PeachPodcast

Get YOur Own Page On Google

2010-02-24T12:25:00.000-08:00

Get your own page on Google!

A friend just told me about this!

Now you can have a page on Google in your own name!

Check It Out!

Promote Yourself - Promote Your Business!

Got a QuickBooks Mess? Call The QuickBooks Gal!

Got a QuickBooks Mess?
Call The QuickBooks Gal!

775-348-9225

jayne@qbgal.com

Northern Nevada's Only
Intuit Solutions Provider

Got Point of Sale? Want Point of Sale?
We have live versions in our office
Call to schedule a trial demonstration!
775-348-9200

qbdoc@qbdoc.com

Do’s and don’ts for paying part-time employees

2009-12-10T21:18:00.000-08:00

Do’s and don’ts for paying part-time employees

Source: The American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers; Bookkeeping Tips Newsletter

Do withhold FICA on part-timers, including retirees.

Even if someone who works for you part-time also has a full-time job where they have had 100% of their FICA withheld for the year, you must withhold the full amount of FICA from their pay. These individuals can obtain a refund of any overpaid FICA on their 1040. Similarly, if a retiree receiving Social Security benefits works for you, say, one day a week, you must withhold FICA.

Don’t assume former employees who return part-time are Independent Contractors.

If they do the same job they did before they left, especially in the same tax year, they are employees, not independent contractors.

Don't base worker status on length of service.

A worker who fits the definition of “employee” is an employee and all employment taxes apply—even if he or she works for you only for a few hours on only one day, is still an employee.

Don't assume you must give benefits

To part-timers, or summer help or those hired for holidays.

Nor are you required to include temps and part-timers in health, pension and other benefits. But to exclude them, have a written plan stating which benefits are not available to these workers.

Do define “part-time” v. “full-time” employees in your manual.

For purposes of paying overtime under federal law, this distinction is determined by company policy, not federal law. Federal wage and hour law restricts only the number of hours worked in the workweek, when overtime must be paid (for each hour worked over 40 hours in the workweek) and the minimum overtime pay required, and the number of hours that children can work.

Got a QuickBooks Mess?
Call The QuickBooks Gal!

775-348-9225

jayne@qbgal.com

Northern Nevada's Only
Intuit Solutions Provider

Got Point of Sale? Want Point of Sale?
We have live versions in our office
Call to schedule a trial demonstration!
775-348-9200

qbdoc@qbdoc.com

Hide Unneeded Fields and Columns from Task Screens In Peachtree

2009-10-17T15:33:00.000-07:00

By hiding unneeded fields from task screens, you can make transaction entry easier and reduce errors.

From within task screens such as Invoices, Sales Orders, and Purchase Orders, click the Layout button and select Customize Layout.

From the screen that opens, you can uncheck items in the Entry Screen column to hide them, creating a simpler input screen.

For more information on how to create templates for different situations and users, select Help from the Templates screen.

Ready to upgrade to Peachtree from your old One Write Plus?
Call Us!

Peachtree, QuickBooks, Point of Sale Support

775-348-9225

775-348-9200

What IRS Auditors Look for When Examining a Business

2009-10-13T18:19:00.000-07:00

Recently, a client asked me about the IRS and what they might look for in an audit.

* He keeps great records and is very careful not to "co-mingle" funds.
* All cash received is deposited to the company business checking account.
* And, in an effort to better control cash purchases, he has opened a separate bank account that he funds periodically from the business operating account.
* He then carries the ATM debit card for that account and makes "cash" purchases with that card.
* Additionally, all workers are either employees or licensed contractors.

I found a great article from Wells Fargo that I think provides a great check list for some of the most common issues the IRS may consider when reviewing a business file in an audit. Here is an excerpt from that article:

In the case of audit, be aware that the IRS training manual tells its auditors that they are examining you, not just your tax return.

The auditor wants to see how you match up with the income reported on your return, or what the IRS terms “economic reality.”

According to Frederick W. Daily, tax attorney and author of Stand Up To the IRS and Tax Savvy for Small Business, if your business is audited, the IRS is likely to investigate the following issues:

Does your lifestyle square with your reported income? “

An auditor sizes you up for dress, jewelry, car and furnishings in your home or office, if given a chance to make these observations. Someone who looks like a Vegas high roller, with the tax return of a missionary, will cause any auditor to dig deeper,” Daily says.

Does your business handle a lot of cash?

If your business handles a lot of cash, expect the auditor to suspect skimming, or diverting income into your own pocket, without declaring it.

Did you write off auto expenses for your only car?

Personal use of your business-deducted set of wheels is so common that auditors expect to find it.

That doesn’t mean they’ll accept it, however. Auditors don’t believe you use your one-and-only auto 100% for business and never to run to the grocery store or the dentist.

If you operate your car for both business and pleasure and claim a high percentage of business usage, keep good records (preferably a mileage log).

Did you claim personal entertainment, meals or vacation costs as business expenses?

Travel and entertainment business expenses are another area where the IRS knows it can strike gold. Document all travel and entertainment deductions. Taking buddies to the ball game and calling it business won’t fly if you can’t explain the business relationship in a credible fashion.

Did you “forget” to report all of your business sales or receipts?

If you failed to report significant business income—$10,000 or more—strongly consider hiring a tax pro to handle the audit. Remove yourself from the process altogether.

If the auditor finds evidence of large amounts of unreported income, and it looks intentional, he may call in the IRS criminal investigation team.

If you have employees, are you filing payroll tax returns and making tax payments?

Employment taxes are a routine part of every audit of a small enterprise.

And last but not least, if you hire people you call “independent contractors,” are they really employees?

The IRS routinely conducts audits of businesses that hire independent contractors, because of the tax savings associated with hiring contractors instead of employees.

These are great questions for all of us to ask about our business practices. Check with your tax professional for more guidelines to proper record keeping and IRS tax compliance.

How to Report on Transaction Activity of Specific Items

2009-09-17T11:07:00.000-07:00

Peachtree Tip of the Month: How to Report on Transaction Activity of Specific Items

There’s an easy way to produce a list of customers who have purchased specific inventory items during a given date range. The Item Costing Report lists items with costing information for quantities received and sold.

