A Beginner’s Guide to Quickbooks: Part Two

Many businesses rely on Quickbooks for their bookkeeping, but the software offers additional features, too. In our last blog, we covered the product’s initial setup and features. In this article, Bayou Bookkeeping & Tax Services dives deeper. Keep reading to discover tips on invoicing and more in this guide to Quickbooks.

A Beginner's Guide to Quickbooks: Part TwoSet Up Invoicing Preferences

Should you decide to use Quickbooks for billing customers, you’ll want to create a template in the preferences section. That way, you won’t have to customize the invoice every time you contact a customer, which saves time. 

First, go to “Account—Settings”. Second, click on “Sales”. Then, select “Customer Look and Feel.” From there, select “New Style” and then “Invoice”. From there, you can select a template, incorporate your company logo, and even use your brand colors and preferred font. Moreover, this section also allows you to edit the content, choose payment types and due dates, add emails, and more. 

Taking this step aligns the invoice with your business brand, and it also saves you time so you don’t have to repeat the process with every invoice. 

Invoice Customers

Once you set up the template, invoicing customers is a breeze. First, select “New—Invoice” from the menu bar. If you added customer emails in preferences, you can then select a customer from the list. If not, you’ll enter them manually as you create a new invoice.

Next, complete the unique portions of the invoice, such as product or service, quantity, and the other remaining fields. Then, select the payment method. If you’d like, you can add a personal message to customers at the bottom of the screen. Adding a message incorporates a personalized touch, depending on the customer. At this point, you can determine whether you’d like to make the invoice recurring or not. Finally, send the invoice or save it as a draft. 

Record and Monitor Expenses

Next on our guide to Quickbooks is bookkeeping: recording and monitoring expenses. First, click on the “Expense” feature. Next, select “Add an Expense.” If you’ve already entered vendor information, you can select the appropriate vendor from the list. Otherwise, you’ll have to enter it manually. Then, enter the payment amount. Finally, select the appropriate category to assign to the expense for reporting purposes. 

Entering expenses as they occur prevents forgetfulness and reporting errors. It helps you stay current, provides financial insight into your business operations, and assists with budgeting and financial reporting

Pay Bills

Aside from entering and monitoring expenses, you can also use Quickbooks for Accounts Payable. To do so, select the “A/P” feature. Next, select the vendor or manually add a new one. Then, input the bill date and due date. From there, assign the entry to its proper category. Finally, save and close the complete entry.

When a Guide to Quickbooks Isn’t Enough

Although many people use Quickbooks, questions still occur. When that happens, call Bayou Bookkeeping & Tax Services at (225) 442-1137. We also provide tax filing, payroll, and other services, too. Equally important, we offer monthly membership packages to help businesses incorporate our services into a monthly budget. Whatever your Baton Rouge business accounting or tax needs, Bayou can help.