QuickBooks Reminders Prevent Problems

Preserve your relationships with customers, vendors, and others by setting up reminders in QuickBooks. How many calendars do you maintain? Many businesspeople have more than one. Maybe you use a web-based or desktop application like Google Calendar or Outlook for meetings, task deadlines, travel dates, etc. Your Customer Relationship Manager (CRM) might have another. Perhaps you still have a paper calendar as backup. But where do you keep track of bills that need to be paid, invoices that have to be sent, inventory items that must be ordered, etc.? Do you include that information in your general business calendar(s) and hope they don't get lost in the shuffle? QuickBooks has a better solution. The software contains a dedicated set of tools that automates the process of setting up and displaying reminders. Once you've created them, they can be the first thing you see when you open QuickBooks in the morning. Warning: If you do not launch QuickBooks frequently, consider tracking your critical accounting tasks using a different method. Getting a Head Start QuickBooks lets you specify exactly when you want to receive reminders of upcoming activities. To set this up, open the Edit menu, then click Preferences, and then Reminders | Company Preferences. Note: If you want QuickBooks to display your reminders every time you launch the software, click on the My Preferences tab and make sure that the box in front of Show Reminders List when opening a Company file is checked. If it isn't, click in the box. Figure 1: QuickBooks provides personalization tools for your reminders. As you can see, QuickBooks offers three options for every activity type. It can either display a summary of the tasks that need to be completed, or it can actually list all of them in the Reminders window. And you'll be able to tell QuickBooks how many days prior to the deadline your reminders should appear. You can also opt not to be reminded. Making modifications in this window is easy. Just click in the appropriate circle next to each task to indicate your preference, and change any numbers in the Remind Me column to tell QuickBooks when it should start showing the reminder. If you didn't indicate that you wanted the Reminders window to open every time you launch QuickBooks, you can always access it by opening the Company menu and selecting Reminders. Using the List Figure 2: Reminders in the left column are current, and those on the right are upcoming tasks. The Reminders list displays items in two columns. Tasks that need to be done on the current day appear on the left (overdue tasks appear in red). The list in the right column consists of upcoming transactions that will need to be processed soon. Each type of activity has a number in parentheses after it; this tells you how many individual tasks are pending. Click on the arrow to see the list, and double-click on any entry to open the actual transaction form. You can add generic to-do items to either column by clicking on the plus sign in the upper right. These will appear along with your other reminders. If you want to modify anything related to your reminders, click on the gear icon in the upper right. This opens the Preferences window again. Recurring Reminders Transactions that repeat on a regular basis (bills, invoices, etc.) can be memorized. If the amount is always the same, create the transaction and enter the amount; if not, just leave that field blank. Click Memorize to open the Memorize Transaction window and click on the button in front of Add to my Reminders List. Open the drop-down list to the right of How Often and select the desired frequency. Make sure that the Next Date is correct. Click OK. Figure 3: QuickBooks can add memorized transactions to your reminders list. Reminders can help prevent serious accounting problems such as cash flow irregularities. Let us know if you're experiencing these. We can help you determine whether poor task management is contributing to your shortfall, or if there are deeper issues that we can work with you to resolve.

Do You Need a More Robust Version of QuickBooks?

