Category Archives: Software

QuickBooks Software, Software

QuickBooks 2017 Has Arrived!

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It’s time once again for me to share what an amazing human being Charlie Russell is.  One of my favorite bloggers anywhere and on any topic, he’s just released a new article called “QuickBooks 2017 Has Arrived! Here Is What to Expect“.  I encourage you to read all of it, as he does the most wonderful job of presenting illustrations, describing his testing, and offering real-life interpretations of everything, including the value he sees in various features.

To summarize, however, I’ll quote a few of Charlie’s responses from the comments section (run together with ellipses):

“Intuit is continuing with their recent policy of making fewer changes in the annual release of QuickBooks than in the past… Back in Fall 2014 Intuit stated that there would only be incremental improvements to the desktop product, few if any big significant changes. They want to keep the desktop people happy long enough for them to get comfortable with the idea of an online product, and then get them to move over there… I’m still waiting for the online products to match their hype.”

That said, there are some really nice changes to this year’s version of the QuickBooks Desktop software.  My personal favorites are (1) Search Improvements and (2) Report Customization Improvements, though some folks are pretty excited about (3) Scheduled Reports, and (4) Security Updates.

In addition, there are some miscellaneous improvements that are a total relief… as in FINALLY!

  • The Record Deposits icon shows the number of deposits that are available.
  • A Cleared flag shows on cleared credit card charges.
  • If a User is deleted, the deleted user’s name will still show on the audit trail.
  • Your Company name will print on the deposit summary.
  • You can copy/paste detail lines on weekly timesheets.

Now, as Charlie points out:

“Accounting professionals will have to get the new version, of course, because you will have clients who have the new version. You need this version to work with their files… but from the end-user’s standpoint, there isn’t a lot that compels you to upgrade unless your version of QuickBooks is retiring.”

Still and all, I’m pretty happy about these changes.  I don’t need a lot of bells and whistles — I just want a stable product to continue to be stable, with improvements that shave a few minutes off my workday here and there.

There are also some updates in the most recent QuickBooks Online version — but as you’re probably aware, these come up constantly (usually monthly), so they are usually less significant than the annual updates we see in the Desktop version.  (Personally, it makes me insane how cloud software just changes overnight without warning.  I like to have time to play with new features and improvements before interrupting my workflow with them.)

And if you’re not already subscribed to Charlie’s blog posts in Accountex (formerly the Sleeter Group), do yourself a favor and take care of that right now.

 

Software

2016 Tax Software Survey

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Great article, as it is every year, from The Tax Adviser on the pros and cons of the top professional tax software packages.  Definitely worth a read if you are in the industry!  Check it out here.

Personally, I use ATX (the “MAX” package) and would have to say that the survey results are yet again spot-on.  It wins points for price and ease-of-use, but loses them for accuracy and support.

Let me know your thoughts about your own software package in the comments.

CPAs rated the tax preparation software they used in 2016 and how it handled common tasks.

Source: 2016 Tax Software Survey

IRS, Software, Tips

IRS — Making Quarterly Tax Payments Easier

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My clients and colleagues are always amazed by my attitude about the IRS — fact is, I really think they do an incredible job, given the nature of their work and the constant budget constraints dealt them by Congress.

I’m sharing a couple examples today that relate to upcoming quarterly estimated tax payments.

The IRS manages to stay fairly up-to-date with technology, compared to most federal and state government agencies, at least.  It used to be such a pain to sign up for EFTPS and make payments, but now they offer “Direct Pay,” where you can both make and look up payments.

They also offer a mobile app, known as the “IRS2Go Mobile App,” which you can use to look up refund status, as well as to access the Direct Pay feature I just mentioned.

Considering the challenges the IRS is always up against, I think they do a great job, on the whole; and I, for one, am pretty jazzed about these new technological features.  Way to go, IRS!

