Written By: Debbie Denny

Contact Info: 920.337.4558 or ddenny@hawkinsashcpas.com

With QuickBooks e-file service, you don't need to print and mail checks or payroll forms. With a few clicks in QuickBooks, you can send payments and forms electronically to the appropriate agencies. You must be enrolled in both EFTPS and your state's electronic tax payment system to e-pay and e-file.

E-file and e-pay is free and is only available to QuickBooks Enhanced Payroll subscribers.

The following forms are supported for e-file and e-pay in QuickBooks:

• Federal 940 and 941/944 Payments
• Federal Forms 940, 941 and 944 
• Federal Forms W-2 and W-3 
• Selected State Taxes and Forms

To begin e-pay and e-filing in QuickBooks, you must first change the filing method of your tax payments and forms to e-file.

• Click on Employees - Payroll Center
• Open the QuickBooks Payroll Setup
  • In the "Pay Scheduled Liabilities" section, click on Related Payment Activities, click Edit Payment Due Dates/Methods
  • Click Schedule Payments, Edit the payments you would like to e-file, change Payment method to e-pay, click Finish
  • Click on e-pay accounts - set up the bank account you wish the payments to be deducted from, click Finish
• Click on Employees - Payroll Center
• Open the QuickBooks Payroll Setup
  • In the Tax Forms section, click Related Form Activities
  • Click on Edit Filing Methods
  • Click on each form you wish to e-file, click Edit, and change the Filing Method to e-file
  • After editing the filing method in QuickBooks, you will receive a 10-digit PIN in the mail 

When a liability is due, you need to submit your e-payment in QuickBooks.  In the Payroll Center, Pay Scheduled Liabilities section, check off the liability you would like to pay.  Click View/Pay.  You can change the "Withdraw On" date to the date you wish the payment to be withdrawn from your account.

When a tax form is due, you will need to submit the form in QuickBooks.  In the Payroll Center, click Process Payroll Forms, review the form to verify its correctness.  When you are ready to submit the form, click "Submit Form", click e-file and enter your contact information and 10-digit PIN.

Written By: Becky Doyle, CPP

Contact Info: 920.337.4524 or rdoyle@hawkinsashcpas.com

Income Tracker Improvements:

• Time and expense transactions have been added to the money bar.
• There is now the option of excluding estimates, sales orders, and time and expenses from the unbilled sections of the money bar.

Insights Dashboard:  Insights is a new dashboard added to the home page. You can instantly see your profit and loss, income and expenses, and top customers. 

Pinned Notes:  Notes can be pinned to customers, vendors, and employees so that it will show in the center for that list and will be the default note included in reports.

Flags on Billable Time & Costs:  When adding billable time and costs to invoices, you can see how many records are available to bill in the various tabs so that you don't miss billing any time or costs to customers.

Reporting Changes:

• Reports are easier to read.  There is background shading to highlight lines and more spacing between lines.
• Comments can be added to any line of a report.
• Multiple reports can be sent in a single email.
• Report filter names are sorted alphabetically and are searchable.
• Other 1 and Other 2 can be added to some reports.
• Manufacturer's Part Numbers can be added as a column to invoices, sales receipts, and sales orders

Written by: Jennifer Kiehne

Contact info: 507.252.6682 or jkiehne@hawkinsashcpas.com

Form 1099-MISC is an informational tax form used by the IRS to track the payments you have made when you are engaged in a trade or business.  Some examples are payments you have made to independent contractors, attorneys, landlords etc. QuickBooks will allow you to setup and track these payments.  Simply follow these instructions.

• Choose Edit > Preferences
• Scroll down and select the category Tax:1099
• On the top, click on the Company Preference tab.
• Select the Yes bubble next to: "Do you file 1099-MISC forms"
• Click on the hyperlink under this question that says if you want to map your accounts, click here.  This will take you to a new screen.
• Click to Show all accounts
• Select the accounts that are associated with your 1099 payments.  For instance, if you have an expense account associated with your rent payments, you can select the drop down box next to the Rent Expense account and select "Box 1: Rent".  Now payments made to a 1099 vendor that are posted as "Rent expense" will be selected to print in box 1 of the 1099-MISC form.
• Most vendor payments will go in Box 7: Non-Employee Compensation. 

Creating these forms within QuickBooks is easy if you have the vendor and company preferences set up correctly.

If you add new expense accounts throughout the year, you will need to map them in order for them to be included in the 1099 totals. 

Written By: Debbie Denny

Contact Info: 920.337.4558 or ddenny@hawkinsashcpas.com

You can save backup copies of your QuickBooks company file to protect against accidental data loss. You can restore your company file using your backup copy.

To create a backup:

1. Click File on the top menu bar then choose Create Backup; to backup your company file to a flash drive, CD, DVD or network drive, select Local Backup. 

Important:  Don't store routine backups on the same hard drive where you store your company file.  If your computer's hard disk fails, you may lose your backup as well as your company file.

2. Click the Options button.  Use the Backup Options window to tell QuickBooks

• Where to save your backup.
• How often to remind you to back up your company file.
• Whether to check your company file for damage before creating a backup (verification).

3. Click OK then choose whether to:

• Save the backup now.
• Save the backup now and schedule future backups.
• Only schedule future backups.

4. If you want to save the backup to a flash drive, CD or DVD, insert it now, click Next

5. If you choose to save the backup now, in the Save Backup Copy window, change the name of the backup, if necessary, and click Save.

6. Click Finish.