Maybe you just need to study your current version thoroughly. But it might be time to move up. If QuickBooks were just one product, its appeal would be more limited than it is. Because there's an entire family of Windows desktop software applications (as well as five online versions and a Mac edition), the QuickBooks family has found a home in millions of small businesses, and it remains the market leader. Though QuickBooks versions themselves are not scalable (able to expand as your business grows), you can move up to a more sophisticated edition when you outgrow your current version. But how do you know whether it's time to upgrade or whether you're just not stretching your current version to its fullest capabilities? We can help you determine that, and we'll help you move into a more appropriate edition when/if that occurs. Desktop Differences There are three Windows-based versions of QuickBooks: Pro, Premier and Enterprise Solutions. They all let you: • Import and export data • Track income and expenses • Build and maintain records for customers, vendors, employees and items • Create and send transaction forms like invoices, estimates and purchase orders • Download bank and credit card transactions, and pay bills online • Customize and run dozens of reports • Keep track of your inventory of items, and • Add a payroll-processing service. All three versions share a similar user interface and navigational scheme, so when you move up to the next level, you only need to learn the new features. The 2013 offerings make it even easier to learn and use QuickBooks, since Intuit completely revamped the look and feel for those most current editions. QuickBooks Pro is the base desktop product, offering everything in the above list and more. But would you rather have access to 150+ reports instead of 100, including some that are industry-specific? QuickBooks Premier can provide that, in addition to charts of accounts, sample files and menus tailored to your company's industry. It also offers a business plan builder and the ability to forecast sales and expenses. The biggest jump in functionality, though, occurs when you move up to QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions. You may want to consider this upgrade when you find that, for example: • Your system keeps slowing down and experiencing errors because your customer, vendor, item and employee databases have grown too large • You need to have more than five people accessing QuickBooks simultaneously • You've launched a second company, and/or • Your item catalog has grown to the point where you're having trouble managing your multi-location inventory. Robust Accounting QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions is well-suited to complex small businesses, and sometimes even larger companies, depending on their structure and needs. It solves the data management problems that Pro and Premier users can experience, thanks to its 100,000+ record and account capacity. Up to 30 individuals can use the software at the same time, and they have more flexibility than is offered in Pro and Premier. Multiple users can be on the system and still complete tasks like adjusting inventory and changing sales tax rates. You can manage more than one business using QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions, even working in two company files at the same time and combining reports. Reporting capabilities themselves are much more sophisticated: The Intuit Statement Writer helps you create professional financial statements, and you have much more control over customization of your output. Inventory management goes many steps further in this sophisticated software. It supports management of multiple warehouse and trucks, and allows transfers among them. Finding specific items is much easier because you can track down to the bin level. FIFO costing is offered as an alternative to average costing, and you can scan items and serial numbers directly into QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions, which tracks both serial and lot numbers. More Power, More Support There are many smaller features that make this application far more powerful than QuickBooks Pro and Premier - and also a little more difficult to master. When you think the time is right, we can help you move your current data file into QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions and provide training. It's important that you have the right fit when it comes to your accounting software. So consider your current setup carefully before you decide to move up.

Cutting Expenses

Cutting Expenses Key To Profitability, But How? Some Tips

It may seem like a no-brainer – cut expenses to make more money – but many small changes can result in significant savings.

It looks like the economy may finally be looking up. Still, this is no time to loosen the purse strings in terms of your business expenses. Rather, why not re-double your efforts to cut costs and boost your profitability?

Excessive expenses cause debt, which in itself can be very costly. So any money-saving actions you take will be doubly rewarding.

More Effective Money Management

To cut expenses significantly, poke into every corner of your company's finances. Inventory is a good place to start. If you sell multiple units of the same item and reorder regularly, you should be using QuickBooks' inventory-tracking tools. Go to Edit | Preferences | Items & Inventory | Company Preferences.

You should be stocking your inventory to match the pace of sales. You don't want to be caught short, nor do you want to be sitting on too much and tying up money unnecessarily. QuickBooks can help, but you'll need to calculate the sweet spot for each item. Several built-in reports can help, including:

·         Inventory Valuation Summary. Displays the current asset and retail value of each item and inventory as a whole

·         Inventory Valuation Detail. Shows how individual transactions have affected the value of your inventory

·         Inventory Stock Status By Item. Helps you set up smart reordering procedures

·         Open Purchase Orders. Outlines each purchase order and its expected delivery date

To maintain profitable inventory levels and minimize expenses, you'll need to study QuickBooks' related reports regularly. When you're making buying decisions, consider factors like reorder turnaround time and seasonal sales upticks. 

Ratio reports, like profit over sales, can also be very telling. QuickBooks does not supply these, but we can help you create them in Excel.

Using Available Tools

The efforts you make toward reducing expenses in other ways can result in more savings than you might think. Here are some actions you can take that will accelerate your cash flow:

Use QuickBooks' budgeting tools. This doesn't need to be as onerous as you might expect – you can start by pulling in your real data from the previous year as a base. Build in line items for ongoing accounting support like QuickBooks maintenance. Click on Company | Planning & Budgeting | Set Up Budgets.

