Welcome to another QuickBooks Minute. I'm Jayne Miller, The QuickBooks Gal.
If you are just starting out with a small business and you're on a tight budget, you don't have to sacrifice your accounting system. Look sharp, learn a great software, and keep track of your income and expenses with Intuit's great starter software - Simple Start.
It’s available for free at the QuickBooks website. It’s for first time users – you can’t import from Quicken, QuickBooks, or Peachtree, but, you can grow with it and upgrade Simple Start to other versions of QuickBooks if needed.
As you complete everyday transactions, you'll be automatically tracking tax-related income and expenses, making tax time a snap.
Track the money flowing in and out of your business.
Know who it comes from and where it goes. Simple Start keeps sales, expense, and customer information in one place, so it's easy to find what you need when you need it.
Look more professional with easily–customized estimates and invoices. Get totals automatically, without writing formulas or doing math.
One great feature is that you can easily import the data you've tracked in Excel spreadsheets into Simple Start
It’s not a trial version– there's no expiration date.
Simple Start is free software that lets you track thousands of customers or vendors. Use it as long as you like.
Upgrade whenever you're ready and transfer the data you've already entered.
That's today's QuickBooks Gal minute. Please come back for more tips and tricks for QuickBooks users.
I’m Jayne Miller, the QuickBooks Gal. Thanks for listening.
Got a QuickBooks Mess? Call The QuickBooks Gal!
QuickBooks, Enterprise Solutions, Point of Sale, Peachtree Microsoft Office Accounting & Microsoft Point Of Sale
Welcome to the QuickBooks Minute. I’m Jayne Miller, the QuickBooks Gal
Today we’re talking about classes in QuickBooks. And I don’t mean going back to school.
Class tracking is a powerful feature that allows you to view reports such as your profit and loss by location, branch office, or other class that you define.
In order to use class tracking, the first thing you have to do is turn that feature on.
Go to the "Edit" menu and select "Preferences."
From there, Click on "Accounting" and select the "Company Preferences" tab.
Now click in the box next to "Use Class Tracking" to turn the feature on.
Once you've done that click OK.
Now every time you write a check, enter a bill, or record a deposit, you will see a "class" column.
To add classes you can either type something into that column the first time you need to set it up (QuickBooks will prompt you to create the class) or you can go to the "Lists" menu and click on "Class List" which will open up a window displaying your existing classes where you can add or modify them.
The only thing left is to now view reports by class.
That's today's QuickBooks Gal minute. Please come back for more tips and tricks for QuickBooks users.
I’m Jayne Miller, the QuickBooks Gal. Thanks for listening.
Got a QuickBooks Mess? Call The QuickBooks Gal!
QuickBooks, Enterprise Solutions, Point of Sale, Peachtree Microsoft Office Accounting & Microsoft Point Of Sale
“Quicklet” - A Podcast for QuickBooks Pro, Premier, Enterprise Solutions, Point of Sale and Peachtree users featuring helpful information, tips, tricks and suggestions for bookkeepers, business owners, and consultants.
Got a QuickBooks Mess? Call The QuickBooks Gal!
Hi, I'm Jayne Miller, The QuickBooks Gal. Welcome to another in my series of “Quicklets” – informational podcasts about QuickBooks, Peachtree and related bookkeeping topics.
Quite often, I get calls from folks who do their own payroll with questions about the standard payroll tax reports that need to be filed. Since I am in Nevada, I would like to recap the payroll reports, Federal and State, that need to be filed quarterly.
Here's a quick Check-list of the quarterly and annual reports you will need to file if you live in Nevada:
941 Employers Quarterly Federal Tax Return Nevada State Unemployment Nevada Modified Business Tax 940 FUTA Nevada Child Support Collection Fee
Let's take these one by one, quarterly and annually "to do's". . .
Typically, you will receive this form in the mail, however you can produce it directly from your QuickBooks company file by selecting Process Payroll Forms in the Home Page of QuickBooks.
Follow the onscreen instructions to complete the form. Ideally, you have made all of the required 941 tax deposits for the quarter reported and you have process liability payments properly in QuickBooks.
Once the report is completed, if possible save a PDF copy for your records. Print 2 copies - one to mail and one for your files.
If you purchase the State tax tables from Intuit when you obtain payroll tax tables, you can produce this report directly from information in your QuickBooks payroll file.
Make sure you have properly paid all liabilities for the quarter reported and it is very important that you set up the payroll items with the proper rates and the correct liability agency.
Once you have completed the form in QuickBooks, make sure you save a PDF of the form for your files. Print 2 copies, one for your records and one to mail to the proper agency.
