Help! My client entered bills and then wrote checks!

 As a ProAdvisor, how many times have you seen this?   It is a common error when someone enters checks and then enters bills.  They do not connect automatically.  Of course you could delete the bills and just leave the manual check entries.  But what if you want to keep the bills in place? 
 

Here is the fix:

First, here is what you see, bills and the checks that paid them.

So, you open these checks and change the account used from the expense to accounts payable.  You also need to put the vendor name in the customer:job spot because that is what will link it to accounts payable:

Then go back to vendors, pay bills and apply the newly created credit caused by changing the check above to accounts payable:

Once you click pay now, you will have cleared the bill with the manual check entry.  You will see a box like this:

That is how easy and seamless it is to connect the two transactions.  Have a great week!

Lynda 

Check out my website www.artesanibookkeeping.com

Bi-Annual Housekeeping to your Data File in QuickBooks

It is that time of the year.   And it is the slower time of the year.  Time to check your file to be sure it is in order.  These few minutes of time is well worth it.  It will stop you from having a problem "down the road".

Let's start with re-sorting lists.  This is a simple task to do.  First click on your home page and then the chart of accts.   Then click the view icon and re-sort list:

You will see this warning. Click okay.

Do this for all lists:  vendor, customer, item and employee.

Next, click F2.  This box will show up:

Check the db fragments.  Less than 10, you are okay.   More than 10, make a portable file and restore it as your working company file.  Making  a portable file will re-index your file.  Re-indexing is similar to when you run a disc cleanup on your computer to keep the files in a neat, efficient order.

These are steps to keep your file in order.   If you do the portable file/restore and you still have more than 10 db (data base) fragments, time to call an expert to help you.

Lynda 

Check out my website www.artesanibookkeeping.com

Entering a Sales Tax Increase in QuickBooks

Your sales tax increased as of 7/1/2011.  How do you enter this change into QuickBooks?

The easiest way is to go to List, Item List, find the sales tax item and edit it to make the change.  This will not affect the invoices that are already created, just the new ones going forward:

Below is a picture of your final sales tax liability at the old rate for the prior quarter.

In my opinion, the best way to record this change is for you to create a new sales tax item for the increased tax.  This will make more data entry for you, but in the long run, it will give you better record keeping. Once you have created the new sales tax item,  edit the old one with an end date. (thanks Rustler for this tip!)

Go to list, item list, highlight the sales tax item and right-click, edit it.

Here I re-name the old sales tax item with the last date of this particular tax rate, then make it inactive.

After I have created the new .4% tax rate, I make sure I go to edit, preferences, sales tax and make it my default sales tax item.

 

It is definitely more work doing it this way.   What I have done in the past is I would just change the customer preference with each new invoice that I enter.  When I select a customer that has the old, inactive rate, QuickBooks will warn me that this customer has an inactive sales tax rate, which will remind me to change and update the customer to the new on on the invoice.  QuickBooks will then ask me if I want to save this new rate for my customer and I say "yes".

It is especially important to create the new sales tax item if the rate changed for you mid quarter.  You will need the reporting on your sales tax liability report to show both rates so that you can properly prepare the sales tax return.

Lynda

Check out my website  www.artesanibookkeeping.com

Warning: QuickBooks cannot open this file because it exists as a Read-Only file. Please make the file Read-Writable and then try opening it again

You are trying to open a company file, the following message appears:

Warning: QuickBooks cannot open this file because it exists as a Read-Only file. Please make the file Read-Writable and then try opening it again.

 Just what does this mean?

It means the properties on your data file are set to read only.  I had this happen many times when we had a Windows Vista computer and we moved files from one computer to the other.  Not sure to the technological reason for it.  It just happened.

So, how do you fix this?

Go directly to your data file outside of QuickBooks

Right click on the file and uncheck the "Read only" box.

Then click apply and okay.  Then go back to QuickBooks and reopen.

That is all you have to do to fix a file that has read only.

Lynda
Check out my website www.artesanibookkeeping.com

Converting Windows file to a Mac file

So, you have purchased your first Mac computer.  Congratulations!  There is a learning curve to it (at least there was for me), but you will learn your Mac and learn to love it.  

Now, if you decided to use QuickBooks Mac program, I am afraid you will be disappointed in it.  It is not as user-friendly as the PC version.  Especially since it does not have the features of the Windows QuickBooks.  But it does work seamlessly on the Mac.  

So how do you move your company file from your old windows version to the Mac version?  Here are the steps:

1.  Open QuickBooks in your old Windows computer and go to file, utilities, copy company file for QuickBooks Mac.  Click to save it to a usb stick.

2.  Next open the Mac and download the new QuickBooks for Mac program.  Open the Mac and select to open a sample company (I used good old Larry's Landscaping):

3.  Now in the Sample file, go to file, restore and restore the backup on your usb.  Select a location that you want that file to be saved in (like Documents):

4.  You will see this screen next: (and if you are wondering, that is my cat, Meep, stalking a gecko on my desktop pic)

5.  Click Continue and select a location for your company file:

6.  You will be required to enter your Admin password again:

7.  Once entered, your QuickBooks company file will be transformed to a Mac Company file:

 

Congratulations!  You now can work in the Mac program on your new Mac computer.

Lynda
Check out my website www.artesanibookkeeping.com