• QuickBooks EasyStart
• QuickBooks Accounting
• QuickBooks Plus
• QuickBooks Pro
• QuickBooks Premier
• QuickBooks Premier Contractor Edition
• QuickBooks Enterprise
• QuickBooks Hosted by Reckon Online
  

• Product Selector

• Version Feature Comparison

 

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Table of Contents

• Current Promotions
• QuickBooks 2011/12 Series - New Features
• Advantage vs Subscription
• Upgrade Products
• My Best Buy Recommendation
• The QuickBooks Range
• Comprehensive Feature Comparison of Features

 

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Current Promotions

 

No promotions at present.

 

 

 

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QuickBooks 2011/12 QBi Series - New Features

 

Customisable Company Snapshot

Quickly view your business performance using the company snapshot tool. Customisable fields and graphs allow you to design a ‘snapshot’ that presents the most significant information that impacts your business decisions – with the ability to drill down into transaction, customer or supplier details. QuickBooks Accounting and higher versions only.

Real-time BAS lodgement

Easily prepare and lodge your BAS with Reckon GovConnect, SBRTM enabled software. It helps to pre-fill your e-form with data direct from the ATO and provide you with real-time feedback and lodgement confirmation, so you will instantly know that BAS has been successfully submitted and the refund entitlement or money owed. Find out more about Reckon GovConnect at www.quicken.com.au/sbr .  QuickBooks Accounting and higher versions only.

Paid Parental Leave

New tools make it easy to calculate payments that help you comply with the Federal Government’s new Paid Parental Leave Scheme.  QuickBooks Plus and higher versions only.

Office 2010 compatible

It is easy to export data from QuickBooks into the latest Microsoft Office products, including Microsoft Office 2003, 2007 and 2010*. *See integration requirements for details. QuickBooks Plus and higher versions only.

Effortless wildcard search

The intuitive wildcard search feature now makes it even easier to find customers and suppliers, so you can get on with the job faster. QuickBooks Plus and higher versions only.

 

 

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QuickBooks Advantage vs Subscription

 

All QuickBooks Full and Upgrade products, with the exception of QuickBooks EasyStart, come with 12 months Advantage Membership.

 

Advantage Membership gives you:

• all updates and the next year’s product free.
• access to Reckon's priority support crew via our dedicated support line or through our exclusive online forum – QuickChat.
• keeps you up to date with the latest business issues and exclusive offers only available to Quicken Advantage members.

QuickBooks Subscription

There are a number of significant differences:

• Advantage comes with Quicken Technical Support . Subscription doesn't.
• Advantage comes with a perpetual licence,  A Subscription licence will lapse after 12 months.  Once the Subscription licence expires, the program goes into a read-only mode that allows it to read and report on datafiles but doesn't allow entering of new transactions.
  

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Upgrade Products

 

Eligibility

 

To purchase an Upgrade product, you must be the registered owner of an eligible product.  This is generally an earlier version of an equivalent product.  When purchasing, Reckon requires that the purchase be linked to your existing product.  I will need one of the following pieces of information: 

• Your Reckon/Quicken Customer ID; or
• The name/business name, address and telephone number that the initial product was registered under; or
• The Installation Key Code of the product.  Help > My Licence information Information will display this in later version of QuickBooks.  Help > About QuickBooks displays this in earlier versions.
• The Licence Number.  Pressing Ctrl + 1 (the 1 above the Q) when in QuickBooks will bring up a screen with this information.

Please include this information in the optional instructions section when you process your order or email to me separately.

 

How Often Should I Upgrade

You can upgrade as little or as often as you like...but...if you are using QuickBooks Payroll and the Tax Tables change, you will need to purchase an upgrade to get the latest tax tables.  You can expect tax tables to change the year before the election, and the year after the election, meaning that you need to upgrade 2 years out of three.  If you are running QuickBooks Payroll, save yourself some angst and get an annual subscription.

