Quickbooks for Contractors - Contractor Talk - Professional Construction and Remodeling Forum

jcrite63 · 12-10-2007, 10:43 AM

Okay, I'm going crazy trying to manage all the jobs and receipts on a spreadsheet. The OfficeMax recommends Quickbooks for Contractors at $450! What is the best software to use for a small contracting business (my son and I) to use? Thanks!

LNG24 · 12-10-2007, 11:38 AM

I have been using Quickbooks Pro for contractors for years. ALl my invoicing is done via e-mail, same with quotes. I love it! AND Easy to use! Plus it only takes my accounty less than an hour to do my taxes.

BUT search on line for it. Might save you a hundred or two. I get most of my software on line. Just got a $400 Adobe program for $99! Didn't have the manuals, but it had the reg. code and thats all I needed.

Here is one on Amazon saving you $129. LOOK I am making you money and you dont even know me

bookie · 12-10-2007, 12:49 PM

Quickbooks for Contractors is a good program for your needs. If you truly only need receipt and checkbook tracking, Quicken or Microsoft Money will work equally well, but those programs do not have any capability to do job costing.

However, if you are a bit software-savvy, the only thing the QB Contractor edition gets you over regular PRO version is some added reports and pre-formatted account numbers.

If your needs are truly that simple, it should not be hard for you to find a local bookkeeper who can do your recordkeeping for you and they should have licensed copies of Quickbooks so you don't have to buy it yourself. For example, I maintain licensed copies of Quickbooks (and I can create an unlimited number of companies in my licensed copy) and a variety of my clients have not had to buy the software themselves because they are not interested in having a copy of the company file on THEIR computer, per se.

As long as you don't want to share the files between multiple computers, doing it that way is 100% ok and license "legal."

I have a clause in my work agreement letter that I will provide a working copy of any client's company file to them on demand. They are their records, after all, I don't own them. They will need a licensed copy of Quickbooks to use the file (or they can give it to their CPA, whatever), but most of my small contractors do not have their own copies of QB. I enter their transactions, run any reports they want, and make accountant copies for their CPAs, which saves my clients the expense of maintaining the software, payroll updates, etc. Most of my small clients are of the "records shoebox" variety whereas they give me a "shoebox" of records 1-2 times a month with the bank statements and invoices to be paid and I do all of their data entry at once, pay the payroll taxes, reconcile the checkbook, and run the reports, then give them the "shoebox" back full of nicely organized records.

Any small local bookkeeper could do the same. And to be clear this is not an ad for me, I am busy enough, just sharing information.

bookie

L. B. Condulet · 12-10-2007, 05:06 PM

Quickbooks Pro Contractor Edition is the backbone of my business.

Kingfisher · 12-10-2007, 05:31 PM

Sam's club(walmart wholesale) is where I got my for $300

LNG24 · 12-10-2007, 07:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kingfisher

Sam's club(walmart wholesale) is where I got my for $300

Darn, Kingfisher saved you more money, now you like him better

SamsClub $317.74

**Double-A** · 12-10-2007, 11:11 PM

Take care when you set up any accounting software to be sure your chart of accounts is really what you need.

Most accountants and bookkeepers will set up a chart of accounts geared toward keeping records for taxes, not for really running a business.

The chart of accounts is the business persons secret weapon in dealing with costs and keeping a tight lid on them.

If all of your vehicle expenses get lumped under "Vehicle Expenses" and not under any sub-accounts for repairs, fuel, maintenance, etc, and all of your fuel gets dumped under "Fuel" and not "on-road" and "off-road" use, then how are you to tell how much fuel that new truck or cement mixer is really using a year?

Don't over complicate your chart of accounts, but at the same time, don't get talked into a slimmed down version that does nothing but save your accountant time in tax prep, even though he still charges you the same amount.

Make this system work for you, not just your accountant.

nadonailer · 12-11-2007, 04:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by L. B. Condulet

Quickbooks Pro Contractor Edition is the backbone of my business.

Ditto +1

a1propertyclean · 12-22-2007, 09:44 AM

I agree with Bookie 100%. I don't need or use the Contractor version at all. I can still do estimates, job costing, and maintain inventory with the regular Pro version.

I wouldn't go to the expense of purchasing a custom version of the program unless you fully understand what it does and are convinced it will help you.

Sometimes software can have too many bells & whistles and you'll find yourself consuming too much time in details you don't need.

Just my .02.

Linda

big daddy · 12-22-2007, 07:05 PM

we have a business with my son and i and tried basic (not sold anymore) Pro and contractor. we still use basic. We don't need the whistles and bells. Every year we send the QB file to our accountant and generally they don't need anything else. you will need to buy a subscription for payroll if you want to use thiers.

Merry Christmas All
even that flipper jipper that Ho Ho Hoed me.

Txbassboy · 12-23-2007, 08:39 AM

I liked the product but not the company. I felt I got screwed. Paid $430 for QB 2005 got a laptop with Window's Vista and they are NOT compatable. They offered to sell me the 2008 version for a discounted price of $400

Other than that I like the 2005 Premiere.

a1propertyclean · 12-23-2007, 09:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Txbassboy

I liked the product but not the company. I felt I got screwed. Paid $430 for QB 2005 got a laptop with Window's Vista and they are NOT compatable. They offered to sell me the 2008 version for a discounted price of $400

Other than that I like the 2005 Premiere.

