QuickBooks for Contractors blog

by Sunburst Software Solutions, Inc.

Archives by Month

Questions from our readers

Working with QuickBooks® can sometimes be SO FRUSTRATING that you just want to tear your hair out! Especially when you are trying to do a specific task and can’t find any information on how to do it – or the information you find is totally worthless.

This section contains questions that have been submitted by our readers (and you are welcome to submit a question too). Just remember, some questions are easy to answer and others aren’t – ESPECIALLY if you don’t provide enough information!

NOTE: I’m happy to answer most QuickBooks® related questions, however, some questions will end up requiring that you purchase training/consulting time.

Payroll for Work Hours & Drive Time Invoicing Problem

Published May 16, 2012 | By Nancy Smyth

Entering payroll for normal employee work hours and drive time and passing only the work hours through to client invoices is not only important but confusing. The following question was submitted by a reader who pays from the start of the first job till the end of the last job of the day (not including lunch break). I have my employees fill out a time tracker sheet each day that shows the time started at the first job till the end, drive time in between jobs, so on and so forth. I enter this into QuickBooks but I can't figure out where to enter in drive time to pay the girls their hourly wage on payroll but to not invoice anyone for drive time.

Continue reading →

Merging Two Offices – Each Needing Access to QuickBooks

Published May 2, 2012 | By Nancy Smyth

What is the best way to have QuickBooks 2012 running at 2 different locations and having all staff able to use it regardless of location? I would recommend that you look into having your QuickBooks data file hosted by a reputable QuickBooks Hosting Provider. The Intuit Hosting Program allows end-users to have their licensed copies of QuickBooks desktop software installed on servers in an authorized remote hosting facility, and then access that software over the Internet on a virtual desktop via a secure connection and a web browser. Intuit has created a special program to authorize certain Commercial hosting companies. This article also contains a list of Intuit-Authorized Commercial Hosts.

Continue reading →

Certified Payroll – Employees, 1099 Workers & Subcontractors

Published April 24, 2012 | By Nancy Smyth

The certified payroll report that your company submits to a general contractor, project owner, or contract administrator should contain information about your W-2 employees, the ones that work directly for you, are paid via payroll checks issued by your company and who you provide a W-2 for wages earned at the end of the year. When you enter into a formal contract for a portion of the prevailing wage/government funded construction project with a subcontractor, the subcontractor will submit a certified payroll report from his company to yours, listing their employees, the work classifications they fell under, hours worked on the project, wages, taxes, deductions, etc.

Continue reading →

Messed Up QuickBooks file, Start a New File or Fix the Old One?

Published April 18, 2012 | By Nancy Smyth

Sometimes a QuickBooks file is just so messed up that you are left wondering should I start a new file or just fix the old one? There are several things that you need to take into consideration, the most important being have tax returns been filed using this information?

Continue reading →

Employee Social Security Numbers on Certified Payroll Reports

Published April 10, 2012 | By Nancy Smyth

Displaying employee social security numbers and addresses on certified payroll reports, which are ultimately public documents, causes privacy and identity theft concerns for many employers and employees - not to mention confusion over reporting requirements. Read this question submitted by a blog reader and our response.

Continue reading →

QuickBooks Tip: How To Create a Summary Invoice for Customers

Published March 30, 2012 | By Nancy Smyth

This QuickBooks tip discusses how to create a summary invoice for a customer when you need to track details for job costing purposes.

Continue reading →

Estimate to Purchase Order Blues

Published March 27, 2012 | By Nancy Smyth

In QuickBooks it's possible to create an Estimate and then from the Estimate create a Purchase Order, Sales Order, Invoice or even a letter - but there are some drawbacks to these features as noted in the question below, submitted by a reader.

Continue reading →

How To Setup a Scheduled Payment for a Payroll Liability

Published March 20, 2012 | By Nancy Smyth

Setting up Scheduled payments allows you to see all payroll related liability amounts that you owe for payroll taxes, health insurance, child support garnishments, etc. in the QuickBooks Payroll Center so that you can easily review the amounts and generate the payment.

Continue reading →

QuickBooks Cost Plus Billing: Automatic Markup of Items

Published March 19, 2012 | By Nancy Smyth

QuickBooks can do Cost Plus OR Time and Materials billing, however, Markups can only be calculated on Expenses. Learn about ways that you can mark-up Items.

Continue reading →

Prevailing Wage-Paying More Than the Wage Decision Requires

Published March 16, 2012 | By Nancy Smyth

The Wage Decision provides you with the minimum amounts (base rate and fringe rate) that you must pay your employees when they work on a Prevailing Wage job - but confusion often happens when you actually pay your employees more than what the Wage Decision requires

Continue reading →

QuickBooks Tip: Prior Amount Totals for Invoicing from Estimates

Published March 6, 2012 | By Nancy Smyth

There are several ways of accounting for prior amounts invoiced when creating a new QuickBooks file and no two contractors will want the same level of detail.

Continue reading →

QuickBooks Tip – Back Charges After a Job is 100% Complete

Published March 5, 2012 | By Nancy Smyth

We would like to "connect" that change to the invoicing/progress billing cycle on the job but since the job is all billed out, the only "invoice" that could be issued and associated with the estimate is a negative invoice which QB won't do.

Continue reading →

Payroll Tip: Union Benefits Calculated Against Hours NOT Wages

Published February 27, 2012 | By Nancy Smyth

Union fringe benefits can be calculated in a number of ways; some are based on a percentage of gross wages while others are a fixed dollar amount per hours worked. Either way you look at it, it can become pretty complex.

Continue reading →

Payroll Tip – One Payroll Wage Item With Different Rates

Published February 22, 2012 | By Nancy Smyth

A payroll tip that discusses the hazards of having one payroll wage item in the QuickBooks Employee Record multiple times - with each entry having a different rate of pay.

Continue reading →

Payroll Tip – Handling 1 Employee with 2 Union Benefit Packages

Published February 20, 2012 | By Nancy Smyth

A payroll tip for handling one employee with two different wage rates and union benefit packages on a single paycheck in QuickBooks.

Continue reading →

About Your Host:

Nancy Smyth, Sunburst Software Solutions, Inc.
QuickBooks Construction & Payroll Expert

I've been using and supporting QuickBooks products since the early 1990's. I've worked with thousands of contractors, assisting them with QuickBooks setup, Certified Payroll Reporting requirements, AIA Billing and Weighted-Average Overtime.

QuickBooks is a powerful product, but learning how to use it in your construction business can be difficult. I hope you find resources available here to be helpful.