Minimize your April 15 obligation with year-round tax planning. Work with us throughout the year on the next year's taxes to, for example, make smarter quarterly payments, and we'll help you reduce your tax bill by making better decisions every day.

Get discounts by paying invoices early. Set up a custom field in vendor records to track this.

Analyze the cost-effectiveness of your transportation. Can you replace some in-person sales calls with web-based communication? Make sure that your delivery routes and sales call paths are efficient.

Change product/service prices to build in your own cost increases. Do it across the board, in small increments. It may not even be that noticeable to customers.

Talk to us about establishing a line of credit. We'll help you determine if this is a viable option for emergencies. It's cheaper than using credit cards.

Cross-train employees. Have employees train each other on their tasks where it makes sense. You can avoid costly temp help and relieve overworked departments.

Don't try to change everything at once. Establishing these new procedures will require some extra work. And you may not notice a reduction in expenses immediately. But over time, you will see a positive change – one that will give you extra dollars and hours to invest in making your company flourish.

Year-end adjustments QuickBooks makes automatically

QuickBooks adjusts your income and expense accounts at year-end to zero. Your new fiscal year will start with a zero net income.

QuickBooks makes an adjusting entry to your net income. Say your profit for the year was $9,000, you will see this balance in the equity section of your Balance Sheet as net income of $9,000.

QuickBooks increases your Retained Earnings equity account on the first day of the next fiscal year by the previous year's net income ($9,000 in this example) and decreases your net income by the same amount. This way, you start the fiscal year with a net income of zero.

Modifying QuickBooks Reports Gives You Better Insight Into Past, Future

If you make one resolution about improving your accounting procedures in 2012, it should be this: Make extensive use of the tools that QuickBooks offers for report modification. Comprehensive, meticulously-shaped reports that flow out of your carefully-constructed records and transactions are your reward for pounding on the keys every day, conscientiously recording income and expenses.

QuickBooks supplies you with a wide variety of pre-formatted reports whose modification options can help you do focused, critical analysis of your financial data. The right set of numbers will help you understand your history and plan for the future more effectively.

Check your preferences

When you created your company file in QuickBooks, you chose between reporting on a cash (income and expenses are recorded when money changes hands) or accrual (recorded when you invoice or receive a bill) basis. This affects summary reports, but not those that break out individual transactions or are simply lists.

If you want to change this, click Edit | Preferences | Reports & Graphs | Company Preferences and click the desired button:

You can set other preferences in this window that will affect your report output here.

Altering the display

Open the Income by Customer Summary report (Reports | Company & Financial). Change the dates to reflect a range you'd like to see. Want the data displayed by different time increments – like week or quarter – instead of just the total? Click the arrow next to Columns and select Four week. 

By default, your report rows display alphabetically. If you want to view a column by total in ascending or descending order, select the column by hovering over the top number until the magnifying glass appears, and click on it. Click the arrow next to Sort by and choose Total, then click the AZ [down arrow] icon (in some reports, there will be other options here).

Additional options in this toolbar let you:

·         Memorize the report

·         Print, email or export it to Excel

·         Hide or Show the Header

·         Collapse or Expand the columns

·         Refresh the report if you've made changes that will alter data

More display options

Click Customize Report:

Some of the options here duplicate what you saw in the toolbar. In addition, you can switch between Accrual and Cash for just this report, and add sub columns in some. The latter is a complicated operation, one that you must understand well in order to glean any insight from it. We can help you with this.

Sometimes the sub columns are generic, as shown in the screen above. In other reports, they're very specific to that group of data.

Clicking on Revert takes you back to the default format, and Advanced opens additional options specific to the current report.

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More customization = more insightful results = more informed financial choices

Transaction reports have many similarities and two major differences: You can change the column order by hovering your cursor over the column label until a hand appears. Click, hold and drag the column to the desired spot and let go. You can also add or delete columns by clicking Customize Report and checking or unchecking labels.

