Learning Center

We keep you up-to-date on the latest tax changes and news in the industry.

Stop Guessing, Start Tagging: How to Make QuickBooks® Online Work Smarter for You

If you’ve ever wanted to slice and dice your financial data in QuickBooks® Online without changing your chart of accounts or creating new classes or locations, you’re in luck. The Tags feature in QuickBooks® Online offers an intuitive, flexible way to track transactions across any category you choose—clients, events, sales channels, campaigns, or even employee projects. And in 2025, Tags are more powerful (and user-friendly) than ever.

What Are Tags in QuickBooks® Online?

Tags are customizable labels that you can apply to transactions, like invoices, expenses, bills, or bank transfers, to help you track the information that’s most important to your business. Unlike Classes or Locations, Tags don’t affect how your books are categorized for tax purposes. Instead, they provide a custom reporting layer that’s entirely your own.

Think of them as digital sticky notes you can sort, filter, and analyze. Want to know how much you spent on your summer marketing campaign? Tag every related transaction with "Summer 2025" and pull a report in seconds.

Why Use Tags?

QuickBooks® Online's Tags are particularly helpful for small business owners, consultants, creatives, and firms that don’t want to overcomplicate their general ledger but still need meaningful insights. Here are just a few benefits:

  • Custom tracking without cluttering your chart of accounts
    You don’t need to create dozens of new accounts to track temporary campaigns or event-based expenses.

  • No limits on creativity
    You can tag by project, client, department, job title, marketing funnel—whatever’s relevant to your business.

  • Detailed insights with Tag Group reports
    Group similar tags together and run summary reports to see how much you're spending or earning across those categories.

  • Greater visibility into business drivers
    Identify trends, compare performance across tags, and use that data to make smarter decisions.

What’s New in 2025?

As of this year, QuickBooks® has improved the user interface for Tags, making it easier to apply them in bulk and filter them in real-time reports. You can now add tags directly from the Banking tab during transaction review, and Tag Group reports have become more detailed, offering filter options and exportable views that can easily be shared with your team or accountant.

How to Set Up and Use Tags

  1. Go to the Banking or Transactions menu in your QuickBooks® Online dashboard.

  2. Select the Tags tab.

  3. Click New Tag Group to create a group (e.g., “Events” or “Clients”).

  4. Within the group, add individual tags like “Tradeshow 2025” or “Client X.”

  5. When entering a new transaction (expense, invoice, etc.), simply apply the relevant tag or tag group.

You can use multiple tags across transactions, but each transaction can only have one tag per group.

Real-Life Examples of Tagging in Action

  • A boutique marketing firm uses tag groups like “Campaigns” and “Clients” to track profitability across different projects without creating sub-customers or additional income accounts.

  • A small construction company tags expenses by job site, helping them identify which builds are the most cost-efficient.

  • A solo entrepreneur who sells on Etsy, Shopify, and in-person at markets uses tags to track sales by channel for better planning and pricing.

Tags offer an elegant way to track what's important to you, without reengineering your books. They give you added control and insight without complicating your accounting process.

If you're not using Tags in QuickBooks® Online yet, now’s the time to start. With just a little setup, you’ll gain visibility into the metrics that matter and make more informed decisions for your business.

Share this article...

Want our best tax and accounting tips and insights delivered to your inbox?

Sign up for our newsletter.

I confirm this is a service inquiry and not an advertising message or solicitation. By clicking “Submit”, I acknowledge and agree to the creation of an account and to the and .

Benefits of having a business advisor

Your CFO, Reimagined as a Financial Doctor

Diagnosing root causes, prescribing solutions, and guiding your property business toward long-term wealth.

Our CFO | Advisor

Raquel is a passionate business owner. Now, she is returning to her grassroots with a twist - guiding clients with her expertise as a CPA, she can advise your company as your trusted CFO and Advisor.

  • Raquel Deodanes, MS, CPA

    Co-Founder

    CPA with Real-World Experience – I help property managers stay profitable, tax-efficient, and cash flow positive.
    Tax Strategist – Former advisor at California’s revenue agency.
    Trusted by 4,000+ Businesses – Experience across CA, FL, TX, NV, and beyond.
    Real Estate Investor – I understand the financial realities of property management.
    Entrepreneur – I’ve built businesses and know the challenges you face.

Frequently Asked Questions

We diagnose financial inefficiencies, treat problems like poor cash flow or rising costs, and guide you to long-term financial health. That includes cleaning up your books, forecasting cash flow, optimizing operations, and helping you grow your portfolio with confidence — just like a doctor builds a custom care plan for a patient.

Bookkeepers record transactions. CPAs file your taxes. We connect the dots — helping you understand your numbers, strategically improve them, and make smarter decisions throughout the year. We work alongside your existing team to drive performance, not just compliance.

If you're unsure where your cash is going, struggling with rising costs, planning to scale, or just tired of reacting instead of planning — now is the right time. We help you get ahead of problems, not just clean up after them.

Clients typically see improved cash flow, cleaner books, higher NOI, better financial reporting, and a lot less stress at tax time. More importantly, you gain clarity, confidence, and control over your business — and a partner who helps you grow it.

Pricing

Painless, transparent pricing.

Let us take away your stress and give you back your time. Choose your perfect package today.

Base

$499 /mo
  • Dedicated finance expert

  • Bookkeeping with accrual basis

  • Includes P&L, balance sheet, and cash flow statements

Core

$999 /mo
  • Includes everything in Base, PLUS

  • Industry KPIs and financial ratios

  • Monthly virtual 1-hr meetings

  • Monthly rolling budget forecasts

Growth

$1999 /mo
  • Includes everything in Base, CORE

  • Budget vs. actuals variance analysis and review

  • Payroll and HR Platform