QuickBooks is an accounting software program that allows you to track your business’ income and expenses. One of the benefits of using QuickBooks is having access to key financial reports (such as profit and loss) so that you can see the overall health of your business at any time. Having access to these reports makes filing your taxes a lot easier. QuickBooks has been around for almost three decades, and it is the accounting software used by millions of small businesses around the globe.

QuickBooks comes in two formats: software that you can install or download on a desktop computer, and a cloud-based program that is accessible from any mobile device or desktop computer with an internet connection.

The cloud-based version, QuickBooks Online (QBO), is available in four editions: Simple Start, Essentials, Plus, and Advanced. The desktop version, QuickBooks Desktop (QBD), also comes in four editions: QuickBooks Mac, Pro, Premier, and Enterprise. In...

QuickBooks Online comes in four editions:

• Simple Start
• Essentials
• Plus
• Advanced

Each edition varies in terms of the price, the number of users to which you can give access, and the features included.

The following figure gives a summary of QBO pricing and features for each edition of QBO at the time of writing:

QuickBooks Online is ideal for solopreneurs, freelancers, and mid-to-large-sized businesses with employees and 1099 contractors. 1099 contractors are also known as independent contractors, who you may hire to provide services for your business. Since they are not employees of the business, you must provide a 1099 form at the end of the year to any contractor you have paid $600 or more to in the calendar year.

The needs of your business will determine which edition of QBO is ideal for you. The following provides some additional insight into the ideal businesses for each edition of QBO.

QBO Simple Start

QBO Simple Start is ideal for a freelancer or sole...

The first step to setting up your business in QBO is to create a QBO account.

To create a QBO account, you need to go to the Intuit website and select a QBO subscription plan.

Follow these steps to create a QBO account:

1. Open your web browser and go to the Intuit website: www.intuit.com.
2. Click on Products and select QuickBooks, as shown in Figure 1.1:

   

   Figure 1.1: Navigating to QuickBooks

3. Click...

QBO is a very intuitive software. The initial home page is customizable so you can see key data such as invoices, expenses, profit and loss, bank accounts, and sales. There are a variety of ways you can navigate within the program, including via these:

• Dashboards
• Left navigation bar
• Icons
• Menus (including within the gear icon and the Quick Create menu)

Let’s look at the QBO dashboard and left navigation bar first.

If you are an aspiring accountant, the concepts that we will cover in this section will be familiar to you. However, if you are brand new to bookkeeping, make sure you grab a notepad to take notes, and a cup of coffee to stay alert.

One of the benefits of using QuickBooks to manage your books is that you don’t need an accounting degree to learn how to use the software. However, you should have a basic understanding of how bookkeeping works and what’s happening behind the scenes in QuickBooks when you record transactions.

The main areas of your business include the following:

• Money coming into your business (sales)
• Money going out of your business (expenses)
• Inventory and fixed asset purchases
• Tracking the money you owe (liabilities)
• Using the chart of accounts to properly track everything
• Accounting methods: cash versus accrual
• Double-entry bookkeeping

Let’s discuss...

In this chapter, we explained what QuickBooks is and introduced you to the QBO product line. We covered setting up your QBO account and basic navigation using dashboards, icons, and online menus in QBO. We also provided tips on how to choose the right software for your business, and we provided you with some bookkeeping basics. Having a good understanding of the QuickBooks product line will help you to choose the best product for your business. In addition, having a basic knowledge of bookkeeping helps you understand the accounting that is taking place behind the scenes in QuickBooks when you enter an invoice or pay a bill.

In the next chapter, we will take an in-depth look at all of the features and benefits included in QuickBooks Online Advanced, including but not limited to customized fields, custom user permissions, workflow automation, importing invoices, creating budgets, batch-creating invoices, and much more.

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