If you have not purchased the state tax tables, I suggest you call Intuit today and do so....it is worth the additional annual fee.
Follow the link above to find a blank form. It is not an onscreen fill-in form, but you can print it and fill it out.
This is another Nevada quarterly return. You should receive this by mail quarterly, but if you prefer, you can follow this link to a fill-in form. You can not produce this form from QuickBooks, but you will need to know the GROSS WAGES and any qualifying MEDICAL INSURANCE amounts in order to complete the form.
4 - 940 FUTA
You will not receive a form nor is there one for this tax....you have to remember to pay this one when it is due!
This is a tax that you will pay to the IRS the same way you pay 941 liabliities. By that, I mean that if you take 941 payments to the bank using a coupon (8109-B), then you will do the same with these payments only you will select tax type 940 and, of course select the proper quarter. If you pay by phone or online, pay this tax the same way.
You will not get a reminder on this one. You are not required to pay this one until you have a liability of $500. Since this tax is only on the first $7000 earned per employee, typically most employers will have little or no liability after the second quarter (unless they hire new employees or have a lot of turnover).
5 - Nevada Child Support Fee
If you have employees for whom you pay child support that is withheld from their paychecks, you are required to pay $2.00 per paycheck (if there was a child support deduction). This is due quarterly. Check your child support orders for the proper submission address. This fee is deducted from employee's gross pay and should be accrued as a payroll liablility that you pay quarterly.
This form recaps the liabilities and payments made for 940 FUTA.
You should receive a blank form from the IRS in late December or early January. It can also be produced in QuickBooks or you can follow the link above for an online fill-in form.
This report is due (mailed to IRS) by Jan 31st of the new year.
2 - W-2 forms
These are the forms we send out to our employees that recap their gross earnings, Federal Tax withheld, Social Security & Medicare Withheld and any applicable funds (401K, Simple IRA, for example).
You can produce these forms directly from QuickBooks (visit my e-store for great savings on forms, checks and supplies).
They are due:
Employee copies - postmark no later than Jan 31st
Federal copies - postmark no later than Feb 28st (29th - leap years)
These are issued to your employees at the time of employment and should be updated annually. Employers use the information on these forms to input the employee's correct social security number, address, filing status and number of withholding deductions.
1099 Independent Contractors
While this is not a payroll issue, you should obtain a W-9 from your independent contractors or independent service providers. Those who are not incorporated will be issued a form 1099 at the end of the year....same issuing deadlines as W-2 forms.
You can produce these from QuickBooks...check out my archives for step by step directions.
This is a good check list for payroll processors. I had many clients who did not receive the 941 Employers Quarterly Report from the IRS for Q-2 2008. That is not an acceptable excuse for not filing this report.
You have the list and you have the links....if you don't have Federal and State tax forms in QuickBooks...get it! It is a great value, saves time and in the long run, will save you money. Now you have all the tools to process payroll forms like a pro!
Welcome to the QuickBooks Minute. I’m Jayne Miller, the QuickBooks Gal.
Did you know that you can change the default title of a form when you view it onscreen and when you print it?
You can also change the way the title looks when the form is printed. For example, you can change the font, add a line or border around the title, and move the title to a different location.
Here’s how:
1. Open the Customize window.
2. To change the default title, click the Header field and enter the new title in the Title field.
3. To change the way the title appears on the printed form:
a. Click the Layout Designer button.
b. In the Layout Designer, do any or all of the following:
- Move the title to a different position on the form
- Change the font for the form title
- Add borders or lines around the title
- Add a background color to the title (if you will print the form on a color printer)
4. When done, click OK to close the Layout Designer window.
5. Click OK to close the Customize window.
6. To see how the form will look when you print it, preview the form.
That's today's QuickBooks Gal minute. Please come back for more tips and tricks for QuickBooks users.
I’m Jayne Miller, the QuickBooks Gal. Thanks for listening.
Got a QuickBooks Mess? Call The QuickBooks Gal!
QuickBooks, Enterprise Solutions, Point of Sale, Peachtree Microsoft Office Accounting & Microsoft Point Of Sale
Welcome to the QuickBooks Minute. I’m Jayne Miller, the QuickBooks Gal.
If you are a retailer with one cash register in one store or you have 10 stores and need 10 cash register stations, then QuickBooks Point of Sale is a great solution.
In addition to being a great product, Certified Point of Sale ProAdvisors are local and accessible when you need assistance. Their proven experience in the Point of Sale software and hardware installation, implementation and training is an added bonus when using this product.
This is a dynamic product. Our clients like the product and they really like the fact that they can find a local expert to help them get started.
