In a previous article on my own blog entitled “Everything you always wanted to know about the QuickBooks hosting program but were afraid to ask” , I mentioned that I would be providing information on what makes these providers different. I still intend to do that, but I must proceed delicately. You see, I am employed by one of the Commercial QuickBooks hosting providers, InsynQ, and while I make every attempt to be fair and unbiased, the other providers may not necessarily see my motivations as being all that altruistic. Rather, there is a great potential for them to perceive that my blog posts about QuickBooks hosting providers is simply a way to put InsynQ above the rest. So, I will proceed with my reviews of the various hosting service providers, and will attempt to be as unbiased as possible. In fact, the “blurb” about each provider listed below comes, in most cases, directly from the provider, and is being posted with their approval. Unfortunately, much of it is “marketing speak”, so I must necessarily expand on that content.
Anytime, Anywhere
Naturally, I believe very strongly in InsynQ’s business and technology model, and I really want them (us) to “win”, but I’m also fair enough to recognize that one size never fits all. So, here we go… proceeding with caution.
Note: In these descriptions, I’m not going to focus a lot on the underlying technologies used to deliver the hosting service. While the platform does make a huge difference in terms of what the provider can do, what the customer experience is like, etc…. it is difficult to try to compare each approach based solely on technology. It’s what they elect to do with the technology that really matters, and that drives the services being offered. Just recognize that QuickBooks is QuickBooks, and each provider has the ability to deliver QuickBooks very well.
RealTime Bookkeeping
Founded in 2000, Real Time Bookkeeping offers a customized and privately labeled virtual office solution integrated with their proprietary software the e-Dashboard. Created for accounting professionals, the e-Dashboard offers document management and workflow tools with application hosting. QuickBooks hosting is a primary service offering and is central to the functionality of the e-Dashboard and application hosting services. Custom built virtual servers are also offered to host supporting tax software programs.
Joanie’s comments: In the beginning, RTB was ManageComm, an online bookkeeping firm. In 2007, ManageComm launched the Real Time Bookkeeping System. Per the press release announcing the availability of the RTB system, ManageComm solutions include complete online bookkeeping and controller, tax preparation and business consulting services. What I believe makes RTB different is their positioning as a provider to the accounting/bookkeeping market, focusing on delivering a structured workflow solution (the e-Dashboard) and certain hardware elements (dual monitors, scanners, etc.) which help make outsourced/online bookkeeping processes more streamlined. RTB completes the solution set by offering in-depth program training via the RTB University.
Uni-Data & Communications
In business since 1989, Uni-Data is primarily a managed technology service provider, offering various levels of outsourced information technology services to an enterprise business market. Uni-Data’s variety of service offerings benefit businesses by allowing them to offload technology management responsibilities and focus on their core operations. Uni-Data’s offerings range from localized IT service, to solution development and project management, to hosted application services. For Uni-Data, QuickBooks hosting is one of several business areas, and is aligned with their outsourced/managed IT services offerings for mid-size businesses and franchise operations.
Joanie’s comments: Uni-Data does a lot of things for businesses, and application hosting is just part of it. As a managed service provider to mid-sized businesses, the focus isn’t only on hosted applications and datacenter delivery. Rather, Uni-Data has the staff and the experience to provide a wide range of outsourced IT services to their business customers, involving localized and hosted IT service.
Right Networks
Right Networks® is a privately held, US-based company that provides data center management, advanced application hosting, internet services, and computer help desk support. Through its proprietary server virtualization technology, Right Networks has established itself as one of the leading providers of application hosting for the desktop editions of QuickBooks. Right Networks provides centralized, redundant systems, banking-class security and automatic off-site back-ups.
