Introduction, 5
Why You Need This Book, 5
What You Can Expect from This Book, 6
QuickBooks, QuickBooks Pro, or Premier: Contractor Edition?, 7
Why Should You Believe Us?, 9
What's on the CD?, 12 (A complete download is provided for eBook purchase. CD not available with eBook)
How Do I Use This CD?, 13 (A complete download is provided for eBook purchase. CD not available with eBook)

1 Setting Up Your QuickBooks Pro Company, 17
QuickBooks Pro Company Files, 18
Begin with Our Sample and Company Data Files, 19
Upgrade to QuickBooks Pro Version 2006, 23
Convert from Quicken to QuickBooks Pro, 25
Convert an Existing Data File to Our Setup, 30

2 How to Set QuickBooks Pro Preferences, 33
General Preferences, 33
Accounting Preferences, 34
Checking Preferences, 36
Finance Charge Preferences, 38
Integrated Applications Preferences, 40
Jobs and Estimates Preferences, 41
Payroll and Employees Preferences, 42
Purchases and Vendors Preferences, 43
Reminders Preferences, 45
Reports and Graphs Preferences, 46
Sales and Customers Preferences, 46
Sales Tax and Send Forms Preferences, 48
Service Connection Preferences, 50
Spelling Preferences, 51
Tax: 1099 Preferences, 52
Time Tracking Preferences, 54

3 Chart of Accounts, 55
How to Use the Sample Chart of Accounts, 57
Change, Add to, and Print Your Chart of Accounts, 63
QuickBooks Premier: Contractor Edition Features, 65
Loan Manager, 66

4 Items, 75
Entering Items for a Non-Inventory Based Business, 76
Entering Items for an Inventory Based Business, 78
Creating a Group of Items, 80
Entering Non-Job Related Items, 81

5 Payroll Items, 85
Using Payroll Items to Track Workers' Comp Costs, 85
Using Payroll Items if You Don't Track Workers' Comp, 93
Including Sole Proprietor and Partners' Time Costs in Job Costs, 96

6 Classes, 103
Using Classes to Track Cost Categories, 103
How to Create a Class, 104

7 Customers and Jobs, 107
How to Set Up a Customer, 107
Adding a Job for a Customer, 111
Exporting or Printing Your Customer List, 114

8 Vendors and Subcontractors, 115
Setting Up 1099 Vendors, 115
Setting Up a Non-1099 Vendor, 119

9 Employees, 121
Setting Up Your Employee List, 121

10 Opening Balances, 129
Entering Opening Balances in QuickBooks Pro, 129
Entering Invoices for Accounts Receivable, 130
Entering Bills for Accounts Payable, 132

11, Organizing Work Flow, 135
Setting Up Your Office Files, 136
Organizing Your Payroll, 139
Keeping Office Paperwork Current, 139

12 Estimating, 143
Using a Summary Estimate You Make Outside of QuickBooks Pro, 144
Customizing an Estimate Form, 146
Memorizing an Estimate, 147
Estimates and Progress Billing, 149
Getting Detailed Estimates, 149

13 Receivables, 151
Four Ways to Invoice a Customer, 152
Tracking Change Orders on Estimates, 162
How to Handle Retainage, 164
Recording a Payment You Receive, 169
Recording a Deposit, 170
Recording a Job Deposit, 171

14 Payables, 175
Creating and Using Purchase Orders, 176
Using Purchase Orders to Track Multiple Draws and Committed Costs, 177
Entering Bills Without Purchase Orders, 181
Selecting Bills for Payment, 183
Printing Checks, 184
Vendor Workers' Comp Reports, 186

15 Payroll, 191
Entering a Timesheet, 191
Processing Employee Payroll, 195
Allocating Sole Proprietor or Partner's Time to a Job, 201

16 Using QuickBooks Pro on a Cash Basis, 205
How to Record a Check, 206
How to Record a Deposit, 209
Checking Your Transactions with the QuickBooks Pro Register, 211

17 Reports, 213
How to Modify Reports, 213
Using Our Memorized Reports, 217
Using Jobs, Time & Mileage Reports, 234
Using Reports in QuickBooks Premier: Contractor Edition, 244

18 End of Month and End of Year Procedures, 247
End of Month Procedures, 247
Reading and Understanding Your Financial Reports, 255
End of Year Procedures, 259

19 Real Estate Development, 265
New Accounts, 265
Setting Up a Development Job, 266
Using Items to Track Construction Costs as WIP, 267
Land Purchase Transactions, 269
Personal Loans, 273
Development Loans, 279
Construction Loans, 283
Recording the Sale of a Property, 286

Appendix A Estimating with QuickBooks Pro, 291
Three Good Reasons to Try QuickBooks Pro Estimating, 291
A Road Map to Your Destination, 292
Setting Preferences for Estimating, 293
Building Your Item List, 295
Creating an Estimate in QuickBooks Pro, 297
Turning an Estimate into an Invoice, 300
Tidying Up Your Company File, 303

Appendix B Job Cost Tracking and Importing Estimates, 305
Estimates into Invoices, 308
Handling Tax, 308
Using Items for Job Cost Tracking, 310
Help Learning National Estimator, 312
Estimating with National Estimator, 313
Converting Estimates with Job Cost Wizard, 327


Index, 339