 

If you aren't running payroll, you can be a little more picky and upgrade when new features appeal to you.  However, if you get too far behind, it can be difficult to upgrade files.  QuickBooks v7, v8 and 2002 already require a difficult upgrade process.   If your version of QuickBooks is more than 3 years old, perhaps its time to consider an upgrade.

 

Isn't Upgrading All the Time Too Expensive?

If QuickBooks was a power tool or a household appliance, you wouldn't bat an eyelid spending twice as much for something half as good.  QuickBooks Pro Subscription costs less than $1 per day.  This is peanuts for something integral to your whole business.

 

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My Best Buy Recommendation

 

The Annual Subscription is the hands-down winner in the value for money stakes.  In effect, you are renting the software on an annual basis.  In return, you will be entitled to get any updates and new releases, so its a great way to keep up to date.

 

Table of Cost Per Week of QuickBooks Annual Subscription 

	VERSION	ANNUAL COST (RRP)	COST PER WEEK (EX GST)
	QuickBooks Accounting	169	$2.95
	QuickBooks Plus	319	$5.58
	QuickBooks Pro	399	$6.98
	QuickBooks Premier	609	$10.65

 

The high-end QuickBooks Premier will cost you less than $10 per week. This is about the same as many businesses pay for their water dispenser.

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The QuickBooks Range

 

 

The QuickBooks 2011/12 QBi Series consists of the following products:

• QuickBooks EasyStart
• QuickBooks Accounting
• QuickBooks Plus
• QuickBooks Pro
• QuickBooks Premier
• QuickBooks Premier Contractor Edition
• QuickBooks Enterprise

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Product Selector

To help you select the right version, a brochure comparing features and profiling the versions against type of businesses can be downloaded here

 

Download Here

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Comprehensive Comparison of Features

 

A comprehensive comparison is available here. 

 

Download Here

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QuickBooks EasyStart

 

The Low-Down

QuickBooks EasyStart is designed for basic businesses that record income and expense on a cash basis.

 

The main limitations of this version are:

• Both GST and normal reporting can only be done on a cash basis.
• limited customisation of Invoices and Statements
• Limited reporting features
• The EasyStart Lite version has a limit of 20 Customers, Suppliers and Items.  Very few businesses would fit this model.

In general, you are better off paying a little more and getting QuickBooks Accounting, or getting the QuickBooks Accounting Subscription for about the same money.

 

Features

• Track money-in and money-out
• Do the work you already do... but faster and more efficiently:
• Pay your bills and record the expense in one step.
• Track sales and apply payments.
• Start typing a name and EasyStart will fill in the rest, including address and account number. Avoid typos!
• Track everything in one place – look up invoices, transactions, customers and vendors instantly.
• Create invoices and sales receipts
• Create professional-looking invoices and sales receipts with one click. See how much you've collected and which invoices haven't been paid. Zoom in for the details — right down to the actual bills invoices and payments.
• Write cheques, pay bills, record expenses and track customer payments. EasyStart categorises and tracks expenses and income as you write cheques and record sales.
• Run reports in seconds
• End tax-time headaches. With QuickBooks you are always ready for taxes – no digging through drawers and no maths! Get an instant report of the tax totals you need for your return by simply selecting "Tax Reports".

 

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QuickBooks Accounting

 

The Low-Down

My preferred starting point when discussing requirements is QuickBooks Accounting, which has a RRP of $299 for the full product and $150 for the Annual Subscription.  QuickBooks Accounting suits a many businesses types that don't have Payroll, Job Costing or Multi-user requirements.

 

Limitations

Limitations are no payroll and no class tracking.

 

Payroll allows you to electronically calculate & record pays, issue payslips, and importantly, issue Payment Summaries or find out how much super you have to pay in a few minutes.

 

Class tracking allows you to dissect a single type of cost into "cost centres".  Examples are:

• builders tracking material against projects;
• transport companies tracking individual vehicle costs;
• farmers/orchardists tracking income & production cost against paddocks/blocks;
• A retailer with multiple locations tracking sales & expenses against individual shops;
• a manufacturer tracking costs of production for development of a new product line.

If your business model doesn't have these requirements, then QuickBooks Accounting will probably suit your business.