Select Reports & Forms; Inventory; Item Costing Report. Click the Options OK to preview the report. button to set a date range and to filter by specific inventory items. Click

To include the invoice numbers of purchases and sales, click the Columns button and set Reference to Show.

If you want a simpler listing that includes only items included on customer invoices, you may want to take a look at the Find Transactions Report. Select the Company report group to locate this report. Click the Options button and select Transaction Type as a filter. Set this filter to Sale/Invoice. You can also filter by a range or specific Item IDs.

Thanks to the folks at Sage for this great tip!

Mark your calendars!
The ROI-Centric Conference of the Year is coming this Fall!
November 9-12 in Atlanta

How to protect against discrimination suits with a comprehensive EEO policy

2009-09-14T15:01:00.000-07:00

The most recent issue of HR 411 newsletter from the folks at Sage Accounting Software had an interesting article that discusses a point that all employers need to consider.

How do you handle those "Loaded questions" such as firing Baby-Boomers or banning hats in the office?

It's such a good guide that I thought it was worth reprinting.

FACT: There were nearly 100,000 claims filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in 2008. With recent increases in the number of out-of-work Americans, this figure is likely to rise in the coming years; meaning that no business—even yours—is fully immune to discrimination claims.

More and more disgruntled employees are alleging discrimination in situations where they may have been passed up for another candidate, they were fired for poor performance, or they weren’t promoted as quickly as they thought they should be. To protect against claims like these, it’s necessary to have a solid, and consistently applied, policy on equal employment opportunities.

Consider these seemingly innocent actions taken by you and members of your staff:

A manager asks an interviewee, “What year did you graduate high school?”
To give the company a more professional feel, you issue a policy banning hats in the workplace
You terminate a 60-year-old woman whose performance has been declining
You tell several male employees that they “can bring their wives” to the company picnic

Intentions aside, if the employees in the above situations feel that the underlying reason for these or subsequent actions is not based solely on job-related and performance issues, they can claim discrimination based on age, religion, or family/marital status. You would then be left to prove to the court that your actions were not based on personal characteristics, but rather valid job-related circumstances.

Don’t become another statistic: Use the following 8 key considerations when drafting an anti-discrimination policy:

Define the purpose. The purpose of your anti-discrimination policy, which is to provide equal employment and advancement opportunities to all individuals, should be clearly defined from the start. As such, employment decisions must be based on merit, qualifications and abilities, without regard to an employee’s (or a potential employee’s) race, religion, sex, national origin, age, or disability.
Identify protected groups. Clearly define which groups are protected from discrimination, and keep in mind your state’s civil rights laws when doing so. For example, discrimination with regards to gender identity and sexual orientation is prohibited in certain states, but is not currently protected under federal law. Employers should check their state-specific requirements in order to ensure compliance with the law, provide for appropriate employee protections, and demonstrate the company’s commitment to non-discriminatory practices.
Provide examples. Provide examples of the types of employment decisions that are made without regard to one’s protected characteristics. These include decisions relating to selection, job assignment, compensation, discipline, termination, and access to benefits and training.
Identify a contact. Let employees know who they can seek out if they have questions or concerns about the company’s EEO practices. Employees with questions or concerns should be encouraged to bring these issues to the attention of their supervisor or the human resources department.
Include an anti-retaliation clause. Employees should know that they are protected from retaliation. As such, it’s important to clearly state that no employee will be discriminated against, or discharged, for bringing about a complaint of discrimination or for assisting in an investigation into discriminatory practices.

Describe the consequences. Clearly describe the consequences for engaging in discriminatory behavior. Anyone found to be engaging in unlawful discrimination should be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment.
Communicate your policy. All employees should be aware of your company’s policy on discrimination. Hold staff meetings distribute memos, and post the policy in breakrooms so that the severity of the issue hits home. It’s important to not only communicate the policy to your staff, but to stand by it as well. Doing so will demonstrate that you value, and strive for, a discrimination-free workplace.
Follow company policy. Having an EEO policy in place is important for communicating the company’s commitment to preventing discrimination in the workplace. However, failing to follow it can leave you susceptible to legal claims. To limit liability you must follow your policy consistently and demonstrate that you exercised necessary care to prevent and correct discriminatory behavior.

By using caution and adhering to the above-mentioned considerations when drafting your anti-discrimination policy, you will be communicating to your employees that discrimination will not be tolerated and that you are committed to providing equal opportunities. And should a discrimination claim arise, employers that follow their policy consistently are demonstrating their due diligence in protecting against unfair employment practices.

Peachtree SR1 Online Update Available Now

2009-09-06T19:08:00.000-07:00

If you have not already updated your software with the SR1 on-line update you will be missing the 35 product corrections and several enhancements included in SR1:

Multiple Contacts
Print General Journal Entries
Allocate Budget Amounts
SPI 120 Support
Support for Microsoft Windows 7

2010 SR1 also includes over 35 product corrections. Please view the SR1 Sales Brief for a list of the new product corrections.

I hope you find this information helpful.

If you have questions or comments, please send me an email at jayne@quickbooksgal.com. You can also visit our website: http://www.custmbiz.com/.

Deadline Nears for Small Biz Stimulus Tax Breaks

2009-09-06T18:13:00.000-07:00

Deadline Nears for Small Biz Stimulus Tax Breaks

From an article at WebCPA.

The IRS said that time is running out for many small businesses that wish to take advantage of the tax breaks in the stimulus bill.

Eligible individuals have until Oct. 15 to choose the expanded business loss carryback option included in this year’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and eligible calendar-year corporations have until just Sept. 15.

The carry back provision offers small businesses that lost money in 2008 a way to quickly get much-needed cash if they were profitable in previous years. The option is only available for a limited time, so small businesses should consider it carefully and act before it’s too late, said the IRS.

Under the Recovery Act, many small businesses that had expenses exceeding their income for 2008 can choose to carry the resulting loss back for up to five years, instead of the usual two. This means that a business that had a net operating loss in 2008 could carry that loss as far back as tax-year 2003, rather than the usual 2006. Not only could this mean a special tax refund, but the refund could be larger, because the loss is being spread over as many as five tax years, rather than just two.

