Help & How-To

Finance & Accounting
How do I use QuickBooks to keep track of all the small things?
I am using QuickBooks to track things like revenue, expenses, customers, and vendors for my lawn care and snow removal business. The business is less than a year old at this point, so I'm a new business owner and user of QuickBooks. I need to know how to track cell phone purchases and monthly bills for cell phones that are primarily used for business purposes. Would cell phone charges be a utility or office expense? Also, how are meals tracked?

Asked by freshcut
Posted: Friday, January 25, 2008  |  Found in Finance & Accounting


More answers by Pam Newman
Answer by Pam Newman
You will set up your various expenses on your chart of accounts. Direct expenses are classified as a "type" of cost of goods sold and overhead expenses are classified as a "type" of expenses. Your cell phone can be set up as a telephone expense account. Your meals/entertainment should be classified as an expense as well. The goal is being able to understand where your money is being spent on the various activities. I would encourage you to work with an accountant that can help ensure your file is being accurately input and they can work with you to understand what the reports mean.
Pam Newman is a Certified Management Accountant, author and Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor for Financial and Point-of-Sale software. She is also president of RPPC, Inc., which provides customized business development services.


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