Ask the Accountant… Question: I just got off the phone with QuickBooks/Intuit. They told me that QB has filled all the gaps between QBO and QuickBooks Desktop so the switch into QBO would be easy. Is that true? Answer: Be very careful when analyzing software. The standard answer from a salesperson with software is that…
Harriet Gatter
Ask the Accountant… Question: I feel like each order is different with its own problems. Am I the only one? Answer: No, you are not alone. Every distributor I work with has a slightly different business with their own unique challenges. Since we custom decorate our orders, they can involve different and complex processes. The…
Ask the Accountant… Question: How can I see what the total amount of sales I have made to a customer last year? Answer: QuickBooks has a great deal of information available to you in report form if you just know where to look. In QB Premier, go to: "Reports" (at top) > "Sales" > "Sales…
Ask the Accountant… Question: There are lots on ins and outs in software, and the percentage that any user knows about is likely very small. I was working with a distributor, and he pointed out a shortcut with which I was not familiar. I have shared it below. Answer: In QuickBooks Desktop (Pro, Premier, or…
Ask the Accountant… Question: I have set a closing date in my QuickBooks, but my employees keep making entries in the previous year anyway which messes up my books for last year. Is there a way to stop that? Answer: The best way to avoid that problem is to set a password when you set…
Ask the Accountant… Question: In QB Premier, I am having trouble running the report of vendors that require a 1099. It’s not showing any data. How do I get that report? Answer: There are two steps. The first is to identify a vendor as 1099 eligible. For each vendor that is 1099 eligible, in QB…
Ask the Accountant… Question: I needed help with my QuickBooks. I googled and found a number, but they didn’t help and tried to sell me a different QuickBooks program. Why? Answer: You should never google to find a way to contact QuickBooks. You will likely not find QB/Intuit, but the person on the other end…
Ask the Accountant… Question: Which QuickBooks Online product is right for me? Answer: If you have read my blogs, you know that I am not a big fan of QBO (QuickBooks Online) for an ad specialty distributor. However, there are some circumstances where QBO is the better choice, such as when you are using an…
Ask the Accountant… Question: My QuickBooks Premier 2018 had an update today. There was an error message about a security risk because of a browser. Now my QuickBooks isn’t working. What now? Answer: Microsoft Internet Explorer 11 has been the default browser for QuickBooks Desktop. Microsoft stopped its support of Internet Explorer on June 15,…
Ask the Accountant… Question: When I try to designate a vendor as a 1099 vendor, it is greyed out. How do I change that? Answer: There has been a recent change to Preferences in QB Premier regarding 1099 status of vendors. Now, you must turn on the 1099 option in "Preferences" > "Tax: 1099" (toward…
Ask the Accountant… Question: I usually end up with lots of windows open in QuickBooks Premier. Is there an easier way to close them than one at a time? Answer: To close all your open windows in QuickBooks Desktop (Pro, Premier, or Enterprise), go to “Window” at the top of the screen, and then "Close…
Ask the Accountant… Question: I have several sales orders for one client, but my client wants just one invoice. Can I do that in QB Premier? Answer: Yes, you can. When you are ready to create one invoice for multiple sales orders already created in Premier, go to "Create Invoices" on the Home Page and…
Ask the Accountant… Question: I want to keep notes in QuickBooks Premier. How do I do that? Answer: For Customers, you can go to Customers > Customer Center. Highlight a customer, and you will see the transactions related to that customer – estimate, sales order, invoice. Click on one of these, and there will be…
Ask the Accountant… Question: I have been a distributor for over 25 years, and would like my daughter to take over my business in the next five years. She is concerned that being a distributor is not a long-term business. What do you think? Answer: Being an ad specialty distributor is definitely a long-term, lifetime…
Ask the Accountant… Question: When I am working in the Order Management screen in SAGE Online, sometimes I can’t see the right side of the screen. Can I fix that? Answer: Yes, it can happen and is quite annoying, as some of the icons on the right side of the screen, such as the Create,…
