How To Add Different Mailing / Billing Addresses In QuickBooks Desktop

Many businesses rely on QuickBooks Desktop for its robust accounting features, dependable speed, and deep customization options. Even in an era increasingly focused on cloud software, QuickBooks Desktop remains a powerful tool—especially for businesses that need granular control over customer information, invoicing formats, and workflow customization.

One of the most common needs for QuickBooks Desktop users is the ability to add multiple addresses for a single customer or vendor. It’s extremely common for a customer to have:

• A billing address at their headquarters
• A separate mailing address
• A shipping address for deliveries
• A project or field office address

For example, a warehouse may receive goods at one address, while the accounting department that handles invoices may sit across the country. Or a business may require that all legal and billing communication be sent to a PO Box, while mailed statements should go elsewhere.

Understanding Address Types in QuickBooks Desktop

Before diving into the steps, it’s helpful to understand how QuickBooks Desktop organizes addresses within its customer and vendor profiles.

Billing Address

This address prints on invoices, credit memos, finance charge statements, sales receipts, and other financial documents. It represents the customer’s official billing location—typically the accounts-payable department or headquarters.

Shipping Address

This address appears on forms related to product delivery or shipments, such as packing slips and sales orders. In many cases, this address is used as an alternate mailing address when the business does not ship physical goods.

Additional Ship-To Addresses

QuickBooks Desktop Premier, Enterprise, and certain industry editions allow multiple ship-to addresses to be stored for a single customer. These can be used for alternative mailing addresses, branch offices, or project sites.

Company Address and Customer Contact Information

QuickBooks Desktop also allows notes and additional contact fields. These can store informal or special-use addresses when needed.

Understanding what each address is designed for allows you to apply the right address to the right document.

Why Customers Often Require Multiple Addresses

Your ability to manage multiple addresses in QuickBooks Desktop can improve accuracy, reduce errors, and streamline communication.

Here are the most common reasons customers provide multiple addresses:

Separate Accounting Departments

A regional office may handle day-to-day operations, but all invoices must go to a central accounts-payable department. Sending invoices to the wrong address often leads to delayed payments.

Shipping vs. Mailing Needs

Some customers have a physical shipping dock and a separate mailing location or PO Box.

Multiple Sites or Branches

Construction companies, property management companies, franchises, and national chains often operate at multiple addresses.

Corporate vs. Project-Based Billing

Some businesses want invoices for a specific job sent to the on-site trailer or project manager, while corporate headquarters handles annual statements and credit memos.

Legal Requirements

Certain types of documents must be sent to the customer’s legal or official registered address.

QuickBooks Desktop can handle all these situations—the key is knowing how to configure the system.

Step 1: Open the Customer Center

Start QuickBooks Desktop and sign in to your company file.

To access your customer list:

1. Go to the top navigation bar.
2. Click Customers.
3. Select Customer Center.

This opens the main area where all customer information,  including addresses,  is stored.

You will see your customers listed on the left and detailed information about the selected customer on the right.

Step 2: Choose the Customer You Want to Edit

From the Customer Center list:

• Click the customer whose address you wish to add or update.
• If you need to create a new customer, click the button to add a new customer and job.

When you have selected a customer, their full profile appears on the right side of the window.  Here you will see the Billing Address, Shipping Address, and other contact fields.

Step 3: Enter or Edit the Billing Address

The billing address is the most important address because it appears automatically on invoices and many other financial documents.

To edit it:

1. Click the Edit button at the top of the Customer Center window.
2. This opens the Customer Information dialog box.
3. Locate the section labeled Billing Address.

You will see multiline fields where you can type:

• Attention lines (such as “Attn: Accounts Payable”)
• Company name
• Street address
• Suite or building number
• City, state, and postal code
• Country

QuickBooks Desktop automatically formats the billing address exactly as typed, so use clean, consistent formatting.  When you’re finished, leave this section as your primary billing address.

Step 4: Add the Mailing Address Using the Shipping Address Fields

In QuickBooks Desktop, the most common way to store a second mailing address is to use the Shipping Address section.

Below the billing address, you’ll see the Ship To Address fields.

To add an alternate mailing address:

1. Click inside the Ship To Address fields.
2. Enter the mailing address exactly as you want it to appear.
3. Format it clearly with line breaks.

