QuickBooks Pro can save you hours of time in keeping your books and keeping track of your finances. But setting up the new 2010 QuickBooks Pro can be complex and time-consuming.
Contractor's Guide to QuickBooks Pro 2010 can save hours of time in setting up and putting to use all the new features that this 2010 edition offers. QuickBooks Pro isn't just for taxes. You can use it for payroll, keeping track of your vendors and subs -- even job costing (comparing your estimated costs to your actual costs and finding out where you're making and losing money.)
If you'd rather be building homes than burning the midnight oil trying to balance your books, you should have this new book. It includes a CD-ROM with a template for a construction company to help speed your set up, an estimating program with a 5000-item database, a program that converts your estimates into QuickBooks forms so you can compare with your actual costs, and blank construction forms for your use.
The National Estimator System Requirements:
- Operating Systems:
- Windows 7, Vista or XP. Note: Windows 7 and Vista 64-bit now supported.
- PC with 1 gigahertz (GHz) or higher Intel (or equivalent) processor recommended.
- Requires up to 160 megabytes (MB) of hard disk space.
- 512 MB system memory.
- 1024 x 768 or higher video resolution, video adapter and monitor.
- CD-ROM or DVD drive.
- To listen to video tutorial - Sound card and speakers or headphones.
- DSL or Cable internet connection is recommended for automatic updates and other optional program features.
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Contents
Introduction, 5
Why You Need This Book, 5
What You Can Expect from This Book, 6
QuickBooks, QuickBooks Pro, or Premier Contractor Edition?, 7
Why Should You Believe Us?, 8
The CD and How to Use It, 11
Removing the Installed Files, 14
1. Setting Up Your QuickBooks Pro Company, 15
Getting Started, 15
QuickBooks Pro Company Files, 15
Begin With Our Sample and Company Data Files, 17
Upgrading to QuickBooks Pro Version 2010, 21
Convert from Quicken to QuickBooks Pro, 23
Convert an Existing Data File to Our Setup, 24
2. How to Set QuickBooks Pro Preferences, 27
General Preferences, 27
Accounting Preferences, 28
Bill Preferences, 30
Checking Preferences, 30
Finance Charge Preferences, 33
Items & Inventory Preferences, 34
Jobs and Estimates Preferences, 35
Payroll and Employees Preferences, 36
Reminders Preferences, 38
Reports and Graphs Preferences, 39
Sales and Customers Preferences, 39
Sales Tax Preferences, 40
Send Forms Preferences, 40
Service Connection Preferences, 42
Spelling Preferences, 42
Tax: 1099 Preferences, 43
Time and Expenses Preferences, 45
3. Chart of Accounts, 47
The Chart of Accounts, 47
How to Use the Sample Chart of Accounts, 49
Change, Add to, and Print Your Chart of Accounts, 55
QuickBooks Premier Contractor Edition Features, 57
4. Items, 67
Entering Items for a Non-Inventory Based Business, 68
Entering Items for an Inventory Based Business, 70
Creating a Group of Items, 72
Entering Non-Job Related Items, 73
5. Payroll Items, 77
Using Payroll Items to Track Workers' Comp Costs, 77
Using Payroll Items If You Don't Track Workers' Comp, 84
Including Sole Proprietor and Partners' Time Costs in Job Costs, 86
6. Classes, 95
Using Classes to Track Cost Categories, 95
How to Create a Class, 96
7. Customers and Jobs, 99
How to Set Up a Customer, 99
Adding a Job for a Customer, 103
Exporting or Printing Your Customer List, 106
8. Vendors and Subcontractors, 107
Setting Up 1099 Vendors, 107
Setting Up a Non-1099 Vendor, 111
9. Employees, 113
Setting Up Your Employee List, 113
10. Opening Balances, 121
Entering Opening Balances in QuickBooks Pro, 121
Entering Invoices for Accounts Receivable, 122
Entering Bills for Accounts Payable, 124
Beginning Job Balances, 125
11. Organizing Work Flow, 127
Setting Up Your Office Files, 128
Organizing Your Payroll, 131
Keeping Office Paperwork Current, 131
12. Estimating, 135
Using a Summary Estimate You Make Outside of QuickBooks Pro, 136
Customizing an Estimate Form, 138
Memorizing an Estimate, 139
Estimates and Progress Billing, 141
Getting Detailed Estimates, 141
13. Receivables, 143
Four Ways to Invoice a Customer, 144
Tracking Change Orders on Estimates, 154
How to Handle Retainage, 156
Recording a Payment You Receive, 161
Recording a Deposit, 162
Recording a Job Deposit, 163
14. Payables, 167
Creating and Using Purchase Orders, 168
Using Purchase Orders to Track Multiple Draws and Committed Costs, 169
Entering Bills Without Purchase Orders, 173
Selecting Bills for Payment, 175
Printing Checks, 176
Vendor Workers' Comp Reports, 177
15. Payroll, 183
Entering a Timesheet, 183
Processing Employee Payroll, 186
Allocating Sole Proprietor or Partner's Time to a Job, 193
16. Using QuickBooks Pro on a Cash Basis, 197
How to Record a Check, 198
How to Record a Deposit, 201
Checking Your Transactions with the QuickBooks Pro Register, 203
17. Reports, 205
How to Modify Reports, 205
Using Our Memorized Reports, 209
Using Jobs, Time & Mileage Reports, 228
Using Reports in QuickBooks Premier Contractor Edition, 236
18. End of Month and End of Year Procedures, 239
End of Month Procedures, 239
Reading and Understanding Your Financial Reports, 247
End of Year Procedures, 250
19. Real Estate Development, 257
New Accounts, 257
Setting Up a Development Job, 258
Using Items to Track Construction Costs as WIP, 259
Land Purchase Transactions, 261
Personal Loans, 265
Development Loans, 270
Construction Loans, 274
Recording the Sale of a Property, 277
Appendix A, Estimating with QuickBooks Pro, 283
Three Good Reasons to Try QuickBooks Pro Estimating, 283
A Road Map to Your Destination, 284
Setting Preferences for Estimating, 285
Building Your Item List, 287
Creating an Estimate in QuickBooks Pro, 289
Turning an Estimate into an Invoice, 292
Tidying Up Your Company File, 295
Appendix B Job Cost Tracking and Importing Estimates, 297
A Different Approach, 297
Estimates into Invoices, 300
Handling Tax, 300
Using Items for Job Cost Tracking, 302
Help Learning National Estimator, 304
Estimating with National Estimator, 305
Converting Estimates with Job Cost Wizard, 319
Job Cost Wizard Prints Invoices Your Way, 321
Index, 331
Introduction
Why You Need This Book
Contractor's Guide to QuickBooks Pro is a simple, hands-on guide for
contractors, remodelers, subcontractors, and real estate developers who plan to
use, or are now using, QuickBooks Pro accounting software. Think of this manual,
like QuickBooks Pro, as a powerful new tool. Used correctly, it will get results
you never thought possible - in ways you never imagined.