This option may be particularly helpful to any eligible small business with a large loss in 2008. A small business that chooses this option can benefit by:

· Offsetting the loss against income earned in up to five prior tax years;
· Getting a refund of taxes paid up to five years ago;
· Using up part or all of the loss now, rather than waiting to claim it on future tax returns.

Under the Recovery Act, eligible taxpayers can choose to carry back a NOL arising in a taxable year beginning or ending in 2008 for three, four or five years instead of two. The option is available for an eligible small business, or ESB, that has no more than an average of $15 million in gross receipts over a three-year period ending with the tax year of the NOL. This choice may be made for only one tax year.

Most taxpayers still have time to choose this special carry back and get a refund. A calendar-year corporation that qualifies as an ESB must file a claim by Sept. 15, 2009. For individuals, the deadline is Oct. 15, 2009. This includes a sole proprietor that qualifies as an ESB, an individual partner in a partnership that qualifies as an ESB and a shareholder in an S corporation that qualifies as an ESB. Deadlines vary for fiscal-year taxpayers, depending upon when their fiscal year ends and whether they are making the choice for the tax year that ends or begins in 2008.

Individuals can accelerate a refund by filing Form 1045, "Application for Tentative Refund." Similarly, corporations with NOLs may also accelerate a refund by using Form 1139, "Corporation Application for Tentative Refund." Normally, refunds are issued within 45 days.

Visit IRS.gov for more information.

Hiding Inactive Records

2009-09-04T10:55:00.000-07:00

“PeachPodCast” - A Podcast for Peachtree and One Write Plus users featuring helpful information, tips, tricks and suggestions for bookkeepers, business owners, and consultants. You can listen to our archived podcasts at peachpodcast.custmbiz.com.

Today I'd like to pass on a great tip about hiding inactive records

If you want to keep certain records from showing up in your list views and drop-down boxes, you can mark them inactive.

Then select Options > Global. Check the Hide Inactive Records box and click OK.

This will hide every record – Customers, Items, Vendors, etc. – that are marked inactive, saving you time by getting to the right record fast.

I hope you find this information helpful.

If you have questions or comments, please send me an email at jayne@quickbooksgal.com. You can also visit our website: http://www.custmbiz.com/.

Trouble E-mailing Customer Statements?

2009-08-25T11:12:00.000-07:00

If you are having trouble e-mailing customer statements when you get to ~statement and ~click Print/email. Peachtree doesn’t show Outlook as an option for emailing, it only shows network printers.

Check the following:

In Customer Maintenance, verify that the Form Options/Batch delivery method (within the Sales Info tab) is set to E-mail for each customer that you want to email.

From the Sales Invoice screen, try to email just one invoice.

If you can, then your e-mail is set up correctly.

I hope you find this information helpful. If you have questions or comments, please send me an email at jayne@quickbooksgal.com. You can also visit our website: http://www.custmbiz.com/.

Prior Period Locking In Peachtree

2009-08-15T17:10:00.000-07:00

“PeachPodCast” - A Podcast for Peachtree and One Write Plus users featuring helpful information, tips, tricks and suggestions for bookkeepers, business owners, and consultants.

Today I want to tell you about Prior Period Locking in Peachtree.

Have you ever worked on a client’s books only to find that when they bring you the file that payroll numbers have changed? You printed all of the 941 forms from the past quarters; you have proof of what actually happened in that quarter. Then, as you are looking at your final calculations, you notice that the numbers are just not adding up. What happened?

The answer is simple. Your client may have inadvertently made a change to a prior period in their Peachtree software. For example, they gave someone a raise, and then not thinking about the ramifications, went into a prior paycheck and made a change. Once they saved the change, the “new” numbers were immediately reflected in the tax forms.

Here is an easy way to stop this problem from happening:

This year when you visit your clients, ask them to turn on prior-period locking. This feature keeps Peachtree users from making changes in their invoices, payroll, purchase orders, etc. that have already occurred.

Prior-period locking is found in the navigation bar under Tasks > User Security. Then, set up a new user with “view only” rights to “Transactions in the Prior Period.”

Thanks to the folks at Peachtree for sharing these tips in their latest newsletter. I’ll continue to bring you more tips from a variety of sources that I hope you will find useful or time-saving.

I hope you find this information helpful. If you have questions or comments, please send me an email at jayne@quickbooksgal.com. You can also visit our website: http://www.custmbiz.com/.

New Single Incident Phone Support

2008-11-02T20:27:00.000-08:00

QB On Call

Stuck on what should be a simple problem?

Tired of calling tech-support for hours of the "run around?"

Looking for an affordable way to simply "fix it?"

Then call us!

Our knowledgeable experts can assist you with many common QuickBooks and Peachtree "quick questions."

We speak YOUR language and can guide you through most solutions with simple, easy to understand assistance.

We are Peachtree & QuickBooks Users and Consultants....We use Peachtree & QuickBooks Everyday!

If you are tired of call centers and can't find expert help in your area, give us a call...we now offer $49 single incident, 30 minutes or less, support.

We've been doing this for many years locally and now we're going world-wide. Call us between 10 am -9 pm PST with your credit card & your issue.

We'll take an incident report, run your credit card for a flat fee of $49.00 and either call you back or, if you would like to wait while we process your credit card payment, we'll stay on the line and start your "support clock" once payment has been made.

We limit our calls to One Incident - One Topic; limited to 30 minutes. You can't call asking how to create an invoice, then move on to payroll issues. But you can call if you need operational support from real bookkeepers, users & hands-on consultants.

This is Peachtree & QuickBooks User support...architectural or software issues that require engineering support are not included. If your questions are not within our field of expertise, we'll tell you and we won't ask for your credit card.

If you are having installation issues, don't forget that you may have free installation support from your software provider, so use that first!

So, if you are looking for real support from real Peachtree & QuickBooks users Call the Pros at QB On Call!

775-348-9225 - or - 775-348-9200

jayne@qbgal

QB On Call
A Division of Custom Business Solutions
"The QuickBooks Gal"
1755 E Plumb Lane, Ste 101
Reno, NV 89502

Payroll Updates in Peachtree

2008-03-18T17:22:00.000-07:00

“PeachPodCast” - A Podcast for Peachtree and One Write Plus users featuring helpful information, tips, tricks and suggestions for bookkeepers, business owners, and consultants.

