thinkQuickBooks

helping right brain professionals navigate the left brain world of accounting

Archive for the tag “Bookkeepers”

27 May 2015
2 Comments

I used my personal funds to make a purchase for the business. How do I enter this into QuickBooks?

Sometimes it happens that you need to use your personal funds for a business purchase. There’s an easy way to get this entered into your QuickBooks data file whether you’re using the desktop version or QBO.

First, create a new credit card account. This account will be used to capture all purchases made by you using your personal funds (the method of payment doesn’t matter). If I was entering this into my own set of books, I would call it “Marnie’s Expenses” or something similar.

Then, using the Enter Credit Card Charges function found in the Banking menu (desktop) or Expense function found in the quick create menu (QBO), enter the details of the purchase (date, vendor, amount, account, etc.) using the new credit card account you just created. If you want, you can add the payment method in the memo field (i.e. Debit, Cheque No., Cash, Amex, etc). Continue entering all your personal funds purchases this way. The transactions will accumulate in this account.

When you are reimbursing yourself for these purchases, simply write yourself a cheque for the total amount in the account, coding it to the new credit card account. This will zero out the account.

If you want to let these purchases end up in Shareholder Loan (or Owner’s Equity) account, you will need to journal the amount over to that account periodically. You will Debit the Credit Card Account and Credit the Shareholder Loan account. I suggest monthly, but be sure to do it at your fiscal year end so that the balance in the new credit card account is zero.

Advertisement
Posted in QBO, QuickBooks, QuickBooks Online and tagged , ,
06 Jan 2015

What do to if your TD1 amounts are not updating in QuickBooks

Happy New Year! We’re a few days into 2015, and I’ve come across several client files where the current Federal and Provincial TD1 amounts are NOT updating. This is a known issue in QuickBooks desktop and hopefully there will be a fix soon.

First things thing. Please make sure you have the latest tax table installed in your software by going to Employees < My Payroll Service > Tax Tables Updates. Here’s a link explaining this in greater detail:

http://support.intuit.ca/quickbooks/en-ca/iq/Update-QuickBooks/Update-tax-tables-for-QuickBooks-Payroll/HOW15192.html

Now that you’ve confirmed you have the latest tax table, it’s important that you check your TD1 Review List to make your employees have been updated with the current Federal and Provincial amounts.  I run this report before running payroll at the start of every new calendar year. Here’s how to check:

Reports > Employees & Payroll > TD1 Review List

You will see a list of your employees. The columns contain the Payroll Province and Federal and Provincial ‘Current’ and ‘Suggested’ TD1. If the ‘Current’ doesn’t match the ‘Suggested,’double click on the amount. You will now be in the Taxes and TD1 for (Employee Name) window. Override the incorrect ‘Current’ amounts with the correct ‘Suggested’ amounts. NOTE: if you’ve ever used a ‘Custom’ amount (in other words, you’ve entered something other than the basic default amount into the employee profile), this amount will ALWAYS need to be manually updated, unless you change back to the basic ‘Suggested’ amount (and the updates are working properly). Now would be a good time to hand your ‘Custom Amount’ employees a blank Federal and Provincial TD1 form so you can update their tax credits in Quickbooks. Here’s the link to the forms for 2015:

http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/formspubs/frms/td1-eng.html

It’s worth noting that “Individuals do not have to complete a new TD1 every year unless there is a change to their federal, provincial or territorial personal tax credit amounts. If a change happens, they must complete a new form no later than seven days after the change.” This is from the following page on the CRA website where you’ll find more information about form TD1:

http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/bsnss/tpcs/pyrll/hwpyrllwrks/stps/hrng/td1/menu-eng.html

If you’ve already run the first payroll of the year, don’t panic. Just go in and make the changes now.

 

Posted in CRA, QuickBooks and tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment
02 Apr 2014
2 Comments

Don’t turn on multi-currency in QBO by accident!

Don't turn on Multi-currency by Accident!

