Customized Infrastructure of Hosted QuickBooks for On-Demand Usage

The setup and installation procedures of QuickBooks have changed over the years including a varied range of usage options available for accounting. Amongst the most of the accounting software, QuickBooks is one of the easily usable solutions in the business market today. However, the complications surround when technical breaches become a spoilsport. 

The setup of QuickBooks on the local computers or on the premise-based servers is a daunting task due to the software and hardware compatibility glitches that arise. In that situation, hosted QuickBooks caters to be a more feasible option. 

This is the first choice of accounting professionals and CPAs as compared to QBO or the premise-based setup.

It has been observed that the reversal time in dealing with the issues accounted for around 30 percent of the time invested in accounting tasks. It is essential to hire a technical expert in order to manage the issues that will save the time, effort as well as any loss of data updates. 

However, this would add up to extra costs if there is not any huge requirement. QuickBooks cloud Hosting is a tech-savvy option for the SMBs (small and medium scale enterprises). 

These remote QuickBooks hosting service providers maintain very large servers within their data centers located in multiple places for redundant backup of the data at various locations.

The hosted QuickBooks appears to be an efficient option for the users since they are able to extend the capabilities of their existing accounting applications. With QuickBookshosting, the users can avail anytime, anywhere usage of the system. 

By this way, the limitations of the office premises can be removed and the users can do their accounting operations while on the go. Apart from that, the multi-user mode can function seamlessly with the hosting services. 

This way, most of the users of QuickBooks can access their accounting applications and work on the financial accounts of the company at any time without having to be physically present at the office premise.

For the accounting professionals running QuickBooks desktop version, the problem is not too intense in switching to the hosting services. Hosting service provides you a way to skip all the IT related hassles including installation, configuration, maintenance, compatibility, updates, and upgrades. 

Application hosting service lowers the excessive costs that are required in set up and maintained by the business organizations. Full-functionality of the system can be availed only when the servers are set up at the company premises and can be configured to work from the remote locations.

QuickBooks hosting environment reduces costs that involved in the setup of the premise-based systems. Besides that, scalability ensures that the business organizations can have what they require at any point of time. Also, the requirements can be customized later on. 

As the accounting environment will be shared, so the financial accounts can be available on demand and the users can easily work on the files or can check their financial records anytime as per their requirement.

QuickBooks cloud hosting service promotes the considerable effect on the basic operations of accounting by allowing various accounting as well as tax applications to work in an integrated environment. 

The process of software hosting on the remote servers also enables a better coordination between various applications that shares common resources. Furthermore, the operational costs, as well as time, is also reduced. 

Application integration in the hosted environment not only saves the costs and IT hassles but it also makes the usage more comfortable. 

Any number of integrated applications can be used from anywhere and all the operations can be performed without having the need to chained to the office desktop or compromise with the employee mobility.

Because of this, the productivity of employees will also be enhanced as they can manage the operations as per their choice.

Fixing Incorrectly Recorded Sales Tax in QuickBooks

The CDR feature not only identifies the errors with using the incorrect payment transaction, but it also fixes your transactions automatically!

Before starting the tasks that are listed below, you should review the settings of the client for sales tax. In addition to that, if the Sales Tax feature has not been enabled then the Sales Tax task group will not display in the CDR.

After reviewing and correcting the sales tax preference settings your client, then you are ready to begin the following CDR task.

Fixing Incorrectly Recorded Sales Tax:

QuickBooks uses a special 'Pay Sales Tax' dialog box to record the sales tax liability payments properly. When payments are made using other transaction types, such as Pay Bills, Write Checks, or Make Journal Entries, the 'Pay Sales Tax' dialog box might not accurately reflect the payments.

Fix Incorrectly Recorded Sales Tax task will help you in identifying and correcting the transaction when your client paid the sales tax liability outside of the 'Pay Sales Tax' dialog box.

The negative line entry that includes in the 'Pay Sales Tax' dialog box when the Write Checks transactions were created, assigned to the payable liability account of sales tax, and payable to the vendor sales tax.

The properly recorded sales tax payments will have the transaction type of TAXPMT in the checkbook register.

Word of Caution: This is may be a good time to review with your client about the vendor names that are associated with different types of tax payments. Some states may have the same vendor name for the multiple agency tax payments.

You have to suggest that to your client to use a unique vendor name for each different type of tax being paid. This will avoid the CDR which is possibly correcting a non-sales-tax type of the payment made to the vendor.

What exactly is this tool fixing?

The tool will identify and fix the non-sales-tax payable type transactions used to pay sales tax liability by using Void and Replace functionality. The tool can identify the transactions of any Write Checks where the payee is the same as an assigned payee for the sales tax item.

