QuickBooks News
QuickBooks Product Updates
QuickBooks Product Features
QuickBooks Add-on Service Solutions
QuickBooks Add-on Software Solutions
Third-party Add-on Software Solutions
QuickBooks Payroll Solutions
Prior Issues

New QuickBooks 2004 and Enterprise 4.0 Product Release 6
The new QuickBooks 2004 for Windows and Enterprise 4.0 Release 6 changes and improvements include:

Version Detector

• Lets accountants quickly identify which version of QuickBooks a client is using without having to open the QuickBooks file.
• Works with QuickBooks 2004 and will detect versions dating back to 1999.
• Accountants can identify the version and year by simply mousing over a client';s QuickBooks file.

Accounts Payable

• New credits created by another user while the Pay Bills window is open will not appear in Set Credits when paying bills.

Accounts Receivable

• New credits created by another user while the Receive Payments window is open will not appear in Set Credits when receiving payments.
• The Keyboard shortcut, Alt+D, no longer opens the Send Email window, instead, the "To be printed" checkbox will be toggled.
• "Deposit to..." and "Group with undeposited funds" fields and radio buttons will no longer disappear when new sales receipt templates are selected in R6.
• The cursor no longer reverts to the beginning of the description field when the user is typing a description and switches to another window and then returns to the form. The cursor will retain its position on the form.

Backup

• QuickBooks 2004 will now back up files with very long names without displaying an access violation error message.

Centers

• Marketing messages have been removed from centers.

Help

• Duplicate entries in the QuickBooks 2004 R5 Help menus have been removed.

Other

• Sub items with the same name can now be merged into their parent account without receiving an error.

Payroll

• Customers can now select which copies and instructions to print when printing W2s.
• Net additions are no longer grouped with compensation items on paychecks. The location is decided by whether the addition or deduction affects taxes.
• A W3 form can now be printed without reviewing all W2s.
• The SSN column is now included in the Employee State Taxes Detail Report.
• The payroll item set up will now pre fill the 'print on W2 as' field with the payroll item name. If the printed name on the W2 should be something else the customer will need to overwrite it with the correct name.
• W2s will now print 'Applied for' in the SSN field if the employee record has 000-00-0000 entered for employees that have applied for, but not yet received, a SSN.
• The W2 no longer prints lines deleted from Box 12 or Box 14. To remove a line from Boxes 12 or 14, the user is instructed to change the amount to 0.00. The W2 will not print 0.00 lines.
• The payroll update documents screen now contains a Toolbar allowing the documents to be printed.
• The Type of payer is now selected on the W3 print out if you print them on blank paper.
• The edit payroll item screen will display the future (new) SDI rate and the effective date for this rate. Previously only the rates for the year represented by the computers system date would show. This caused confusion at the end of the year when customers receive their rate changes but can't tell that QuickBooks already knows about it and will apply them once their system date or paycheck date is in the next (effective) year.
• There is no longer a delay or redraw problem when removing salary items from paychecks.
• While downloading payroll updates, the Stop button is disabled and the cursor changes to an hourglass when each component of the update has been downloaded and is being copied. This prevents canceling the update when it could damage the update.
• W2s can now be printed without reviewing them onscreen first.
• A new warning message has been added when creating a liability payment with a through date that is later than the check date.
• The warning message that shows when attempting to delete an account used in 1099 preferences has been updated to be more explanatory and now refers to the 1099 preferences.

Reports

• The Unpaid Bills at Year End report template can now be imported without error.
• The Vehicle Mileage Summary report now generates without errors or unexpected program closure when using an "other charge" item and the report is dated last year.
• The Vehicle Mileage reports no longer calculate incorrectly when different company files use different rates in the same QuickBooks session.
• Vehicle Mileage reports will now reflect the correct rates when in multi-user mode.
• QuickBooks no longer stops responding when removing a memorized report from a memorized report group.

Tech Helper

• Tech Help no longer generates errors when using Pentium 4 HyperThreaded CPUs.

Installing Release 6
To update your QuickBooks program with the Release 6 changes, close QuickBooks and reopen QuickBooks. At the prompt to install the update now, answer "Yes." The update process may take several minutes. (If you choose not to update when you open QuickBooks, the message will appear each time you open QuickBooks until the update is completed.) After completing the update, we recommend that you restart your computer. To manually download Release 6, click here.

Installing Release 6 in a Multi-User Environment
If you use QuickBooks in multi-user mode, this product release must be installed on each computer using QuickBooks. After downloading the product release to your specified shared file location, you will be prompted when you open QuickBooks to install on each computer that shares the data file. For more information on this environment, choose Update QuickBooks from the File menu, click Help in the Update QuickBooks window, and then select Sharing updates in a multi-user environment.

Intuit Introduces Free QuickBooks Version Detector
QuickBooks advisors and clients with older versions of QuickBooks should be aware of Intuit's new QuickBooks Version Detector included in QuickBooks 2004 Release 6. The Detector lets QuickBooks advisors quickly identify which version of QuickBooks a client is using without having to open the QuickBooks file. The Detector works with an advisor's QuickBooks 2004 software and detects QuickBooks versions dating back to 1999. Simply "mouse-over" a client's QuickBooks file to identify the version and year. A message box message appears showing the following:

• Version of QuickBooks that last opened the file
• File type
• File size
• Date when the file was last modified

If you have "QuickBooks Update" enabled on your computer, you will automatically receive the QuickBooks R6 update from Intuit, which includes the version detector feature. If advisors or clients do not have "QuickBooks Update" enabled, visit: http://proadvisors.intuit.com/cgi-bin6/DM/y/eWAC0IhEhr0FR50eoF0Av to download the QuickBooks R6 update for free.

