Build a Billing Forecast in QuickBooks

What is a billing forecast in QuickBooks?

A billing forecast in QuickBooks refers to a forward-looking estimate of invoices that will be sent out over a specific period, typically based on recurring contracts or subscriptions. For B2B SaaS businesses, this forecast becomes essential in tracking expected cash flow, renewals, and payment cycles.

Instead of tracking projected revenue manually, you can automate billing forecasts by syncing data from ChargeOver, your subscription billing system, directly into QuickBooks. This helps align finance and operations teams with a shared view of upcoming revenue.

Why use ChargeOver data to build billing forecasts?

ChargeOver manages your subscription schedules, payment terms, and billing rules. That makes it the source of truth for:

• Active subscriptions and contract terms
• Billing frequency (monthly, quarterly, annual)
• Scheduled invoice dates
• Amounts due, including taxes or discounts

When you bring this structured data into QuickBooks, you gain a billing forecast that reflects actual contract behavior—not just assumptions or averages.

It improves accuracy in:

• Revenue recognition (also known as revrec)
• Cash flow forecasting
• Budget planning and financial reporting

How does the ChargeOver–QuickBooks integration work?

ChargeOver connects directly with QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop. The integration syncs:

• Invoices (issued or scheduled)
• Payment status
• Customer records
• Tax breakdowns

If your team has forecasting spreadsheets or dashboards in QuickBooks, you can extend them using synced data fields from ChargeOver. This includes future-dated invoices or draft invoice schedules.

Key integration points to enable:

• Use ChargeOver’s native “export to QuickBooks” feature for recurring invoices
• Set up custom fields in QuickBooks to flag forecastable transactions
• Pull reporting based on invoice “Due Date” or “Issue Date” to reflect forecast timing
• Group forecast data by customer, subscription type, or renewal cycle

What types of SaaS forecasts can you build?

Using ChargeOver data inside QuickBooks, accountants can create multiple types of forecasts:

1. Invoice Forecast by Customer

Shows all upcoming invoices grouped by customer. Useful for account managers and finance teams to track account-level projections.

2. Monthly Recurring Billing Forecast

Aggregates scheduled invoices by billing month. Helps align team goals with expected MRR (monthly recurring revenue) inflows.

3. Tax and Fee Forecast

Breaks out estimated tax collections and service fees across regions. Important for regulatory compliance and sales tax reporting.

4. Cash Flow Forecast

Combines invoice dates and payment terms to predict when revenue will actually hit your accounts. This is essential for CFO-level planning.

How to start building a billing forecast

Forecasts should be based on invoice data that reflects your real subscription structure. Follow these steps to begin:

1. Sync ChargeOver with QuickBooks
   Use the native integration or export future-dated invoices into QuickBooks.
2. Tag forecast-relevant invoices
   Create a report filter or custom field to isolate invoices included in your billing forecast.
3. Use QuickBooks reporting tools
   Customize reports to group by month, customer, or subscription type. You can also export data for further analysis in Excel or Power BI.
4. Review and update regularly
   Subscription changes, churn, and add-ons will impact your forecasts. Review the data monthly.
5. Use actuals vs forecast comparisons
   Once invoices are paid, compare expected billing to actual collections for better planning.

Common pitfalls to avoid

• Relying only on historical data
  SaaS billing is forward-looking. Build forecasts based on actual contract schedules, not just past averages.
• Manual spreadsheet forecasting
  This is prone to error. Automate using real billing logic from ChargeOver instead.
• Missing renewal cycles
  Be sure to include contract renewals or scheduled rate increases in long-term forecasts.
• Not segmenting by subscription tier
  Grouping all revenue into one total misses trends by plan or customer type.

What are the benefits of billing forecasts in QuickBooks?

• Improved financial visibility across departments
• Better budgeting and headcount planning
• More accurate board and investor reporting
• Early warning on revenue dips or churn patterns
• Data-driven decisions for pricing, contracts, and cash reserves

Can non-accounting teams use this forecast?

Yes. A billing forecast is useful beyond the finance team. Operations and leadership teams can use it to:

• Set sales targets based on billing cycles
• Plan support staffing around invoice volume
• Track new vs recurring revenue impact

Forecasts also help cross-functional alignment when launching new pricing models or entering new markets.

How ChargeOver makes billing forecasts easier

ChargeOver provides the structure that makes forecasting possible. It captures recurring billing logic in one place, then syncs with QuickBooks so you don’t need to duplicate data entry.

With native support for:

• Scheduled invoices
• Multi-cycle subscriptions
• Add-on charges
• Tax rules by region

...your forecasts stay clean and reliable. Learn more about ChargeOver's QuickBooks integration.