 

 

Features

Manage your business more effectively
QuickBooks is much more efficient than spreadsheets, word-processing, or paper ledgers. Quickly and easily manage basic tasks like printing cheques, paying bills, generating reports, invoicing customers and tracking expenses. You'll spend less time and money on bookkeeping and paperwork — and have more time to work on other important areas of your business.

Easy to learn and use
QuickBooks has tools to help you get started quickly, answer your questions and guide you through basic setup tasks step-by-step. Organize information about your company, customers and suppliers in one place so it's easy to find when you need it. No need to know debits, credits, posting, or closing; QuickBooks speaks plain English and is organised the way you think about your business. Flow charts of activities show you how to enter data, and all the frequently used activities and reports you need are available with the click of the mouse.

Easy forms based interface
Simply fill out familiar forms such as invoices, receipts and cheques - QuickBooks does the calculations and accounting for you, instantly. QuickBooks automatically updates your accounts to reflect each transaction, from writing a cheque to recording a sale.

Better tools to make financial decisions
QuickBooks is full of information to help you manage and make decisions about your business. Tools help you compare alternatives, analyse your financial position, and set policies. You can have QuickBooks remind you when it's time to pay bills, print forms such as invoices and purchase orders, print cheques, deposit money in the bank, enter memorised transactions, act on overdue invoices, or act on your personal To Do notes.

Ask help questions from nearly anywhere
Simply type a question in your own words for detailed help, tips, and troubleshooting information. Access help from nearly every screen in QuickBooks with the "Ask a Help Question" field, so you won't have to waste time looking for answers.

Integration with online banking
Users can now download their bank statements directly into QuickBooks, with easy to use functionality. Match bank statement transactions to QuickBooks transactions in a straight-forward and easy process. You can also easily add transactions that exist on the bank statement but not in QuickBooks.  The major banks already support this feature, and the list just keeps growing!
 

 

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QuickBooks Plus

 

The Low-Down

QuickBooks Plus will suit a large number of Businesses unless they have multi-user requirements or have specific requirements in inventory management or job costing.  It has a fantastic payroll module and suits a wide range of businesses.

 

Limitations

This will suit your business unless you need these features:

• Multi-user: more than 1 person needs to simultaneously access the datafile - you will need QuickBooks Premier;
• You need to track time & materials against jobs - you will need QuickBooks Pro/Premier);
• You need advanced inventory features including units of measure, Stock Assemblies, and tracking Sales Orders/Back Orders - you will need QuickBooks Pro/Premier);
• You need to invoice out the same items for different customers at different rates - you will need QuickBooks Premier;
• You have a very large inventory of over 13,000 items - you will need QuickBooks Enterprise.

Features

Comprehensive employee management
Gives you easy-to-use tools and the latest tax tables you need to help manage and maintain control of your payroll. Fully integrated with QuickBooks, it saves you time and money by avoiding duplicate data entry and helping to avoid hassles associated with incorrect payroll withholding.

Instant access to your information, the way you want to see it
Once you get started, QuickBooks Plus has over 100 reports and graphs providing an overview of your business at any time. When you need in-depth information, you can navigate between financial details and a summary report in just one click.

Manage your business more effectively
QuickBooks is much more efficient than spreadsheets, word-processing, or paper ledgers. Quickly and easily manage basic tasks like printing cheques, paying bills, generating reports, invoicing customers and tracking expenses. You'll spend less time and money on bookkeeping and paperwork — and have more time to work on other important areas of your business.

Easy to Learn and Use
QuickBooks has tools to help you get started quickly, answer your questions and guide you through basic setup tasks step-by-step. Organize information about your company, customers and suppliers in one place so it's easy to find when you need it. No need to know debits, credits, posting, or closing; QuickBooks speaks plain English and is organised the way you think about your business. Flow charts of activities show you how to enter data, and all the frequently used activities and reports you need are available with the click of the mouse.