When you are ready to move up to a Point of Sale system, call us...we're QuickBooks Certified Point of Sale ProAdvisors who can answer your questions, provide installation & implementation support, and offer premium pricing in our online store.
That's today's QuickBooks Gal minute. Please come back for more tips and tricks for QuickBooks users.
I’m Jayne Miller, the QuickBooks Gal. Thanks for listening.
Got a QuickBooks Mess? Call The QuickBooks Gal!
QuickBooks, Enterprise Solutions, Point of Sale, Peachtree Microsoft Office Accounting & Microsoft Point Of Sale
Welcome to the QuickBooks Minute. I’m Jayne Miller, the QuickBooks Gal.
I’m constantly surprised by how many QuickBooks users either have NO password on their files, or who have only one “main” password for the entire office to use.
This is a terrible idea!
Everyone who uses your QuickBooks file should have their own user name and password. Let's review two very important reasons for individual, unique user names & passwords.
First:
QuickBooks has a great built in feature called an “audit trail” which will let you go back and research who did what. In newer versions, the audit trail is always on.
It will tell you that Jayne deleted check 1234 on March 5th – but only if Jayne is logged in under her own name.
If everyone uses the same user name, then you will only know that “Someone” deleted that check.
Second, and very importantly:
It is human nature, that despite the fact that we shouldn’t, we often use the same password in QuickBooks as we do in other places such as our online banking.
If all of your employees know that ”jellybean” is the QuickBooks password you set up, one of them might just guess that it is also your password for your online banking, email, or online trading account as well.
Guard your passwords and your online security by giving everyone a unique password and user name. If you are the administrator change your password periodically and take care that you do not share it with anyone.
And never, never, never use the same password for any file or program in your office that you do for financial or personal security.
That's today's QuickBooks Gal minute. Please come back for more tips and tricks for QuickBooks users.
I’m Jayne Miller, the QuickBooks Gal. Thanks for listening.
Got a QuickBooks Mess? Call The QuickBooks Gal!
QuickBooks, Enterprise Solutions, Point of Sale, Peachtree Microsoft Office Accounting & Microsoft Point Of Sale
Welcome to the QuickBooks Minute. I’m Jayne Miller, the QuickBooks Gal.
Until the most recent version of QuickBooks, which finally let us integrate the QuickBooks email function with Microsoft Outlook, one of the biggest frustrations of QuickBooks users who use the email function in QuickBooks has been that once something was sent it was essentially gone.
Until now, there was no way to go back to a "sent" folder and take a look at the notes that had been typed in messages to clients or vendors.
Of course, if you are like some of our clients who don't like using Outlook for email - then you still have this frustration as well. Unless, you use this great tip:
In your Preferences, go to the "send forms" section.
Click on "Company Preferences," and then add your email address to the "Bcc" field.
This will automatically send a copy of every email you send out of QuickBooks to you, blindly, so that your customers & vendors aren't even aware that you are doing this.
You may even want to set up a specific email address that you use only as your virtual "sent" box if you send a high volume of forms from QuickBooks.
That's today's QuickBooks Gal minute. Please come back for more tips and tricks for QuickBooks users.
I’m Jayne Miller, the QuickBooks Gal. Thanks for listening.
Got a QuickBooks Mess? Call The QuickBooks Gal!
QuickBooks, Enterprise Solutions, Point of Sale, Peachtree Microsoft Office Accounting & Microsoft Point Of Sale
“Quicklet” - A Podcast for QuickBooks Pro, Premier, Enterprise Solutions, Point of Sale and Peachtree users featuring helpful information, tips, tricks and suggestions for bookkeepers, business owners, and consultants.
Hi, I'm Jayne Miller, The QuickBooks Gal. Welcome to another in my series of “Quicklets” – informational podcasts about QuickBooks, Peachtree and related bookkeeping topics. Today's topic:
Creating and using Vendor Credits in QuickBooks.
One of our listeners recently wrote in a question asking about posting a credit from a vendor. She received a voucher for services and wasn't sure how to record it. Well, fortunately, this is an easy process.
1 - Post the credit just like a bill, but change the form to a credit
2 - Post your bills normally
3- When you are ready to pay the bill, select it and you will notice that the Credits & Discounts button in the lower right-hand corner of the pay bills window will activate.
4 - Press that button and then select the credit you wish to apply. If you don't use all of the credit, then select the next bill and repeat the process until you have used up all the credit.
Coming Soon!
QuickBooks Minutes - QuickBooks tips. One minute tips and suggestions from The QuickBooks Gal!
Add to iTunes