Today I want to share some tips from Peachtree about IRS forms, Payroll Tax Forms in Peachtree and Peachtree Tax Service Updates.

My recent Sage Software newsletter noted the following information that I would like to share with you for future reference. Many Peachtree users forget that there is a great source of information at www.peachtree.com/knowledgebase where you can find answers to many questions like the ones that follow.

• The black-and-white Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Tax Forms W-2 (Copy A) and W-3 included in the Peachtree 2006, 2007, and 2008 Print-n-Sign Tax Form Wizard are Social Security Administration (SSA) approved.

• These forms are referred to as “laser-printed” and replace the red dropout because laser-printed forms offer superior readability for processing by scanning equipment.

• The black-and-white laser-printed W-2 ad W-3 forms supplied in Peachtree fully conform to the specifications outlined in IRS publication 1411, General Rules and Specifications for Substitute Forms W-2 and W-3.

When attempting to open Payroll Tax Forms in Peachtree, how can I resolve the following errors?

•An Internet connection failure occurred and/or there is a mandatory quarterly update available? It must be installed to continue processing. Do you wish to update now?

To resolve this issue, you will need to open and manually update the Updates.atx file. The first line of this text file should read, “ < checked=" “01-01-2008” " updated=" “01-02-2008” ">” (without the spaces). For complete details on how to do this, visit Peachtree knowledgebase and look up article number 21980. www.peachtree.com/knowledgebase.

•After installing Peachtree Tax Service Update on my network, one or more of the computers have expired tax forms. When selecting Check for Updates I receive a message stating “There are no updates available at this time”. How can I correct this issue?

The Peachtree Payroll Tax Service Updates are automatically downloaded and installed by the Peachtree accounting software program. The payroll tax forms are installed only on the computer where the tax update was originally installed. For instructions on installing the payroll tax forms on additional computers, refer to article 21526 in the Peachtree Knowledgebase at www.peachtree.com/knowledgebase.

Thanks to the folks at Peachtree for sharing these tips in their latest newsletter. I’ll continue to bring you more tips from a variety of sources that I hope you will find useful or timesaving.

I hope you find this information helpful. If you have questions or comments, please send me an email at jayne@quickbooksgal.com. You can also visit our website: http://www.custmbiz.com/.

I’m Jayne Miller, Your Peachtree Pro. Thanks for listening.

New I-9 Employment Verification Form

2008-01-08T22:42:00.001-08:00

Employment Eligibility Verification

Purpose of Form :

All U.S. employers are responsible for completion and retention of Form I-9 for each individual they hire for employment in the United States. This includes citizens and non-citizens.

On the form, the employer must verify the employment eligibility and identity documents presented by the employee and record the document information on the Form I-9.

The list of acceptable documents has been amended in the 2007 version of the Form I-9 and can be found on page 4 of the forms.

Where to File :

Do not file Form I-9 with U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or USCIS.

Form I-9 must be kept by the employer either for three years after the date of hire or for one year after employment is terminated, whichever is later.

The form must be available for inspection by authorized U.S. Government officials (e.g., Department of Homeland Security, Department of Labor, Office of Special Counsel).

Special Instructions :

You should have the latest version of the free Adobe Reader to download and use the 2007 version of Form I-9.

Please note the following changes to the Form I-9 process:

Five documents have been removed from List A of the List of Acceptable Documents:

Certificate of U.S. Citizenship (Form N-560 or N-561)
Certificate of Naturalization (Form N-550 or N-570)
Alien Registration Receipt Card (I-151)
Unexpired Reentry Permit (Form I-327)
Unexpired Refugee Travel Document (Form I-571)

One document was added to List A of the List of Acceptable Documents:

Unexpired Employment Authorization Document (I-766)

All Employment Authorization Documents with photographs have been consolidated as one item on List A:

I-688, I-688A, I-688B, I-766

Instructions regarding Section 1 of the Form I-9 now indicate that the employee is not obliged to provide his or her Social Security number in Section 1 of the Form I-9, unless he or she is employed by an employer who participates in E-Verify.

Employers may now sign and retain Forms I-9 electronically. See instructions on page 2 of the Form I-9.

Note: The Spanish version of Form I-9, available below on this page, may be filled out by employers and employees in Puerto Rico ONLY. Spanish-speaking employers and employees in the 50 states and other U.S. territories may print this for their reference, but may only complete the form in English to meet employment eligibility verification requirements.

Follow these links to download the English or Spanish versions:

I hope you find this information helpful. If you have questions or comments, please send me an email at jayne@quickbooksgal.com. You can also visit our website: http://www.custmbiz.com/.
Well, that’s it for now. I appreciate your time and hope you will join me again next time for another in our PeachPodCast series.

I’m Jayne Miller, The QuickBooksGal and Your PeachtreePro. Thanks for listening.

Jayne Miller is the owner of Custom Business Solutions, a consulting firm in Reno, NV that specializes in providing bookkeeping and software support.

Using the Year End Wizard in Peachtree

2007-12-13T18:26:00.000-08:00

“PeachPodCast” - A Podcast for Peachtree and One Write Plus users featuring helpful information, tips, tricks and suggestions for bookkeepers, business owners, and consultants. You can listen to our archived podcasts at peachpodcast.custmbiz.com.

If you are using QuickBooks, check out my QuickBooksGal podcasts at blog.quickbooksgal.com and if you use Microsoft Office Accounting, our new MicroPodCasts are available at micropodcast.custmbiz.com. You can find links to these and my websites at blog.quickbooksgal.com.

Today I want to follow up on a previous podcast and tell you about the Year End Wizard that's part of Peachtree Accounting Software. As many of you know, you can only keep two years (24 accounting periods) open in Peachtree. Then you have to close the oldest year and archive that year in order to move forward into the coming year.

The Year-End wizard walks you through the process of closing out your first open fiscal year, payroll tax year, or both. At every point in the process, the wizard makes your options clear and tells you the consequences of every action you might take. Before you launch the wizard, there are a number of tasks you should perform.