Joanie’s comments: Right Networks has been operating since about 2002. In addition to offering QuickBooks hosting services, Right Networks is also responsible for managing the datacenter for Mangosoft‘s Mangomind and FileTRUST solutions, and also provides localized IT services. Rather than utilizing commercially available virtualization solutions and platform technologies, one of the differentiators for Right Networks is that they provide their hosting service on a proprietary platform, described as “virtualization technology with end-to-end clustered, enterprise-class infrastructure”. **NOTE: Please see a correction of this information at the end of the article! – I got updated information – J
Xcentric
In business since 2002, Xcentric focuses almost exclusively on serving professional accounting firms. Hosted application deliveries are in the form of “published applications”, and provide a comprehensive working environment for the professional accounting practice. Xcentric’s specialty in working with CPA firms, and with solutions designed specifically for the professional CPA practice, has allowed them to craft a service model which is intended to address the total IT requirement for the firm. Xcentric wants to be the entire information technology infrastructure for the professional accountant, removing servers, applications, and other elements from the local environment and delivering them entirely as an outsourced application service.
Joanie’s comments: For Xcentric, QuickBooks hosting is not a primary focus. While hosting QuickBooks applications and data is a necessary addition to serving the professional accounting market, it is not a primary application or service focus.
InsynQ CPAASP
InsynQ is one of the old guys on the block, having delivered the first hosted application service in 1997. InsynQ specializes in hosting and managing a wide variety of business applications, and is positioned as a solution provider to businesses who desire to have their IT services fully-managed and delivered to them in the form of hosted application services. InsynQ hosts many applications, from productivity solutions to complex application integrations, and is therefore able to address a variety of application and integration needs. While InsynQ CPAASP focuses primarily on accounting and finance solutions, as well as the solutions they integrate with, the service is not oriented specifically towards any one business model. Rather, the CPAASP business model was developed to enable not only accounting professionals, but to extend the capability to the client businesses, addressing business functional and operational requirements. InsynQ works closely with numerous software vendors, as well, bringing their solutions into the hosted platform and helping craft hosted and subscription delivery models around those products.
Joanie’s comments: For CPAASP, QuickBooks hosting is a primary focus, as is the hosting of add-on and integrations for QuickBooks. Because InsynQ CPAASP has a philosophy of “working and playing well with others”, the company supports a wide variety of applications from various developer sources and is specifically experienced in working with software publishers and their respective sales and distribution channels.
That’s all for today… more reviews coming soon!
J
**NOTE: Correction regarding Right Networks
Apparently, the Mangosoft folks took a few liberties by mentioning that Right Networks manages their datacenter, etc. According to Phil Romine at Right Networks,” the web page will be changed, and also will include a note to point out that Right Networks QuickBooks hosting does not use any Mangosoft technology. Mangosoft appears to recommend Right Networks apparently because their customers found our services to be useful. We are happy to receive that recommendation, but Mangosoft has no legal relationship with Right Networks.”
Freebie Friday – it’s here again. The end of another workweek and just in time! I don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted and ready for a couple of days off! Or at least with a lighter workload anyway!
This weeks Freebie Friday eBook is a Windows 7 pocket guide – NOT anything that I’ve written, but a valuable resource that I found on the web. I downloaded it at the end of December and have referred to it many times since I have switched to a Windows 7 64-bit machine machine.
Some of the ebook is very technical but other sections make it well worth the download.
Get your free 385 page Windows 7 Pocket Guide by completing a request form at TradePub.com
They also a lot of free trade magazines, so be sure to check out this website.
Have a great weekend!
Have you ever had a dream where you desperately needed to run fast (you’re being chased by Sasquatch, say) but your feet just won’t go? Your feet can only go in slow motion?
If some of your QuickBooks reports seem stuck in molasses, or it’s taking a minute or more to save an invoice, that’s about as fun as a bad dream.
Performance problems in QuickBooks are one warning sign that your QuickBooks data file is probably getting too big. (How big is too big? We’ll look at that in a minute.)
