Short answer: Spendifique syncs with QuickBooks to import your classes. You can then tag any expense with the right class, either one at a time on the Expense Details page or in batch from the Expense List. When the expense syncs to QuickBooks, the class stays attached, so you can compare spending across departments, locations, divisions, or programs. No manual re-tagging required.
If you run more than one location, department, or business line, classes are how you see the shape of your business without cluttering your chart of accounts.
The problem: the "which part of the business?" gap
Most expense tools capture the receipt and read the vendor, date, and amount. What they tend to drop is the piece your reporting depends on: which part of the business the expense belongs to.
So the cost gets captured, the expense syncs to QuickBooks, and then someone has to go back in at month-end and assign a class to each transaction by hand. It's slow, it's easy to forget, and every missed tag leaves a hole in your segment reporting.
Capturing the class at the source, the moment the expense is entered, removes that whole cleanup step.
What it means to track expenses by class
A class is a structural, evergreen way to group transactions. It is a dimension that sits alongside your chart of accounts rather than expanding it. Unlike customers, which come and go as you win and finish work, classes tend to be stable buckets you set up once and report across for years:
- Departments: Sales, Marketing, Operations
- Locations or branches: compare performance store by store
- Divisions or business lines: product vs. services
- Programs or grants: common for nonprofits
- Properties: common in real estate
Tag expenses to a class consistently and you can compare how each part of the business is performing, without creating a tangle of extra accounts you'll regret maintaining.
Quick example: A business with three locations tags every expense to its branch. At a glance they can see which location runs lean and which is quietly eating into margin, all from one clean set of accounts.
Why this matters: the benefits
See the shape of your business. Compare departments, locations, or divisions side by side instead of staring at one blended number. Class tracking turns a single P&L into a set of answers about where money is actually going.
Keep your chart of accounts clean. Classes let you segment without creating duplicate accounts for every location or department, so your account list stays short and your reports stay readable.
Better management decisions. When spend is grouped by the parts of the business that matter to you, budgeting, forecasting, and "where do we cut?" conversations get a lot easier.
Kill the month-end re-tagging chore. The class is captured once, at the source, and follows the expense into QuickBooks. No reopening transactions one at a time.
Cleaner books, faster close. Fewer manual touches means fewer miscodes and a shorter review at month-end.
Assign classes to expenses in bulk
You don't have to tag expenses one at a time. When you're catching up on a backlog, or a stack of costs all belong to the same department or location, you can assign a class to multiple expenses at once. On the Expense List, select every expense you want, then apply the class to the whole batch in a single action.
That in-bulk tagging is the difference between a five-second job and an afternoon of clicking. It's especially useful when you're cleaning up a month of expenses before close, or coding a run of costs that all belong to the same segment of the business.
Who this is for
- Multi-location businesses comparing branches or stores
- Multi-department teams tracking spend by Sales, Marketing, Ops, and more
- Businesses with multiple divisions or product lines measuring each separately
- Nonprofits tracking spending by program or grant
- Property managers and real estate assigning a class to each property
If "I need to compare parts of my business, not just clients" sounds familiar, this is built for you.
Class or customer: which should you use?
A class is a structural, evergreen segment such as a department, location, division, or program you'll report on for years. A customer is a specific client or job, usually tied to profitability and billing. They answer different questions, and many businesses use both: a class for the branch, a customer for the project. If you're trying to measure profitability or rebill costs per client, see How to track expenses by customer in QuickBooks.
How it works in Spendifique
- Connect QuickBooks and import your existing classes, with no re-typing.
- Tag your expenses with the right class, individually or in batch.
- Sync to QuickBooks with the class attached.
- See the results. Spending lands in the right segment, ready to compare.
Already using Spendifique? You can switch this on in a couple of minutes. The setup steps are below.
Step-by-step: setting up Classes in Spendifique
1. Open Classes in Settings. In the left navigation bar, go to the Settings section and click Classes.
2. Turn on classes for expenses. On the next page, switch on the toggle to enable classes on expenses.
3. Import from QuickBooks. A button will appear in the middle of the page: Import from QuickBooks. Click it and follow the prompts to connect your QuickBooks account and import your classes.
4. Review your classes. Once the import finishes, your classes will appear on the Classes page.
5. Add a class to a single expense. Open the Expense Details page for that expense. The class dropdown appears right beside the expense category dropdown. Select the class and you're done.
6. Assign classes to multiple expenses in bulk. Click Expense in the left navigation bar to open the Expense List. Tick the checkboxes next to the expenses you want to update. A floating bar appears at the bottom of the screen. Click Classes, then choose the class to apply to all selected expenses in the popup.
Frequently asked questions
What does it mean to track expenses by class?It means grouping each cost by a structural part of your business (a department, location, division, or program) so you can compare segments without adding extra accounts.
Can I assign a class to multiple expenses at once?Yes. On the Expense List page, tick the checkboxes for the expenses you want, then use the floating bar at the bottom to apply one class to the whole batch in a single click. It's the fastest way to tag costs in bulk or clear a backlog.
Do I have to recreate my classes in Spendifique?No. Spendifique imports them directly from your connected QuickBooks account, so they match what you already have.
Does the class stay attached when the expense syncs to QuickBooks?Yes. The class you assign in Spendifique travels with the expense, so it's already in place in QuickBooks.
What's the difference between a class and a customer?A class is a structural, evergreen segment like a department or location. A customer is a specific client or job, usually tied to profitability and billing. You can use both. See How to track expenses by customer in QuickBooks.
Ready to see spending by segment?
Tag every cost to the right class once, and let it flow straight into QuickBooks, with no cleanup, no extra accounts, and no blind spots in your reporting.
Start your free Spendifique trial and connect QuickBooks in minutes. Already a customer? Head to Settings → Classes to switch it on today.
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