FREE 30-Day Trial Request

Intuit QuickBooks Gold Developer

Intuit Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor 1999-2011

Member American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers aipb

Association of QuickBooks Technologists

National Advisor Network

 

Search our site

QuickBooks 4 Contractors blog

QuickBooks for Contractors blog

  • There is so much news and information floating around the web – it’s difficult (at best) to keep up! I’ve added a WordPress plug-in that grabs information from my Twitter stream to help me (and hopefully you as well) keep up with everything. Look for the Weekly Wrap-Up: News You Can Use every Friday. See what caught my attention this week in these topics: Accounting & Taxes, eBooks/Webinars/Videos, Payroll/Certified Payroll/Prevailing Wage, QuickBooks, Small Business/Organization/Productivity, Construction, and Social Media/Marketing/Website Design.

  • Entering payroll for normal employee work hours and drive time and passing only the work hours through to client invoices is not only important but confusing. The following question was submitted by a reader who pays from the start of the first job till the end of the last job of the day (not including lunch break). I have my employees fill out a time tracker sheet each day that shows the time started at the first job till the end, drive time in between jobs, so on and so forth. I enter this into QuickBooks but I can't figure out where to enter in drive time to pay the girls their hourly wage on payroll but to not invoice anyone for drive time.

  • Can you deduct the cost of lost equipment from your employee’s pay? As a business owner I'm betting that on more than one occasion you have had an employee who has lost his company provided cell phone more than once and you've have to replace it. Perhaps you want to recover the cost of the phone via a payroll deduction - before you do, read the rest of this article, because the answer depends first on state and federal restrictions and second on how much you want to deduct.

  • There is so much news and information floating around the web – it’s difficult (at best) to keep up! I’ve added a WordPress plug-in that grabs information from my Twitter stream to help me (and hopefully you as well) keep up with everything. Look for the Weekly Wrap-Up: News You Can Use every Friday. See what's in store this week!

  • An important QuickBooks Payroll System Maintenance Announcement - a system-wide upgrade will start at 6 p.m. on Thursday 5/24/2012 and continue through 5 a.m. on Tuesday 5/29/2012 - Direct Deposit will also be effected and don't forget that this is also the Memorial Day holiday weekend! QuickBooks Payroll will not process direct deposit checks dated for Monday, May 28, 2012 due to the Memorial Day holiday. In order for your employees to receive their paychecks before Monday, May 28, you should change your paycheck date to Friday, May 25 and send your payroll by 5pm PT on Wednesday, May 23.

Certified Payroll Training

How To Fulfill Your Certified Payroll Reporting Requirements.  Live 2-hour training webinar - $89.00 per person.  Click here for more information.

certified payroll reporting training webinar


  

New QuickBooks Support & Training Website

We've launched a new website specifically for QuickBooks Support & Training.  Visit Learn to Use QuickBooks in your construction business.

Read more...

Fee-based QuickBooks Training through eBook & Webinars

QuickBooks for Commercial/Government Contractors Online Training

contractorbookkeepingtips.com

Having worked with QuickBooks since it first came out in the early 1990's, and specializing in the commercial construction industry when I had an active bookkeeping practice -- and even right up until today; I'm amazed at how few resources or reference material there are for How to Use QuickBooks in the Commercial/Government Construction Industry. 

We're building an entire website specifically for the commercial/government construction contractor, visit http://contractorbookkeepingtips.com/

In our experience, anyone can say that they "know" QuickBooks - but when you start talking about Certified Payroll, AIA Billing, weighted-average-overtime, getting equipment costs into job costing reports - you begin to see their eyes glaze over; we deal with that everyday. 

We'll teach you the things you need to know about using QuickBooks, that you won't find in the QuickBooks Help file, in order to successfully run your construction business and obtain accurate job costing reports; from eBooks, live webinars, and recorded training sessions. 

You'll find high-quality (budget friendly) training without having to leave the comfort of your home or office.

Please note, if you are a ProAdvisor or CPA you need to be aware that the paid training items offered in this section cannot be reprinted or redistributed.

Currently many of our eBooks are being updated, each eBook will indicate if it is currently unavailable.

Creative Commons License
These items, by Nancy Smyth, are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License.
Based on a work at www.sunburstsoftwaresolutions.com and http://blog.sunburstsoftwaresolutions.com/

User Rating:  / 0

AIA G-702 & G-703 Billing Training Exercise - $25.00

AIA G-702 & G-703 Training exerciseHas anyone every asked you to complete an AIA G-702 and G-703 - and you've never done one before?  Learn how to fill out an AIA G-702 & G-703 billing form with our AIA Billing Training Exercise.  38 pages.

Buy this eBook!

User Rating:  / 2

 

Construction Bookkeepers Test - $25.00

bookkeepers testSo how do you find a "good" bookkeeper and test their knowledge before hiring them?  Well, we have scoured the internet searching for a "good" QuickBooks and Construction Bookkeeping Test, and while we have found some that would test an applicant's basic knowledge of QuickBooks as well as some basic accounting knowledge, none have addressed any construction related functions.  145 questions.

Buy this eBook!

User Rating:  / 1

Certified Payroll Reporting Training Guide - $35.00

What Is Certified Payroll? eBook

Making the move from residential or commercial construction projects to government-funded construction projects - which have certified payroll reporting requirements - can be an overwhelming task for contractors, their office staff, and the accounting professionals who support them.  76+ pages.

Buy this eBook

User Rating:  / 4

Getting Equipment Costs into Job Costing - $25.00

Job Costing Equipment in QuickBooksThis 32-page eBook, video, and Excel based Equipment Cost Calculator will provide you with detailed instructions for how to calculate the hourly cost of having a piece of equipment on a jobsite and implement a system to track equipment costs on the jobsite - a crucial piece of job costing reports.