Another warning sign is when you get random errors or crashes in QuickBooks. It doesn’t crash ALL the time, and you can’t reproduce the problem whenever you want (as if you want to!) But QuickBooks sometimes flakes out and crashes. This is probably related to the file being oversized.
Or maybe there IS one particular process that QuickBooks consistently fails on (backing up, verifying, rebuilding, and upgrading are the most common.) Since we troubleshoot these kinds of database problems all the time, we see lots of QuickBooks data files, and many of the files with these kinds of problems happen to be very large files. In my opinion, that’s no coincidence.
Here are some comments QuickBooks users have made to us about their large files:
- “Speed has degraded over the years and causes systems to lock up.”
- “slow due to too much data”
- “slowness, occasional crashes”
- “Generally slow but the file is so huge that when we try to do a tax report it crashes every time”
- “Cannot upgrade because file size is so big”
- “Data file is really big, very large number of DB file fragments, cash reports take a LONG time to run, some reports won’t export to excel at all”
So, how big is too big?
Some say that 100MB is the effective upper limit for QuickBooks Pro or Premier files. I don’t agree with that; we talk to people with files in the 100-200MB range all the time who are doing alright.
Really, the proof is in the pudding. If QuickBooks is performing well for you – consistently fast and stable – then your file size is probably fine. Especially if it’s under 250MB. If it’s not performing well, then there’s a good chance it’s getting as unhealthy as that poor guy in the “Supersize Me” video.
Enterprise Series is designed for more simultaneous users, more transactions, bigger lists, and larger files. How big is too big for Enterprise? Again, it’s not a hard line, and the most important issue is how well it is performing. I’d say if the file is bigger than 750MB, or is running into performance/stability issues, then you might look at options to bring the file size down.
What options? What can be done if my file is showing warning signs?
You can run the Cleanup command in QuickBooks (aka Archive/Condense). This will bring the file size down some, but in many cases not enough to make a difference.
We can supercondense the file, which can reduce its size by 50%.
Or you (or us, or others) can recreate your file from scratch, creating a blank new file and bringing selective information from the old file into the new file. File size reduction of 90% is common here.
The main thing is this: If the performance or stability of your file is becoming suspect, it is good to be proactive and take steps to address the problem sooner rather than later. “Later” in that scenario often becomes “crisis”.
About the author: Shannon Tucker is an accounting database specialist and the President of AccountingUsers, Inc. You can reach him at 719-395-8750 or tucker@accountingusers.com
Giving your QuickBooks company data to an IRS Auditor is almost like inviting a stranger into your home – you don’t know what they will do, and at this point in time, I haven’t found any information on exactly what an Auditor will look for or what they will do once they do get their hands on your data file.
To be honest, I don’t even know if they are required to return your QuickBooks (or Peachtree) data file to you once they are done. I do have to assume that they are required to do so, but you never know………..
Hopefully, you will follow the suggestions outlined in An IRS Audit and They Want Your QuickBooks File – Best Practices article and provide a data file that ONLY contains the year in question.
The last thing that you really should do before handing over the file to be audited is to create an External Accountant User for their use – do not give them your Administrator password.
An External Accountant is a fairly new type of QuickBooks user account that was introduced a couple of years ago. Anyone who logs into your QuickBooks file as an External Accountant User has access to all areas and information contained in your data file with the exception of sensitive customer data, such as credit card information (if you keep customer credit card data in your file).
To create an External Accountant User
You will need to be logged into QuickBooks as the Administrator and I believe you need to be in single-user mode.
- From the Company menu, choose Setup Users and Passwords
- Select Add User
- Enter a new user name and password – write this information down and give it to the auditor, and click Next
- Choose External Accountant in the Access screen and click Next
- Click Yes on the Warning message to confirm that you want to create an External Accountant User
- Click the Finish button
By creating the External Accountant user, you will be able to pull up an audit trail report to see if they changed anything if the file is returned. Of course this is getting a little paranoid, but one of the fears that I’ve seen people discussing is what if the auditor goes in and changes something…….