These include

1 - Printing out any unprinted items such as invoices and payroll checks

2 - Clearing the Waiting on Bill from Vendor check box in the Purchases/Receive Inventory window for any outstanding vendor purchases.

If you start the wizard before performing this task, the wizard will not be able to proceed. You will have to exit the wizard and clear the check box before you can complete year-end close. You may also want to purge inactive records before you start the wizard, though this can be done at any time, including after year-end close.

Purging records is accomplished with the Peachtree Purge wizard. Also, while the wizard requires that you back up your company data during the close process, you can do so before launching the wizard if you prefer. In either case, back up of company data is highly recommended.

Year-End Wizard - Close Options

In this window the wizard asks you which open years you want to close. Depending on the available options, you can close either the displayed fiscal year, the displayed payroll tax year, or both the fiscal and the payroll tax years.

The Wizard includes three option buttons:

1 - Fiscal and Payroll Tax Years

2 - Fiscal Year: The wizard will display the appropriate beginning and closing dates for the year.

3 - Payroll Tax Year: The wizard will display the appropriate beginning and closing dates for the year.

Depending on your current accounting period and how your fiscal and payroll tax years are structured, not all of these options may be available. Peachtree will always allow you to close only the appropriate year or years based on your accounting structure, so do not be concerned if all close options are not available to you at one time.

Note: If you have been working in Peachtree for a number of years and have never closed a payroll tax year, the wizard will recommend that you close your fiscal and payroll tax years together. This will close more than one payroll tax year and bring your fiscal and payroll tax years in sync.

To select the desired close options, do the following:

Start the Peachtree Year-End wizard, and click the option button corresponding to the year or years you want to close. When finished, select the Next button to continue the year-end close process.

If you are closing an open fiscal year or years, Peachtree displays the Print Fiscal Year-End Reports window.

If you are closing an open payroll tax year or years, Peachtree displays the Unprinted Items window.

Note: When you select Next, the wizard will determine if you have any purchases still waiting on bills from vendors. If so, the Cannot Proceed window will appear, telling you that you must go to the Purchases window and clear the Waiting on Bill from Vendor check box for each of the purchases before you can continue with year-end close.

If you don't have any outstanding purchases but you do have items such as invoices and payroll checks that haven't been printed, you will see the Unprinted Items window. It will list all items that still need to be printed. At this point you can select Cancel to close the wizard and then print out these items, or you can select the Next button to continue without printing the items.

Year-End Wizard - Print Fiscal Year-End Reports

In order to assure that you have a proper audit trail for your company, it is strongly recommended that you print all fiscal year-end reports. You won't be able to print them once the year-end close process is complete. The report names and reporting periods for each are listed in the table appearing at the center of the window. All reports are preselected in the Peachtree Year-End wizard for printing.

You have two options:

1 - If there are any reports you don't want to print, in the Print column clear the check boxes corresponding to those reports. This will unselect the reports, and they will not print.

Note that you can use the Check None button to clear all the check boxes or use the Check All button to select all check boxes. When finished, select the Next button to proceed. Peachtree will display the Back Up Company Data window.

2 - If you want to print the listed reports individually instead of having the wizard do it for you, select the Cancel button. The Year-End wizard will close, and you can then print all reports. Note: When you click Next, all chosen reports will print to your default printer, so you should check paper or change printers, if desired, before proceeding.

Year End Wizard-Internal Accounting Review

This window of the Year-End Wizard (available in Premier and higher versions) allows you to run an Internal Accounting Review before you close the year. The Internal Accounting Review checks your company for common transaction mistakes and transactions or conditions that do not adhere to Generally Accepted Accounting Principles. Since you are about to close the year, this is a good time to run the Review and fix any issues that may be revealed. While it is highly recommended that you run the Internal Accounting Review now, it is not required.

Year-End Wizard - New Open Fiscal Years

In this window, the Peachtree Year-End wizard lets you review the accounting periods in your current open fiscal year and next fiscal year. If you need to restructure your company's next fiscal year for tax purposes, you can change the date range of the accounting periods in that year. However, since Peachtree automatically adjusts the dates of the accounting periods, it is generally not necessary to make changes to them yourself.

Note: There are rules governing changes to the date range of accounting periods. If in doubt, consult your accountant before making any changes.

To see the date ranges of the current open fiscal year accounting periods, select the Current Fiscal Year option button. The table at the right side of the window shows the dates of each accounting period in the year. This display is read-only, meaning you can only review the dates, not change them.

To see the date ranges of the next fiscal year accounting periods, select the Next Fiscal Year option button. The table at the right side of the window shows the dates of each accounting period in the year. To change the end dates of any of the displayed accounting periods, click the accounting period whose date you want to change. In the To column, the end date appears in the form DD/MM/YY, and a Calendar button appears next to the date.

Either type in the new To date or click the Calendar button, and then select the new date from the drop-down calendar that appears. When you change the To date, the From date in the next accounting period automatically changes also. When finished, select the Next button to continue the year-end close process.

Peachtree displays the Confirm Year-End Close window.

This window of the Peachtree Year-End wizard lets you confirm the year or years that you will be closing. The first two boxes in the window display the fiscal year and payroll tax year or years that will close. The second two boxes display the two open fiscal and payroll tax years that will be open once the close is complete.

If you have chosen any year-end close options that you think inappropriate, choose the Back button to return to the wizard window where you want to make changes to chosen options. If you're satisfied that you are ready to proceed with year-end close, select the Next button. Peachtree will display the Begin Close-Year Process window.

Year-End Wizard - Begin Close-Year Process

When you see this window, you are ready to start the year-end close. In the Peachtree Year-End wizard, click the Begin Close button. The close process begins. A progress bar appears at the bottom of the window with the legend "Now Closing..." The progress bar shows in real-time the percent of the process that has been completed. When the process is complete, Peachtree displays the Congratulations! window.

Warning: Once the year-end close process starts, it is imperative that you don't cancel the Year-End Wizard. Do not turn off your computer during the close. Since the close process may take a while to complete, you may want to start the process at the end of your business day, making sure you leave the computer running.

What do you want to do next?

When you see this window, the year-end close process has been completed successfully. The window displays the fiscal and payroll tax years you have just closed your company's new open fiscal and payroll tax years your company's current accounting period. To close the Year-End wizard, click the Finish button.