Posted in QBO, QuickBooks, QuickBooks Online and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
11 Feb 2014
8 Comments

QuickBooks Desktop to Online Conversion – Canada

Many Canadian ProAdvisors I talk to are excited about QuickBooks Online (QBO), but a common complaint has been that there is no conversion tool. EXCITING NEWS! It appears that the conversion tool is now available from right inside a desktop file. These are my early observations, as there isn’t much information available on the tool as of the date of this blog post.

HOW TO USE THE CONVERSION TOOL:

1. Open the desktop data file using QuickBooks 2014 R4. IMPORTANT: If you’re using the Accountant edition, you need to toggle to the Pro or Premier edition. 2/25/14 UPDATE: The conversion tool is now available from the Accountant edition of QuickBooks desktop.

2. Under the COMPANY menu, go to the bottom and select EXPORT COMPANY FILE TO QUICKBOOKS ONLINE. If you don’t see this, you need to toggle to the Pro or Premier edition.

3. Click CONTINUE on the next window. The data is checked. NOTE: If you are using multiple currency, this conversion tool will not work. Also unavailable (but I’m not sure if any of these prevent a conversion): custom sales form templates, price levels, progress invoicing, multiple sales tax rates, inventory tracking.

4. You are prompted to sign in to your Intuit account or create a new account. I used my QuickBooks Online Accountant (QBOA) credentials (although please note this doesn’t mean the company will appear in my QBOA dashboard – I still have to invite myself as an accountant user).

5. You are asked if you want to replace an existing QuickBooks Online company file or create a new one. I chose to create a new company (which sets up a 30-day free trial of a QuickBooks Online Plus company).  2/25/14 UPDATE Creating the company in QBO FIRST lets you choose which version.

6. QuickBooks begins the export. This step takes a few minutes. Soon a new window opens saying you will receive an email when your data is ready.

7. Open your email and sign in to your QBO account. Voila! There’s the file!

OBSERVATIONS:

Right now it’s all or none – there’s no option to select a certain period of data.

I tried this with the Pro Hockey School sample file in QuickBooks Pro 2014 R4P (I’m not sure if the tool is available in earlier releases). The data came across beautifully and just as it was entered in the desktop file. I compared the P&L and Balance Sheet from desktop to online and they are an exact match. The GST/HST filing history is correct and the upcoming period is intact. Payroll is correct. Reconciled transactions are marked correctly. 2/25/14 UPDATE: Before converting, make sure you have the latest release by going to Help > Update QuickBooks.

I also tried this with the Pro Hockey School sample file in QuickBooks 2013 R8P+U. However, this opened a US data file and much of the data did not come across correctly. Don’t do this using the 2013 version! 2/25/14 UPDATE: This now works with 2012 and above and converts into a Canadian file.

If you are serious about converting a client, I would probably try this out using your own email address to make sure the tool works. Then, I would call the Intuit Inbound Sales Team to have them set up a proper QBO account for your client, making sure the subscription level is correct (though I’m not sure if you can convert to anything other than the QuickBooks Online Plus version) and to make sure you’re getting the best available discount (ProAdvisors may be able to receive perpetual discounts on behalf of their clients).

2/25/14 UPDATE: Although all payroll DATA comes across nicely, you will have a few tasks to do in the QBO file in order to begin processing payroll: turn on payroll, complete employee profile information, enter YTD information. 

REVIEW:

My early review is that I’m totally impressed! This took all of five minutes and my data appears to have converted seamlessly. Try it out. Just make sure to check your data very carefully after the conversion. Let me know how it works for you in the comments section below.

Posted in QBO, QuickBooks, QuickBooks Online and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
03 Feb 2014
14 Comments

The top 10 things you need to know about QuickBooks Online and GST/HST

EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is now WAY out of date. Intuit has made many improvements to the sales tax centre. Check back soon for information about a new sales tax course I will be releasing in February 2020! 