Please feel free to leave your own comments, suggestions and thoughts for best practices on this new procedure – it will be of benefit to everyone.
Did you receive a notice from the IRS that your business is being audited and that they want a copy of your QuickBooks (or Peachtree) data file?
The first thing that you need to do, is reply as directed in the Audit notice.
The next thing that you need to do, is figure out HOW you are going to give them access to your QuickBooks data file. Requesting a copy of your company file is LEGAL and is also a fairly new procedure that will no doubt grow in popularity as time goes on; and is one that cannot be avoided – because if you (or your accountant) refuse they can issue a Summons for the file; and I don’t think that would be a “good thing”!
I’ve done some research, and at t his point there are not a lot of resources for what someone should do if the IRS wants a copy of their data file, so I’ve put together the following list of tips & best practices. I also haven’t found any list of things that are being checked for upon receipt of the file, but I will keep looking and keep you updated.
This list is by no means comprehensive and will probably expand as time goes on; but for now here is a start.
Don’t just hand over your entire QuickBooks file: If you are being audited, it’s for a specific year. Give them what they want – the data for the year in question, nothing more – nothing less. So let’s say that you started your company in 2006; here it is 2011 and you are being audited for 2008. The chances are very good that your current QuickBooks company file contains detailed information about your business since you started it in 2006. You’ll want to only provide the information that relates to 2008.
If you are a do-it-yourselfer; take a look at Karl Irvin’s Beginning Balance Transfer Utility AND Data Transfer Utility. Karl provides some good instructions on how to accomplish this on his website, but you have to follow them EXACTLY! – http://www.q2q.us/How%20to%20start%20a%20new%20QuickBooks%20file.htm
If you aren’t a do-it-yourselfer; you’ll need to hire someone to do this for you. Currently these fine folks will perform this service for you —- for a fee, contact:
- QuickBooksUsers.com – for QuickBooks file recreation – http://quickbooksusers.com/recreate-company.htm
- PeachtreeUsers.com – for Peachtree file creation – http://peachtreeusers.com/datarepair.htm
- The Bottom Line – http://bottomline-sb.com/home/index.php/page/home_page
- QB or not QB – http://www.qbornotqb.com/services-ld.html
Turn off online service connections: If you use on-line banking for example, be sure to turn it off!
Do NOT give out the Administrator password: rather create an External Accountant user and provide that information to the auditor. Instructions for creating an External Accountant User will be featured in Wednesday’s blog post.
When requested, the electronic files should be provided on a CD, DVD, or flash/jump drives to ensure the security of the files. Email should NEVER be used to submit files.
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ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
If you’ve never been audited, you should do some homework. Believe it or not the Internal Revenue Service has created a video series called “Your Guide to an IRS Audit” and they can be found at http://www.irsvideos.gov/audit/. While it’s doubtful that you will find information specific to your business, the video follows 3 different businesses (a computer repair shop, an auto repair shop, and a flower shop) through the audit process so you will at least have some idea of what to expect.
An IRS webpage describing the audit process – http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=219552,00.html and another with Frequently Asked Questions – http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0%2C%2Cid=219636%2C00.html
New Resource added 6/14/2011 {thanks to Charlie Russell for mentioning this url} - Use of Electronic Accounting Software Records; Frequently Asked Questions and Answers found at http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=238525,00.html
Please feel free to add your tips, comments, suggestions or your own best practices in order to develop a more in-depth set of procedures that will help us all.
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The following response came from one of the LinkedIn Groups that I posted this article to:
Hello, this is Rich Walker from Intuit. Thanks for sharing the various methods and processes that you’re using to deal with the IRS agents’ requests.
A small group of Intuit employees met with the IRS in January, and they indicated that they plan to access electronic records and data during audits from multiple commercial financial software products, including other small business accounting applications.