This book was written for contractors by contractors. That's why it's low on
"accounting speak" and high on practical examples. We're not going to talk about
debits and credits. QuickBooks Pro doesn't use those terms, so we won't either.
Instead, we'll use words we all understand, like checks, estimates, bills,
timecards, purchase orders, and deposit slips.
We'll help you set up a good, effective, highly-professional bookkeeping system
as quickly and painlessly as possible. You'll know, at the click of a mouse
button, who owes you money and who you owe. You'll know if there's enough cash
on hand to pay bills. When you need a current profit and loss statement, you'll
have one in a minute or two - either for the month, the year, or for just one
job. When a lender or a bonding company needs a balance sheet, you'll get one in
minutes.
Contractors have special payroll requirements. This book will show you how to
get the most out of QuickBooks Pro's payroll system. No matter where you do
business in the 50 states, QuickBooks Pro has a current tax table exactly right
for your company. If QuickBooks Pro isn't doing your payroll now, we predict it
will be before too long.
Since estimating is important to most construction contractors, we're going to
cover estimating from three perspectives. In Chapter 12, you'll see how to enter
the summary data from estimates you've already written into QuickBooks Pro. From
here, you can do progress billing and job cost tracking. In Appendix A
you'll learn how to use the estimating system built into QuickBooks Pro to create
estimates. And for those who want still more estimating power, Appendix B has
complete instructions for using Craftsman's
estimating software, National Estimator, and Job Cost Wizard, a program that
lets you turn estimates into invoices that will export to QuickBooks Pro. Both
are included on the CD in the back of this book.
Contractor's Guide to QuickBooks Pro 2010
According to a recent national survey, more construction contractors use
QuickBooks Pro and QuickBooks than all other accounting programs combined. And
for good reason. QuickBooks Pro excels at all the routine paperwork in a
construction office: writing checks, keeping track of your bank balance, sending
out invoices and statements, creating up-to-the-minute profit and loss
statements for the month, year or by job, writing payroll checks, paying
suppliers and subcontractors, tracking job costs, comparing estimated and actual
costs for each job, and much more.
But there's a lot to learn in QuickBooks Pro. And converting to a new accounting
system can be a complex and confusing task, even if you have a strong background
in accounting and plenty of time to install the new system. That's why this book
was written—because most construction pros aren't accounting experts and have
more important work to do at the job site.
Contractor's Guide to QuickBooks Pro 2010 will walk you step-by-step
through QuickBooks Pro's detailed setup procedure and then explain item-by-item
how you should be using QuickBooks Pro every day. In days, rather than weeks,
you'll create a first-rate accounting system that's an asset to your company.
Here you'll find simple, well-illustrated instructions for customizing the setup
for QuickBooks Pro 2010, including what each screen on your monitor should look
like. This manual explains every choice you need to make and every button you
need to click on. Includes a CD in the back with software you'll want to use
when estimating costs with QuickBooks Pro. Here's what's on the CD:
- A QuickBooks Pro 2010 file preconfigured for a construction company. The file has a chart of accounts already entered, plus a complete set of memorized reports. Just plug in your own company data—vendors, subs, customers, etc. And at the click of a mouse, you have all the information needed to run your jobs.
- National Estimator—an easy-to-use estimating program with more than 100 pages of construction cost estimating data for general contractors. Dozens of other databases are available. (QuickBooks Pro doesn't come with any estimating data.)
- Job Cost Wizard—converts your National Estimator estimates into QuickBooks Pro estimates so you can
- Blank construction forms you can open on your computer (with nearly any of the popular word processing programs), customize, fill out, print and send to customers and subcontractors.
create and send invoices, track job costs (charge every check to a cost category in your estimate) and
compare actual and estimated costs. You'll know exactly where you made and lost money on every job.
With this book, the other programs included in this package, and QuickBooks Pro
2010, you have at your fingertips all the financial tools needed to keep a
company running strong and in the black. Just add your own company data.
The Authors
Karen Mitchell, Craig Savage and Jim Erwin are contractors, accountants and
QuickBooks Pro experts. They've spent years studying and simplifying the
installation of QuickBooks Pro in construction offices. Karen, Craig and Jim
tour the country giving accounting seminars to professional groups, consulting
with individual contractors and actually setting up QuickBooks Pro accounting
systems for builders. They'll help you get excellent results with QuickBooks Pro
the same way they've helped hundreds of other construction professionals.