If you’re just getting starting using QuickBooks Online (QBO), here are a few things to know about GST/HST as of the date of this blog. I’m using the Harmony version.

1.  First things first. You need to set up Sales Tax in order for it to be active in QBO. Select the Sales Tax tab from the menu bar on the left hand side and click on the Set up tax button. Follow the onscreen prompts to complete set up.

Set Up Sales Tax

2. QBO automatically adds two default accounts when setting up GST: GST/HST Payable and GST/HST Suspense. Think of the GST/HST Suspense account as a clearing account. You can even rename it as such. NOTE: You cannot write a cheque that posts directly to the GST/HST Payable account. You can, however, write a cheque that posts directly to the GST/HST Suspense account.

Two Default GST/HST Accounts

3. There are no ‘sales tax items’ in QBO like there are in QuickBooks Desktop. Therefore, journal entries must be entered a bit differently. See #9 below.

4. Completing the Sales Tax Return creates a two-line Journal Entry that simply moves what you owe (or what is owed to you) from GST/HST Payable to GST/HST Suspense. If you create a Payment for that period, you are crediting your bank account and debiting the GST/HST Suspense account. If you create a Refund for that period, you are debiting your bank account and crediting the GST/HST Suspense account.

5. When preparing your return, be careful to set the correct dates and click Refresh to generate an accurate report. Watch for yellow highlighted areas when you prepare a return. If  you have any, stop and review. Double and triple check the dates at the top when about to File Return. This is because…

6. You cannot modify or delete the journal entry that QuickBooks creates when you file a sales tax return. 

Can't Do That

7. Regardless of the date you filed your GST/HST return, QuickBooks uses today’s date for the journal entry that is created when you file a sales tax return. Excel will become indispensable if you’re troubleshooting!

8. When you make a payment (or receive a refund) for a return you just filed, you must be sure to do so by clicking on Record under the Payments column. Do not make a payment using the big blue Record a Payment  button – this is meant for upcoming filings and will create a discrepancy on your next return if used improperly (see #5 – yellow highlighted lines). You’ll know you’re in the wrong payment window if the tax period says Upcoming Filing. Make sure you enter the correct date. I recommend entering a memo as well, for example, “January 2014 Return.” NOTE: when you file a return and create a payment, the payment cannot be printed.

Pay using this button

9. Posting directly to the GST/HST Payable account via journal entry is BAD, even though it’s allowed. Although it will post to the balance sheet account, it won’t show up when you go to file a sales tax return. But don’t panic, Intuit has designed something even better – the ability to assign sales tax to each line of a journal entry. No second independent line for GST/HST needed. When entered this way, it will show up on the return. Accountants commonly post directly to the GST/HST Payable account, so please make sure they know this crucial tip. 

Don't Do This

Do This Instead

10. Made a mistake on your payment and need to change it? You need to delete and re-enter it. But you won’t be able to access the payment from the registers (here you can only view it). You also won’t be able to access it from the View History section of the Sales Tax module. Instead, do this. Use the Advanced Search feature to search for the amount of the payment (see below for suggested filters). Click once on the transaction to open, select delete payment, confirm, then start over using the instructions in #8.

How to Search for a Payment

I hope this article assists you in navigating GST/HST in QuickBooks Online. Please be sure to leave a comment if you have any tips to add. And if you’re really stuck, feel free to contact me to schedule a troubleshooting session.

Posted in QuickBooks, QuickBooks Online and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
13 Sep 2013

Brand new Canadian Cloud ProAdvisor Program!

This week, the brand new Cloud ProAdvisor program was announced in Canada. There are some innovative changes happening at Intuit, and this program is one of the most exciting! Here’s what I heard about QBO, QBOA and the Cloud ProAdvisor Program at the launch event in Edmonton this week.