According to the IRS, the legal authority for requesting a taxpayer’s electronic accounting software backup files and accounting records in electronic format is based on IRC Section 6001, Regulation 1.6001-1(a) and -1(e), Revenue Ruling 71-20 and Revenue Procedure 98-25.
The approaches that you’ve proposed are helpful in complying with the IRS’ demand for information, without providing the full electronic file upon first request.
As we learn more, we’ll keep you posted.
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Yes, it’s true. The IRS can *LEGALLY request a backup of your QuickBooks (or Peachtree) company data file if you are being audited. BACKGROUND: Approximately 1,100 agents were trained to utilize QuickBooks and these agents have been instructed to obtain a copy of the taxpayer’s data base for the year under examination ONLY when it is necessary. This method of examination of taxpayer records will not be used in all cases — however, it will be up to the examiner. When requested, the electronic files should be provided on a CD, DVD, or flash/jump drives to ensure the security of the files. Email should NEVER be used to submit files. Apparently business owners and tax professionals have been advocating that the IRS begin accepting taxpayer records in electronic format instead of continuing to use more traditional paper books and records for audit purposes. This is according to the IRS Small Business/Self-Employed Examination Division; who is responding to the wishes expressed in tax practitioner focus group interviews conducted at the 2008 Nationwide Tax Forums as well as other stakeholders. Why on earth would anyone want the IRS to begin accepting taxpayer records in electronic format? Well, in reality it does provide advantages, such as:
Look for tomorrows article on what to do if the IRS requests your QuickBooks data file. NOTE: Thanks to Alison Ball from Intuit for taking the time to contact me and let me know that the licenses were not purchased directly from Intuit. According to Alison, Intuit is actually prohibited from selling to the government, probably because it would be a conflict of interest because Intuit relies on the IRS to provide new tax code each year. ——————————————————– *RESOURCES FOR ACCOUNTING PROFESSIONALS AND OTHER INTERESTED PARTIES: The legal authority for requesting a taxpayer’s QuickBooks or Peachtree backup files and accounting records is based on:
It is also important to note, that Revenue Procedure 98-25 does not prevent or exempt a taxpayer from providing electronic records, if those records exist. If a taxpayer or authorized representative refuses to provide the database and the agent determines it is necessary for the audit, a Summons to obtain the information could be issues. Also see, http://www.ebaea.org/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/archive/Bulletin/20100623212855/ and http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=229050,00.html Additional online discussions regarding this topic can be found at: Tax Almanac – http://www.taxalmanac.org/index.php/Discussion:IRS_Auditors_to_be_trained_in_Quickbooks Successful QuickBooks Consultants on LinkedIn – http://www.linkedin.com/groupItem?view=&gid=157449&type=member&item=23839279&qid=64ddee41-3223-43aa-a3b6-fc63f104925a&goback=.gmp_157449 On March 30, 2010, President Obama signed the Health Care Reconciliation Act which added a tax credit for employee health insurance expenses of small employers for taxable years beginning in 2010 through taxable years beginning in 2013. The tax credit is available if: (1) the employer has fewer than 25 full-time equivalent employees (FTEs) The credit is fully available to an employer with 10 FTEs and average annual wages of $25,000. The credit phases out pro rata so that an employer with 25 FTEs with average annual wages of $50,000 is not entitled. Number of Employees for the Taxable Year The number of FTEs is determined by counting employees who perform services for the employer. Generally, sole proprietors, partners in a partnership, more than 2 percent shareholders of an S corporation, and more than 5 percent owners of any other business are not included in the count. In addition, seasonal workers who work fewer than 120 days in the year are not counted. Next, determine the number of hours that each worker who is included in the count works during the taxable year, but not more than 2080 hours for any employee. Generally, you count hours for which the employee is paid for working. You can also count up to 160 hours of paid time off. Determine the number of FTEs by dividing the total number of hours worked by each employee by 2080. A fraction is rounded down to the next whole number. Average Annual Wages per FTE for the Taxable Year Determine the average annual wages by dividing (1) the total wages paid by the employer to the employees counted as FTEs by For example, if the employer