Easy, forms-based interface
Simply fill out familiar forms such as invoices, purchase orders, receipts and cheques — QuickBooks does the calculations and accounting for you, instantly. QuickBooks automatically updates your accounts to reflect each transaction, from writing a cheque to recording a sale.

Better tools to make financial decisions
QuickBooks is full of information to help you manage and make decisions about your business. Tools help you compare alternatives, analyse your financial position, and set policies. You can have QuickBooks remind you when it's time to pay bills, print forms such as invoices and purchase orders, print cheques, deposit money in the bank, enter memorised transactions, act on overdue invoices, or act on your personal To Do notes.

Ask help questions from nearly anywhere
Simply type a question in your own words for detailed help, tips, and troubleshooting information. Access help from nearly every screen in QuickBooks with the "Ask a Help Question" field, so you won't have to waste time looking for answers.

Integration with online banking
Users can now download their bank statements directly into QuickBooks, with easy to use functionality. Match bank statement transactions to QuickBooks transactions in a straight-forward and easy process. You can also easily add transactions that exist on the bank statement but not in QuickBooks. The major banks already support this feature, and the list just keeps growing!

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QuickBooks Pro

 

The Low-Down

QuickBooks Pro suits consultants and contractors with a requirement to track time & expenses against customers.  It will allow you to record time & expenses as you incur them, then transfer the information to an Invoice when you are ready to bill the client.

 

It will also suit some businesses looking for more Inventory Management features than available in QuickBooks Plus.

 

Limitations

This will suit your business unless you need these features:

• Multi-user: more than 1 person needs to simultaneously access the datafile - you will need QuickBooks Premier. (Note: you can actually buy a second licence for QuickBooks Pro, but for around the same cost you can buy an upgrade to QuickBooks Premier and get an extra 2 licences plus additional features;
• You need to invoice out the same items for different customers at different rates - you will need QuickBook Premier. (Note: QuickBooks Pro is capable of applying an across the board discount to a customer on ALL items sold - most businesses have different discount rates for different products;
• You have a very large inventory of over 13,000 items - you will need QuickBooks Enterprise.

Features

Increase efficiency with advanced tools
Save time and costs by emailing invoices, statements, estimates, purchase orders, sales orders, sales receipts, adjustment notes, and reports. No need to manage two separate contact lists - now you can easily synchronize your contact information with Microsoft® Outlook. Track your time and employee time right in QuickBooks, with job costing to see where you're making or losing money. QuickBooks tracks job costs automatically as you write job-related cheques and track employee time.

Comprehensive employee management
Gives you easy-to-use tools and the latest tax tables you need to help manage and maintain control of your payroll. Fully integrated with QuickBooks, it saves you time and money by avoiding duplicate data entry and helping to avoid hassles associated with incorrect payroll withholding.

Instant access to your information, the way you want to see it
Once you get started, QuickBooks Pro has over 100 reports and graphs providing an overview of your business at any time. When you need in-depth information, you can navigate between financial details and a summary report in just one click.

Manage your business more effectively
QuickBooks is much more efficient than spreadsheets, word-processing, or paper ledgers. Quickly and easily manage basic tasks like printing cheques, paying bills, generating reports, invoicing customers and tracking expenses. You'll spend less time and money on bookkeeping and paperwork - and have more time to work on other important areas of your business.

Easy to Learn and Use
QuickBooks has tools to help you get started quickly, answer your questions and guide you through basic setup tasks step-by-step. Organize information about your company, customers and suppliers in one place so it's easy to find when you need it. No need to know debits, credits, posting, or closing; QuickBooks speaks plain English and is organised the way you think about your business. Flow charts of activities show you how to enter data, and all the frequently used activities and reports you need are available with the click of the mouse.

Easy, forms-based interface
Simply fill out familiar forms such as invoices, purchase orders, receipts and cheques — QuickBooks does the calculations and accounting for you, instantly. QuickBooks automatically updates your accounts to reflect each transaction, from writing a cheque to recording a sale.

