I do all of those things with Quickbooks. What I haven't figured out is how to understand the reports it can give. I guess I need to give it to an accountant... David Ilvedson, RPT Pacifica, CA 94044 ----- Original message ---------------------------------------- From: "William Truitt" <surfdog at metrocast.net> To: pianotech at ptg.org Received: 4/27/2010 6:39:55 PM Subject: Re: [pianotech] Quickbooks Payroll Rant >I’m happy you like the program and hope it continues to work well for you. >You should input your expenses as well as your income. I would think it >should be able to do P & L’s and many other reports. Think about >categorizing your income as well as your expenses. You should be able to >set up categories for anything you want to do. You should be able to set >you customizable reports that will allow you to get the data you need at any >time – but you have to input the data. > >One thing I did some time ago was buy computer checks that I could load into >my printer. When paying bills, I would categorize the expenses as I was >writing the checks, saving me a step. > >Will > >From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf >Of Michael Magness >Sent: Tuesday, April 27, 2010 8:26 PM >To: pianotech at ptg.org >Subject: Re: [pianotech] Quickbooks Payroll Rant > > >On Sat, Apr 24, 2010 at 6:46 PM, William Truitt <surfdog at metrocast.net> >wrote: >I’ve been using Quickbooks since I incorporated my business in 1995 and >hired employees. At one time, I had 3 employees and used a payroll service >for payroll and taxes. That worked well for me when I had employees, but >was too expensive to justify when I downsized and had only one employee – >myself. So I went to payroll software, in this case Quickbooks Payroll >because it integrated with Quickbooks and was the only game in town. > >I started out with Quickbooks Enhanced Payroll, which does your payroll and >also will (in theory) input the data into the 941’s for your quarterlies, >and the 940 at the end of the year. I was never able to get the program to >properly reflect the figures from the payroll in the quarterly reports. My >bookkeeper ended up gathering the numbers and filling out the forms >manually. Some of the problems were due to me not always inputting the data >into the program properly. But making corrections in the program that could >then result in accurate quarterly reports proved to be a puzzle we were >never able to solve. The online help was all but useless and certainly >incomplete. There was and still is no written manual for the program >available, either from Intuit or licensed third parties, although there are >plenty of both for Quickbooks itself. That fact is astonishing when you >consider that over a million people use the Payroll program. That seems >like a deliberate strategy, designed to get you to sign up for paid monthly >support, or give up and use their payroll service, also for a monthly fee. >Which is to say that the program is deliberately half crippled so that they >can extract money from you elsewhere. > >After a couple of years I gave up on Enhanced Payroll and went to Basic. >The only difference between the 2 is that Basic does not populate the >Quarterly and Yearly forms, which I could never get it to do anyway. Basic >Payroll went up from $100 a year to $130 a year this past January. I found >that irritating, because nothing about the program has changed in the 5 >years I have been using it, except the tax tables. I could not see what >justified a 30% increase. I have continued to have problems with the >program. Today my bookkeeper Pat was showing me where, in this quarter for >each payroll I did, there’s a place in a report where everything is supposed >to zero out (happy time), but did not (unhappy time, you have to chase down >an error). But she checked my data input, which was correct for all of my >payrolls, so QB Payroll is not posting it properly. As usual, my trusty >accountant fixes things at the end of year. > >By the way QB Payroll Basic costs $130 a year, and Enhanced Payroll costs >$250 a year. For that extra $120, it will fill out the 941’s and some other >forms for you. That’s the only difference. Those you still have to >download from the IRS to populate. Enhanced Payroll allows you to do >payroll for up to only 3 employees. More than that, and they want $350 a >year. My guess is that the only difference between the 2 is the stop switch >they put in Enhanced Payroll so you can’t do more than 3 employees and the >cost > >You’re probably beginning to notice a pattern here. Periodically (about >every 3 years) they force you to upgrade Quickbooks to the newest version. >If you want to continue to use the Payroll Software, you have to upgrade. >They have always done this on the calendar year end when you renew your >subscription. Not this time. A month ago I got a notice from Intuit >telling me that my payroll subscription would be canceled as of May 31 if I >did not upgrade to Quickbooks Pro 2010 from QB Pro 2007 before then (for >another $200.00) What is particularly odd about their timing is that my >subscription is prepaid for the entire calendar year until 12/31/10, leaving >7 months yet to do. Oh yeh, they’ll refund you the balance I can think >of no good motive on their part for them to do this at this time. They so >conveniently make it hard for you, as you are not switching software at the >end of the year or even at the end of the quarter. It’s a bad economy and >they want to extort some money from their captive installed customer base >whom they figure won’t see many other good options and just grumble and pay. > >All that is bad enough, except that my Compaq computer at the shop is 5 ½ >years old and not powerful enough to run Quickbooks Pro 2010, which means I >will have to spend $500 to $1000 to buy a new computer so that I can allow >Intuit to rip me off. But I have a couple of programs on that computer from >little guy piano software developers which won’t run on anything past XP, >and aren’t likely to be upgraded to Windows 7 anytime soon, or at all. Or I >could spend another $200 and get Windows 7 Professional that will may or >may not run these XP programs. And oh, did I mention that quite a few >people are having problems getting QB Pro 2010 to install on Windows 7? > >Overwhelmed with disgust, I started to search for other options for payroll. >I usually don’t replace my computer until it dies or starts getting >psychotic. I want to keep Old Paint plugging along for now. > >I am happy to report that I have found what appears to be a very attractive >alternative, dear reader. There’s a program called Payroll Mate 2010 >available for $99 per year subscription. I downloaded a free trial, and >it’s a peppy little program that does payroll and nothing else. It is very >logically laid out and simple because all it does is payroll. It will print >paychecks, run payroll, do any reports you would need. The 940’s and 941’s >and other forms you need are part of the program. The program will populate >the forms, which are in the program already. It looks to be a very nice >program that will meet my payroll needs and those of most small businesses. > >They are writing an export to Quickbooks feature, but I don’t know when that >will be ready. They already have a Quicken.qif export feature I will have >to make Journal entries into Quickbooks so that it reflects my payroll. But >I pay myself biweekly, so I am only going to do that 26 times a year, and >there’s not that much to do. > >The proof is in the pudding, but I can’t wait to get away from Quickbooks >Payroll. It’s a WCPOS. I’ll use Quickbooks Pro 2007 until I don’t have a >machine that will run it, or my accountant won’t allow me. > >I recognize that what I have shared won’t apply to most of you sole >proprietor readers, but there are some of us out there who do payrolls, and >this is aimed at them. For anyone who wants to look, you can find Payroll >Mate 2010 at realtaxtools.com <http://realtaxtools.com/> for anyone who >wants to have a gander. > >Will Truitt > > >Hi Will, > >I'm responding not directly to your post but rather to the later posts >regarding quickbooks. >I listened to all of those who said quickbooks was no good anymore, it had >been ruined by the upgrades, etc. I went looking for something else and >ended up with Peachtree, anybody want it?????!!!!!!! >I am not great with computers but I've usually been able to muddle/find my >way through most of the programs that came my way, not this one! I have at >least 20+ hours in just trying to design an invoice, I finally got something >resembling what I wanted except it won't add in the sales tax. THAT'S THE >MAIN REASON i BOUGHT IT!!!!! >A month ago I gave up and downloaded the free version of Quickbooks Simple >Start 2010, I had my invoice's ready to go in a half hour INCLUDING TAX!!! >The free version only allows 20 customers you then must upgrade to either >the paid version of Simple start or Pro or Premium. >I just bought Simple start, it won't give me reports on well my year is >doing but I've been able to figure that out for myself for 40+ years, I >doubt I'll forget how now. >For me it's simple enough to keep track of my sales tax, income and perhaps >I'll add in my expenses if I feel like it but I don't have to for it to >accomplish what I bought it for. > >Mike >-- > >It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without >accepting it. > > Aristotle (384 BC - 322 BC) >Michael Magness >Magness Piano Service >608-786-4404 >www.IFixPianos.com >email mike at ifixpianos.com
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