pays $224,000 in total wages and has 10 FTEs, it pays average annual wages per FTE of $22,000 ($224,000 divided by 10 equals $22,400, which is rounded down to the nearest $1,000). Qualifying Arrangement The credit is available only for premiums paid by the employer under a qualifying arrangement. The health plan is a qualifying arrangement if the employer pays a uniform percentage (but not less than 50%) of the premium. The amount of employer-paid premiums that can be used in calculating the credit is limited to the average premium for the small group market in the employer’s state. The average premium information is included in the instructions for Form 8941(used to compute the credit) Transition Relief for 2010. Because the credit applies to 2010, including premiums paid by the employer before the Healthcare Reform Act became law, if the employer pays at least 50 percent of the premium for single coverage, it will be deemed to satisfy the uniformity requirement. Determining the Credit For taxable employers, the maximum credit is 35 percent of the employer’s premium payments. For a tax exempt employer, the credit is 25 percent. The credit phases out if the number of FTEs is greater than 10 and/or the average wage per FTE exceeds $25,000. The reduction has two parts: a reduction if the number of FTEs is greater than 10 and a reduction if the average wage is greater than $25,000. If the number of FTEs is greater than 10, the credit is reduced by a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of FTEs over 10 and the denominator of which is 15. If the average wage exceeds $25,000, the credit is reduced by a fraction, the numerator of which is the amount of wages over $25,000 and the denominator of which is $25,000. If both reductions apply, each amount is subtracted from the credit. For example, if a taxable employer has 12 FTEs, average wages of $30,000, and an initial credit of $33,600, the reductions are determined as follows:
The total reduction is $11,200 ($4,480+$6,720) and the allowable credit is $22,400. Claiming the Credit Form 8941 if used to figure the credit . A taxable employer treats the credit as a general business credit and offsets its tax liability for the year by the amount of the credit. The credit can be used in some cases against the employer’s alternative minimum tax liability. We would like to invite our subscribers to write a guest blog article that we will post on our blog.? We know a lot of our subscribers are experts in their own fields and have tips and best practices that everyone could benefit from. What to Write About? How long should the blog post be? How Often Would I Have to Submit a Blog Post? How Does a Guest Blogger Benefit?
giving those sites added SEO value and increased traffic. Why Are You Looking for Guest Bloggers? Ok, I’m Interested – How Do I Contact You? When MUST an Employer Complete an I-9 Form? I-9 TimelineEmployers are required to complete an I-9 form at the time of hire for all employees that have been hired on or after November 6, 1986. The employer must complete Section 1 prior to the end of the first day of employment. For example, if an employee starts working on a Monday, Section 1 of the form must be completed by the close of business on Monday. The employer must review the original documents and complete Section 2 within 3 business days of the first day of work. For example, if an employee starts working on a Monday, Section 2 of the form must be completed by the close of business on Thursday. Additionally, if the employer has enrolled in E-Verify, the E-Verify inquiry must be initiated before the end of the third day of work. Download our free I-9 timeline, which includes important links to the most current I-9 Form, the Handbook for Employers, and important information about the E-Verify System for Federal Contractors – get your copy of the I-9 Completion Timeline. If a worker has been hired to work for less than three business days, the entire I-9 Form must be completed before the person begins working. Some companies prefer to complete the I-9 prior to the persons first day of employment, and this is an acceptable business practice. While the form may be completed prior to the first day of work, the decision to hire must have already been made and cannot be used as a pre-screening tool for applicants. Federal contractors who have a federal contract issued on or after September 8, 2009 that contains the Federal Acquisitions Regulation (FAR) E-Verify clause must follow special rules when completing and/or updating Forms I-9. E-Verify strengthens the employment eligibility process. By adding E-Verify to the existing process, a company benefit from knowing that it has taken constructive steps toward maintaining a legal workforce. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has released an updated 69 page version of The Handbook for Employers (also known as the M-274), which was revised on 01/05/2011. The Handbook for Employers is a must-have resource for all employers because it provides assistance and a better understanding of the entire I-9 process. Improvements noted in the updated document include:
