# Sync External Payments

This article explains how Sync External Payments helps keep your QuickBooks and ConnectWise payment records in sync.

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**Prerequisite:** This feature requires **both** a QuickBooks Online integration **and** a ConnectWise integration to be connected and active.
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### **What is an External Payment?**

An external payment is any payment recorded directly in QuickBooks Online that was not created through Alternative Payments. This can include payments entered manually by your accounting team, payments imported through bank feeds, or payments created through other integrations or accounting workflows.

When these payments are created in QuickBooks, Alternative Payments automatically detects them and creates a matching payment record in ConnectWise.

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#### Sync External Payments Requirements

Before using this feature, please make sure the following requirements have been met.

**Both integrations are connected and active:**

* QuickBooks Online integration
* ConnectWise integration

**Invoices are synced:**

* The invoice being paid exists in both QuickBooks and ConnectWise
* The invoice information is identical in both integrations
* The invoice exists in Alternative Payments, either created through the Partner Dashboard or synced via the Sync Tool

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#### Setup Steps

#### 1. Enable Payment Syncing

If you are not using the Sync Tool, the first step is to enable the Payment Sync preference.

1. Login to your Alternative Payments Partner Dashboard
2. Navigate to **Integrations > Preferences**
3. Locate the **Enable external payments sync** toggle
4. Turn the toggle **ON**

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**Note:** This global setting controls whether payment syncing is enabled for your organization. When disabled, no external payments will be synced regardless of other configurations.
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#### 2. Configure Sync Mode (only when Sync Tool is enabled)

Next, configure **how** external payments should be synced:

1. Go to **Integrations > Sync Invoices**, then select **Preferences**

   <figure><img src="https://1567070316-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FKPl2XyqKMY0CU5Sb4EWy%2Fuploads%2FxyUZtQ8L6R5JwzeD64FI%2FMonosnap%20Sync%20invoices%202026-01-08%2009-24-22.png?alt=media&#x26;token=6faaaacf-1577-4d27-9487-d65db36cf4a0" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>
2. Find the **External Payments** section

   <figure><img src="https://1567070316-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FKPl2XyqKMY0CU5Sb4EWy%2Fuploads%2FeHbaUdckSQyZ87ZUEewr%2FMonosnap%20Sync%20Preferences%202026-01-08%2009-25-46.png?alt=media&#x26;token=72e522d3-b538-43a7-9759-5e23e51234b5" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>
3. Select your preferred sync mode:

**Sync Mode Options**

* **Disabled** – No external payments will be synced.\
  Use this if you want to keep payment records separate between systems.
* **All Invoices** – Syncs external payments for **all invoices** that exist in both QuickBooks and ConnectWise.\
  Use this for comprehensive payment tracking across all invoices.
* **Synced Invoices Only** – Syncs external payments **only for invoices** that were previously synced using the Sync Tool.\
  Use this for controlled synchronization of manually-selected invoices.

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**Synced Invoices Only** mode requires that invoices were originally synced through the Alternative Sync Tool. Invoices created through other methods will not have their payments synced.
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#### 3. Save Your Configuration

1. Review your selected sync mode
2. Click **Save changes**

Your external payment sync configuration is now active!

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### Details Included in the Payment Sync

When a payment is synced from QuickBooks to ConnectWise, the following information is transferred:

* **Payment Amount** – The exact amount paid
* **Payment Date** – When the payment was received
* **Invoice Reference** – Links the payment to the correct ConnectWise invoice

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### **Verifying Synced Payments**

Follow these steps to confirm payments were synced successfully:

1. Log in to your **ConnectWise** account
2. Navigate to the invoice that was paid
3. Check the **Payments** section
4. You should see the payment with the amount and date matching QuickBooks

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### **Best Practices**

1. Avoid manually entering payments in ConnectWise for invoices that also exist in QuickBooks. This helps prevent duplicate payments from being created.
2. Make sure both integrations remain connected and active. If either integration is disconnected, external payment syncing will stop.

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