500 Tips
Tax Software
QuickBooks Pro 4.0

Get to the Bottom of Things

Press Ctrl+End when viewing a register to quickly jump to the bottom of it. From there you can enter a new transaction.

Put Your Accounts in Order

Rearrange the accounts in your Chart of Accounts quickly by opening the Chart of Accounts and clicking on the diamond next to the account you would like to move. The cursor then turns into a four-headed arrow that you can use to drag an account to another location.

Keep a Close Eye on Cash

Track all cash you spend by creating an Other Current Asset account called Cash. When you spend cash, enter the expense in your Cash account register.

Micromanage Money

Create subaccounts to give you more detail about your business' accounts. For example, create an Electricity subaccount for your Utility Expense account so you can specifically track how much money you're spending on electricity.

Cash Register

QuickBooks keeps a register of all changes to every asset and liability account you have. To see this register, highlight the account within the Chart of Accounts and click on Use Register at the bottom of the Chart of Accounts window.

Sorting Out Accounts

When you create account numbers less than 1000, be sure to use a leading zero in the number so it will sort in the proper order. For instance, account number 300 should be created as 0300 so that it sorts properly and appears before account number 1000.

Read the Unclassifieds

If you use classes and want to find all unclassified income or expenses, run a Profit and Loss report by class for all dates. The second-to-last column lists all "unclassified"income and expenses. When you double-click on each non-zero amount, you'll see the detail of the original transaction.

Discounts Count

You should take early-payment discounts whenever they're offered. If you pay within 10 days and take the 2-percent discount, the savings on your money can add up over a year's time. Check out the Business Library to find out more ways to add to your bottom line.

Reality Checks

When you don't want QuickBooks to fill in all the information on a check automatically, select Preferences/Data Entry and turn off the "Automatically recall last transaction for this name"option.

The Dates They Are A-Changin'

Change the date of any transaction without retyping it. Highlight the date and use the + or - keys to scroll through later or earlier dates.

Copycat Companies

If you want to use the same customized Chart of Accounts (or other lists) to set up several companies, just export the lists after you've customized them. Then you can import them into the new companies.

Trash the Splash

You can hide QuickBooks' initial splash screen by adding a line to your QBW.INI file. Under the [MISC] section, add the line:
DisableSplash=Y.

Money Spent Is Money Earned

Tracking reimbursable expenses as income (instead of as a reduction to your expense) is easy. Select Preferences/Sales/Invoicing and click on "Track reimbursed expenses as income."

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