16 replies to this topic

[Scottie]

Accounting is the bane of my existence. Tax time makes my stomach churn and my head hurt and invariably, I'm one of the many thousands of Americans sitting at the computer at 11:50PM on April 15 desperately trying to get my taxes e-filed before the midnight deadline.

This year, we are outsourcing accounting to a small-business accountant. Once a week, I drop off reciepts and other paperwork and let them handle the ugly stuff like payroll taxes and sales taxes. It's not cheap but it is soooooo worth it.

[Click]

Accounting is certainly NOT my cup of tea...but Quickbooks is fairly easy to learn. Every month or two, I send it off to my accountant to look through it and check that i am entering everything correctly.

Also if you choose to go the Quickbooks route, there are Quickbooks specialists who will do your books for an hourly fee each week or so...and they are usually fairly cheap. (I've found some locally for $20-$50/hour) so in a bind I know i can get someone to my office to straighten me out (on an as-needed basis)...

Edited by Click, 28 July 2003 - 02:07 PM.

[Scottie]

Welcome Click!

[Jill]

Welcome, Click!

I've been using QuickBooks Online edition and LOVE it. Their support is super and it has a ton of functions. One of these days I plan to write up a review of it. Just haven't had the chance yet. Hmm...maybe this week's newsletter!

Jill

[dragonlady7]

I dread having to do my taxes. This is the first year I'll actually make enough to have to pay taxes. If I actually get started on my theoretical online business, that'll complicate things even more. And what's this I hear about being able to deduct your student loan payments' interest? *mind explodes* I hate math and I'm awful at it.
I shall have to look into some of these accounting programs. *sigh* Maybe I can sucker my boyfriend into doing my taxes as well as his if I do the laundry all year or something... not that he's any good at math either. :doh:

That was all mostly an excuse to use all those smilies. I'm still waiting for the novelty to wear off.

[Toadally]

If your using Quickbooks and have a shopping cart you can automatically have everything in your shopping cart downloaded to Quickbooks by buying a module. The only way to go! I have MIVA shopping cart and the module is called QB Imports by Burns. I'm sure there are other ones for other shopping carts. You simply batch at the end of the day and it will also print out custom packing slips AND send it to your UPS module to print labels. It goes for around $250 as I remember.

[dragonlady7]

That sounds pretty convenient. You mean if your site has a shopping cart on it?
Well... I don't have anything like that, but it certainly sounds handy.
I just need a good calculator and some quality time alone with irs.gov, I think. It's not so hard, it's just complicated and confusing.

[Will]

I havn't tried it yet, but another cool Quicken feature is the ability to turn invoices into pdf's and email them direct to the client.

Will

[copywriter]

Quickbooks easy? You MUST be kidding me?

OK, granted, I'm an accounting idiot. I am VERY good at tracking my payments, receipts, etc. But all this "accounting" junk just drives me nuts!

Finally, my CPA told me I was only allowed to go into two things... write checks and receive payments. He told me not to touch anything else and he'd make corrections if he needed to.

I did just great when I used Excel. But since I incorporated, he insists I use Quickbooks. It does have some advantages. It creates all the lovely reports, etc. for you at the drop of a hat and so on.

If I understood accounting better, I think I'd do better overall with QB. However, as much as I hate accounting, I'll just stick to the parameters defined by my CPA and stay in the write checks and receive payments sections.

[sanity]

I can't stand QuickBooks either. Well to be honest I just can't stand accounting - funny that as my Dad is an accountant. I finally convinced the hubby a few weeks ago to take over.

[copywriter]

Oh no shot there! My hubby has an anxiety attack if I ask him to balance the checkbook

Maybe it's a genetic thing. My dad is a retired senior VP for a bank. My mom is a retired bookkeeper. My sister is a branch manager at a credit union. I'm the weird one!

[mcanerin]

I'm truly horrible at accounting - I can do it but have some sort of pseudo-epilepsy that takes control of my mouse hand and starts clicking on websites whenever my more responsible self tries to launch Quickbooks.

Mostly, I stuff all my reciepts in a box, routinely print off my bank and paypal ledger, then throw myself on the mercy of a friend of mine who is a tax lawyer (I like him anyway).

Oddly, I haven't paid taxes (after deductions) for 10 years. Owning your own business is a great write off - I've had one since my first year of law school.

Perhaps I should take medication - Though I notice a tendancy to drink more near tax time, wonder it that counts as "medication"

[copywriter]

Well, taxes won't eat me up so badly since I incorporated.

As for outsourcing, I do outsource the taxes, etc. It's just getting used to a different way of doing things.

I used to use Excel. I did just fine with that. But QBP is an actual "accounting" software program. I'm having to get familiar with where entries really are supposed to go instead of where I want to put them

[Scottie]

Bartering is an incredible way to get what you need.

The family has gotten 6 fillings and 3 cleanings so far from the dentist without cash changing hands...

The big thing is to ask! You'd be surprised at the number of people willing to trade.

[patrickh]

Last few years I have (luckily) been able to use the "simple" return forum, though I can't remember the exact name. Turbo Tax online made it super simple, just submit some info into their site and filed it electronicly. Next year is going to be a bit trickier though, now I am finally doing some freelance work and I guess I have to claim that too