This address will appear on documents such as:

• Packing slips
• Sales orders
• Invoices (if you select the ship-to option)

If you use the shipping address as a formal mailing address, consider adding “Mailing Address:” as the first line to reduce confusion internally.

Step 5: Add Multiple Mailing or Shipping Addresses (If Needed)

QuickBooks Desktop Premier and Enterprise allow you to store multiple ship-to addresses. This is extremely useful for customers with:

• Multiple branch locations
• Several warehouses
• Different regional offices
• Rotating job sites
• Temporary project addresses

To add more ship-to addresses:

1. Look for the option labeled Ship-To List or a dropdown selection.
2. Use the Add New button to create additional addresses.
3. Label each address clearly (for example, “Warehouse North,” “AP Mailing Address,” “Site 32 – East Project”).

These address labels help your team select the correct one during invoicing.

Step 6: Use the Correct Address When Creating an Invoice

Once the customer profile includes both mailing and billing addresses, QuickBooks Desktop lets you choose which one appears when creating or sending an invoice.

To choose an address on an invoice:

1. Open a new invoice form.
2. Select the customer.
3. The billing address automatically appears in the Bill To section.
4. The Ship To field will show the default shipping or mailing address, but it can be changed.

If you want the alternate address to appear on the document you are sending:

• Click the Ship To dropdown.
• Choose the correct alternate address.

If your business sometimes needs to send invoices to the mailing address rather than the billing address, you can manually overwrite the Bill To field for that specific invoice.  This change does not affect the permanent customer record.

Step 7: Customize Your Forms to Display Addresses the Way You Want

QuickBooks Desktop gives you deep customization options over what appears on your invoices, estimates, sales orders, and other forms.

To customize your invoice template:

1. Open an existing invoice.
2. Click the Customize button.
3. Choose the appropriate layout editor.

In the layout editor you can:

• Add or remove the Ship To fields
• Adjust where the billing and mailing addresses appear
• Add labels to clarify different address types
• Resize address blocks
• Insert custom text fields if needed

This allows you to make your forms clean, professional, and aligned with your customers’ expectations.

Step 8: Use Customer Notes for Extra Addresses or Instructions

Sometimes a customer has more addresses than QuickBooks Desktop can store. In these cases, use the Notes field in the customer profile.

The notes field is ideal for:

• One-time project site addresses
• Seasonal addresses
• Temporary mailing locations
• Special instructions such as “Send statements to PO Box”

When creating an invoice, your staff can quickly check the notes section to confirm which address to use.

Step 9: Verify Addresses Before Sending Invoices

Even with addresses stored correctly, human errors can occur. Before finalizing or emailing an invoice:

• Review the Bill To and Ship To fields.
• Preview the printed or PDF version of the invoice.
• Confirm that the correct customer address is displayed.

This quick check prevents misdirected invoices, delayed payments, and customer confusion.

Best Practices for Managing Multiple Addresses in QuickBooks Desktop

To streamline your workflow and reduce errors, follow these best practices.

Use Clear Labels

When storing multiple addresses, use descriptive labels such as:

• “Billing – HQ”
• “Mailing – PO Box”
• “Warehouse Receiving Dock”
• “Project Site – Lot 14”

This helps anyone on your team understand which address to choose.

Standardize Formatting

Make sure that addresses follow consistent formatting throughout your company file.

Verify and Update Regularly

Customers change addresses often. Review your customer list periodically to ensure accuracy.

Train Your Staff

Make sure your team knows:

• Where addresses are stored
• How to choose the correct address
• How to customize forms
• When to use or override shipping addresses

Proper training prevents costly mistakes.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Mixing Up Mailing and Billing Addresses

If the mailing address is stored in the billing field, invoices may get routed incorrectly.

Overwriting Addresses Instead of Adding New Ones

If a customer has multiple locations, do not replace the billing address unless instructed.

Ignoring the Form Layout

If your invoice template doesn’t show the shipping address, it will not print even if saved.

Assuming QuickBooks Desktop Only Supports One Address

Many users don’t realize they can store multiple ship-to addresses.

QuickBooks Desktop provides powerful and flexible tools for managing multiple addresses for each customer. By understanding how billing, mailing, and shipping addresses work.  By taking advantage of features such as multiple ship-to addresses, customized templates, and customer notes,  you can ensure that your invoices, deliveries, statements, and correspondence always go to the correct place.  This not only improves your billing accuracy but also strengthens your professionalism and customer relationships.