Ask the Accountant… Question: I Google searched for QuickBooks support. They told me that I have to upgrade to QB Premier 2020 even though I am in QuickBooks Premier 2019. Is that true? Answer: I get many calls about this. Internet searches for QB support can connect you with non-QuickBooks entities whose business it is…
Harriet Gatter
Ask the Accountant… Question: I’ve heard rumors that QuickBooks Desktop is going away. Is that true? Answer: I’ve heard those rumors for years, but QB Desktop (Pro, Premier and Enterprise) is improved upon year-over-year, and appears to be here to stay. I recently attended a webinar by Joe Woodard about this very subject. He quoted…
Ask the Accountant… Question: I have some very old software called OrderMaster on my computer. Should I worry about crashes and losing my information? Answer: OrderMaster is written in a very old computer language and is susceptible to crashes as supporting technology, such as Windows, advances. I get calls frequently from OrderMaster users who have…
Ask the Accountant… Question: I have been trying to load customers into QB Premier from an Excel file, but I keep getting error messages about duplicates. How can I fix that? Answer: Here’s the fix: QB Premier runs on lists. Once you enter data into lists, you can use that list entry over and over…
Ask the Accountant… Question: Help! I have been using an industry software that I pay for each month to write orders. I am now switching to another system. How do I get my order history out of the old system? Answer: Does this software have the capability to export into QuickBooks? If so, your order…
Ask the Accountant… Question: I was talking to someone at QuickBooks. They told me to try QuickBooks Online, and if I didn’t like it, it is very easy to switch back to QB Premier. Is that true? Answer: No, that is not true at all. QB is pushing QuickBooks Online (QBO) heavily. Its subscription income…
Ask the Accountant… Question: I have someone doing my bookkeeping, but I really don’t know anything about QuickBooks. What reports should I look at every month? Answer: There are six reports that provide a practical overview of your business. First, create, or have your bookkeeper create: 1. The balance sheet 2. The profit and loss statement…
Ask the Accountant… Question: Is there a dashboard in QB Premier where I can look at open orders? Answer: QuickBooks Premier has such a dashboard called Income Tracker. You can find the icon on the left side of the home page where other shortcuts are listed. The Income Tracker has tabs at the top of…
Ask the Accountant… Question: Is there a way to know if my sales tax report is correct? Answer: I always suggest reviewing the information on your sales tax report before filing. The report is only as correct as the data you enter into QB. To begin, are you up to date with your bank and…
Ask the Accountant… Question: I use two item numbers for my distributorship—one is the item number I assign internally and show the customer, and the other is the supplier’s number. Can I use both in QuickBooks? Answer: Yes, QB Premier and Enterprise allow for two different fields of item numbers. When you set up an…
Ask the Accountant… Question: I have sales in several states. Do I have to collect sales tax in states other than my own? Answer: Sales tax has always been a complicated issue, and it was made infinitely more complicated by the Supreme Court ruling in South Dakota v. Wayfair in 2018. The decision means that…
Ask the Accountant… Question: Do You Know Where Your Order History Is? Answer: I have been working with OrderMaster users recently, because this software system is no longer supported by the manufacturer and the software is crashing. Hundreds of distributors have been using OM for as long as 20 years. It is now failing because…
Ask the Accountant… Question: How can I find out which invoices are open and when they are due? Answer: In QuickBooks Premier, go to: "Reports" > "Customers and Receivables" > "A/R Aging Detail" This report will list all of your open invoices and their due dates. It will also “age” the invoices, showing how long…
Ask the Accountant… Question: I am downloading QuickBooks Premier. Which edition do I pick? Answer: QB Premier has multiple editions built into it. You purchase QB Premier, but select the edition when you are downloading the software. For our industry, choose the Manufacturing and Wholesale Edition. It best suits our business needs, and has a…
Ask the Accountant… Question: Is it hard to update from my QuickBooks Premier from an earlier year to the current year? Answer: That depends on how old your current QB is. If it’s from the last three or four years, it should be a matter of installing your new QB Premier, and merely opening the…