Windows Vista has a lot of issues with software compatibility. Fortunately, I never made the switch from XP.

The only time I've had a problem with Intuit is when I started using Pro 2007. Their integrated payroll software has had adjusting problems and has a tendency to calculate the FICA and Medicare incorrectly. It also managed to NOT take out the state tax on 3 employees for one of my clients. How I found out was when I printed the 941 and DE6 from the software to double-check for wage accuracy.

When I contacted Intuit about it they said they're not having any issues and that the FICA and M/C have always self-adjusted. In my experience, the adjustments have always been under $1. The adjustments in Pro 2007 have been $20 and up.

I don't have this problem at all with the integration of payroll and Pro 2006, though. Everything works just fine with that version.

I have heard, however, that Pro 2008 is the bomb. Several of my friends at the AIPB beta tested it before it went to market and they said it has a lot of nice features.

Linda

Txbassboy · 12-23-2007, 10:04 AM

anyone want to loan out the 2007 or '08

so i can make them a back up copy?

a1propertyclean · 12-23-2007, 10:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Txbassboy

anyone want to loan out the 2007 or '08

so i can make them a back up copy?

I'll sell you my Pro 2007 version for $399.

Linda

Txbassboy · 12-23-2007, 11:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by a1propertyclean

I'll sell you my Pro 2007 version for $399.

Linda

ok....send it to me first and i'll "put the check in the mail"..

a1propertyclean · 12-23-2007, 11:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Txbassboy

ok....send it to me first and i'll "put the check in the mail"..

Sounds "fair" to me.

Linda

Kennyboy · 12-23-2007, 02:11 PM

Quickbooks is a good software and it has a pretty good customer support.

mseneker · 12-23-2007, 08:19 PM

I use QB Pro and own the contractors addition which I bought one year ago. I have messed with the contractors addition and then decided to keep using PRO only. I kept my job costs manually and then placed the totals in a spreadsheet, sorted by customer, to get my net profit. I'm good with excel spreadsheet and decided that as I only needing job cost within 5 categories it would be better to use excel than QB.

A year later, I find myself having trouble keeping up with data entry for payroll each week and then moving the same numbers into my spreadsheet for job costs. Our customer base has grown and I now find it harder to just have "a feel" for what customers are the best based on just profit.

Now, I must make the move to entering everything into QB from estimate to invoice and all points in between.

I'm not sure that I need QB Contractor just for more reports! Does it not also allow for change orders and such.

Anyone had to recently move to QB Contractor for job costing reasons?

a1propertyclean · 12-23-2007, 08:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mseneker

I use QB Pro and own the contractors addition which I bought one year ago. I have messed with the contractors addition and then decided to keep using PRO only. I kept my job costs manually and then placed the totals in a spreadsheet, sorted by customer, to get my net profit. I'm good with excel spreadsheet and decided that as I only needing job cost within 5 categories it would be better to use excel than QB.

A year later, I find myself having trouble keeping up with data entry for payroll each week and then moving the same numbers into my spreadsheet for job costs. Our customer base has grown and I now find it harder to just have "a feel" for what customers are the best based on just profit.

Now, I must make the move to entering everything into QB from estimate to invoice and all points in between.

I'm not sure that I need QB Contractor just for more reports! Does it not also allow for change orders and such.

Anyone had to recently move to QB Contractor for job costing reasons?

The regular Pro version has an estimate format that can be customized just like the invoices can. When you invoice the customer, your estimate automatically pops up for you to invoice from.

You can create more than one estimate for the same customer and they'll all pop up. Then you just select the one you want and it automatically fills in the invoice for you.

Don't need the whole amount on the estimate? Just edit the invoice. Your estimate stays intact so you can invoice the remainder of the job on progress billings.

If you run a profit & loss, then modify your report settings to each particular job [customer], you can get a pretty decent job cost report showing the bottom line.

If you select "All" on the date range, the profit & loss will show your income to date, expenses, and payroll. Everything you need without going to the spreadsheet. You can even modify the report to give you percentages on each of the line items so you can see where your biggest costs are.

I don't see [and never have seen] any point in buying custom software when I can modify reports to get exactly what I need. To me, buying additional software is like buying a new car when all you needed was a tune up on the old one.

Do yourself a favor and find some time to play with the reports in Pro. Once you get what you want set up, just memorize it and change the customer as needed. You can memorize the same report after modifying it for each customer and you can create groups to keep only the job costs in. That way they're easy to find and print later.

Linda

mseneker · 12-24-2007, 06:13 PM

Thanks A!. Sounds like I really do not need the contractors addition. I'm just worried that if I start inputing estimates and using bill paying that I'll mess up the data in quick books. We use QB payroll and I'm also worried about the need to input employee time cards and charge them back to a job. Especially as we don't get time cards until after the payroll is completed (which may have to change)