Buy this eBook!

User Rating:  / 0

This eBook is currently being updated.

How To Complete a Certified Payroll Report

Most anyone will tell you that completing a certified payroll report on a weekly basis is a time-consuming, error-prone, and frustrating task!  The U.S. Department of Labor's Form WH-347 and WH-348 is one of the simplest forms to complete, however, they estimate that it will take 1 hour to complete a form containing information about eight employees for a single job.

Buy this eBook

User Rating:  / 0

This eBook is currently being updated.

Setting Up Payroll Items - Pay Rates, Workers' Comp, Benefits & Deductions

As a contractor, one of the more important aspects of running your business is tracking the actual cost of your labor. Labor costs are compiled of:

  • Gross wages – in the field and in the office
  • Payroll Taxes
  • Company paid benefits - whether they are Union Fringe Benefits or benefits that you as the employer choose to provide
  • Workers' Compensation Costs
  • Payroll Deductions
  • Payroll Items for Sole Proprietorships & Partnerships

Read more...

User Rating:  / 0

This eBook is currently being updated and is unavailable.

Accruing Sick, Vacation, and Comp Time When Using QuickBooks

We are frequently asked how to accrue sick, vacation, and/or comp time when using QuickBooks; because some contractors feel that the built in sick/vacation tracking in QuickBooks is not adequate.

Buy this eBook!

User Rating:  / 1

This eBook is currently being updated and will be available by March 1, 2012.

Your QuickBooks file, the IRS & You - QuickBooks for Contractors Business Productivity Tips & Training eBook

Your QuickBooks file, the IRS & YouDid you know that the IRS can now legally request a copy of your QuickBooks {or Peachtree} company data file during an audit?  This eBook will teach you more about this new procedure and what you can do to comply without giving away the farm.

Buy this eBook!

User Rating:  / 0

This eBook is currently being updated and will be available by February 1, 2012.

Email Etiquette - QuickBooks for Contractors Business Productivity Tips & Training eBook

email etiquetteWith advances in technology and the ever increasing fast-paced world that we live in; are we sacrificing good old-fashioned common-sense protocols?  This eBooks will provide you with insights on how to improve your email communications.

Buy this eBook!

User Rating:  / 1

This eBook is currently being updated and will be available by February 1, 2012.

Lesson 1 - Getting Started   - QuickBooks for Contractors Training eBook

qb_contractors_getting_startedThis eBook is intended for new QuickBooks users or users who feel that they would like a refresher course; and provides an introduction to the QuickBooks Premier Contractor Edition.

Buy this eBook!

User Rating:  / 0

This eBook is currently being updated and will be available by February 1, 2012.

Lesson 2 - Setting Up QuickBooks - The EasyStep Interview   - QuickBooks for Contractors Training eBook.

QuickBooks for Contractors Training - Setting Up QuickBooksThis eBook will provide you with a complete overview for setting up a new QuickBooks company data file using the EasyStep Interview and other methods for creating a QuickBooks company file. 

NOTE:  Designed for those who are new to QuickBooks.

Buy this eBook!

User Rating:  / 0

This eBook is currently being updated and will be available by February 1, 2012.

Lesson 3 - Getting Around QuickBooks - QuickBooks Menu Commands   - QuickBooks for Contractors Training eBook.

Getting Around in QuickBooks - trainingThis eBook will provide you with a complete overview for working with and getting around in QuickBooks.

Buy this eBook!

User Rating:  / 0

This eBook is currently being updated and will be available by March 1, 2012.

Tracking Subcontracts & Other Committed Costs   - QuickBooks for Contractors Tips, Techniques & Work Arounds eBook.

wc_expiration_trackingThis detailed eBook will provide you with complete instructions for setting up and maintaining a tracking system for subcontracts and other committed costs in QuickBooks.

Buy this eBook!

User Rating:  / 0

This eBook is currently being updated and will be available by March 1, 2012.

Setting Up & Tracking Subcontractor Workers Compensation Insurance   - QuickBooks for Contractors Tips, Techniques & Work Arounds eBook.

wc_expiration_tracking

Learn how to set up and maintaining a tracking system for Subcontractor's Worker's Compensation Insurance expiration dates AND the same principals can be applied for tracking expiration dates of Subcontractor General Liability Insurance policies.

Buy this eBook!

User Rating:  / 0

This eBook is currently being updated and will be available by February 1, 2012.

The High Cost of Payroll - QuickBooks for Contractors Tips, Techniques & Work Arounds eBook

4_ways_contractors_pay_prevailing_wage_fringesThis eBook will provide you with insights as to exactly how much it costs to have an employee on the jobsite.  This knowledge will help you with your bidding and job costing reports so you will know how much money you are making on your jobs.

Buy this eBook!

User Rating:  / 0

This eBook is currently being updated and will be available by February 1, 2012.

4 Ways Contractors Pay Prevailing Wage Fringe Benefits eBook

4_ways_contractors_pay_prevailing_wage_fringesLearn how to set up and track prevailing wage fringe benefits when using QuickBooks for your normal payroll functions - regardless of how you pay these fringes.

Purchase this eBook!

User Rating:  / 0

 

Payroll Mistakes - It's NOT As Easy as 1-2-3!  - QuickBooks Business Productivity Tips & Training eBook

payroll mistakes ebookThis eBook will provide you with a list of 20 of the most common payroll mistakes -- when they usually occur --- and tips on what you can do to avoid them.

Buy this eBook!