However, this tool will not identify any vendor bill payment checks, vendor bills, or the journal entries that recording payment for the Sales Tax Liability.

If this is your first incorrectly recorded sales tax transaction fixing solution, then you might want to change the 'to' date to the today’s date. This ensures that you are looking at all the sales tax payable transactions that were improperly recorded by using the wrong transaction in your QuickBooks.

Another word of caution: If your client has multiple lines that are recorded on the sales tax payable checks, such as an additional fee for the late payment penalty or other adjustment lines, then you might want to use the link to make a manual Sales Tax Adjustment.

The Incorrectly Recorded Sales Tax tool assumes all the lines of the incorrect transactions belong to the Sales Tax Payable account.

Follow these steps to fix incorrectly recorded sales tax:

1. If you are completing the changes as a part of a dated review, then from the menu bar select Accountant, 'Client Data Review' and then launch Client Data Review. Then select the Fix Incorrectly Recorded Sales Tax task in the Sales Tax group.

2. If you are not completing the changes as a part of a dated review, then from the menu bar select Accountant, 'Client Data Review' and launch 'Fix Incorrectly Recorded Sales Tax task'.

3. Now, double-click on any transaction to see the non-sales-tax payment transaction that is originally created to make sure that it should be changed to the Sales Tax Payment. Then make note of the check number or the check date.

4. Put a checkmark in each of the transactions to be fixed. (This is optional) Use 'Select All' button or 'Deselect All' button to streamline the process.

5. Click on 'Void & Replace'. Then CDR will create a new Sales Tax Payment transaction, and it voids the original 'Write Checks transaction' or can Make General Journal Entries transaction.

6. Now click on Proceed to the 'Fix Sales Tax' message that displays to continue with the change, or you can click on Cancel to return to the CDR tool.

7. To close the message indicating that the transaction has been fixed, click on Ok.

8. Click on the 'X' which is on the top-right corner to return to the CDR Center.

9. Return to your checkbook register icon on the Home page and look for the check number or date or both to view the original transaction that voided and then the new transaction will be created as a Sales Tax Payment type.

With the Void and Replace functionality which is included in the Fix Incorrectly Recorded Sales Tax tool, you will be assured that if your original transaction marked as cleared in a bank reconciliation, then the newly created Sales Tax Payment transaction will be marked as cleared too.

Apart from that with QuickBooks Cloud Hosting , you can have a hassle-free experience. Furthermore, you are not stuck with your office PC. Your data is securely stored in the cloud, not at your office system. So, it makes easier to access your QuickBooks and company data from anywhere, anytime if you have multiple locations or you are on the go.

All About Scheduling the Recurring Invoices in QuickBooks

If you need to send out the invoices on a regular basis, then QuickBooks makes it easier to set them up automatically. You just need to schedule recurring invoices.

For example, if you have two customers, and you provide breakfast pastries for their offices every Saturday. Then, it’s always the same order, on the same day. You want to email an invoice to your customers automatically every Monday for $100.

For Creating a Recurring Invoice :-

You have to select Gear, then Recurring Transactions, and then click on New. After that, for Transaction Type, select 'Invoice' and then click on OK. Then, for Type, select  'Scheduled' and then select  'Automatically send emails'.

Now, complete the rest of the form and then click on Save template and repeat the above steps for each customer that you’d like to create a recurring invoice for.

Automatically CC Yourself :-

As a sanity check, you need to set QuickBooks to automatically email you a copy of all the sent invoices. For that, you have to select Gear and then click on Company Settings. And then, select Sales, Messages, and then click on 'Email me a copy'.

To Confirm the Invoices were Created :-

Okay, now if it’s Monday. Then, last Friday’s pastries were delivered and consumed by them as well. Now, how do you confirm the invoices were created? For that, here are the few ways to check.

●     When you check your inbox by yourself, and you should have received a copy of every invoice that was sent.

●     View an automatic transactions report which is grouped by customer. For that, go to the left nav. Bar, select Reports, and click on the 'Go to report' field and then select Recent Automatic Transactions.

Now, select Customize, click on Rows/Columns which is in the left column. Then, for Group By, choose Customer and click on 'Run Report'. The report will show two invoices for your respective customers.

To save the report for future use, then click on 'Save Customizations'. You can also print it, email, and export the report to the Excel.

To view the customer page and invoice :-

First of all, select Customers from the left nav. bar. And then click on the customer with the recurring invoice. Then, you will see Open (Sent) in the Status column. Now, click on the invoice and you’ll see a Last Delivery timestamp.

Notes :-

●     If you don’t see that option, then you need to select 'Form Delivery' and then select 'Copy me' on all forms sent by email.

●     Recurring transactions feature is available in QuickBooks Essentials and QuickBooks Plus only.