I hope you find this information helpful. If you have questions or comments, please send me an email at jayne@quickbooksgal.com. You can also visit our website: http://www.custmbiz.com/.
Well, that’s it for now. I appreciate your time and hope you will join me again next time for another in our PeachPodCast series.
I’m Jayne Miller, The QuickBooksGal and Your PeachtreePro. Thanks for listening.

Jayne Miller, is the owner of Custom Business Solutions, is a consulting firm in Reno, NV that specializes in providing bookkeeping and software support.

Daylight Savings Time - Are You Ready?

2007-10-26T18:34:00.000-07:00

Adding Custom Logos in Peachtree 2008

2007-10-15T19:51:00.000-07:00

W-2, 1099 - Getting Ready for Tax Time

2007-10-13T21:54:00.000-07:00

Hi, I'm Jayne Miller, your Peachtree Pro.

Welcome to another in our series of “PeachPods” – informational podcasts about Peachtree and related bookkeeping topics.

You can listen to our archived podcasts at blog.quickbooksgal.com. If you are a Peachtree user, be sure to check out our new PeachPod series at peachpods.custmbiz.com.

Last year I published a podcast about W-2's and 1099's that I think is worth repeating. It's getting to be that time of year and we need to be thinking about some of the things we have to do to get ready. As a business owner with employees or subcontractors you will be required to issue W-2's to employees and 1099-Misc to non-incorporated, non-employee service providers.

Subcontractors and service providers who are not incorporated must provide a form W-9 to you in order to provide the information you need to process a 1099 form for them next January. You can download form W-9 at IRS.GOV.

I generally mail this form to all subcontractors with their first payment. If you haven't done this yet, then it would be a good idea to mail or fax a form W-9 to them now so you will be prepared to process forms in January.

I also get a head start on the W-2 process by creating a form for my employees to complete. I attach it to their paychecks and ask them to complete it and return to me no later than November 15th.

Here's a simple checklist I use each Fall to get ready:

1 - Verify current employee information -create a simple form that you can attach to the next paycheck for each employee requesting their name, current address, social security number. I also include a line for their signature and the date they complete the form. You may even want to attach a W-4 form.

2 - Download Form W-9 - you can fill out this form online, then print multiple copies for distribution to any vendors who will receive a 1099 form. Independent contractors and other non-incorporated vendors who received $600 in the current tax year require issuance of a 1009.

3 - Order forms now - order W-2's, 1099's and corresponding envelopes now. You can visit my website, www.quickbooksgal.com, for money-saving offers or contact the IRS at 800-829-FORMS. The IRS forms are free, but not computer friendly. You can also order extra W-3 and 1096 transmittal forms from the IRS. Local office supply stores will be selling W-2 and 1099 processing kits soon. These are especially great if you process your payroll manually.

4 - Make sure your tax tables are up to date - If you are using QuickBooks, be sure your subscription is up to date and that you are downloading updates when prompted. Peachtree users - make sure you order the tax tables for 2008 soon to assure that you are ready for end of year processing.

Don't forget! W-2 forms for 2007 have been redesigned

Order compliant forms soon to avoid last minute stress!

Are you backing up your data?

Get a flash drive, use a CD, or an external backup system. Once your data is gone, it's gone! Back Up!

Next time: How do I add my logo to invoices, credit memos, and statements in Peachtree 2008

I hope you find this discussion useful. If you have questions about this topic, just drop me a line at jayne@quickbooksgal.com. If you are a Peachtree user, check out peachpods.custmbiz.com.
Don’t forget that we are now serving Incline Village and Lake Tahoe. We have two great consultants in the area that will be happy to assist with QuickBooks or Peachtree training & support.

Visit our website at tahoe.custmbiz.com. QuickBooks newest Point of Sale is great! If you are using POS and need assistance, call us!

Well, that’s it for now. I appreciate your time and hope you will join me again next time for another in our Quicklet series. If there are topics you would like me to cover or have questions, send your email to jayne@quickbooksgal.com.

I’m Jayne Miller, The QuickbooksGal and your Peachtree Pro. Thanks for listening.

Jayne Miller, is the owner of Custom Business Solutions, is a consulting firm in Reno, NV that specializes in providing bookkeeping and software support.

10 Tips for Preventing Fraud

2007-09-03T23:01:00.000-07:00

Hi, I’m Jayne Miller, The Peachtree Pro. Welcome to another in our series of “Peach Pods” – informational podcasts about Peachtree, QuickBooks, and related bookkeeping topics. You can listen to our archived podcasts at peachpods.custmbiz.com or blog.quickbooksgal.com.

Today I have a list of tips for preventing fraud that I think will come in quite handy. I have printed them on my blog at peachpods.custmbiz.com if you would like a copy for future reference.

Top Ten Tips to Help Prevent Fraud (in Order of Effectiveness)

1. Send Bank and Credit Card Statements to a Separate Address. Do not send your bank statements to your business address. Have your bank statement sent to your home, PO Box, or lockbox address. Review each check both front and back for payee, signature, and endorsement. Even if you don’t allow your employees to use your credit card, make sure those statements sent to an alternative address too. Examine each statement carefully. Review each and every line item of both payments and charges.

2. Do Not Let Anyone Misrepresent Themselves as You. Do not let them use your password, sign your name, or use your credit card, ever. Never let an employee sign your name, use your credit card, or misrepresent themselves to your bank or credit card company. Reimburse their expense. Don’t reveal sensitive passwords. If you allow your employee to sign your name even on credit card purchases, it could compromise your legal recourse in case of fraud or embezzlement.

3. Reconcile Bank Accounts and Review Statements. Review every statement. Make sure all bank accounts and credit cards are reconciled. Afterwards, take time to review every reconciliation report. Notice stale checks or deposits that have not cleared the bank. Check for missing deposits. An increase in the number of reconciled items may also reveal mischief.

4. Assign Administrative Rights Effectively. Use the Administrative rights in QuickBooks to protect your data. The first person to set up QuickBooks is by default assigned as Administrator. This role has unique permissions. So the administrator should be designated to either an outside party, i.e., a CPA, a QuickBooks Certified Consultant, or the savvy owner. Make sure that every user is set up separately and that passwords are used. Lock down permissions to change or delete transactions. Especially important: Use passwords for closing dates.

