Using Quickbooks in a Networked Enviornment.

Question:

We have a small company and we are using Quick Books Pro 2005. We recently networked a laptop to the company computer for travel purposes. We are having a terrible time viewing QuickBooks on the laptop after the network connection has been unconnected. Do you know how to make it so that the laptop can view the QuickBooks files when there is no network connection?

Answer:

This question may be better answered by your network administrator, as it sounds like this is a networking problem rather than a software one.

It sounds like you are using a peer-to-peer network, and using the office desktop as the server.

Here are some things to consider when using QuickBooks in this type of networked environment:

• When both computers are connected to the network…ensure that your software is in Muti-User mode (File - Switch to Multi User Mode).
• If you are using the desktop as the server, I would store the company file on one of its drives.
• Be careful about backing up and using your company file on the road with the laptop. I have seen many clients forget to restore their changes on the main computer and get their data all messed up. One thing that has worked well for me is using Gotomypc.com. For a reasonable rate (around 20 bucks a month), you can access your computer from anywhere there is internet access.
  

As I said before, you should check with your network administrator to ensure that the way your network is set-up, as well as the way you are connecting and disconnecting from it is not causing you problems...because it sounds to me like it might be. I say this because personal experience in my practice has shown me that a Microsoft XP networked enviornment can have more quirks than you can imagine.

Trouble Importing an .IIF File.

Question:

I am having difficulty importing an iif file into QuickBooks. The file I have is the same format as previous files I have imported with exception of the dates, dollar amounts and project name. Do you have any suggestions as to where I should look?

Answer:

Sorry, but there are so many variables to consider when importing a file, with out seeing the data I don't know where to begin. I would try to find inconsistencies in the file you are importing that doesn't work and the previous files that did work. It would seem that there must be some difference.

Can you Print Account Names on Vouchers?

Question:

Is it possible to print the expense category (found in your chart of accounts) as well as the class on printed checks?

Thank you for any help you can give.

Answer:

Yes, you can print account names on the vouchers, however not on the checks themselves. To do this, go into preferences (Edit - Preferences) and on the left side of the window select checking. Then go to the "Company Preferences" tab and check the box that says "Print Account Names on Voucher."

How to Track the Profitability of Jobs.

Question:

I buy and sell heavy equipment. I buy a cat d6, have it painted, change the oil, have it transported and then sell it. I want to be able to run a report that tells me what kind of profit I make on each transaction. How do I start? Each piece should not be an asset, should it? I understand the software, but I just don't know whether to use classes, job numbers or what... Thanks so much for your help.

Answer:

Interesting line of work your in. I think your best bet would be to use a new job name/number for each piece of equipment. Make sure you allocate all direct expenses and income to the job. Then you can run a "Job Profitability" report that will tell you what your gross profit is on each piece of equipment. (Reports - Jobs, Time, & Mileage).

Can You Sort the Unpaid Bill Report by Due Date?

Question:

I am a new user and would like to have a list of invoices to show vendor, amount and due date. I need this to be listed by due date only and not by vendor.

Thanks,

Bob

Answer:

Bob, unfortunately I am not aware of a QuickBooks report that will give you this information in just the way you want it. The closest thing would be the “Unpaid Bills Detail” report. (This can be found under reports – vendors & payables). You can sort this report by due date, but the bills are still sorted by vendor as well. This is something that I hope Intuit will address in the future and allow users to write their own reports…but until then I apologize that I couldn’t be more help.

What If I Don't Want to Pay For Payroll Services?

Question:

I Am new to QB pro…

Don’t want to pay extra to have QB do my payroll for me… However, when I try to setup payroll, the program never lets me complete everything and pay employees because it says I am not signed up for one of their payroll services…in my opinion, this is a rip-off…

please help,

Charles

Answer:

Charles,

I agree, Intuit may be a bit overzealous in marketing their payroll services. Don’t panic though, they still allow you to calculate payroll the old fashioned way. Here is the information directly from the QuickBooks Help menu. I will agree with you…they did their best to hide it from you.

“If you don't sign up for one of the Intuit Payroll Services, QuickBooks won't calculate your payroll taxes or provide payroll tax forms. You will have to calculate your payroll taxes manually and enter them for each paycheck.

Before you start:

Set your company file to manual payroll setting. (This is a one-time task.)

1. From the Employees menu, choose Payroll Services and then choose Set Up Payroll.

2. Click Choose a payroll option.

3. Scroll to the bottom of the page, and in the paragraph that begins, "If you don't want to use an Intuit Payroll Service...", click Learn more.

4. Click "I choose to manually calculate payroll taxes."

NOTE: Payroll tax information for the federal, state, and local agencies can change at various times throughout the tax year. To avoid penalties, be sure to consult your tax agencies often for any changes.”

I think that that note is important…I would say 75% of the problems that I see with QuickBooks are payroll related. Just be careful, the penalties for screwing up payroll taxes are expensive.

Out Of the Office.

I will me out of the office until around 4:30. I will be answering your questions as soon as possible thereafter...Thank you for your patience, and your questions.

Today's Tip: Consolidate your Posting Questions …Save $$$

Today’s QuickBooks tip is a simple but effective way to save money on tax preparation and consulting expenses.

I get many calls from clients that are confused about where to post something. Usually it is something different such as the sale of an asset, sale of a business segment, or the purchase of an expensive software package. I recommend that my clients create an “Ask CPA Expense” account and an “Ask CPA Income” account. Then when a transaction comes up that they are unsure about they can post them here. This saves me time and by extension saves them money in consulting fees.

Thank You to All our Readers.

Thank you very much for all your questions. I am doing my best to get them all answered in a timely manner, but please remember that I still have a day job as well. To continue to make this site a success, please visit our sponsors that interest you.

Am I Restoring the Wrong File?

Question:

New client -- he is using QB 2004 Pro. He has office in Lynn and Swampscott. I watched him back up the file at his Lynn office and email it to me. When I get the file here and open it -- it is only through January 05.

So he does it again over the phone -- same thing -- he's backing up through May be I'm only getting it as of January -- not a big file either -- what could be going wrong?

Answer:

This sounds strange. I have a few suggestions.

1. Make sure that he is using the right file. Have them see what the last check number in his file is. This is a simple check to ensure that something hasn’t happened to the data. If the last check number in his file is the same as the one in the file he emailed you then you have a bigger problem…something has happened to his data. If the check numbers don’t agree, you can be sure that the problem lies with backup/email process. (Continue to step 2).

2. Walk him through the back up process. Make sure that he knows where the backup is being saved. I would have him put it on the desktop so that he can’t miss it.

3. Have him assign a name to the backup that is not easily confused…such as “accountant backup urgent.qbb”.

4. Walk him through the email process as well. Make sure that he is emailing you the right file. I have seen many clients that keep all there backups in the same folder and they will email you the wrong one. It sounds like that could be what is happening here.