Billing software

[Rowski]

Now that I've got the work & done some work and figured out my hourly rate, I would like to keep track of billing with some software. I don't need anything very fancy, don't have a logos or anything. I just would like to have a "computer" invoice than hand written. I would be nice to track the hours and type of work but not a must. I was think of using Exel, Word, Access from Microsoft but I would need to design a macro. I do have available to me QuickBook pro 99. Are there any freeware or shareware programs? Any other suggestions?

Many thanks!

 

[rmorgan]

Rowski--

I used Quickbooks when I had my own business in the mid-90s and thought it was remarkably good. I know several folks who use it as a Swiss Army knife for time, billing, and accounting, with good success.

 

[wasabi]

If you have acesss to QB, I would suggest you look no further. It is easy to use, easily customizable and reliable. Good luck with your new venture!

 

[Gary_in_Indiana]

Every thing you say you want QuickBooks is designed to do. Install it and start billing. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Hi Derek,

You can't get any better than the best... /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

Like everyone else has already said... stick with Quickbooks (especially if you already have it...) Start out simple and go as detailed as you want while you own it...

Another program by Intuit is Quicken for Home and Business... with a slightly different twist... and the learning curve is fairly easy on both...

Another simple-to-operate program you can look at is One-Write Plus..... to further complicate matters... /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[Gary_in_Indiana]

Actually, I use Quicken Home & Business 99 and it runs three businesses for me with no problems whatsoever. The only reason you might want Quickbooks over that is the Billing and Estimating features it offers to you.

 

[TxSam]

If it were me I would use MS-Access and design a custom billing database. Of course, I am an Access programmer, too./w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif Seriously though, with a little reading and trial and error, you could make yourself a nice billing program. Plus, Access will give you the capability of making a lot of upgrades as you learn the software, there is essentially nothing you can't do with Access.

 

[Tractor_Barn]

I was under contract doing Access development for a manufacturing company. Our "nice little database" turned into an elephant but, I ate it one byte at a time.

You can put together some pretty sophisticated applications with Access but for a simple billing package, you just can't beat QB. If you want time tracking, get QB pro.

Even with all the Access work I did, I used QB Pro for my time tracking and billing.

 

[njrqs]

Another quickbooks convert here too.

Say Mr. Gates didn't design this did he? - It sounds like it too has a monopoly.

Cheers

 

[Alan L.]

Given your situation I would use Quickbooks. I recommend you get the help of a CPA who supports QB to help you set it up and point out the proper procedures. If you don't understand what QB is doing, you'll have a screwed up mess come tax time.

Peachtree Complete is a better accounting program, but I find that most small service businesses are able to grasp QB quicker. Its a little misleading, as QB tends to sweep errors under the rug. This is why the CPA should take a look at it periodically.

Peachtree has much slicker time & billing functionality, and is much more flexible in terms of reports. The clients I personally have trained on Peacthree handle it just as well as those that use QB, but PT can be a little intimidating right out of the box, thus, the reason QB has more users.

QB actually has some billing capabilities that Peacthree doesn't have. For instance I set up an insurance agency so that the invoices would compute the carrier premium while only showing the actual customer premium, the difference going to commission income. I couldn't do that in Peachtree.

The best Access programmer on the planet should not use Access for billing when QB and PT are available. The process of doing the billing puts the sales transactions in the books as both sales (general ledger) and accounts receivable (tracking what customers owe you). Plus you can use the rest of the software to record collections, pay bills, even do payroll.

You already have QB - I'd use that if I were you.