What accounting/invoicing software do I use?

"What accounting software do you use?" asks Joel, a regular reader. Following yesterday’s invoicing humour post, Joel wanted to know what I use to prepare taxes, manage invoices and generally keep my accounts in order.

So here’s what I use to manage my money:

For tax preparation, I typically use QuickTax. I like the interface and I’m used to using the software.
For invoicing and keeping track of accounts payable and receivable, I use QuickBooks. I’m using the 2000 version, though! It’s kept me happy for nearly seven years and I haven’t seen reason to upgrade yet. If you don’t have QuickBooks, you might want to see a sample invoice that you can customize.
For expenses, I use Microsoft Excel. I know I could put this in QuickBooks, but I must admit I keep all my receipts in folders and simply write them down at the end of the year. And, since I’ve always used spreadsheets to do this, it just makes sense to keep doing it that way. However, if you’re starting fresh, I recommend putting the details right into your accounting software.
For money management, I use a spreadsheet. Yes, I could use Quickbooks, Microsoft Money or another personal finance program, but I like to create custom what-if scenarios. Most people would be very happy with the more user-friendly software out there.

So, as you can see, I use a mishmash of programs.

"What accounting software do I use?" from Become a Consultant Blog at ConsultantJournal.com.

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