QuickBooks articles for business owners
Plain-language guides to the most common QuickBooks problems, written by the team that fixes them every day.
Why Your QuickBooks Balance Does Not Match Your Bank
The most common reasons a QuickBooks account will not agree to the bank statement, and how to find the cause instead of forcing a match.
Read the article →QuickBooks Reconciliation Will Not Balance: A Practical Checklist
A step-by-step checklist for reconciliations that show a difference, from the most likely cause to the least.
Read the article →How to Catch Up on Months (or Years) of Bookkeeping
A clear order of work for catching up when your books are behind, so you finish with numbers you can rely on.
Read the article →Opening Balance Equity in QuickBooks: What It Is and How to Fix It
Why QuickBooks creates an Opening Balance Equity account, why a balance there is a warning sign, and how it is cleared correctly.
Read the article →Uncategorized Expense, Uncategorized Income and Ask My Accountant: How to Clear Them
What these placeholder accounts mean, why they build up, and how to clear them without guessing.
Read the article →Duplicate Transactions in QuickBooks: How They Happen and How to Find Them
Duplicates inflate income and expenses and break reconciliations. Learn where they come from and how to find and remove them safely.
Read the article →Undeposited Funds in QuickBooks: What It Is and Why Its Balance Matters
Undeposited Funds is a holding account for payments received but not yet deposited. A growing balance is a common sign of an error.
Read the article →Seven Signs Your QuickBooks Chart of Accounts Needs Repair
A confusing chart of accounts makes every report harder to use. These are the signs it is time to repair it.
Read the article →QuickBooks Bank Feed Problems: Missing or Duplicate Transactions
Why bank feeds miss transactions or import them twice, and how to put your account back in order.
Read the article →How to Get Your QuickBooks File Ready for Your Tax Preparer or Lender
A short readiness checklist so your preparer, banker or buyer can rely on your numbers the first time they look.
Read the article →How Much Does QuickBooks Cleanup Cost? What Drives the Price
The factors that determine the cost of cleanup or catch-up work, so you can compare quotes and know what you are paying for.
Read the article →QuickBooks Bank Rules: How Auto-Categorization Quietly Creates Errors
Bank rules save time, but a rule that is too broad can misclassify hundreds of transactions. Learn how to audit your rules and correct the damage.
Read the article →How We Categorize QuickBooks Transactions Correctly, and Why It Takes Longer
Why correct categorization means more than assigning an account: accurate statements, a sound tax position, every expense traced to its vendor, and no shortcuts.
Read the article →Get Your EIN for Free: Avoid Look-Alike Websites That Charge You
An EIN is free from the IRS and takes about five minutes to get online. Here is the official link, what you need, and how to spot sites that charge for it.
Read the article →Form 8832 or Form 2553: Which One Should Your LLC File?
How to tell the two IRS elections apart, what each one does, and the questions to settle with a tax professional before you file either.
Read the article →What Is IRS Form 8832? Pros and Cons of the Entity Classification Election
Form 8832 lets an LLC choose how it is taxed, including as a corporation. Here is what it does, when it fits, and the trade-offs to weigh.
Read the article →What Is IRS Form 2553? Pros and Cons of Electing S Corporation Status
Form 2553 elects S corporation tax treatment. Here is who qualifies, the deadline, and the advantages and drawbacks to weigh first.
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