5. Use the Audit Trail in QuickBooks. If you don’t have the latest version of QuickBooks, make sure you turn on the Audit Trail. Go to Preferences > Accounting and click on the box Audit Trail. Caution: the Audit Trail won’t tell you if a vendor name has been changed or merged. It is wise to maintain a strict paper trail. Supporting documents need to be readily accessible in your files and then archived according to the type of document.

6. Use the Voided/Deleted Transaction Report. After you have turned on the Audit Trail, and made its review part of your routine, periodically review the Voided/Deleted Transaction Report to see which entries which have been modified.

7. Establish Accounting Controls. The principle of countervailing power is the fundamental reason to use checks and balances in accounting. Split the responsibilities between staff members or outside accounting professionals. Warning Sign: If only one person writes the checks and reconciles the account, there is no double check. Separate the duties. Consider another person to do reconciliations so it is done by a person other than the staffer generating the checks. Perhaps a Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor® or CPA can provide these services.

8. Adhere to a Numerical Sequence. Use a numerical sequence for all transactions. Invoice, bills, and checks which are numbered fall in a logical and chronological order. The reason: To identify missing documents. Look at the bank statement for large gaps. Secure paper checks. If you keep voided paper checks, remember to tear off the signature area to keep it from being misused. If your bank sends paper checks, sort them numerically.

9. Review Receivables and Payables. Look for adjustments to Receivables or Payables. Such adjustments could indicate subverted payments or vendor checks.

10. Back up Your Data. Repeat after me – Back up, back up, back up. Think redundant backups as a contingency plan for disasters of all sorts. Make scheduled copies. Rotate the media (tape drive or portable storage). If you use CDs, better buy the read-only variety. Store your backups at another location. Such diligence can come in especially handy if there is a disaster. In some fraud cases, the bookkeeper may delete all of the QuickBooks files to avoid detection. In such cases the business has to pay a large sum for data retrieval, in hopes of capturing any shred of evidence. Be smart; back up. It only takes a few minutes.

Are you backing up your data?

I hope you find this discussion helpful. If you have questions about this topic, just drop me a line at jayne@quickbooksgal.com. If you are a QuickBooks user, check out blog.quickbooksgal.com for our podcast series about QuickBooks and other related bookkeeping topics. Don’t forget that we are now serving Incline Village and Lake Tahoe. We have two great consultants in the area that will be happy to assist with QuickBooks or Peachtree training & support. Visit our website at tahoe.custmbiz.com.

Well, that’s it for now. I appreciate your time and hope you will join me again next time for another in our PeachPod series. If there are topics you would like me to cover or have questions, send your email to jayne@quickbooksgal.com.Don’t forget to visit our website, www.quickbooksgal.com or www.custmbiz.com to learn more about me and our services. Remember, you can read or listen to past podcasts at blog.quickbooksgal.com or peachpods.custmbiz.com.

I’m Jayne Miller, The Peachtree Pro. Thanks for listening.

Jayne Miller, is the owner of Custom Business Solutions, is a consulting firm in Reno, NV that specializes in providing bookkeeping and software support.

Whats new in Peachtree 2008

2007-09-03T17:57:00.000-07:00

What’s New In Peachtree 2008

Hi, I’m Jayne Miller, Peachtree Pro. Welcome to another in our series of “Peach Pods” – informational podcasts about Peachtree, QuickBooks, and related bookkeeping topics. You can listen to our archived podcasts at peachpods.custmbiz.com or blog.quickbooksgal.com.

I’d like to talk about What’s New In Peachtree 2008. The new Peachtree 2008 is out and on store shelves. I have been using it for some time and I have to say that I am very happy with the changes. Before you install it, up may want to listen to my podcast about installation issues as they pertain to your firewall or visit http://www.peachtree.com/support/firewall_install_tips.cfm to make sure you are aware of any issues that could arise when you install the software.

Some of the new features in Peachtree 2008 are listed below. Please note that this discussion will focus on Peachtree Complete Accounting. You will find a complete product comparison and more information at http://www.peachtree.com/peachtreeaccountingline/complete/new_features.cfm#1.

Reporting Improvements

• Effectively see more information
• Enhanced drill-down function
• Select more fields to include; expanded filtering options
• New! Filter date ranges by dates within the 2-year period without accounting period parameters.

For example: May 21 – Jul 4. This enhancement is long overdue and just wonderful.

Forms Design Improvements

• Enhanced customization of invoices, sales orders, and quotes
• Add colors, logos, and more!
• Simplified process

Flexible Unit and Quantity Decimal Settings

• Multiple decimal settings for units & quantities
• Up to 5 decimal places

Add Attachments

• Associate information files (customers, vendors, employees, inventory items)
• Works with Microsoft® Excel® spreadsheets or Word files
• Photos or scanned documents
• Include nearly any info in Peachtree

Hide Navigation Centers

• Permanently hide or show Business Status Center or other Navigation screens
• Reduce the amount of information that you or employees can view
• Faster start up when you use these new features

Saving Records and Transaction Performance

• Saving transactions is faster
• Saving while using open reports is faster
• Speedy “saves” when multi-tasking - open reports/transactions at the same time

Our office is a power user of the new Peachtree. We are very pleased with the improvements this year. If you want more information, visit http://www.peachtree.com/ to compare versions, download a free trial version, or to review new features. Don't forget to double check your computer(s) specs to assure that your processor and ram meet the system requirements of the new Peachtree 2008.

Are you backing up your data?

I hope you find this discussion helpful. If you have questions about this topic, just drop me a line at jayne@quickbooksgal.com. If you are a QuickBooks user, check out blog.quickbooksgal.com for our podcast series about QuickBooks and other related bookkeeping topics. Don’t forget that we are now serving Incline Village and Lake Tahoe. We have two great consultants in the area that will be happy to assist with QuickBooks or Peachtree training & support. Visit our website at tahoe.custmbiz.com.

