6 QuickBooks Tips for Accountants

6 QuickBooks Tips for Accountants 6 QuickBooks Tips for Accountants As an accounting professional, you want to stay on top of your game. Though you may use QuickBooks every day, there’s always more to know, as with any software program. To help you become a more proficient software user, we’ve compiled some QuickBooks tricks and techniques to help you expand the accounting job skills you need to succeed. 1. Get organized QuickBooks has some features you can use to remind yourself of accounting tasks you need to complete. Here are a few tools you can use: Go to the “Company?To Do List” command, and click on “To Do” to add an action item. You can also add details about the task, such as due dates, priority, or other notes. Once you’ve completed a task, remove it from your list by double-clicking on the task and changing the status to “Done” or “Inactive.” The prepopulated “Reminders” function can be altered to suit your needs. Simply click on the “Preferences” command and choose “Reminders.” 2. Save time with keyboard shortcuts Constantly moving back and forth from the keyboard to the mouse can be cumbersome, so use these shortcuts to save time and increase efficiency. You probably already know the basic shortcuts, like CTRL+A to open the “Chart of Account” window. Here are some others that may not be quite so familiar to you. (On a Mac, use the “Command” key (?) in place of the “Control” key. CTRL+H: Opens the transaction history, which comes in handy for reviewing an invoice and payments applied CTRL+I: Opens up the “Create Invoices” window CTRL+M: Memorizes a transaction CTRL+Q: Creates a QuickReport on a transaction you have selected CTRL+R: Opens the “Register” window CTRL+tab: Moves to the next open window 3. One key does the trick Normally, to close a window, you would click with your mouse on the “X” in the upper right-hand corner. There’s a better, faster way. All you have to do is hit the “Escape” key, and the window will close. Here's something you might find useful: Do You Know These Excel Tips for Accounting Professionals? 4. Do the math Did you know that QuickBooks has a built-in calculator? It’s incredibly easy to use. If you are in a field that represents a numerical amount, just click on the “Plus” (+) key and enter your formula. 5. Add employees to payroll When a new employee is hired, it’s easy to onboard them into QuickBooks. Just choose “Employees,” select “Employee Center,” and fill in the descriptive text fields in the “New Employee” window. Use the “Additional Info” tab to create customizable fields where you can include other important information. 6. Group items on an invoice If you want to group multiple items or services that are bundled as a set into a single line item on an invoice, bring up the “New Item” window, tag it as a “Group,” and list each item you want to include. If you want the invoice to display each item in the group, choose the “Print Items in Group” check box. QuickBooks will continue to track each inventory item separately rather than tracking the group as a single item. Follow the Robert Half blog for the latest in career advice. Subscribe to our newsletter When you subscribe to the Robert Half newsletter, you’ll get articles and resources to help you build and manage a winning accounting and finance team - all sent directly to your inbox. Click the button below to sign up today! SUBSCRIBE NOW