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"Create Expense" zap for Quickbooks Online giving "Required param missing" error

  • March 4, 2025
  • 5 replies
  • 83 views

I’m trying to use the “Create Expense” zap to add an expense to Quickbooks Online, but every time I test I see this error:

 

The app returned "Required param missing, need to supply the required value for the API".

 

All the required fields have data; and I understand that some fields are required by the API only if a certain setting is selected, but I’ve done so much trial and error and nothing seems to work. I’ve tried to compare to the API documentation from Intuit, but it isn’t that helpful.

I’ve also found this documentation on the integration, but it does not apply in my case because this it not for a recurring transaction.

I know my integration works because “Find Invoice” works just fine. We’re on the Plus tier at QBO and that doesn’t seem to be an issue.

Any thoughts would be helpful.

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5 replies

Troy Tessalone
Zapier Orchestrator & Solution Partner
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  • Zapier Orchestrator & Solution Partner
  • 34081 replies
  • March 4, 2025

Hi ​@anekola 

For us to have more info, post screenshots showing:

  • the encountered error
  • how your Zap steps are outlined and configured in EDIT mode with the field mappings visible

  • Author
  • New
  • 2 replies
  • March 5, 2025

 


Troy Tessalone
Zapier Orchestrator & Solution Partner
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  • Zapier Orchestrator & Solution Partner
  • 34081 replies
  • March 5, 2025

@anekola 

There may be conditionally required fields.

You can click field labels that are underlined to see tooltips with more info that may provide guidance.

You can try turning the Zap ON, then testing live.

After that, check your Zap Runs history details to see the LOGS, which may contain more info about the error.


  • Author
  • New
  • 2 replies
  • March 5, 2025

Field labels unfortunately didn’t help in this Zap.

But GREAT idea to test it live in order to see the logs — I had no idea that would give me such detail. Here was the error I found that helped me figure out what was going on:

{ "Fault": { "Error": [ { "Message": "Required param missing, need to supply the required value for the API", "Detail": "Required parameter Line.ItemBasedExpenseLineDetail.ItemRef is missing in the request", "code": "2020", "element": "Line.ItemBasedExpenseLineDetail.ItemRef" } ], "type": "ValidationFault" }, "time": "2025-03-04T20:58:22.927-08:00" }

In summary, I shouldn’t have had ANY fields in the “Line Items” section completed.

Thanks for the tip!


SamB
Community Manager
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  • Community Manager
  • 9751 replies
  • March 6, 2025

That’s great news, ​@anekola! 🎉 So pleased Troy was able to help point you in the right direction. 🙌

Just wanted to add that the "Line.ItemBasedExpenseLineDetail.ItemRef" part of the error was likely referring to the Product/Service field, which had no value selected:7515bb235797cad69fe3098d83ba918f.png

In QuickBooks, products and services have a unique ID (ItemRef) which needs to be selected but only a description for the product/service was given. If you wanted to keep the “HubSpot fee for transaction” description you could set up a default product/service in QuickBooks, like “HubSpot Fees” and select that from the Product/Service field.

If the product/service varies each time the Zap runs, you could add a Find Product action in QuickBooks to locate the correct product (or create one if it doesn’t exist), then map its ID to that Product/Service field.

Hope that helps! Let us know if you run into any more issues or have any questions. 🙂