Reply to: Bookkeeping software for total morons

[Platypus]

Come on we're contractors!

1. IBM Power7 770

2. AIX O/S running Oracle RAC

Ah, so you'll be needing another p770 then, sir. No problem, let me just add that up for you ....

[seyre1972]

Don't know whereabouts in Yorkshire you're from - but we don't marry our sisters !!!

Spent days trying to do accounts for my small business because of my sister's dire bookkeeping using Excel.

Text in numeric/date fields, duplicate invoice numbers, invoice amounts that don't match totals of things ordered (I put a check column in but she keeps f* it up), orders apparently consisting only of postage costs, invoices marked paid that haven't been etc etc. When Is ask for corrections I usually get even more errors.

Is there any idiot-proof invoicing software that generates necessary records each time an invoice is done? Cheers.

If that happened in Yorkshire they would divorce her and then sue her for damages!

Northernladuk - sorry - but "Gods own County" isn't Norfolk last time I checked .....

I take it you're from one of the hilltribes, near the Lancashire border .....

[IR35FanClub]

Spent days trying to do accounts for my small business because of my sister's dire bookkeeping using Excel.

Text in numeric/date fields, duplicate invoice numbers, invoice amounts that don't match totals of things ordered (I put a check column in but she keeps f* it up), orders apparently consisting only of postage costs, invoices marked paid that haven't been etc etc. When Is ask for corrections I usually get even more errors.

Is there any idiot-proof invoicing software that generates necessary records each time an invoice is done? Cheers.

What sort of business is it? Me for my contracting am using Crunch, very good for a contractor with a brain. Though it sound like you sister is doing some kind of "real" business, buying and selling stuff?

I'm looking for something similar as I'm help start my o/h with a new business. Needs some stock control, invoiceing and accounting. She's not an absolute moron, but doesn't do maths. Like when I mentioned percentages her head twists round and she starts to puke buckets of green vomit. It's hard to find something that sits in between "cashbook sales an purchases" and a full blown "ERP with warehouse management". Ideally looking for something to run on the ipad so she doesn't have to carry a heavy laptop around with her and can use barcodes on the camera like redlaser. then there's less chance of keying errors etc. (I hope). Will let you know once I've found the right product. Slow going though as there's so many "solutions". Ideally I want the back end on the cloud so it's platform independent and backup is done automatically.

Isn't it a pain working in IT, I can't just buy any old piece of carp and have ended up starting to write a set of user requirements. I'm never going to moan and the end clients again for not bothering.

[ThomserveBAS]

I had a play around with FreeAgent before I started trading and liked what I saw, unfortunately I ran out of trial time before I had any actual figures so didn't get to put it through its paces. I emailed FreeAgent yesterday with a cheeky request for a second trial, got an email response saying they would deal with my enquiry Monday to Friday, then within a couple of hours had an email from them saying "not a problem" and extended my trial period by another month!

Absolutely top service from them, and having got my figures in there, I think I'm going to continue with the service as it gives such a clear picture of my business, whilst I love Excel, FreeAgent is the mutts nuts.

You can get 10% off as well by being referred to FreeAgent by another user which takes the annual cost down to £200 excl. VAT

[stek]

Come on we're contractors!

1. IBM Power7 770

2. AIX O/S running Oracle RAC with a GPFS SAN backend.

3. Oracle Financials

4. Chartered Accountancy Course

Easy

[Maslins]

I knew it could submit VAT returns (although I always type them manually into the HMRC website anyway, never tried it).

Can't find the option to submit PAYE or CT returns.

Kingcook's right on this. We work v closely with FreeAgent, at least at present you can submit VAT returns from it, but not PAYE or CT returns.

It's being developed all the time. My guess is rather than ever submitting PAYE returns instead they'll link with an existing cloud payroll product. For CT, I think this is on their road map, but still some way off (I think years rather than months).

If you want something much cheaper (though also less sophisticated), look at VT Cashbook. Completely free, and is basically Excel with nobs on.

[xoggoth]

Cheers, looking into (more serious) suggestions now.

[d000hg]

A paper notebook and get a techy kid to handle getting it into the software for £10 a week?

[kingcook]

FreeAgent

The best bit is that you can submit VAT, PAYE and Corp Tax directly using it's records.

I knew it could submit VAT returns (although I always type them manually into the HMRC website anyway, never tried it).

Can't find the option to submit PAYE or CT returns.

[northernladuk]

Spent days trying to do accounts for my small business because of my sister's dire bookkeeping using Excel.

Text in numeric/date fields, duplicate invoice numbers, invoice amounts that don't match totals of things ordered (I put a check column in but she keeps f* it up), orders apparently consisting only of postage costs, invoices marked paid that haven't been etc etc. When Is ask for corrections I usually get even more errors.

Is there any idiot-proof invoicing software that generates necessary records each time an invoice is done? Cheers.

If that happened in Yorkshire they would divorce her and then sue her for damages!

[cojak]

Spent days trying to do accounts for my small business because of my sister's dire bookkeeping using Excel.

Text in numeric/date fields, duplicate invoice numbers, invoice amounts that don't match totals of things ordered (I put a check column in but she keeps f* it up), orders apparently consisting only of postage costs, invoices marked paid that haven't been etc etc. When Is ask for corrections I usually get even more errors.

Is there any idiot-proof invoicing software that generates necessary records each time an invoice is done? Cheers.

FreeAgent

The best bit is that you can submit VAT, PAYE and Corp Tax directly using it's records.

Much better than Quickbooks for me.

[malvolio]

As an old manager of mine was fond f saying, don't try and make it idiot proof, they'll only make a better class of idiot.

Sub-contract it to someone who can.

[moggy]

have a look at spin less plates.. looks good to me. Think it will do all you need.

[Alan @ BroomeAffinity]

We've been evaluating xero for a while. Its not ideal for contractors but for your small business it could be just the job. xero.com

[Sockpuppet]

Yes, hire a book keeper.