PicMonkey Stone MichelleWhat an honour to have guest speaker Michelle Long talk about QuickBooks Online (QBO) and all the great reasons for switching to the cloud. Michelle was recently in the UK doing QBO training and was also at last week’s VIP Summit. Here are a few of the highlights of QBO that she mentioned; no compatibility issues, frequent updates, work anywhere, anytime, on all your devices, and automatic and redundant back-ups. A great bonus right now is that payroll is now LIVE and FREE until March 2014. Subscription levels for your clients can be found here: Compare QuickBooks Online Editions

With QuickBooks Online Accountant Edition (QBOA), we have FREE access to our clients’ files who subscribe to QBO. There’s nothing for us to purchase! You simply ask your client to invite you to be an accountant user in their file. Something I learned about QBOA that I LOVE is that if you work with clients all around the globe, they will ALL appear in your QBOA home page – no need to create different accounts or profiles for different countries. We can even use a copy of the program for our own books at no charge!

I won’t talk about QBO or QBOA too much more in this blog post, because what I really want to talk about is the NEW CLOUD PROADVISOR PROGRAM!PicMonkey Zac

Zac Parsons, Marketing Manager, Accounting Professionals Division, unveiled the awesome new Cloud ProAdvisor Program. He spoke very candidly about how the ProAdvisor Program has had its struggles over the past couple years. I think the entire room appreciated the fact that he spoke openly and honestly. He said that they haven’t been innovative… that they’ve been flat in terms of what they’ve been able to deliver. But he said that things are changing and Intuit is 100% committed to revolutionizing the ProAdvisor Program. They want to deliver on their promises.

With that, he introduced the new QuickBooks Cloud ProAdvisor Program. And here are the highlights. The theme again and again was FREE. Benefits include:

1. FREE access to QuickBooks Online Accountant. It’s incredibly easy to sign up!

2. FREE online training webinars.

3. FREE certification test. Opportunity to become QBO certified and get your own logo.

4. FREE QBO training through AccountingCycle. They offer 5 classes for a total of 10 hours of training. And if you want to become certified, they also offer a FREE QuickBooks Online Certification Exam Preparation Webinar. Here’s a link to their website: QuickBooks Online ProAdvisor Certification Training

5. FREE listing on the brand new Find-a-ProAdvisor website. Having certifications will move you to the top of the list. The Find-a-ProAdvisor website will launch on September 23rd.

6. FREE Turnkey Marketing Tools where you can upload your company logo and access customizable templates, banner ads, and more.

7. FREE phone-based support, which will be moving to chat in a couple months. My own experience with the QBO support team has been outstanding.

8. FREE data conversion from Sage to QBO (coming soon). Note: there is currently no conversion tool to transfer a QuickBooks desktop file to QBO… but it’s also in the works!IntuitCloud YEG 128

The one other item Zac talked about was discounts for our clients. Because it’s fairly complex and still a work-in-progress, he couldn’t say much more at this point. But he did promise that the discounts will come this November and they’re greater than they’ve ever been!

Only one thing was missing from the launch event, and that was the mention of ‘Harmony’ – the new look of QBO. Having just come back from the Intuit VIP Summit in California – where ‘Harmony’ was unveiled with much excitement – I totally expected it would be announced here as well. I do understand it will take a while to roll it out across North America, and Intuit Canada probably wants to work out any kinks before making if official. Harmony is the number one reason I’m so excited about QBO and eagerly await the day that ALL QBO customers are using this platform. If you want to take the US version of QBO ‘Harmony’ for a test drive, you can find it here Craig’s Design & Landscaping Services.

Intuit will be hosting several “Find your Freedom in the Cloud” events across Canada in the upcoming weeks. Watch the Intuit Canada website for more information.

So… some incredible opportunities that are basically too good to pass up! Stone de Souza, Senior Marketing Manager, Global Business Division, said that Intuit really wants to reward and incentivize their partners. With QBOA and the Cloud ProAdvisor Program, we’ll have the ability to add value, grow our practice, and serve our customers better. Sounds good to me!

Here’s the link to get started QuickBooks Cloud ProAdvisor Program.

Posted in QuickBooks and tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Post Navigation

Newer Entries →