●     If you want to try recurring transactions by using sample data, then you can check out the QuickBooks test drive.

Hopefully, now you can easily tackle tasks related to scheduling of recurring invoices in QuickBooks.

Now, the majority of business owners are operating through the cloud, you can also  opt for Techarex Networks QuickBooks cloud hosting service to avail various benefits and can have a hassle-free experience.

QuickBooks Hosting : A Blessing for CPAs and Bookkeepers

Usually, a CPA or bookkeeper leads a quite difficult life. As an instinctive approach of humans, they always have been looking for an easier solution to their problems but thanks to modern technology. The QuickBooks hosting service platform has made the lives of the CPAs and Bookkeepers easier.

QuickBooks Cloud hosting has become dominant. Generally, there are two main things that are essential for hosting QuickBooks software on Cloud. The hosting service is usually cost-effective and provides guaranteed security with a number of amazing features.

The service needs to be cost-effective as the amount you pay for hosting the service will be recurring in nature. In addition to that, it should be highly secured as your work related crucial data is available in a cloud account for access.

If you are looking for a QuickBooks Cloud hosting service provider, then you need to consider some important points such as:-​

●     Security and Trust - Data security and its management are the most important concerns for any CPA or Bookkeeper of a small or medium business. Before selecting a hosting service provider, you must need to make sure that they regularly back-up the data and also monitor the data frequently for security concerns.

QuickBooks on Cloud  is more secure with the features like firewalls, backup & recovery, encryption, and usernames & passwords.

●     Economical - Most of the QuickBooks Hosting services on the web offer monthly subscriptions. So you just need to pay the fees on monthly basis.

Apart from that, you have to make sure that you choose an economical service provider that offers you all the specific features according to your requirement.

●     Easy to Access - You will probably need to access your data on cloud account at the different locations and different time. Your selected hosting service should offer the ease of access to use your cloud account from anywhere and at anytime you want.

 Any authorized user with an internet connection and a compatible device can access your QuickBooks on Cloud. You should also look for other options for the group projects so that you can keep connected with your workgroup.

●     Reporting Facility - A good QuickBooks cloud hosting service provides you the facility of generating reports relating to your work for different term basis. It also has some configured options to document all the data and facts.

This leads to a greater ease of work for the CPAs and bookkeepers, as they no longer need to give strain to their brain for searching data. 

●     Ability to integrate the data - You will probably use an online tool to store or manage your work-related data. When you opt for a hosting service for QuickBooks, then you'll need to transfer the data to the cloud service.  So the hosting service should provide the ease of integration with other online software tools as well.

So, if you are a CPA or a bookkeeper who is looking to make life easier through a QuickBooks hosting service, then you definitely need to select the best service provider by keeping the above points in your mind. Make the right choice, move to Techarex Networks hosting.

Flashback 2016 : 12 Big Things That Happened In Accounting World

With every passing year, accounting becomes more advanced and adopts new technological aspects to make business process easier than before. Year 2016 saw a number of changes in accounting world and gave an assortment of exclusive opportunities so business owners can process their business effectively.

Fruitfully, business-owners, with small and medium-sized ventures, became able to increase efficiency without any hard efforts. Want to know about those big things? Here, we have a blog post which gives you an overview on changes that took place this year- 

JANUARY: FreshBooks- The New iPhone Application

The year started with a big buzz of FreshBooks. The application was launched for the use of iPhone users who look to connect their business with their phones. The major purpose of this new iPhone application update was simplifying some business processes that include creating invoices, capturing expenses instantly, and tracking time for later billing in order to shorten accounting burdens. 

Sending invoice by emails, receiving payments, previewing PDFs, previewing receipt captures from expenses became easier with FreshBooks. Also, the application had an attachment receipt button to enter receipts on computer then capture it using the phone and new credit-card reader for accepting mobile payments for simplified business work. 

FEBRUARY: Sage’s Announcement of Partnership with Apple  

In beginning of the year, iPhone and Sage came up with news of their partnership. This arrangement saw both of these companies collaborate on providing best accounting tools to both- small and medium-sized businesses.

The manufacturer also released Sage Live Product available for iOS that was designed to help small & medium sized businesses via iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches. Sage’s major motive to launch this product was to provide real-time decision-making, reduced cost and democratic access to business management tools.

   

MAR: MYOB’s Launch of Wide-Ranging New Feature for Its Version 

MYOB made an announcement of adding several new features for its Bigger Business version 18 months after its release. MYOB Advanced Customer Portal consists of features that simplify customer administration by enabling a portal. 

The launching organization of MYOB confirmed that customers would be able viewing the invoices, statements, placed orders, mobile application for iOS & Google Android, users can get ERP as well as CRM functionality at any moment. 

