# How to Enter and Pay Bills in QuickBooks Desktop > Enter supplier bills in QuickBooks Desktop, turn item receipts into bills, then pay them in Pay Bills with discounts, credits and partial payments. - URL: https://logistify.ai/guides/quickbooks-desktop/enter-and-pay-bills/ - Section: QuickBooks Desktop Guides, Purchasing - Applies to: QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise, Premier, Pro - Steps checked against: Intuit's QuickBooks Desktop help articles, updated August 2026 - Updated: 2026-10-19 **Short answer:** In QuickBooks Desktop Pro, Premier and Enterprise, enter a bill at Vendors > Enter Bills and pay it at Vendors > Pay Bills. On the bill, choose the vendor, fill in the date, amount and due date, and save. In Pay Bills, select the bills, set any discount or credit, choose a payment method and select Pay Selected Bills. For stock that arrived with an item receipt, use Enter Bills Against Inventory instead of a new bill. ## Before you start - A bill records what you owe a vendor now and pay later. The first bill you enter adds Accounts Payable to your chart of accounts. - Intuit describes two workflows: bills that follow a purchase order, and bills that don't. Purchase orders are in Pro, Premier and Enterprise. - If the stock already arrived on an item receipt, enter the bill against that receipt in Step 2. - Pay bills from Pay Bills, not by writing a check. Intuit warns that a check leaves the bill open and your reports wrong. If the bill arrives with the goods, see how to [receive inventory against a purchase order](https://logistify.ai/guides/quickbooks-desktop/receive-inventory-against-purchase-order/). It records the stock and the bill together. ## Step 1: Enter the bill 1. Go to Vendors > Enter Bills. 2. Choose the supplier in the Vendor dropdown. 3. Fill in the Date you received the bill, the Amount and the Due date. 4. Use the Expenses tab for costs such as rent, phone service or utilities. 5. Use the Items tab for things you buy, sell or resell, such as products, shipping charges and discounts. 6. Select Save. QuickBooks records the bill in Accounts Payable. ## Step 2: Convert an item receipt into a bill 1. On the Home page, select Enter Bills Against Inventory. 2. Choose the vendor, then pick the item receipt the supplier's bill covers. 3. To keep the receipt's date as the bill date, select Use Item receipt date for the bill date. 4. Select OK. QuickBooks turns the receipt into a bill, ready for Pay Bills. Each item receipt converts on its own. Our guide on how to [receive inventory against a purchase order](https://logistify.ai/guides/quickbooks-desktop/receive-inventory-against-purchase-order/) covers the receipt date option and partial receipts. ## Step 3: Pay the bills 1. Go to Vendors > Pay Bills. 2. If you use more than one accounts payable account, choose the right one from the dropdown. 3. Select Show all bills, or select Due on or before and enter a date to narrow the list. 4. Select the checkbox for each bill you're paying. Select All Bills and Clear Selections mark or unmark the whole list. 5. Set any discount or credit on the selected bills (see Step 4 and the next section). 6. Enter the date you're paying. 7. Choose the payment method: Check, Credit Card, or one of the online payment options. 8. For a check you write by hand, select Assign check number. To print it, select To be Printed. 9. Select Pay Selected Bills, then Done, or Pay More Bills to start another run. Paying by cash, debit card or EFT? Intuit suggests choosing Check and Assign check number, then typing the payment type in the number field or leaving it blank. ## Step 4: Take an early-payment discount Intuit's Pay Bills help says to use the Discount option when your vendor gave you a discount on the bill. 1. In Pay Bills, select the bill. 2. Select Set Discount. 3. On the Discount tab, enter the Amount of Discount. 4. Choose the Discount Account to post it to. Ask your accountant which account to use. 5. Select Done, then Pay Selected Bills. Check the discount amount against the supplier's invoice before you pay. ## Apply a vendor credit while you pay If the supplier owes you a credit, select the bill in Pay Bills, then select Set Credits. Pick the credit on the Credits tab and select Done. Our guide on how to [record a vendor credit and a vendor refund](https://logistify.ai/guides/quickbooks-desktop/record-vendor-credits-refunds/) covers this in full. ## Pay part of a bill - In Pay Bills, enter the amount you're paying now in the bill's Amt. To Pay column. - Intuit's Bill Pay service, which pays bills online from QuickBooks, doesn't offer partial payments yet. Intuit suggests separate, smaller bills, or editing the bill total. - Bill Pay also pays only the full bill amount, so apply credits and discounts before you schedule the payment. ## If a bill doesn't show in Pay Bills - Check that the bill was entered at all. - Select Show all bills and scroll up and down the list. - Check your other accounts payable account, if you use more than one. - Check whether it's already paid. Run Reports > Vendors & Payables > Transaction List by Vendor and add the Billing Status column in Customize Report. To list every open bill on a past date, run Reports > Vendors & Payables > Unpaid Bills Detail. In Customize Report > Advanced, set Open Balance/Aging to As of Report Date, then enter the date. ## Where QuickBooks Desktop leaves the work to you - Someone keys in every bill from the supplier's invoice, line by line. - Someone has to review each bill against the purchase order or item receipt it came from. - Someone picks the bills for each payment run and checks for discounts and credits first. - Pay Bills only lists what's in the file. A bill still sitting in someone's inbox won't show up. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What's the difference between a bill and a check in QuickBooks Desktop? A bill records what you owe now and pay later through Pay Bills. Intuit says paying a bill by writing a check leaves the bill open and unpaid. ### How do I record an early-payment discount on a bill? In Vendors > Pay Bills, select the bill and choose Set Discount. Enter the Amount of Discount, choose a Discount Account and select Done. ### Can I pay part of a bill in QuickBooks Desktop? In Pay Bills, enter the amount in the bill's Amt. To Pay column. Intuit's Bill Pay service doesn't offer partial payments yet. ### Can I pay bills online from QuickBooks Desktop? Yes, with Intuit's Bill Pay service: select Schedule Online Payment in Enter Bills or Pay Bills. Intuit lists it for 2022 and later Pro Plus, Premier Plus and Enterprise. ## Sources - [Intuit: Enter bills in QuickBooks Desktop](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/pay-bills/enter-bills-quickbooks-desktop/L4kJzwgj5_US_en_US) - [Intuit: Pay bills in QuickBooks Desktop](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/pay-bills/pay-bills-quickbooks-desktop/L0zrGizxu_US_en_US) - [Intuit: Accounts Payable workflows in QuickBooks Desktop](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/pay-bills/accounts-payable-workflows-quickbooks-desktop/L6te5f7ph_US_en_US) - [Intuit: Enter bills against inventory](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/item-receipts/enter-bills-inventory/L6UVSttVp_US_en_US) - [Intuit: Pay bills online from QuickBooks Desktop](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/pay-bills/pay-bills-online-quickbooks-desktop/L6WGM9bGo_US_en_US) - [Intuit: Write off customer and vendor balances](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/vendor-management/write-customer-vendor-balances/L738xKfuq_US_en_US) - [Intuit: Resolve common issues when applying a payment towards an invoice](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/accounting-bookkeeping/resolve-common-issues-applying-payment-towards/L2UMXN8tt_US_en_US) - [Intuit: Customize vendor reports in QuickBooks Desktop](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/customize-reports/customize-vendor-reports/L62uo0VIU_US_en_US)