Contractor's Guide to QuickBooks Pro 2004 with CDROM Book

	Introduction	5
	Why You Need This Book	5
	What You Can Expect from This Book	6
	QuickBooks, QuickBooks Pro, or Premier: Contractor Edition?	7
	Why Should You Believe Us?	9
	What's on the CD?	12
	How Do I Use This CD?	13
1	Setting Up Your QuickBooks Pro Company	17
	QuickBooks Pro Company Files	18
	Begin with Our Sample and Company Data Files	19
	Upgrade to QuickBooks Pro Version 2004	23
	Convert from Quicken to QuickBooks Pro	25
	Convert an Existing Data File to Our Setup	30
2	How to Set QuickBooks Pro Preferences	33
	General Preferences	33
	Accounting Preferences	34
	Checking Preferences	36
	Finance Charge Preferences	38
	Jobs and Estimates Preferences	41
	Payroll and Employees Preferences	42
	Purchases and Vendors Preferences	43
	Reminders Preferences	45
	Reports and Graphs Preferences	46
	Sales and Customers Preferences	46
	Sales Tax and Send Forms Preferences	48
	Service Connection Preferences	50
	Spelling Preferences	51
	Tax: 1099 Preferences	52
	Time Tracking Preferences	54
3	Chart of Accounts	55
	How to Use the Sample Chart of Accounts	57
	Change, Add to, and Print Your Chart of Accounts	60
	QuickBooks Premier: Contractor Edition Features	63
	Loan Manager	64
4	Items	73
	Entering Items for a Non-Inventory Based Business	74
	Entering Items for an Inventory Based Business	76
	Creating a Group of Items	78
	Entering Non-Job Related Items	79
5	Payroll Items	83
	Using Payroll Items to Track Workers' Comp Costs	83
	Using Payroll Items if You Don't Track Workers' Comp	91
	Including Sole Proprietor and Partners' Time Costs in Job Costs	94
6	Classes	101
	Using Classes to Track Cost Categories	101
	How to Create a Class	102
7	Customers and Jobs	105
	How to Set Up a Customer	105
	Adding a Job for a Customer	109
	Exporting or Printing Your Customer List	112
8	Vendors and Subcontractors	113
	Setting Up 1099 Vendors	113
	Setting Up a Non-1099 Vendor	117
9	Employees	119
	Setting Up Your Employee List	119
10	Opening Balances	127
	Entering Opening Balances in QuickBooks Pro	127
	Entering Invoices for Accounts Receivable	128
	Entering Bills for Accounts Payable	130
11	Organizing Work Flow	133
	Setting Up Your Office Files	134
	Organizing Your Payroll	137
	Keeping Office Paperwork Current	137
12	Estimating	141
	Using a Summary Estimate You Make Outside of QuickBooks Pro	142
	Customizing an Estimate Form	144
	Memorizing an Estimate	145
	Estimates and Progress Billing	147
	Getting Detailed Estimates	147
13	Receivables	149
	Four Ways to Invoice a Customer	150
	Tracking Change Orders On Estimates	160
	How to Handle Retainage	162
	Recording a Payment You Receive	167
	Recording a Deposit	168
	Recording a Job Deposit	169
14	Payables	173
	Creating and Using Purchase Orders	174
	Using Purchase Orders to Track Multiple Draws and Committed Costs	175
	Entering Bills Without Purchase Orders	179
	Selecting Bills for Payment	181
	Printing Checks	182
	Vendor Workers' Comp Reports	184
15	Payroll	189
	Entering a Timesheet	189
	Processing Employee Payroll	193
	Allocating Sole Proprietor or Partner's Time to a Job	199
16	Using QuickBooks Pro on a Cash Basis	203
	How to Record a Check	204
	How to Record a Deposit	207
	Checking Your Transactions with the QuickBooks Pro Register	209
17	Reports	211
	How to Modify Reports	211
	Using Our Memorized Reports	215
	Using Jobs, Time & Mileage Reports	232
18	End of Month and End of Year Procedures	243
	Reading and Understanding Your Financial Reports	251
	End of Year Procedures	255
19	Real Estate Development	259
	New Accounts	259
	Setting Up a Development Job	260
	Using Items to Track Construction Costs as WIP	261
	Land Purchase Transactions	263
	Personal Loans	267
	Development Loans	273
	Construction Loans	277
	Recording the Sale of a Property	280
Appendix A	Estimating with QuickBooks Pro	285
	Three Good Reasons to Try QuickBooks Pro Estimating	285
	A Road Map to Your Destination	286
	Setting Preferences for Estimating	287
	Building Your Item List	289
	Creating an Estimate in QuickBooks Pro	291
	Turning an Estimate into an Invoice	294
	Tidying Up Your Company File	297
Appendix B	Job Cost Tracking and Importing Estimates	299
	Estimates into Invoices	302
	Handling Tax	302
	Using Items for Job Cost Tracking	304
	Help Learning National Estimator	306
	Estimating with National Estimator	307
	Converting Estimates with Job Cost Wizard	321
	Index	333