QuickBooks Software, Software, Tips

QuickBooks Online Updates

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Not sure how many of you QuickBooks Online users out there follow the QBO Blog, but I recommend it.  It’s not very sales-y, the posts are generally short and to-the-point, and the information is often pretty solid.  Case in point, the most recent QBO Update review of changes, here: QuickBooks update: June 26 2015 • QuickBooks Online

One thing to be aware of on their blog is that they often like to tout “pretty” updates, like changes to formatting and styles that they feel make things easier to read or navigate.  (I generally find these types of changes to be annoying wastes of time, especially when there are serious bugs that need desperately to be addressed.  Furthermore, in their effort to look more sleekly Apple i-design-y, they often increase the number of clicks it takes to accomplish a given task — a no-no in my book.  Case in point, the new version of bank registers.  Avoid it for now, is my suggestion.

However, something truly useful they recently included is the long-awaited ability to copy journal entries!  As they put it, especially convenient when you need to duplicate long journal entries.  Of course, saving a JE as a “Recurring” transaction (“Memorized” in the Desktop version) is still your best bet, but sometimes that’s not an option or not the most efficient option.  Here’s all you do:

Create (+) > Journal Entry > Recent Transactions > choose an entry > More > Copy.

Try it out.  You’ll love it.

Also, this update allows you to import invoice styles from Word, which I don’t think is a big deal, but clients LOVE.  So, go make a client happy and tell them they can now do this.  Another feature folks have been waiting for a long time that will win some smiles.

Main point is: follow the QBO Updates.  They’re often quite useful — and a handy archive is located here: http://quickbooks.intuit.com/blog/quickbooks-update-archive/

Education, POS - Point of Sale, QuickBooks Software, Software

Scaling New Heights 2015 Keynote Speakers Announced

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The keynote speakers for June’s big Intuit education conference in New Orleans, Scaling New Heights, have been announced, and schedules and track listings are now updated.

In case you’re not sure what this conference is all about, please see my blog post on QuickBooks-related training from a couple months ago.  This conference is one of the biggies!

Scaling New Heights 2015 Keynote Speakers Announced – intuitiveaccountant.com.

Education, QuickBooks Software, Site News, Software

Best QuickBooks Conferences of 2015

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I was chatting with my staff accountant the other day about her education and training goals for 2015, and she said she was actually more enthusiastic about QuickBooks-oriented training than tax-, technology- or industry-related conferences (which are my personal favorite topics).  That got me started looking into the “best” QuickBooks events of the upcoming year.  I’m sharing my research here but would love to hear any additional feedback from readers.

It seems there are three “biggies” in the specific world of QuickBooks: 1) QuickBooks Connect (a newcomer to the scene as of last year, but apparently big and beautiful), 2) Scaling New Heights (previously the star in the category), and 3) QuickBooks VCon (an entirely virtual conference, making it the obvious choice for the cash- or time-strapped).  Other resources are the annual Sleeter Group Accounting Technology Conference, which is not QuickBooks-specific, but does have many seminars on QB-related topics, including third-party add-ons, and the regular traveling schedule or online resources of QuickBooks ProAdvisor Program certification classes in both QB Desktop and Online, as well as POS, and

1) QuickBooks Connect — this conference had its inaugural year in 2014 and was apparently a big success.  See their “highlights” video here.

Personally, I’m not into the big-name inspirational speakers, concerts, and social “bonding” among new colleagues — but the actual list of workshops, panels, seminars and presentations was pretty darned impressive, with an optional pre-conference during which professionals could take certification classes and exams.

It’s slated for Nov 2-4, 2015 in San Jose.

2) Scaling New Heights — presented by Woodard Events, but contracted out by Intuit, this was until recently the “go-to” conference for QuickBooks users and professionals.  I’m uncertain as to how it’s different from QB Connect (New Orleans vs. San Jose, or is there more to it?), except that the sheer number and variety of workshops is mind-boggling.  The schedule and session description brochure was just released, and it’s wonderfully overwhelming.  (As a related aside, they also offer a series of free webinars with Intuitive Accountant, another favorite resource of mine.)

It’s slated for June 21-24, 2015 in New Orleans.