By Jim Abrams, Associated Press – Saturday February 19 WASHINGTON – The House early Saturday turned back an effort to suspend a Depression-era law, the Davis Bacon Act, that requires federal contractors to pay locally prevailing wage rates. The vote came amid heightened clashes between the two parties over labor rights. Lawmakers voted 233-189 against barring spending on Davis-Bacon wage requirements on federal work projects for the remainder of this budget year. The measure was offered by Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, as an amendment to a massive spending bill to keep the government running through Sept. 30, Republicans have long targeted the 1931 law, saying it drives up the costs of public works projects and favors unionized companies over smaller firms that can’t pay higher wages. Davis-Bacon enjoys strong support from Democrats and the King amendment, had it passed, would have met strong resistance in the Democratic-controlled Senate and opposition from President Barack Obama. The vote came as Wisconsin’s new Republican Gov. Scott Walker has set off a firestorm of protests by seeking to curtail the collective bargaining rights of public workers and several other GOP-led states are looking to cut state worker benefits as part of budget-cutting efforts. Obama said in a radio interview that Walker’s legislation was an “assault on unions.” The House this week also rejected a GOP proposal to eliminate funds for the National Labor Relations Board. The Republican spending bill would still cut $50 million, or 18 percent, from the agency that referees disputes between workers and employers. King cited an analysis by the Heritage Foundation estimating that Davis-Bacon would add more than $10.9 billion to the deficit this year. He said locally prevailing wage rates tend to reflect the higher pay scale of union workers in the area and average some 22 percent above standard wage rates in locales. Rep. Robert Andrews of New Jersey, a senior Democrat on the Education and the Workforce Committee, said there “was no basis in fact, it is more of an urban legend,” that adhering to prevailing wages drives up labor costs. He said that if accurately measured a prevailing wage doesn’t add to costs and promotes a stable local labor force. Two years ago, when Democrats controlled the House, the chamber voted 284-140 to defeat a proposal to exempt wastewater infrastructure projects from Davis-Bacon rules. Read the entire article and join the discussion here. It’s FREEBIE FRIDAY! Wow wasn’t it Friday just a couple of days ago? Feels that way to me. Where has the week gone? This weeks Freebie Friday giveaway here on the QuickBooks for Contractors blog is an Employee New Hire Checklist. One of the hardest things about being a bookkeeper or payroll clerk, is that we seldom receive any information about new employees – other than the information that comes from their Federal W-4, State W-4, and their I-9 form. As a bookkeeper in the construction industry, a lot of times the ONLY information that I ever received was a scrawled note with the employees name on it – and I’d spend the rest of my week trying to chase down the rest of the information that I needed, because of course that employee needed a paycheck come Friday! Does that sound familiar? I bet it does! Do yourself a favor and put together New Hire Packets so that you can get the information you need! What should a “New Hire Packet” contain? Federal W-4, State W-4, and Form I-9 at a minimum. Additionally, you may want to utilize our free “New Hire Checklist” to provide your bookkeeper with additional information about the employee. Our New Hire Checklist is a 5-page Word document, which you can further customize to meet your needs. Click here, for instant access. Enjoy, and Happy Friday to everyone! There is a power struggle going on in the world we work in; and it’s between Windows 7/Vista, QuickBooks and QuickBooks 3rd party applications. You can tell if your computer is caught in up in this struggle if you receive an 80040408 – Could not start QuickBooks error when a 3rd party app tries to access your QuickBooks company data file. This article will discuss best practices to help YOU prevent or put an end to this power struggle; and explain why it happened in the first place. Your New Computer Any new computer that you buy comes pre-configured with an Administrator Account, which is great – BUT few people, including IT people, ever take the time to research the Microsoft website to learn that it is recommended that you create a Standard User Account for each person who accesses the computer–including yourself AND EVEN if you are the only person who used the computer.