Better tools to make financial decisions
QuickBooks is full of information to help you manage and make decisions about your business. Tools help you compare alternatives, analyse your financial position, and set policies. You can have QuickBooks remind you when it's time to pay bills, print forms such as invoices and purchase orders, print cheques, deposit money in the bank, enter memorised transactions, act on overdue invoices, or act on your personal To Do notes.

Ask help questions from nearly anywhere
Simply type a question in your own words for detailed help, tips, and troubleshooting information. Access help from nearly every screen in QuickBooks with the "Ask a Help Question" field, so you won't have to waste time looking for answers.

Integration with online banking
Users can now download their bank statements directly into QuickBooks, with easy to use functionality. Match bank statement transactions to QuickBooks transactions in a straight-forward and easy process. You can also easily add transactions that exist on the bank statement but not in QuickBooks.  The major banks already support this feature, and the list just keeps growing!

 

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QuickBooks Premier

QuickBooks Premier Contractor Edition

The Low-Down

QuickBooks Premier adds multiuser capability, a number of  high-end features and comes in 7 industry-specific "editions".  QuickBooks Premier will suit the vast majority of businesses.  A great program with all the bells & whistles!  The Contractor Edition, at $600 discount to the RRP is exceptional value if this is your industry.

 

Limitations

This will suit your business unless you need these features:

• Multi-user: more than 5 simultaneous users  - you will need QuickBooks Enterprise;
• You have a very large inventory of over 13,000 items - you will need QuickBooks Enterprise.

Features

Built specifically for your industry
QuickBooks is now available in industry-specific editions that offer specialised tools and features unique to your industry, because we recognise that different industries have different needs. Whether you're an Accountant, Contractor, Manufacturer, Charity organisation, Professional, Retailer, or Estate Agent we have got a specific version for you.

Share data among up to 3 simultaneous users***
QuickBooks Premier allows up to 3 users to work on the company file at the same time.
*** 5 Simultaneous users for Upgrades and Subscriptions

Have greater control over data
Set user permissions to restrict access to your confidential and sensitive financial information. This feature is especially useful if your business has multiple users of QuickBooks, and you want to restrict access by user to parts of your financial data. QuickBooks allows you to password-protect your closing date. You can easily see any changes made before the password-protected closing date in a convenient report. The report shows you who (using the password) has made what changes.

Increase efficiency with advanced tools
Save time and costs by emailing invoices, statements, estimates, purchase orders, sales orders, sales receipts, adjustment notes, and reports. No need to manage two separate contact lists - now you can easily synchronize your contact information with Microsoft® Outlook. Track your time and employee time right in QuickBooks, with job costing to see where you're making or losing money. QuickBooks tracks job costs automatically as you write job-related cheques and track employee time.

Comprehensive employee management
Gives you easy-to-use tools and the latest tax tables you need to help manage and maintain control of your payroll. Fully integrated with QuickBooks, it saves you time and money by avoiding duplicate data entry and helping to avoid hassles associated with incorrect payroll withholding.

Instant access to your information, the way you want to see it
Once you get started, QuickBooks Plus has over 100 reports and graphs providing an overview of your business at any time. When you need in-depth information, you can navigate between financial details and a summary report in just one click.

Better tools to make financial decisions
QuickBooks is full of information to help you manage and make decisions about your business. Tools help you compare alternatives, analyse your financial position, and set policies. You can have QuickBooks remind you when it's time to pay bills, print forms such as invoices and purchase orders, print cheques, deposit money in the bank, enter memorised transactions, act on overdue invoices, or act on your personal To Do notes.

Ask help questions from nearly anywhere
Simply type a question in your own words for detailed help, tips, and troubleshooting information. Access help from nearly every screen in QuickBooks with the "Ask a Help Question" field, so you won't have to waste time looking for answers.

Integration with online banking
Users can now download their bank statements directly into QuickBooks, with easy to use functionality. Match bank statement transactions to QuickBooks transactions in a straight-forward and easy process. You can also easily add transactions that exist on the bank statement but not in QuickBooks. The major banks already support this feature, and the list just keeps growing!

 

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QuickBooks Enterprise

 

See the QuickBooks Enterprise page by clicking here.

 

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