Alternative to QuickBooks?

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Author Message David G. Axt, CCS, CSI ,SCIP Senior Member Username: david_axt Post Number: 1849 Registered: 03-2002 Posted on Wednesday, February 17, 2021 - 02:12 pm:    Does anyone use an accounting software they like better than QuickBooks? I have been using QuickBooks for years. It is a fine product but is really geared towards professional accountants, companies with employees, inventory and sales. I originally bought QuickBooks to generate and keep track of invoices. It does it okay but it is lacking in some other features. For example my state (Washington) has a Business and Occupation tax that I pay quarterly. There is no way to calculate this in QuickBooks. There are some other issues as well. So I am looking for a better accounting software for a small consulting practice. Thanks. David G. Axt, CCS, CSI, SCIP Specifications Consultant Axt Consulting LLC Colin Gilboy Senior Member Username: colin Post Number: 478 Registered: 09-2005 Posted on Wednesday, February 17, 2021 - 03:16 pm:    I use Quickbooks, although I recently changed to a low-cost payroll service as I disliked the QB payroll costs. I still use Quickbooks for invoices and the credit card processing that is part of the invoice. I am unaware of a workable alternate. I have looked over Quicken alternatives (I use an older version for my personal accounting) and have tried some and they are just not as simple or easy to use as Quickbooks or Quicken. Note Quicken was sold by Intuit and is now a subscription service. There are other programs for business and they are all much more expensive. Colin Gilboy Publisher, 4specs.com 702-505-9119 - Las Vegas Michael Chusid, RA FCSI CCS Senior Member Username: michael_chusid Post Number: 584 Registered: 10-2003 Posted on Thursday, February 18, 2021 - 02:08 pm:    I have benefited from using a Quickbooks coach named Sharon Wolfe, dba "The Squeaky Mouse". She taught me to use the software and set up internal systems to improve my workflow, and is always available to assist. https://proadvisor.intuit.com/app/accountant/search?searchId=sharon-wolfe-2 Michael Chusid, RA FCSI CCS 1-818-219-4937 www.chusid.com www.buildingproduct.guru RH (Hank) Sweers II RA CSI CCS Senior Member Username: rhsweers2 Post Number: 26 Registered: 08-2005 Posted on Sunday, February 21, 2021 - 05:30 pm:    I've used Quicken Home & Business for years. (and also for personal use). Not sure it will do employee payroll (I don't need that) and invoices are less customizable than with Quick Books. And if Quick Books doesn't do a "tax" deal then I doubt that QHB would either unless a manual thing based on a "report" on your business income during a specific period (it can do that). But less costly also! Probably less capable though than Quick Books also. I switched from a Quick Books system - you still need to set up your "accounts" and categories correctly to align with your tax reporting at end of year of course. But that's IN there. And you CAN download your own CC transactions. I believe they also have CC payment processing - but not sure. Yes it's now a subscription, but the "program" is on my computer (not in the cloud) so still works if I'm out in the boonies, just can't download CC activities then. I differentiate personal vs. business expenses via the "categories" I set up and apply them to - they can be from either a personal or business CC card - doesn't matter. John Bunzick Senior Member Username: bunzick Post Number: 1838 Registered: 03-2002 Posted on Wednesday, February 24, 2021 - 04:56 pm:    I second Quicken. I think it would easily work well for most very small businesses. I don't know if it handles payroll, but if the business has a payroll, it is probably of a size that would demand a more sophisticated approach. I also happen to be treasurer of a small non-profit with one part-time employee. The organization uses Quick Books, with a part-time bookkeeper who only spends about 8 hours per month. Even with a very small payroll, we use a payroll-service because they do all the withholding, deposits, filings etc. That costs roughly $1,000 per year and is well worth it. David G. Axt, CCS, CSI ,SCIP Senior Member Username: david_axt Post Number: 1860 Registered: 03-2002 Posted on Monday, March 15, 2021 - 02:13 pm:    In working with QuickBooks for over 2 years I have found a few major flaws. 1) I will occasionally receive a check from a client for payment for multiple projects. Though QuickBooks can allow the user to indicate a single deposit is for multiple projects, those deposits will not show up in the individual project's ledger. I found this a while ago on accident when it looked like I had not been paid for a specific job, yet my accounts receivable aging summary did not indicate there was an outstanding invoice. The only way for a work-around is to indicate separate deposits for each project but use the same check number. 2) QuickBooks does not work well with Outlook. All my business correspondence is through Outlook. I can send one email but I cannot send any further emails. The only work-around is to close out of QuickBooks and restart it. This is cumbersome if there are a bunch of invoices, estimates or statements that need to be sent. I have spoken to a few QuickBooks experts and QuickBooks customer support yet none have been able to help solve these issues. David G. Axt, CCS, CSI, SCIP Specifications Consultant Axt Consulting LLC