QuickBooks 2004 ProAdvisor Certification Courses Now Available
QuickBooks ProAdvisors can now certify on the most current version of QuickBooks. ProAdvisors who are certified in QuickBooks 2004 are listed at the top of the QuickBooks ProAdvisor Referral Database, above those certified in 2003. If you are a ProAdvisor and want to become certified in QuickBooks 2004, you'll find the courses waiting for you in your Course Locker. Go to "Member Resources" in the right-hand column of the QuickBooks ProAdvisor Member Site at http://proadvisors.intuit.com/cgi-bin6/DM/y/eWIP0IhEhr0FW10Mbf0AE. Be sure to update your certification status.

If you have not certified in QuickBooks 2003, you have 90 days to complete the QuickBooks 2003 ProAdvisor Certification course. Only members who are certified in QuickBooks 2003 or 2004 will be listed on the Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor Referral Database.

New Financial Statement Designer 2.0
The new Financial Statement Designer version 2.0, formerly called Financial Statement Reporter, is expected to be available November 2004. The Designer will be significantly improved in just one release. New features and improvements will be as follows:

• Quickly get stared, easily customize, and reuse formats
• Format statements using familiar spreadsheet-like tools
• Unlimited customization of financial statements
• Create and print a complete set of financial statements

New QuickBooks 2004 and Enterprise 4.0 Product Release 6
Release 6 for QuickBooks 2004 is now available. Release 6 covers all editions of QuickBooks 2004 (Windows Operating System) including the Basic, Pro, and Premier Editions, and Enterprise Solutions. Release 6 includes all changes made to QuickBooks 2004 since it was first released. Release 6 is the second public update this year.

The changes in this release affect:

• Version Detector
• Accounts Payable
• Accounts Receivable
• Backup
• Centers
• Condense
• Forms
• Help
• Other
• Payroll
• Reports
• Tech Helper

Installing Release 6 will not affect your data file. Data files created in Release 6 can be opened and used with any QuickBooks 2004 Release.

Are You Using the Right QuickBooks Product?
Intuit's QuickBooks Product Family covers the full small business spectrum. The product line has six scalable products ranging from $199.95 to $3500. Each product has features specifically designed for new, emerging, and mature small businesses.

QuickBooks Basic Edition
QuickBooks Basic is for home based businesses and very small businesses wanting to perform and produce basic accounting tasks and reports. Its primary features include:

• Print checks, pay bills, and track expenses
• Invoice customers, track payments, and sales taxes
• Generate reports and graphs

QuickBooks Pro Edition
QuickBooks Pro is for small businesses wanting to perform and produce standard accounting and management tasks and reports. Additional features include:

• Budgets
• Cash Flow Projection
• Loan Manager
• Fixed Asset Tracker

QuickBooks Premier Edition
QuickBooks Premier is for small businesses wanting to perform and produce advanced accounting and management tasks and reports. Additional features include:

• Business plan
• Forecasts
• Expert Analysis
• Remote Access

Premier also comes in industry-specific editions: Accountant, Contractor, Nonprofit, Professional Services, Manufacturing & Wholesale, and Retail. If you need the additional features available in the Premier Edition, you would also benefit from the unique features available for these specific industries.

QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions Business Management Software
Enterprise Solutions is for businesses outgrowing QuickBooks due to increased transactions, simultaneous users, and number of employees. Additional features include:

• Expand Customer:Job List, Item List, and Vendor List to 29,000
• Expand from 5 to 10 simultaneous users
• Increase processing speed
• Employee Organizer

Enterprise Solutions also comes in industry-specific editions: Accountant, Contractor, Nonprofit, Professional Services, Manufacturing & Wholesale, and Retail Editions.

QuickBooks Online Edition
Online Edition is for small businesses wanting anytime, anywhere access to their financial data. It has many additional benefits including no required backups and no required updates (Intuit hosts the program and data file). The Online Edition is the baby in the QuickBooks Product Family. Although it's no longer an infant and is an excellent product for certain businesses, it still doesn't possess all the features of QuickBooks Pro. For example, Online Edition doesn't have the following important features:

• Create purchase orders and track inventory
• Job costing
• Cash Flow Projector
• Vehicle Mileage Tracker
• Loan Manager
• Fixed Asset Tracker

However, Intuit is constantly adding and making Online Edition new features and improvements.

QuickBooks Point of Sale
QuickBooks Point of Sale product line is for small retail businesses wanting an affordable, basic POS solution with seamless QuickBooks integration. QuickBooks Point of Sale replaces a user's cash register, tracks inventory, sales and customer information, and provides reports to help retail users manage their business and serve customers better. QuickBooks Point of Sale product line has Basic, Pro, and Pro Multi-Store software priced at $799.95, $999.95, 1299.95, respectively. In addition, Intuit has QuickBooks-Approved Retail Hardware products including:

• Bar Code Scanner
• Tag Printer
• Pole Display
• Cash Drawer
• Receipt Printer
• Credit Card Reader