APRIL:  Reckon Goes Live With Payroll Software 

Finally, in April, Reckon announced the launch of its long-awaited payroll software. The software was a perfect fit for both the small and big businesses. The major motive of launching the software was to offer technological advancement so the business with several accounting tasks can save huge time without dropping the precision.  

The manufacturer announced that the solution was the best tool they have ever introduced for easier accounting process. The software was a big boost! 

MAY: Sage with Its Three Latest Features for Cloud Applications  

Sage, on 11 May, made big announcement about its three add-on features for cloud based applications. The manufacturer verified that these added features will definitely improve user-experience, functionality, lessen the need of administration, improve collaboration, and more. 

Multi-currency, time tracking, direct bank feeds are those features that had been added to the cloud-based sage software to amplify productivity of businesses with complex accounting requirements.    

JUNE: Sage’s Launch of Very New Software

In the middle of June 2016, Sage publicized its new software Sage HandiSoft Practice Management. The manufacturer assured that HandiSoft would be the most significant change in accounting for the customers in the local market. 

Also, with the combination of Salesfoce CRM with HandiSoft and functionality, the manufacturer tried to enable single data-base, single hub to access real-time data with improved speed. The software is the cloud version and new practice management application to make straightforward decision in accounting.

JULY: MYOB Integrates Direct Online System 

MYOB, in JULY, came up with a big declaration of introducing a new online payment system that offered SMEs completing payments through Visa Card and Master Card. This new system was called MYOB online which gave access of invoices that are delivered directly by the emails. 

The integration was aimed to help SMEs raise invoice and email it instantly to the customers. There is an option of automatic updates, which allows the accountants to get confirmed about the payment.

SEPTEMBER: Launch of QuickBooks 2017   

Launching of QuickBooks 2017 for desktop was one of the best news which came this year. The version consisted of new features and various improvements to the existing one. Some major areas of the improvement were scheduled reports, search improvements, security, enhanced enterprise quality, report customization etc. 

QuickBooks 2017 is 25th version of the accounting software. As predicted, the software came was launched in the second-half of September 2016 to allow businesses take benefits of featured accounting solution. QuickBooks launcher, with release of this latest version, planned to target technology lovers with either small or medium sized business.           

OCTOBER: Intuit Launches New Application For Self-Employed  

QuickBooks launched its very new application for the professionals. The app for self-employed individuals helped to manage business finances and had an aim to lessen accounting burdens. Use of the application allowed the users to manage their receipts, profits & loss, prepare invoices, track expenses and many more. 

Launched by QuickBooks, the application targeted 60 percent individuals interested in completing a series of business tasks through their smart phones. Intuit confirmed that the application would be able to provide further opportunities to accountants for managing their finances in better way.   

NOVEMBER: The Bookkeeping summit of Accountex 

Accountex, the independent accounting technology conference and expo held on November 15-18, 2016. It is a leading conference and expo in the accounting technology marketplace. The main motive to organize the summit was to provide nationwide bookkeepers detailed overview and training in accounting, practice management, networking with peers 24/7 on challenges, technology and many more. The experts shared their factual thoughts and informed about the opportunities in various fields of accounting.      

Accountants, finance professionals and bookkeepers were given the choices to select from more than 70 educational sessions. This independent global event was attended by over 1200 attendees and 125 exhibitors to get live training on various aspects related to accounting.  

December: QuickBooks 2017 R4 Updates Releases 

Intuit, in December 2016, announced its latest update of QuickBooks 2017 R4 for U.S. versions. This update was available as manual update from Intuit website. 

This update included a series of changes in the version- changes for 1099 Misc e-filing, improved scheduled reports feature, partial payments with QuickBooks payments, corrected bank feeds and more. 

Some additional changes in this release include show filters (filters applied to a report is visible on printed reports), search as you type, Online bill pay, QuickBooks help etc.  

Final thoughts-

Saying 2016 game-changing year would not be wrong in any way. It was the year of growth for accounting and bookkeeping industry. All these trends of 2016 had great impact on the overall process of business and businesses grippingly adopted these transformations to make miraculous growth. This is how the year was a lucrative time that offered abundant openings to different accounting firms and accounting professionals.

Besides, every year come up with many trends to shake up the system and avail new advantages to the industry and this is what we are expecting from 2017. Many trends, technological progresses, tools, applications, updates would be released to bring big picture of the advanced accounting. 

Techarex Networks, with superior cloud-based accounting solutions, is looking to upscale the benefits of services for people in accounting industry, professional accountants, small and medium-sized businesses. 

If you are looking for one-stop-destination for all you accounting needs or if you are planning to migrate your business to the cloud, contact Techarex Networks to know how we can help you grow.     

You Can also get information about accounting solutions and accounting software like QuickBooks and QuickBooks Hosting Services.