Well, that’s it for now. I appreciate your time and hope you will join me again next time for another in our PeachPod series. If there are topics you would like me to cover or have questions, send your email to jayne@quickbooksgal.com.

Don’t forget to visit our website, www.quickbooksgal.com or www.custmbiz.com to learn more about me and our services. Remember, you can read or listen to past podcasts at blog.quickbooksgal.com or peachpods.custmbiz.com.

I’m Jayne Miller, Peachtree Pro. Thanks for listening.

Jayne Miller, is the owner of Custom Business Solutions, is a consulting firm in Reno, NV that specializes in providing bookkeeping and software support.

Peachtree 2008 Firewall Installation Issues

2007-09-03T15:22:00.000-07:00

Hi, I’m Jayne Miller, the Peachtree Pro. Welcome to another in our series of “Peach Pods” –informational podcasts about Peachtree, QuickBooks, and related bookkeeping topics. You can listen to our archived podcasts at blog.quickbooksgal.com.

Today I’d like to talk about Firewall issues you may encounter when installing the new Peachtree 2008 software. Peachtree 2008 and its Pervasive database can be mistakenly identified as an intrusion threat by many firewall and anti-virus programs.

If you have not already installed Peachtree, it is critical that you do the following:

1. Turn your firewall software on.
2. Turn on firewall alerts.
3. If you get a warning message about Allow or Unblock any of the following files, Allow or Unblock them:

· PEACHW.EXE
· W3DBSMGR.EXE
· W3LGO103.EXE
· PEACHPIM15.EXE
· PEACHUPDATE15.EXE
· PEACHTREEPREFETCHER.EXE
· AIS2.SERVER.CONSOLE.EXE

Some firewalls, like ZoneAlarm, may prompt you to allow additional files. You will need to allow the additional files indicated by the program in order to proceed successfully.

If you have already installed Peachtree

If you have already installed Peachtree and are unable to open a company, you need to set your firewall to allow Peachtree and its Pervasive database to run.

Setting your firewall to work with Peachtree

You can visit http://www.peachtree.com/support/firewall_install_tips.cfm and click on the links for instructions for the following firewall programs or to find more information on this topic. You will also find a great guide to determining which firewall program you are using.

AOL® 9.0 Security Edition
McAfee® Internet Security Suite
Microsoft® Windows® XP Firewall
Norton Internet SecurityTM
Norton Personal FirewallTM
Trend MicroTM PC-cillinTM Internet Security
ZoneAlarm® Free Edition
ZoneAlarm® Security Suite

If your firewall program is not listed, you may select any of the firewall programs to obtain general guidelines for setting up your firewall, but you should refer to help for your firewall program to get specific assistance.

I hope you find this discussion helpful. If you have questions about this topic, just drop me a line at jayne@quickbooksgal.com. If you are a QuickBooks user, check out blog.quickbooksgal.com for our podcast series about QuickBooks and other related bookkeeping topics. Don’t forget that we are now serving Incline Village and Lake Tahoe. We have two great consultants in the area that will be happy to assist with QuickBooks or Peachtree training & support. Visit our website at tahoe.custmbiz.com.

Well, that’s it for now. I appreciate your time and hope you will join me again next time for another in our PeachPod series. If there are topics you would like me to cover or have questions, send your email to jayne@quickbooksgal.com.

Don’t forget to visit our website, www.quickbooksgal.com or www.custmbiz.com to learn more about me and our services. Remember, you can read or listen to past podcasts at blog.quickbooksgal.com or peachpods.custmbiz.com.

I’m Jayne Miller, Peachtree Pro. Thanks for listening.

Jayne Miller, is the owner of Custom Business Solutions, is a consulting firm in Reno, NV that specializes in providing bookkeeping and software support.

Peachtree 2007 - What was new?

2007-07-25T16:15:00.000-07:00

Today I want to discuss a 3 issues related to the new Peachtree 2007.

As a bookkeeper and trainer, I keep multiple versions of Peachtree on my computer. As a power user, I was originally frustrated with the new user interface, but after using the program for several months now, I really like it. The new dashboard is great. My clients are really happy with the program.

I’ve only found one thing I don’t like: in this version, you can enter an invoice today that is dated in a prior period. An onscreen warning appears, as usually does, but you now can bypass the warning and enter the invoice with the prior period date. I’m sure this move is an attempt to compete with QuickBooks. However when I use Peachtree, this is one of the features that I consider when I select this software versus QuickBooks.

This year, Peachtree 2007’s new Pervasive Data Base, which is great by the way, presented a problem for me as a bookkeeper with clients using older versions
:
· How do I work in prior versions of Peachtree without using the new database and potentially causing my clients to upgrade to the higher version? I don’t want to return data to them that is no longer compatible with their older version?

The answer is that you can turn off the PDB. You should have an icon in you system tray that will allow you to STOP ENGINES AND EXIT the PDB. If you right click on the icon and select the stop engines command before you open prior version of Peachtree, you can continue to work and the data you return to your client will be perfectly compatible.

If you for some reason don’t have this icon in your database, you may need to go online to obtain the latest Ptree updates. If that doesn’t add the icon, you can go to my blog for a printed version of a simple command that will accomplish the same thing.

If you have recently upgraded to Peachtree 2007, be sure to go online to get the latest updates. There were some problems with statement reporting in the original release. SR-1 fixed that. SR-2 and SR-3 are out now. I really like the new Peachtree now that most of the “bugs” have been fixed in these service releases.

If you are using Peachtree version 2007 to process payroll and W-2’s, you should be aware that the forms you need to purchase have changed This is only if you use version 2007. With the new Print-N-Sign capabilities in version 2007, the federal, state and employer copies of the W-2 and the W-3 can be printed and submitted on stock blank paper. Employees copies of Form W-2 (Copies B, C, and 2) have to be printed on IRS approved perforated paper, with individual filing instructions pre-printed on the back. The paper is perforated vertically and horizontally, printing 4 copies of an employee’s W2 on one sheet, making this the only form that needs to be purchased. If you use Peachtree Version 2005 or 2006, you will continue to order the same preprinted W2 and W3 forms as prior years. You can go to http://www.peachtree.com/ptchecksandforms/ to order forms online or call Peachtree forms - 800-344-7071 – to order the proper forms.