Small Business Software

[Bamaclan4]

I am starting the books on our farm account and don’t really know where to start. I’ve researched many online and seem to be more confused. I will need something that is very user friendly. I have payroll done through our accountant as well as taxes, I just need something to keep up to date on expenses and make tax time easier. Any suggestions are welcome. Thanks in advance.

 

[Kae]

Quick Book by Quicken

 

[Bamaclan4]

Thanks. Do you think someone with no experience can use it?

 

[RUDisney]

My DH uses Sage software for his small business. He had zero computer savvy when he started using it, but he understood general ledgering, so it wasn't difficult for him to setup and use. He has been using and updating it himself for 6-7 years.

Do you know what your G/L accounts should look like? That will make a big difference in what you select. If you have no accounting experience, you may want your local SBDC to help you with it.

My DH uses it to publish his payroll, too. Once you would be used to using this, you might decide to produce your own payroll, too. I found it very simple to setup. It comes with a lot of preloaded tax rates and allows you to enter special tax rates for small localities that aren't already there. He has also used it to garnish wages for back child support, etc. That was also easy to setup.

 

[Bamaclan4]

My DH uses Sage software for his small business. He had zero computer savvy when he started using it, but he understood general ledgering, so it wasn't difficult for him to setup and use. He has been using and updating it himself for 6-7 years.

Do you know what your G/L accounts should look like? That will make a big difference in what you select. If you have no accounting experience, you may want your local SBDC to help you with it.

My DH uses it to publish his payroll, too. Once you would be used to using this, you might decide to produce your own payroll, too. I found it very simple to setup. It comes with a lot of preloaded tax rates and allows you to enter special tax rates for small localities that aren't already there. He has also used it to garnish wages for back child support, etc. That was also easy to setup.

Thanks will also check that.

 

[Best Aunt]

I had a very hard time learning Quick Books. It might have been because I was taking over for someone else, and each expense item had to be entered in the proper way in order for it to appear properly in the budget. I had to write down step by step instructions for myself on entering every single thing. I hated it. That was several years ago; perhaps it has changed.

 

[supersnoop]

Thanks. Do you think someone with no experience can use it?

Check your local library to see if you have access to an online training portal. You're going to need some help figuring out how you should use it, not just how to use it.

 

[RUDisney]

@supersnoop is right. Understanding best practices for using any software is key to a good experience.

 

[ford91exploder]

I am starting the books on our farm account and don’t really know where to start. I’ve researched many online and seem to be more confused. I will need something that is very user friendly. I have payroll done through our accountant as well as taxes, I just need something to keep up to date on expenses and make tax time easier. Any suggestions are welcome. Thanks in advance.

I'm going to recommend Cougar Mountain, They have been around forever software is reliable and easy to use plus support is based in the US by people who actually use the software not simply read scripts, They have everything from Point of Sale systems, Credit card processing to inventory management and as you grow it can move from single user to a network supporting hundreds of users.


Full disclosure in another life I used to sell and support this software till we sold company. I have no current interest in this software I neither use nor support it any longer.

 

[pklein09]

Quickbooks for me - I've used both the desktop and online versions. If you have a sense of the bookkeeping and where things go, you should be able to pick up any of the software recommended. Talk to your accountant for their recommendation. The CPA I used to work for had a high number of clients using Quickbooks.