Maximizing QuickBooks: Features to Start Using

by Karen Stern

QuickBooks Online accounting software is one of the most beneficial tools small businesses can use to streamline their tax and accounting needs. However, many features of QuickBooks Online are unknown or underutilized. Below are a few features your business should be using today to get the most out of your software.

Attachments
Attachments can be added to bills, checks, invoices and other transactions within QuickBooks Online. The attachment can be any file type, and this functionality eliminates the need for keeping paper receipts. This allows you to upload bank and credit card statements to the attachments folder early and helps make end-of-month and end-of-year much easier.

QuickBooks Labs
QuickBooks Labs is like a high-tech playground for savvy QuickBooks users. You can find experimental plug-ins and be the first to try out new features of QuickBooks. Some of these turn into real features, while others may not.

QuickBooks apps
QuickBooks is continuously developing new apps that sync with your account and can help small-business owners make their bookkeeping more intuitive. Apps are listed by “newest,” “top-rated,” “featured” and “all apps.” Some of the more valuable apps can be used as tools to make paying bills, tracking travel and expenses, billing, and invoicing much easier.

Connect your accounts
You can connect your bank accounts and credit cards to automatically download and categorize transactions to QuickBooks Online daily as long as you use a participating bank. You can also plug into apps your business already uses like, PayPal or Square, for seamless integration.
Save the date for our upcoming QuickBooks training sessions on Tuesday, June 26.

Karen Stern, CPA, (kstern@bswllc.com), partner in charge, Brown Smith Wallace Entrepreneurial Services Group, provides tax and accounting services for companies ranging from start-ups to $20 million in revenue.