Converting from Another Program to QuickBooks

If you launched your small business from your basement and kept your records with Quicken Home & Business, your accountant has probably recommended that you make the leap to QuickBooks. Or maybe you used another accounting program like Peachtree or Small Business Accounting and have decided to move to QuickBooks. Or perhaps you're switching from QuickBooks for Mac to QuickBooks for Windows. Whatever your situation, this section tells you how to prep your file for a smooth conversion and bring it over into QuickBooks for Windows.

Converting from Quicken Home & Business

Quicken doesn't report your business performance in the way that most accountants want to see, nor does it store your business transactions the way QuickBooks does. Bottom line: You have to prep

your Quicken file before you convert it to QuickBooks.

CLEANING UP YOUR QUICKEN FILE

To make the conversion proceed as smoothly as possible, some cleanup of your Quicken file is in order. For example, record overdue scheduled transactions and send online payments before you convert your Quicken file. Also, in Quicken, delete accounts you no longer need, because after they're in QuickBooks, you can't delete them if they contain any transactions. And make sure that customer names are consistent and unique.

QuickBooks doesn't support repeating online payments, so you also have to tell Quicken to delete any repeating online payments you've set up. In addition, you need complete reports of your past payrolls because Quicken payroll transactions don't convert to QuickBooks. Intuit publishes a detailed guide to help you prepare for a Quicken conversion. Go to http://tinyurl.com/pu6vntq and follow the instructions there.

CONVERTING YOUR QUICKEN FILE

When your Quicken file is ready for conversion to QuickBooks, you have two options in QuickBooks:

Choose File→New Company. In the QuickBooks Setup dialog box, click Other Options, and then choose Convert Quicken Data.

Choose File→Utilities→Convert→From Quicken.

FINE-TUNING YOUR CONVERTED QUICKEN DATA

Now that your Quicken data is resting comfortably in a QuickBooks file, you might think you're ready to begin using QuickBooks. However, there are some post conversion steps you should take to get your newly minted company file into shape:

Enter your company information in QuickBooks. Info like your company's legal name and address, federal Employer Identification Number, and business type don't come over with your Quicken data. See page 21 to learn how to add them to your company file.

Set up your bank feeds in QuickBooks. Page 619 tells you how to get your QuickBooks bank accounts and your real-world bank accounts talking.

Change Quicken names to QuickBooks customers, vendors, and employees. When you convert from Quicken to QuickBooks, QuickBooks adds all the converted names to its Other Names List. See page 142 to learn how to move these names to other lists.

Set up Accounts Payable in QuickBooks. If your Quicken file contained unpaid bills, simply write checks (page 202) to pay them in QuickBooks. After your vendor balances are zero, you're ready to enter new bills in QuickBooks. When you record your first bill, the program automatically adds a new account called Accounts Payable to your chart of accounts.

Converting from QuickBooks for Mac

Moving a file from QuickBooks for Mac to QuickBooks for Windows is mainly about getting the file into a QuickBooks for Windows format. To do that, simply create a backup of the file in QuickBooks for Mac, and then restore that backup  in QuickBooks for Windows.

Converting from a Non-Intuit Program

To convert files created in other accounting programs, like Peachtree or Small Business Accounting, you have to download a conversion tool from the Intuit website. In QuickBooks, choose File→Utilities→Convert, and then choose the program you want to convert from. In the browser window that opens, scroll down to the “Are you ready to convert your data?” section, click the “Convert from Peachtree, Microsoft SBA, & Microsoft Office Accounting” link, and then click the Download button that appears. In the File Download dialog box that opens, click Save to download QuickBooksConversionToolSetup.exe to your computer.