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Right click on the image to enlarge it Into the picture comes QuickBooks and Intuit Support Reps We all know that Intuit offers to install QuickBooks on your computer for you; and many people take advantage of this service – which is fine……BUT I know from talking with customers who have taken advantage of this service – that the Support Rep {9 times out of 10} installs QuickBooks under the Administrator account and NOT the Standard User Account and to my knowledge they never ask the user if they use a 3rd party app. This is where the trouble begins. Enter the QuickBooks 3rd Party App, the Intuit Developer Network & the SDK Developers who utilize the QuickBooks SDK to create their 3rd party applications must follow rules established not only by Microsoft, but also the rules created by the Intuit Developer Network (IDN) regarding how a 3rd party app must or can access the QuickBooks file when they are run on a Windows Vista or 7 computer. These rules include:
Right click on the image to enlarge it The Struggle is caused by lack of communication! And the result is an 80040408 – Could not start QuickBooks error when the 3rd party app tries to access your QuickBooks company data file. RESOLVING AN 80040408 – COULD NOT START QUICKBOOKS ERROR: First you should try some basic troubleshooting/problem solving excercies:
The worst case scenario is that you will need to:
Yes, unfortunately this is all a lot of work and aggravation, but it must be done. For additional information on resolving an 80040408 error and other QuickBooks Connection errors, please visit our support area. Employee record keeping requirements must include proper time and payroll records for it’s workers. The Fair Labor Standards Act, as well as most state wage and hour laws, are the ones who determine what is or is not “proper”. In January, the USDOL (United States Department of Labor) announced that it had recovered $1 million in unpaid overtime from federal defense contracts in California. This recovered money was based, in part, on the DOL’s findings that the contractors had violated the record keeping requirements, which are part of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Specifically, the DOL found that the contractors in question had failed to maintain proper time and payroll records for it’s workers. Read the entire article by clicking here. The Fair Labor Standards Act sets minimum wage, overtime, record keeping, and youth employment standards. Unless exempt, covered employees must be paid at least the current minimum wage and not less than one and one-half times their regular rate for overtime hours worked. Employers are also required to display an official poster outlining the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act. Posters are available free of charge from the DOL website at http://www.dol.gov/oasam/programs/osdbu/sbrefa/poster/matrix.htm Every covered employer must keep certain records for each non-exempt worker. The Act requires no particular form for the records, but does require that the records include certain identifying information about the employee and data about the hours worked and the .wages earned. The law requires this information to be accurate. The following is a listing of the basic records that an employer must maintain:
The U. S. Department of Labor indicates that an employer must keep payroll records and collective bargaining agreements for a period of three (3) years. Additionally, records on which wage computations are based, time cards, wage rate tables, records of additions to or deductions from wages, and work and time schedules need to be retained for two (2) years. These records must be available for inspection by a DOL Auditor, who may the employer provide extensions, computations, or transcripts of the records. Employers may use any timekeeping method that they choose, as long as those records are complete and accurate; acceptable methods include the use of a time clock, appoint a single employee to be a “timekeeper” and record the hours worked by all other employees, or tell their the employees that they are responsible for documenting the hours that they work. For employees who work a fixed schedule that seldom varies, the employer may keep a record showing the exact hours worked on a daily and weekly hours and indicate that the specific worker did follow the schedule as shown. If, however, the employee works a shorter or longer period that the schedule shows, these hours must be documented as an exception. From my own past experiences, a contractor who performs work on Federal or State funded construction project subject to prevailing wage/Davis Bacon laws should keep records for 3 years after the project is complete. |
