How to Choose a QuickBooks Version

How to Choose a QuickBooks Version

QuickBooks Desktop vs Online Customer Support

It is an online course (or CD) on every aspect of using QuickBooks. You must take and pass a certification exam when completing the course. We place this one first as this is an easy decision for you if your company runs on all Macs. QuickBooks Mac is a different software package than all of the others and is not the same product as the rest. All of the other versions of QuickBooks (not the Online version of course) run on Windows.

What a QuickBooks ProAdvisor Is & How to Find One

Webucatorhas provided QuickBooks classes to more than 70 percent of the Fortune 100 companies and is a Microsoft Certified Partner for Learning Solutions. The company offers instructor-led live QuickBooks training online for $490 for two days of training. Live online classes essentially take the classroom concept and transfer it to the virtual world where interactive video webinars connect you with an instructor in real time. This is a convenient way to access expert QuickBookstraining online by logging onto a scheduled course from your own computer and downloading supplementary course materials. I own several of these books, and I have never been disappointed.

Do you need to handle the general accounting features for your small business? It handles almost anything a small business can throw at it – and works well with your accountant. If you need a small business accounting software package, consider QuickBooks Pro. It supports additional audit trails, more users, and integration into other business systems. For a small enterprise level solution, the cost isn’t out of line, it will probably run you about $5,000 – $10,000 per year in license fees.

Payroll Expenses.For many businesses, payroll expenses can be the biggest cost of all. Keeping this account accurate and up to date is essential for meeting tax and other government reporting requirements. Shirking those responsibilities will put you in serious hot water. Data is offered through a single ledger, which is a feature that makes it easy for users and accountants to collaborate and work together.

Users generally must upgrade their desktop software every three years when Intuit stops supporting the older version. Unlike a one-time purchase of QuickBooks Desktop, the purchase of QuickBooks Desktop through the annual Plus subscription includes unlimited customer support. Here are four features of the QuickBooks Desktop Plus subscription. With QuickBooks Online, you can contact technical support as much as you like at no additional charge.

This means that you don’t have to worry about whether your data is protected if your computer gets stolen or malfunctions. We’ll do one month of your bookkeeping and prepare a set of financial statements for you to keep.

Want to Learn QuickBooks for Free? These 11 Places Will Make You a Money Expert

Small Business Bookkeeping

Although FreshBooks is popular, it costs more than the other accounting apps—the $10 monthly fee for each user adds up quickly. Also, it doesn’t have a built-in inventory management feature, but it does integrate with inventory apps like BarCloud. FreshBooks’ iOS and Android mobile app lets you access your data, send invoices, and connect with customers on the go, but reporting features aren’t available on the app. FreshBooks’ cloud-based software comes with time-saving features for small-business owners.

Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisors are accounting professionals who are certified in one or more QuickBooks products. There are separate certifications for online and desktop, so be sure to choose a ProAdvisor certified for the software you use. This article doesn’t cover all of the options available to you. Freelancers, for example, may find QuickBooks Self-Employed to be a better fit.

QuickBooks Online may be the best choice for your fast moving organization. QuickBooks is now offering a monthly service for QuickBooks Pro to enable remote and mobile data access, but this would be on top of your license fee. If your business is anywhere, any place, consider QuickBooks Online as your accounting software of choice. QuickBooks Online Plus is our choice for the best accounting software for small businesses that need advanced inventory management capabilities.

If you purchase Desktop for a one-time fee, support is only free for the first 30 days. If you subscribe to Desktop through the Plus option, unlimited telephone support is included.

Pros & Cons of QuickBooks Video Tutorials & Guides

QuickBooks Online, unlike the Desktop software, doesn’t need to be installed. It’s a completely online platform, so you can access it from a browser. QuickBooks Online also integrates with other platforms and apps. You will need to switch to a newer version of QuickBooks like QuickBooks Online. Because of the discontinuation, you’ll be unable to access support to troubleshoot issues on the QuickBooks Desktop 2016 software.

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If you can’t afford QuickBooks, there are free accounting software options available. Be sure to select accounting software that has basic bookkeeping features like invoicing customers and paying bills. If you need a feature and the software doesn’t have the functionality, you should consider looking at other accounting software options that are affordable and can meet your business needs.

This includes giving access to multiple users so they can access your data from anywhere in the world. Be sure to check out the free QuickBooks Online tutorials produced by Fit Small Business. This is a free course that includes both video and written step-by-step instructions. One of the great things about QuickBooks—both Desktop and Online—is you don’t have to be an accountant to set up or use the program. This process should take no more than 20 minutes for either program, provided you don’t have any historical information to bring over.

You cannot use QuickBooks Online and Desktop to keep track of your business. They are on two different platforms and do https://kelleysbookkeeping.com/ not integrate with each other. Therefore, you will have to choose between QuickBooks Online or QuickBooks Desktop.

  • I recommend these two products to most small business owners who want a desktop program and do not operate in one of the industries covered by Desktop Premier.
  • For an annual fee, the Desktop Plus subscription provides some features that once belonged only to QuickBooks Online.
  • They are on two different platforms and do not integrate with each other.
  • But now, most businesses use computer software to record accounts.
  • The program will search QuickBooks’ vast database of answers to provide you with the top few choices.
  • We’ll keep an eye on the situation and let you know as soon as QuickBooks updates the site.

QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop are small business accounting software that differ in features and data accessibility. QuickBooks Desktop is ideal for businesses that sell products or need to do the bookkeeping for more than one company. In contrast, QuickBooks Online is best for service-based businesses that don’t spend much time in the office and need access to their data from a mobile device.

QuickBooks Desktop Plus is an annual subscription to the QuickBooks Desktop software that replaces the one-time purchase cost. The software is identical, but the Plus subscription provides additional benefits to the user. These additional features negate some of the primary benefits of QuickBooks Online over QuickBooks Desktop. A product of Intuit, QuickBooks has long been heralded as the go-to accounting software for small businesses. Two different versions of QuickBooks exist, including an online format, as well as a licensed version.

The more in-depth setup may take one to two hours, depending on whether or not you are bringing data over from another accounting system. You may even need step-by-step instructions when you’re converting from QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online. QuickBooks Desktop Plus provides the desktop software, but for an annual subscription vs a one-time purchase. QuickBooks Desktop Plus is ideal for small business owners who prefer Desktop but also want online backups and annual upgrades to the latest editions.

HVAC Accounting Best Practices

For an annual fee, the Desktop Plus subscription provides some features that once belonged only to QuickBooks Online. However, Online is still the only QuickBooks product that can be accessed online from any computer or device. We recommend QuickBooks Online over QuickBooks Desktop because it is easy to set up and use. You can access your data 24/7 from any device with an internet connection, so you’re not tied down to a desktop computer. Sign up for your QuickBooks Online account, and you can save up to 50% off.

If you go with a virtual bookkeeping service like Bench, you can get professional help without an over-the-top price tag. It will set up QuickBooks Bookstime Services for you and keep your books in order. Second, if you run multiple businesses, you’ll find that the Desktop version is much more cost-effective.

He asked about our business and recommended a software plan based on our specific needs. He answered our questions promptly and provided a link to help us compare plans.

While there are a few limitations, there’s no denying the value QuickBooks can add to your business operation. The wide assortment of features and the affordable price make it a great option for any small business. Although the self-employed plan includes mileage tracking, the small business plans don’t.

A business credit card will likely be the first form of financing you’ll qualify for, and it can be a great financial tool to help you with cash flow or necessary expenses early on in your business. By the time you complete your business plan, you will have a pretty good idea of what your estimated start-up costs will be.

Bookkeeping is essential to the vitality and long-term success of any small business. Primarily, you need to have an accurate picture of all the financial ins and outs of your business.

Without clean financial records, you may be at risk of paying settlements or tax penalties for avoidable financial errors. You also may be able to prevent or uncover fraud, whether from customers, vendors, or employees. If two sides of the equations don’t match, you’ll need to go back through the ledger and journal entries to find errors. Post corrected entries in the journal and ledger, then follow the process again until the accounts are balanced. Then you’re ready to close the books and prepare financial reports.

Many business owners think bookkeeping is a dreaded chore, but if you understand and effectively use the data your bookkeeper collects, bookkeeping can be your best ally. The Purchases Account tracks any raw materials or finished goods that you buy for your business. It’s a key component of calculating “Cost of Goods Sold” (COGS), which you subtract from Sales to find your company’s gross profit. The Sales account tracks all incoming revenue from what you sell. Recording sales in a timely and accurate manner is critical to knowing where your business stands.

In the case of companies or banks or insurance companies, there are acts that require such firms to keep and maintain financial records. One of the main reasons for bookkeeping is so records can be maintained to show the financial position of each and every head/account of income and expenditure. Through book-keeping, detailed information about each expense or income could be obtained instantaneously. Then the second main objective is to ascertain the overall effect of all recorded transactions on the final statement of the company.

Even today, with so many software options available, QuickBooks is still seen as being just as bright, shiny, and rainbow colored as it was many years ago. And that has helped this powerful unicorn (sporting the classic green associated with the company) remain number one. Intuit’s QuickBooks took the business world by storm, rocketing to stardom (especially in small business circles) and landing squarely on the pedestal reserved for all software unicorns.

Learn the basics of small-business accounting with this beginner’s guide.

Small Business Bookkeeping

There are several features that QuickBooks Online has that you won’t find in QuickBooks Desktop. For example, QuickBooks Online has automatic online backups, the ability to access your data from any platform like Windows or iOS, and unlimited free tech support are just a few. There are a few features that QuickBooks Online includes and QuickBooks Desktop lacks, like unlimited free technical support (unless you purchase the desktop Plus subscription). In addition, QuickBooks Desktop has a few features that QuickBooks Online does not, like batch invoicing and multiple inventory valuation methods.

With the software all ready to go, you can tackle double-entry bookkeeping with no sweat. Desktop bookkeeping https://kelleysbookkeeping.com/ software usually requires a high up-front fee, but the software is then yours to keep.

Both QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop are very user-friendly. Prior to 2013, I would not have said that about QuickBooks Desktop. In 2013, however, there were some major changes to the QuickBooks Desktop interface, which made it much more user-friendly than it had been in previous versions. QuickBooks Desktop Plus includes an online data backup option. Without the Plus subscription, QuickBooks Desktop users must back up their data to their own networks or computers.

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