Intuit used to make a product called QuickBooks Simple Start, which was a version of QuickBooks lower than QuickBooks Pro and less expensive. But sometimes less expensive means less valuable and meaningful. Even though Intuit has discontinued QuickBooks Simple Start, you can still purchase older versions online for about $60 or less, and on one site I found it was FREE! Buyer beware – you get what you pay for, right?

I recently had the pleasure of helping out a client clean up a QuickBooks file using QuickBooks Simple Start and showing the client to use additional features of the program. However, I was not happy with the lack of functionality of the program and do not recommend anyone to use it, even at free. The program is a very watered down version of QuickBooks Pro and is missing a lot of stuff (technical accounting term).

The Forward and Back Button – In QuickBooks Pro if you are entering an invoice, a sales receipt, a journal entry, or making a deposit there are these two arrows that let you scroll forward and backward to see transactions you have already entered. QuickBooks Simple Start does not have these arrows! So if you make an entry, press save and new, and go ooops – I forgot to add something to that invoice, you cannot press the back button to edit the transaction. Instead, in QuickBooks Simple Start you have to click on a button for a “list” and find the transaction.

Preferences – There is a preference menu item in QuickBooks Simple Start, but it has about 5 or less items to choose from. You cannot turn on class tracking. You cannot tell the program to use account numbers. You cannot set a preference on reports to be cash or accrual basis or to refresh automatically when you make a change. You cannot edit the email message that is sent out with invoices and statements. You cannot change the default date for entering new transactions. You cannot set the program to automatically recall the last transaction for the name. You cannot set a password to “close” your books. There are no options for finance charges. And you cannot change the default account “undeposited funds” when receiving customer payments which forces you to always go into the banking – make deposit screen even to make a single receipt!

Reports – You can generate a Profit & Loss statement and Balance Sheet in QuickBooks Simple Start like in QuickBooks Pro, but the Balance Sheet report in Simple Start is summarized. For example, instead of seeing each individual chart of account line item on the report, some accounts are combined. There may be a name that says Other Assets, but it consists of undeposited funds, credit cards, and loans. You have to double-click on the dollar amount to obtain the details. The same is true with the equity accounts. Let’s say you have two or more partners, you cannot easily see how much each partner withdrew or contributed during the year because the program combines the accounts. Again, you have to double-click on the dollar amount to see the detail. So you would have to create several reports for your tax preparer which would increase tax preparation time and money!

Bank Reconciliations – If you want to reconcile your bank statement, there is no menu Banking – Reconcile in QuickBooks Simple Start. Instead, you have to use a menu that takes you to For Accountant – Reconcile. So is this program inferring that you, the business owner, cannot reconcile your own bank statement and that it can only be performed by an accountant? I found that menu odd, maybe event a bit insulting to a business owner.

Those are just a few limitations I found with QuickBooks Simple Start when compared to QuickBooks Pro. My professional recommendation is to never use QuickBooks Simple Start and start with QuickBooks Pro.

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