An entry to exp & gst paid gives me this error "You have either selected a tax liability acct where it's not allowed or haven't specified a tax rate." Why? Thanks.

Hello mike23334,

That's a great question and I'd be happy to go over with you why you're getting that message in QuickBooks Online. 

It sounds to me like you're trying to record a sales tax payment to the government, which I know is an important part of keeping your books in balance. QuickBooks Online handles these kinds of transactions directly through the sales tax module and won't allow you to do it through an expense or other transaction type. This is to ensure that the sales tax module can continue to accurately calculate your remittances. It also keeps things simple for you.

Recording the payment through the sales tax module is just a few easy steps that I'll outline below.

1. Select Taxes from the left menu.
2.  Choose the square for the appropriate sales tax agency (example: Canada Revenue Agency).
3. On the Filings tab, find the return you need.
4. Choose Record payment.
5. Fill out the fields as needed.
6. Click Record Payment.

That's all it takes. Once you've done that, you'll be able to see the payment in other areas of your account, such as your account register and in reports. Have a look at the File sales tax article to learn more about the process for filing sales tax in QuickBooks Online.

Give me a shout if you have further questions. I'm here to help. :)