Buildxact doesn't send timesheets straight to QuickBooks Payroll yet, but you can still get your hours across without retyping them. This article shows you how to export your timesheets from Buildxact and import them into QuickBooks Online using Spreadsheet Sync.
đĄ Watch the video below to see this in action, or continue reading for step-by-step details.
Before you start
Spreadsheet Sync is only available in QuickBooks Online Advanced. To check which version you have:
In QuickBooks Online, click the gear icon.
Select Subscriptions and billing.
Your version is shown under your subscription (Simple Start, Essentials, Plus, or Advanced).
Not on Advanced? These third-party apps can import timesheets into other versions of QuickBooks Online without upgrading:
Traction Pro Importer
RightTool PRO
SaasAnt Importer
Step 1: Export your timesheets from Buildxact
In the left-hand menu, click Jobs.
Select Imported Timesheets, then Timesheet Reports.
Choose the timeframe you need, such as your pay period.
Click Generate report.
Click Export to download the report as an Excel file.
Step 2: Open Spreadsheet Sync
In QuickBooks Online, click the gear icon and select Spreadsheet Sync.
Click Let's go. Spreadsheet Sync loads straight into Excel.
Click Create and edit records.
Select your company file. If you have more than one, check you've picked the right one.
Under the record type, choose Time activities, then select Add records.
The columns come in a set order (A to M) that can't be changed. Step 3 shows you how to match your Buildxact export to them.
Step 3: Match your Buildxact export to Spreadsheet Sync
Rearrange the columns in your Buildxact export so they're in the same order as Spreadsheet Sync. That way you can copy and paste everything in one go.
Save time with AI. We suggest using an AI tool (such as Claude, ChatGPT, or Copilot) to reformat your export quickly. Upload your Buildxact timesheet export and ask it to follow the formatting in this article.
For example:
"Reformat this Buildxact timesheet export for QuickBooks Online Spreadsheet Sync, following the formatting in https://help.buildxact.com/en/articles/17154024-getting-buildxact-timesheets-to-quickbooks"
Always check the result before you import, especially names, dates, and hours.
Here is the format and what changes are required
What is needed in QuickBooks | Is it needed? | What comes from Buildxact | What you need to do to make the change |
Post? (column A) | Required | Nothing (new column) | Add a new column and type Yes on every row you want to import. |
Date (column B) | Required | ApprovedDate (column A) | Move to column B. Remove the time and format as MM/DD/YYYY (Format Cells > Short Date). |
Name Type (column C) | Required | Nothing (new column) | Add a new column and type Employee on every row. |
Name (column D) | Required | ContactName (column D) | Rename to Name. The name must exactly match the employee in QBO, so remove the "(Buildxact)" part. e.g. "John Smith (Buildxact)" becomes "John Smith". |
Hours (column E) | Required | TotalHours (column E) | Keep whole hours only. e.g. 7.5 becomes 7. |
Minutes (column F) | Required | TotalHours (column E) | Add a column for the leftover minutes. e.g. 7.5 becomes 30. Use 0 if none. |
Billable? (column G) | Required | Nothing (new column) | Add a new column and type No, or Yes if you bill the client for this time. |
Billable Rate (column H) | Optional | Nothing (new column) | If you use this, add an empty column. Only fill in if you bill clients for time. |
Cost Rate (column I) | Optional | Nothing (new column) | If you use this, add an empty column. |
Customer/Job (column J) | Optional | JobDescription (column G) | If you use this, move to column J and rename. If you use it, it must match the customer/project name in QBO. |
Location (column K) | Optional - only used if location tracking is active) | Nothing (new column) | If you use this,add an empty column. |
Class (column L) | Optional - only used if class tracking is active) | Nothing (new column) | If you use this, add an empty column. |
Description (column M) | Optional | JobNumber (column F), JobCategoryName (column H), Notes (column I) | If you use this, we suggest you combine into one column. e.g. "J2305 | Cabinetry & Countertops". |
| Not needed | Provider (column B) | Delete the column. |
| Not needed | Source (column C) | Delete the column. |
| Not needed | StartTime (column J) | Delete the column. QBO only needs hours and minutes. Add it to Description if you want to keep it. |
| Not needed | EndTime (column K) | Delete the column. |
Step 4: Paste and sync
Copy your data (without the headers).
In Spreadsheet Sync, click the first empty cell and paste.
Check every column lines up with the right heading.
Click Sync to QuickBooks.
If there's a problem, Spreadsheet Sync will show you the error and the row it's on. Fix it, then sync again.
Step 5: Check your timesheets in QuickBooks
Click View sync details to see every entry that came across. You can click any entry to open it.
Go to Weekly timesheet in QuickBooks and refresh the page.
Choose an employee to check their hours for the week.
Need help?
As this topic covers both both exporting from Buildxact and importing into Quickbooks, you'll need to direct your questions to the relevant support team.
For anything Buildxact related we can help you
For anything Quickbooks related you'll need to contact Quickbooks Support.
Buildxact doesn't control how Quickbooks importing works and can't see any error messages/information related to an unsuccessful import. Hence for any Quickbooks import issues we suggest reaching out to them.