There are important basic QuickBooks skills that most learners will start with before moving on to learn how to use the more advanced, customized, and industry-specific features of the software. QuickBooks beginners will want to focus on getting comfortable with the software interface, setting up their company’s profile and Chart of Accounts, and getting started on recording financial transactions, creating invoices, managing inventory, customer, and vendor lists, and handling employee and payroll concerns. These basics can be learned by utilizing high-quality free resources or taking live, instructor-led training in how to use QuickBooks. Read on to learn how to get started with QuickBooks and what to consider when deciding which kind of QuickBooks training will work best for your needs.
Getting Started with QuickBooks
There are no formal prerequisites to using QuickBooks though many users suggest it is necessary to have some knowledge of common accounting terms and principles. This includes knowing about income, liabilities, assets, deductibles, accounts payable, accounts receivable, and cash vs. accrual accounting. It is also important to know how to read financial statements and reports. If one does not know anything about accounting or bookkeeping, it will be much harder to learn QuickBooks and it will take much longer to set up one account in QuickBooks. Consider taking a short bookkeeping or accounting class before using QuickBooks, this type of class will teach you the important theories and concepts underlying the QuickBooks software and make learning it much less difficult.
You will also want to know which version of QuickBooks you will need to use. Self-employed individuals will likely be interested in using QuickBooks Solopreneur which is a pared-down version of the software with features specific to what one needs as a freelancer or independent contractor. Larger, more complex businesses can consider QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise which allows for more industry-specific customization of features. Most small to medium businesses will use QuickBooks Online, which offers different features at different price points. Before committing to a certain version, Intuit does offer a free trial for QuickBooks software so one can test out the service and see which specific features will be most useful for their business.
The First Steps When Learning QuickBooks
Your first step as a QuickBooks beginner will be to understand the QuickBooks software interface. Most learners will want to spend time just becoming comfortable navigating QuickBooks’ interface and figuring out how to access the most important features that they will use. It can be useful to watch a YouTube video walkthrough or overview of the interface, as seeing someone else navigate the different options and click on various features can help learners become more familiar with this feature-laden accounting software.
Once you feel comfortable navigating the QuickBooks interface, you will want to set up your company’s profile and create a Chart of Accounts. Setting up one’s profile will involve naming one’s company and industry, and starting to input financial details. The Chart of Accounts will be important to set up initially as this is where users will record and organize any of the company’s financial transactions. One will want to accurately and thoroughly detail all assets, liabilities, equity, income, and expenses to provide the most complete view of a business’s finances.
Your next steps will be learning to use the QuickBooks features most important to tracking and managing your finances. Many people start with recording transactions like sales, bills, and payments or managing and creating customer invoices. Some people will want to start customizing invoices by creating invoice templates specific to one’s company. Those with inventory and vendors will work on creating these profiles to track sales, invoices, and expenses. Additionally, beginners using payroll features can start setting up payroll management to track employee hours, calculate pay, and handle any necessary deductions.
Free QuickBooks Tools for Beginners
QuickBooks beginners can find free and low-cost resources to start learning how to use this software. Most learners find free YouTube video tutorials to be useful. These videos offer walkthroughs or overviews of the software, comparisons between different versions, and tutorials that will offer instructions on how to use the basic features of the software. It can be especially useful to get started learning QuickBooks from one’s preferred video tutorial instructor before receiving more comprehensive hands-on training elsewhere.
While many on-demand classes are paid only, learners can find free on-demand QuickBooks courses, as well. On-demand classes are self-paced, meaning that students do not receive instruction from a teacher, rather, they are given access to course materials that they can move through at their own speed. Public libraries often offer free access to on-demand QuickBooks courses through LinkedIn Learning for library card holders. Intuit also has a version of QuickBooks called QuickBooks Online Accountant that is free for accounting professionals and provides training and practice modules so that Accountants, Bookkeepers, Financial Analysts, and Financial Managers can teach themselves how to use this software to view, correct, manage, or analyze their clients’ finances.
Live QuickBooks Training for Beginners
One of the best ways for beginners to learn QuickBooks is through live online or in-person training. These types of classes will provide beginners with accurate, up-to-date instruction in the latest version of QuickBooks software and the instruction will be more guided and hands-on than if one opts to use self-teaching materials. Beginning learners can struggle initially with how to set up their accounts and which QuickBooks features to use, concerns that live training can address. Instructor-led classes allow learners to receive individualized instruction and feedback catered to their specific QuickBooks concerns. This mode of instruction means that learners will also be able to ask questions, receive additional examples, and receive troubleshooting help for any issues that arise as they get started with QuickBooks.
QuickBooks bootcamps, in particular, are a great live training option for beginners looking to learn comprehensive QuickBooks skills quickly. Bootcamps are accelerated classes aimed at providing students with detailed knowledge of one skill or one topic. Most live online and in-person QuickBooks bootcamps are beginner-friendly and can be completed in one or two class periods of four to six hours in length. One can find introductory QuickBooks bootcamps as well as QuickBooks bootcamps that will cover basics and more intermediate or advanced skills throughout one complete course.
In addition to bootcamps, it is common to find instructor-led introductory QuickBooks classes. These classes will be less comprehensive than a bootcamp and are a useful option for anyone worried about taking an intensive or accelerated class. QuickBooks introductory classes can also be a part of a sequence, where after one takes the first class, they can move on to the intermediate-level class and then end with the advanced-level QuickBooks class. While live QuickBooks training can be less cost-effective than on-demand classes, they offer superior training and access to expert instructors along with other benefits like the ability to use a training facility’s computers or receive career-support services. To find lower-cost live online and in-person QuickBooks classes look for offerings from professional training centers, like Noble Desktop, and local community colleges.
The Next Step
QuickBooks is known as being a feature-heavy, comprehensive accounting software which makes it difficult to master some of the more complex or customizable features. Once you have learned the QuickBooks basics, you will want to move on to becoming proficient in more advanced features. This can include creating customized financial reports, tracking projects, and learning advanced inventory management. At the intermediate level, users can also consider creating custom user roles and setting up different user permissions, which is especially important for companies that have multiple employees tasked with using QuickBooks.
Many people will want to use QuickBooks to automate workflows and find ways to make their business run more efficiently. Intermediate and advanced learners can set up automated invoices, payments, and bank feeds so that employees do not need to enter every financial transaction manually. Custom Balance Sheet, Cash Flow, and Profit & Loss reports can also help one make better, more efficient business decisions as you can adjust reports to show things such as how each department is performing or which projects are most profitable. One will learn this kind of report customization at the intermediate or advanced level.
As with introductory QuickBooks training, you can pursue free, low-cost self-teaching options or live training options to learn additional skills like these. Free resources and on-demand classes are best for quickly getting started with QuickBooks or supplementing one’s education after receiving more comprehensive training. One can find on-demand classes and YouTube tutorials that offer industry-specific training, which is especially useful for anyone who wants to learn the specific features that attorneys, manufacturers, or non-profits use or that you will commonly need in industries like construction or retail. Taking intermediate and advanced QuickBooks classes is the best option for those who prefer detailed, guided instruction and for anyone who intends to use QuickBooks professionally for their work in accounting or finance.