentally or incorrectly send an invoice by post using FreshBooks, there might still be a way to stop the mail from being sent out. Please contact us immediately and we will do our best to assist you.

Additional Resources:

• Additional Details on Ground Mail

Can I import/export clients from QuickBooks?

Exporting Clients From FreshBooks

You can export clients from FreshBooks for Quickbooks by:

1. Clicking on the My Account link at the top right of your FreshBooks account.
2. In the sub-navigation menu, click on the link, Import/Export.
3. Under Export Clients, click on QuickBooks.
4. To export clients, click on the Clients link and save to your local computer.

Please note though that you would have to adjust and massage a fair bit before it becomes useful in QuickBooks.

To Import Clients from Quickbooks to FreshBooks

1. Clicking on the My Account link at the top right of your FreshBooks account.
2. In the sub-navigation menu, click on the link, Import/Export.
3. Under Import Clients, click on either the QuickBooks 2004t or QuickBooks 2004t links.
4. Under Import Your File, click on the Choose File button, select your Quickbooks file.
5. Click on the button Import

How Do Users Use FreshBooks in-conjunction with QuickBooks?

For the most part, users utilize FreshBooks for their day-to-day invoicing and time tracking, then they export their data to Quickbooks (or some other accounting package)  on a quarterly or yearly basis.

Additional Resources:

• FreshBooks Forum: FreshBooks In-Tandem with Quickbooks

What is my authentication token and where can I get it?

• What do I need to enable third party add-ons?
• What is my Account URL?
• What is my API URL?
• What is my Authentication Token?
• I’m an administrator: where do I get my API URL and Authentication Token?
• I’m a staff member: how do I retrieve my API URL and Authentication Token?
• What do I do if my Authentication Token becomes compromised?

What do I need to enable third party add-ons?

FreshBooks connects to a wide array of tools and services. You can find the list from http://community.freshbooks.com/addons/

Each add-on has different specific requirements, but they all require two pieces of information:

• Either your Account URL, which is the same as your login page URL, or your API URL.
• Your Authentication Token.

See below for how to get these pieces of information.

What is my Account URL?

If you are asked for your account URL, it is the same thing as your login page URL. Depending on your setup, it will look either like https://joesgarage.freshbooks.com or
https://joesgarage.billingarm.com. If you don’t know what your login page URL is, you can search for it with your email address.

What is my API URL?

Your API URL is the location on the Web where the add-on talks to your FreshBooks account. You probably don’t need to know anything about it except where to find it so you can copy and paste it into the add-on. Instructions to retrieve it are below.

What is my Authentication Token?

Your Authentication Token is a verification code that allows third-party software and services to update and retrieve your account data. Your Authentication Token should be kept secret and only entered into software and services that you trust. Instructions to retrieve it are below.

I’m an administrator: where do I get my API URL and Authentication Token?

1. Click on your white “My Account” link in the top right corner.
2. Click on your “FreshBooks API” sub-tab on the top right.
3. Click on your blue “terms of service” to review the terms of service.
4. Click on your checkbox next to “Yes, I agree to the API terms of service” to agree to the terms of service.
5. Your “API URL” and “Authentication Token” will become visible on your screen.

I’m a staff member: how do I retrieve my API URL and Authentication Token?

1. Ask your administrator to agree to the API terms of service, mentioned above.
2. Click on your white “Profile” link in the top right corner.
3. Your “API URL” and “Authentication Token” will be visible at the bottom of the screen.

What do I do if my Authentication Token becomes compromised?

Your Authentication Token is linked to your account password. Just change or reset your account password and your API key will also change. You will have to provide the new Authentication Token to all the add-ons you continue to use.

If you are an administrator, you can also disable all add-ons by following the same steps above but choosing to uncheck the checkbox next to “Yes, I agree to the API terms of service”.