Book-keeping software - which one?

[equipbiz]

One of the VA's who works with us wants to train up on computerised book-keeping and then offer it as an additional skill through our company. It's something our clients ask us a lot about ... do you do it? Who can do it for me? Just wondering what is the most popular or most commonly used book-keeping software? We plan to get our VA to do our books so that she gets plenty of hands-on experience before she goes live with the service. So - we get the service from her and her experience ... and she gets the added business from our clients once she's trained up. It's a win, win. Any advice or help would be most welcomed before we start off. Thanks guys.

[Tess]

I'm pretty certain QuickBooks is the considered the best and most useful bookkeeping software, hands down.

Anyone else know of any viable competition to QB?

We've got quite a few brilliant bookkeepers here on the boards, surely they'll chime in

[Tess]

Here's another thread (from today also) that might give you some more insight into what people are using.

[Ness Lindsay]

I don't offer book keeping as a service personally. I contract my work out to another company that I work with. However, she and I both use QuickBooks! I think this by far is the best program available.
There is also a free training class located on their website.

[Office Goddess]

I provide 90% bookkeeping services and use QuickBooks. I just upgraded to QB 2008 Pro and love it! There is a training section in QB's help menu.

I would suggest that your VA get some basic accounting classes under her belt (assuming she doesn't have them already) before offering bookkeeping as a service. Knowing the software is great, but there are some things QB doesn't help with and having basic accounting knowledge is invaluable.

[Rebecka Melson]

QuickBooks!! I am a bookkeeper and have used most other programs including, Peachtree, MYOB, Mas200, Microsoft Money, RealWorld, etc. I also like Quicken for personal use, but hate everything else for small businesses. I would only use the others for large businesses that have outgrown QB.

If I work with someone who uses anything but QuickBooks I charge them extra. Don't waste your time with the QB Simple Start, it's worthless, you'd be better off getting the Quicken Home and Business edition.

[vainparadise]

I use Quickbooks as well. Actually just got 2008 and need to install it!

Any major differences Lily?

[Office Goddess]

The biggest difference is the layout. The "home" screen has all of your most used buttons in one place so you aren't jumping back and forth between customer, vendor, banking screens, etc. Also, you can now modify the look of your invoice by adding or removing items you want on the layout such as address, phone number, etc. Very cool!

The one annoying thing from my perspective is that the general journal entry is now under a menu item rather than "out in the open." I do A LOT of gj entries!

I've only been working on it for 2 weeks but I think as I get used to it I will definitely prefer the '08 version.

BTW - my cpa told me they are "sunsetting" payroll support in QB 2005 so you will need to switch to '08 if you do QB payroll with their updates.

[vainparadise]

I have been using the contractors addition I think 2004 don't recall the year for sometime now so I am sure there will be some learning curve there for me. I set up another invoicing system for my one client so I will not need all the additional features with the contractors addition anymore. My husband bought me 2 QB books incase I need them!

[CYMMTJ]

Okay - I went and looked at what they offer in quickbooks...

What is the difference between Premier and Accountant Edition?

Which one do I go with??

Also they have this membership where you become proadvisor where you can get help at anytime in using the software and will always have the updates yearly...

Which is better? Membership or just simply buying the software and which one??

Sorry for all that questions - for the price, I would want to know which is best to get for long term use (unless you can't because we would need to update constantly?)

Oh! Also do I get the one with payroll? I'm assuming so if I will have clients who needs me to handle their payroll, right?

Would I need more than one license user, assuming my clients would want to see it or use it themselves?

There is another whom I was told is the best for Canada: Simply Accounting

Can anyone from Canada vouch for this software?

Oops - more questions, hehe, I hope someone can help me here....

[Office Goddess]

I provide bookkeeping for my clients using QB Pro.

Rebecka can answer the Pro Adviser questions 'cuz "she are one"

I require my clients to have their own copy of QB Pro, registered to them, and I work on their files in the copy that is registered to me.

Payroll subscriptions are purchased for each company that wants payroll; I pass the annual cost on to my clients that want me to do their payroll.

Next?

[Rebecka Melson]

Actually Lily, I'm not a Pro Advisor, just a certified QB Pro user.

Yvonne, I would recommend sticking with QB Pro, because this will be what the majority of your clients use. QB Premier has a few added features, but unless you specifically need them it's not worth the extra $175.00.

The accountant edition is for large accounting firms, but even most CPA's I know use QB Pro. If for some reason you did need to upgrade I would recommend buying the QB Pro Advisor package because it is cheaper than buying the Premier and the payroll together. The Pro Advisor package comes with the Acccountant's edition and Enterprise Solutions which has industry specific software. In all my year's as a bookkeeper I've run across one or 2 people that used those.

Also, you can buy the Accountant's version of payroll for $299 and it will allow you to set up 50 seperate payroll clients. This is for clients that I just do payroll for, because the payroll subscription is on my computer and if they decide to no longer use my services the subscription stays with me. Most companies that have payroll will have their own version of QB and their own payroll subscription on their system that you will access via remote that way if you ever part ways they don't lose their service.

For payroll clients I pay the subscription fee and charge them a set rate. The only thing that they pay directly are the direct deposit fees, which are deducted directly out of their account along with the payroll.

[CYMMTJ]

Lily and Rebekah,

Thank you!! So I will go with QB Pro. Not Accounting edition nor Pro Advisor membership. Would we need to upgrade yearly?

It is a good idea to pass off the extra costs to the client.

So since we require our clients to have their own copy - I would only need one user license then?

How do we work on their files from their own copy on our copy??

Thank you, you guys!! :0)

[Office Goddess]

Thanks, Rebecka! I am also a Certified QB User but I thought you had become a Pro Adviser! I only do payroll for 1 client so was unaware that I could buy a multiple client payroll subscription. Good knowledge to have, indeed!

I just upgraded from QB 2005 to QB 2008 for the simple reason that Intuit is going to be "sunsetting" payroll for QB 2005. Otherwise, I wouldn't have upgraded yet as QB 2005 was working just fine for me.

Yes, I think you only need 1 license unless your entire office will be using QB.

I don't let my clients work on their own QB, just print reports. The potential for errors goes WAY up when you have multiple people doing data entry and I don't want to be sued for THEIR errors! I send a "backup" of the QB to my clients the first week of each month, or sooner if requested. Otherwise, I am the ONLY one who does data entry for the books, including their CPAs (I request the corrections, if any, and make them myself then send a replacement backup to the CPA). I get a backup from the client when I first start with them (assuming they have QB set up) and from that point forward all QB data files are 1-way only --> to them!

Hope this helps!

[Ask Viki!]

One of the VA's who works with us wants to train up on computerised book-keeping and then offer it as an additional skill through our company. It's something our clients ask us a lot about ... do you do it? Who can do it for me? Just wondering what is the most popular or most commonly used book-keeping software? We plan to get our VA to do our books so that she gets plenty of hands-on experience before she goes live with the service. So - we get the service from her and her experience ... and she gets the added business from our clients once she's trained up. It's a win, win. Any advice or help would be most welcomed before we start off. Thanks guys.

I use Quickbooks (by Intuit) for me and a client. I can set it up as complicated or as simple as I need it to be...
Viki