How to automate recurring tasks with AI Skills in QuickBooks
Quick answer: Go to Intuit Intelligence > Custom Automations, then either pick a ready-made template (like Invoice reminders or Books cleanup) or start from scratch and describe the task in plain English e.g. "Summarise my sales every Monday." QuickBooks turns that into a scheduled automation you can pause, edit, or delete any time. This feature (AI Skills) is currently in beta, so a few things behave a little differently than you might expect.
What can AI Skills actually do for me?
Instead of manually repeating the same task every week or month, you describe it once and QuickBooks runs it on a schedule automatically. Ready-made templates include:
- Invoice reminders
- Business health check
- Customer follow-up
- Books cleanup
- Revenue-to-cash tracker
- Profit & loss analysis
You're not limited to templates, you can also build a fully custom skill from scratch by just describing what you want automated.
How do I set one up from a template?
- Go to Intuit Intelligence > Custom Automations
- Choose a template (e.g. Invoice reminders)
- Select Customise & Schedule
- Describe what you want in plain language — for example, "run on the first Friday of every month" or "exclude projects that start with Supplies"
- Select Run to start it immediately, or confirm the schedule to let it run automatically
How do I build a custom skill from scratch?
- Go to Intuit Intelligence > Custom Automations
- Select Create > Start from scratch
- Describe the task you want automated
- Review and confirm the schedule QuickBooks sets up
Why can't I find Custom Automations in my QuickBooks?
If you're on QuickBooks Sole Trader, this is expected. Intuit Intelligence (and AI Skills) isn't available on this plan. It currently works with QuickBooks Online Essentials, Plus, and Simple Start.
Does using AI Skills cost me anything extra, or use up something I already pay for?
Yes, creating and running a skill both count against your monthly Intuit Intelligence chat prompt allowance. Worth keeping in mind if you're setting up several automations or running one frequently, so you don't unexpectedly run through your allowance.
How do I check if a skill actually ran, or fix one that's stuck?
Head to Custom Automations it shows you:
- The current status of every skill (running, paused, or errored)
- A full audit log of every past run
- Options to edit or delete any skill at any time
If a skill shows an error, the audit log is the best place to start diagnosing what happened on that run.
Tips for getting a skill set up correctly the first time
Since you're describing the task in your own words rather than filling out fields, being specific up front saves you a round of editing later:
- Say how often it should run (daily, weekly, or a specific day)
- Name who should get the output e.g. "email me a summary"
- Mention any conditions e.g. "only flag invoices more than 30 days overdue"
A couple of things to know: This feature is currently in beta. That means it's still being tested and refined, so you might notice some things change as we improve it. For more support, visit this help article or comment below.