How To Add Different Mailing / Billing Addresses In QuickBooks Online

Managing customer information accurately is one of the most important parts of keeping your accounting system clean and your invoicing process efficient. QuickBooks Online (QBO), being one of the most widely used cloud-based accounting platforms, gives users the flexibility to store and use different addresses for customers and vendors. This is essential when a customer wants invoices sent to one location, general mail sent to another, or physical shipments delivered elsewhere.

Many businesses today operate multiple offices, have regional branches, or separate their accounts-payable function from their operational locations. If your customers fall into any of these categories, you’ll need to add and manage multiple addresses in QuickBooks Online. Fortunately, QBO makes this easy,  once you know where everything is.

Why QuickBooks Online Allows Multiple Customer Addresses

Before diving into the how-to steps, it’s helpful to understand why QuickBooks Online provides multiple address fields. The most common reasons businesses need more than one address for the same customer include:

Billing and Accounts Payable Separation

Many companies centralize their billing and AP operations at a headquarters. They want invoices, statements, and payment reminders sent there, not to their local branch.

Different Mail and Physical Addresses

A customer may have a PO Box for general mail, but require a physical street address for shipping or deliveries.

Multiple Branch Offices

Some customers operate at many locations and want documentation routed to the correct branch or department.

Warehouse and Shipping Needs

If your business delivers physical goods, the address where invoices are sent is often different from the address where goods are delivered.

Corporate vs. Project-Based Work

Construction firms, marketing agencies, and service providers often work at project sites, but billing flows through a central office.

QuickBooks Online helps you handle all these scenarios cleanly by giving you dedicated address fields and additional customization options.

Understanding Address Types in QuickBooks Online

QuickBooks Online uses several address fields in customer profiles. Knowing what each one does ensures your invoices and emails end up in the right place.

Billing Address

This is the address printed on invoices, sales receipts, statements, and other financial documents. For most companies, this is the “official” address where accounting communication goes.

Shipping Address

This address prints on forms related to shipping or delivery. Even if your business never ships physical goods, QBO allows you to use this as an alternate mailing or correspondence address.

Email Addresses (Multiple Allowed)

While not a physical address, having separate email addresses for billing, purchasing, or operational contacts helps ensure your documents are delivered correctly.

Custom Fields

QuickBooks Online Plus and Advanced allow custom fields. These can be used creatively to store additional address information if needed.

Understanding these distinctions is key before editing or adding new addresses.

Step 1: Access the Customer Center

Start by logging into your QuickBooks Online account. Once you reach the main dashboard:

1. Look to your left-hand navigation menu.
2. Select the option labeled Sales.
3. Under Sales, select Customers.

This brings you to the Customer List, where you can view all existing customer profiles.  If you’re adding a new customer, click the button to add a new customer. If you’re editing an existing customer, click the customer’s name.

Step 2: Open the Customer Profile

When you click a customer’s name, QuickBooks Online opens the customer’s detail panel. You’ll see several sections, including:

• Customer information
• Email and phone information
• Address fields
• Payment details
• Notes
• Tax settings

To edit any of the information, click the Edit button in the upper right corner of the customer detail window.  This opens the full Customer Information form.

Step 3: Enter the Billing Address

Inside the Customer Information window, look for a section labeled Address. The first fields you will see are for the billing address.

The billing address typically includes:

• Company name or customer name
• Street address
• Suite or office number
• City
• State or province
• Postal code
• Country

QuickBooks Online also supports line breaks, so you can include attention lines such as:

• Attn: Accounts Payable
• Attn: Billing Department
  

Take time to enter this carefully, because this is the address QBO uses for all invoices unless you specify otherwise.

Step 4: Add the Mailing or Alternate Address

QuickBooks Online uses the Shipping Address field as the secondary address. Even if your business does not ship goods, this field can still function as an alternate mailing address.

Under the billing address fields, check the box labeled Shipping Address. This expands a second set of address fields.  Enter the alternate mailing address here. For example:

• A PO Box
• A regional office
• A project site
• An internal department
• An operational facility

If your customer has multiple alternate addresses, you can change this field as needed for each invoice, or you can store secondary addresses in the Notes or Custom Fields areas.  Once you enter the alternate mailing address, save the customer record.

Step 5: Choose the Correct Address When Creating an Invoice

Now that your customer has both a billing and mailing (shipping) address saved, you can choose which one appears on your invoices.

When you create a new invoice:

1. Select the customer.
2. The billing address automatically appears at the top.
3. To use the alternate address, look for the shipping section on the invoice.

