QuickBooks Tips and Tricks – Part 2!  Today we journey down the road to duplicating a tab in your chrome browser and also get into creating some custom reports.  We will schedule them to be used in your accounting practice.  Great tips if you have staff and a growing practice.  Enjoy!  To see part one of Tips and Tricks, click here.

QBO Tricks:

1.

Browser trick: I log in via the web and my Chrome browser.  Did you know you can right click on any tab and duplicate the window you are viewing?  It is super-helpful when maybe working in customers and payments and also updating bank deposits.  You can also right-click on the toolbar on the left and open a new tab that way. Alternatively, you can open a new window by right-clicking.  I like to do this with an incognito window so I can open a 2nd company file.  Great when there are inter-company loans.   You can always filter a date range to make your bank register more easily viewable for the exact time you are searching for transactions.  Just click the filter icon.

2.

Custom Reports: This one is not exactly a trick.  However, it is a potent tool for sure!  I create report groups for year-end.  It is helpful for the client so that you can customize them and preset them.  Most client’s do not know what reports belong in a financial grouping.  It is nice to set the report grouping by the tax basis too. Maybe the client wants to see their books all year in accrual basis, but at year-end, they file their taxes on a cash basis — this way the reports are set up for them.

3.

Scheduling Reports:  I love this feature! I use it for the suspense account, better known as “ask my accountant.” What is great about it is that it can be set up as its report and sent to you for review. I recommend doing this if you have staff. It has been my experience that it is best to review these first before forwarding the client. Once reviewed, send it to the client to get clarity on the transactions like Amazon, where you do not know what the client purchased. Put it in suspense so you can continue to work and reconcile their records. Then Once per month, you auto schedule this report to be sent to you and then forwarded to your client. I recommend sending it in excel format so the client will have cells to add more context to the line items. Then you can keep his or her records up-to-date. One short tip, however, do not stress if the client doesn’t get back to you on this report. Eventually, they will have to answer the questions. It is easier to do this throughout the year, but sometimes, the customer just ignores you. It is on them if they end up with a big job at year-end or tax time.

Countdown to Scaling New Heights