Learn the mechanics of report display modification well, and your company's finances will come into much sharper focus, improving the wisdom of future choices. 

If you have questions on this or any other QuickBooks feature, call or email us. We’re here to make your business better.

How do you charge sales tax to multiple general ledger accounts, since I have more than one state that I owe sales tax to?

All sales tax items default to the Sales Tax Liabilty account on the G/L, this cannot be changed. If you have them set-up properly, you should see the different vendors and the amounts payable on the Sales Tax Liability report. To run this report:

1.    Click on Reports (across the top)

2.    Click on Vendors & Payables

3.    Click on Sales Tax Liability

Make sure to select the date range you are reporting on.

Set up item codes for each state sales taxes,  and for some states, you will need multiple item codes for each county/city.    New York as example, has different rates for each county.    Orange County, Dutchess County, Westchester County each have its own rate, and Sales to each county are required to be reported.
As far as the liability - you might need to set up sub-accounts under Sales Tax Payable, and do a journal entry to move the liability on a daily, weekly, monthly or quarterly basis. 

QuickBooks 2012: New Paths to Better, Faster Financial Management

As it usually does this time of year, Intuit has introduced new versions of its Pro and Premier products. QuickBooks 2012 promises to help you get better organized, save steps, and acquire more in-depth financial insights.

The new Express Start is designed for businesses that want to blast through setup and start entering customers and invoices. You have two other options, though: Advanced Setup is the old EasyStep interview that solicits more details. You can also open an existing file or convert data from Quicken or other accounting software.

Express Start requires minimal input: company name, industry, company type, tax ID, and contact information. After you save your company file, it lets you start adding or importing customers/vendors/employees, products/services, and bank accounts.

An Activity-Driven Calendar

QuickBooks' Reminders keep you apprised of each day's tasks, but they don't provide any information about the past or future. QuickBooks 2012 solves this problem with its new Calendar. When you enter an appointment, to-do, or key business task (invoices, bills, purchase orders, etc.), it appears in the calendar. You can display a graphical view of the month that tallies activities for each day and lists them below. Daily and weekly views are in list form. And links open the original documents.

Save Excel Formatting

Once you've formatted a QuickBooks report in Excel, it's frustrating to have to reformat it each time you run it for different time periods and/or with your ever-changing content.  Excel Integration Refresh simplifies this process. You can now export a report to Excel, make formatting changes and save them, and then reapply them later to the same type of report using different date ranges and your updated QuickBooks data. Acceptable alterations include:

·         Row and column header font formatting

·         New formulas

·         Renamed column and row headers, and report titles

·         Resized columns

·         Inserted columns and rows

·         Inserted formula text

You can do this by opening your report in QuickBooks and clicking Update an existing worksheet, or by launching your report in Excel and clicking the QuickBooks tab on the toolbar, then the Update Report button.

A New Report Community

There's always room for more report formats. QuickBooks 2012 offers a library of Contributed Reports, variations created either by Intuit or your fellow users. You can select one of these, like Customer Sales By Quantity By Item Detail and instantly populate it with your own data.

You can sort these templates by industry and rating, and view them as a list, in a grid, or in the Report Center's Carousel view.

Centralized Operations

QuickBooks 2012 also saves you time with its new Centers. The Inventory Center works similarly to those available for customers, vendors, and employees. It's a clearinghouse of item records and transactions that can be viewed and sorted. You can also do inventory housekeeping tasks here, like adding items and launching transactions.

The Lead Center helps you carefully track new leads that you either paste in from Excel or enter manually. You can add to-dos and notes to contact records, and convert them into customers.

Upgrading Can Be Tricky

Intuit has included other, smaller time-saving organizational and reporting tools in QuickBooks 2012, like One-Click Transactions, which lets you create related transactions from existing ones (i.e., invoice to credit memo) with one click.

There's nothing especially difficult about using most of QuickBooks 2012's new features. But upgrading and setup are sometimes quirky, and the Excel Integration Refresh tool has a learning curve. We're happy to help you start your company file on the right foot or get acclimated to this latest version.