There is a checkbox labeled Ship to. If you have the alternate address stored, it will appear here.  Checking or unchecking this box determines whether the alternate address prints on the invoice.  In some businesses, the mailing address is used instead of the billing address on the invoice. If this is your situation, simply edit the invoice’s address manually before sending it.  QuickBooks Online allows per-invoice address customization without overwriting permanent customer info.

Step 6: Customize Your Form Templates to Show Addresses Correctly

QuickBooks Online allows you to customize invoices, estimates, and other forms so that the addresses appear exactly how you want them. If you need both addresses to show on a single invoice or if you want to hide one,  you can modify the invoice layout.

To do this, go to the form customization settings:

• Adjust the layout so the billing and shipping addresses appear exactly where you want them.
• Rename fields if your alternate address is not used for shipping.
• Change the visibility settings if you only want one address printed.
• Add custom text fields if you need additional labels or instructions.

Customizing your form ensures professional, consistent presentation.

Step 7: Add Additional Addresses Using Notes or Custom Fields

QuickBooks Online only supports one billing and one shipping address per customer by default. But many businesses need more than two addresses—for example:

• Corporate billing + regional billing
• Multiple regional offices
• Multiple shipping or drop-off locations
• Separate legal and mailing addresses

If you need to store more addresses, you have two options:

Use the Notes Section

Enter additional addresses with clear labels such as:

• Secondary AP Address
• Corporate Mailing Address
• Alternative Shipping Dock

These notes don’t print automatically on invoices, but they help your team choose the correct address when preparing documents.

Use Custom Fields

If you use QBO Plus or Advanced, you can create your own custom text fields and label them as needed.

For example:

• “Alternate Mailing Address”
• “Project Site Address”

This allows you to store extra addresses inside the customer profile itself.

Step 8: Verify Address Accuracy Before Sending Invoices

Even with well-organized customer records, errors can still happen if someone forgets to select the correct address during invoice creation.

Before sending an invoice:

• Check whether the billing or shipping address is being used.
• Review the PDF preview to ensure the correct address appears.
• Confirm that any custom fields or form templates are working properly.

This last-minute review helps prevent misdirected documents.

Best Practices for Managing Multiple Addresses in QuickBooks Online

To keep your customer records clean and avoid future mistakes, use the following address management best practices.

Use Clear and Descriptive Address Labels

Instead of simply entering an address, label it with a purpose—for example:

• Billing Address (HQ)
• Mailing – PO Box
• Regional Office – North Division
• AP Department Address

This reduces confusion for staff members.

Standardize Formatting

Addresses should be consistent across your system—for example:

• Don’t mix abbreviations and full words for street names.
• Use consistent capitalization.
• Keep spacing professional and readable.

Verify Addresses Every Six to Twelve Months

Businesses change locations more often than you’d expect. Ask customers periodically if their billing or correspondence addresses have changed.

Avoid Overwriting the Billing Address for Temporary Needs

If a customer asks you to send one invoice to a one-time project site, change it manually on the invoice instead of editing their whole customer profile.

Train Your Team

If multiple employees create invoices, ensure that everyone knows:

• Where to find each address
• When to use the billing address
• When to switch to the alternate mailing/shipping address

Good training avoids costly errors.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Even experienced QuickBooks Online users make mistakes with customer addresses. Here are the most frequent issues and how to avoid them.

Mixing Up Billing and Mailing Addresses

Always confirm which address should appear on invoices. Billing is the default, but customers may request something different.

Ignoring the Shipping Address Checkbox

If the checkbox for showing the shipping address is not selected, the alternate address won’t print, even if it’s saved.

Not Updating Form Templates

If your invoice template doesn’t display the fields you need, QBO won’t show them by default.

Using Notes Instead of Address Fields

Notes are helpful but cannot replace proper billing and shipping fields when printing invoices.

Overwriting Addresses Without Checking Historical Documents

Changing a customer’s billing address may affect future reports or invoices. Always confirm before making permanent changes.

QuickBooks Online provides flexible tools to store and manage both billing and mailing addresses, making it easy to handle customers with multiple locations, PO Boxes, regional branches, or centralized billing systems. By following the steps outlined in this guide;  opening the customer profile, entering billing and mailing addresses, customizing invoices, and verifying details,  you’ll ensure your financial documents always go to the right place.  Accurate address management reduces errors, speeds up billing, enhances professionalism, and strengthens communication with your customers.