3) QuickBooks VCon – an entirely virtual conference sounds like an amazing way to save time and money… although also challenging if it is your main conference of the year, since it might be harder to convince yourself to maximize your time and attend all the sessions you can (when you could so easily be walking the dog or working on client projects instead).  That said, it’s put on by the same company that presents Scaling New Heights (above), is two-days long, and is Intuit’s single-largest event worldwide.

It’s slated for May 19-20, 2015.

4) Sleeter Group Accounting Technology Conference – not specifically QuickBooks-focused, but as one of the leading accounting software companies, there is a lot here to offer QB folks, not the least of which is exposure to third-party software add-on solutions and competing products (see my blog post).  PrintBoss even (mistakenly) refers to it as a “QuickBooks Conference” in their list of the best.

5) QuickBooks ProAdvisor Program – this is the place to go to find out about resources for certification, training, software, discounts, local advisor listings, support and more.  It’s free for QB Online consultants, although there is a charge for QB Desktop consultants (yet another indication that Intuit is encouraging folks to move into the cloud).

Not a QuickBooks consultant, but you use the program regularly in your job or in running your own business, or you’re applying for a job where they want proof that you know the software?  There’s a certification available for you, too: QuickBooks Certified User.

Other favorite QuickBooks training resources?  Please share in the comments below.

QuickBooks Software, Software

The State of Cloud Accounting 2015

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Greg Lam, my #1 favorite accounting software reviewer ever (and owner of a great small business resource, “The Small Business Doer” — see my post on it), has come out with another “state of cloud accounting” update, in which he summarizes many important definitions and trends in the small business online accounting world, as well as parses out some important distinctions among the various brands of software.

Here are the points he makes that I believe are spot-on, and if you don’t take the time to read his article, here’s what you must know at the minimum if you have questions about where things stand with online versus desktop accounting and bookkeeping:

1) Add-ons are often basic import / export tools instead of truly seamless integrations.

2) Security is still a major concern.

3) Automation helps certain businesses, but some users (yours truly and her staff accountant included) find the software slower than desktop.

4) The functionality is still not as deep in certain areas as desktop.

All that said, things are improving bit-by-bit and competition is increasing (both in pricing and in features), and if online access, invoicing and collaboration are essential for your business, cloud accounting is the way to go.  Otherwise, I still recommend QuickBooks for Desktop (especially if using QB POS).  My colleague, Bonnie Nagayama, offers great discounts on both QB Desktop and Online software — let me know if you’d like a referral, as I’m happy to connect you.

See Greg’s post here: The State of Cloud Accounting 2015 – QuickBooks and Beyond.

POS - Point of Sale, QuickBooks Software, Software

QuickBooks Point of Sale Desktop 12.0

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I was both disappointed and relieved when, while at a Point-of-Sale Software (POS) experts panel discussion a few months ago, I went up to the microphone and said that I hadn’t found a single online POS system that functioned properly with regard to its integration with QuickBooks — and the answer I got was, “that’s because there isn’t one; not yet.”

The unanimous reaction among the experts was that QuickBooks POS for Desktop is really the only system that truly and fully integrates with QuickBooks accounting software (there are other POS packages out there that integrate functionally, though not as fully — but they are also all desktop systems that work with QuickBooks desktop software).  None of the zillions of online offerings (Square, Vend and the like) have functioning integrations (although they claim to), leaving QuickBooks Online as a less-attractive option for those who depend on POS data.  (This doesn’t mean it can’t be done — I have plenty of clients for whom I have written up a recurring periodic journal entry that they book manually, or we’ve hired a developer to write a script to do the job.  But these are time-consuming or expensive options by comparison.)

Armed with this knowledge, I must say I was thrilled to read the reviews when the newest version of QuickBooks POS for Desktop was released.  They’ve apparently increased stability and reintroduced formerly-removed features (that actually work this time around).  For those clients of mine who will have to make the shift away from QB 2012 this year (see my post on support ending in May 2015), I’m going to recommend they upgrade to the newest POS version as well.

Check out David Glantz’s review, here:  QuickBooks Point of Sale Desktop 12.0 – from “QuickBooks and Beyond“.