Having clean, organized financial data is crucial for any small business. QuickBooks is a go-to for many, and keeping your data clean is hard! But messy data leads to messy reports and makes it hard to run an efficient business. Here are some of the best ways to help you maintain clean data.
1. Clean Up Utility
Did you know that QuickBooks actually has a tool built into the system to help you clean your data? It is called "Clean Up Company Data". Throughout the year transactions can become broken and missing information. If you want other general tips that are available directly in QuickBooks they have some great articles in their help center like this one.
2. Ask for Help
This is a bit costly but don't be afraid to ask your accountant for help. Your accountant can help with more things then end of year tax filing. Including best practices in QuickBooks, how to clean up your chart of accounts, and much more.
3. Use AI
AI can help with a lot of things including automatic categorization of your expenses! Stop manually deciding which expense account a bill should go to. There are a ton of plugins in the QuickBooks app marketplace. Check out Booke.ai they have 5 stars on the QuickBooks marketplace and some great reviews.
4. Digitize Receipts
Did you know that you are supposed to keep your receipts for at least 3 years? The reason is that is how long back the IRS can potentially audit you. I remember when I was at MarketMan we had a multi location customer who used to pay bike messengers to go around New York City to pick up paper receipts from all their locations. Using a tool like Shoeboxed can make sure that your receipts are all digital and integrates directly with QuickBooks!
5. Reconcile Monthly
It is important to reconcile QuickBooks with your bank accounts, credit cards, etc. at least once a month. This will help make sure that you do not have duplicate entries and that nothing is missing.
Keeping QuickBooks clean is not an easy task but something that is crucial for business success. Remember good data in = good data out. Goodluck!
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