Today's Technology for Tomorrow's Firm.
Issue link: https://cpapracticeadvisor.epubxp.com/i/39633
ENGAGEMENT & TRIAL BALANCE Reviews For Your Firm Intuit, Inc. — QuickBooks Accountant 2011 2011 OVERALL RATING BEST FIT: Firms whose clients mostly use QuickBooks and who provide general write-up and reconciliation work. STRENGTHS: • Comfortable, intuitive navigation & interface • Good reporting with PDF, Word, Excel output • Email invoicing & electronic payment options • Most commonly used program • Mobile apps for client-focused work 800-267-8379 POTENTIAL LIMITATIONS: • Financial statement generation requires optional Statement Writer • Support is only free for 30 days SUMMARY & PRICING As we've noted in previous years, one of the most frequently cited advantages of using QuickBooks Accountant is that it's based on the same program used by the majority of small business clients, which eases data transfer in both directions. Thomson Reuters – Accounting CS 2011 OVERALL RATING BEST FIT: Firms looking for a central write-up and trial balance system as part of a suite of integrated tax and practice management systems for managing workfl ow across all engagements. STRENGTHS: • Excellent integration • Comprehensive reporting & fi nancials • Broad payroll compliance with state & some local support 800-968-8900 • Client-side accounting & col- laboration • Client portal options POTENTIAL LIMITATIONS: • Higher price point than many other systems • Modules for AP & AR not scheduled to be implemented until November 2011 & Fall 2012, respectively. SUMMARY & PRICING One of the greater benefi ts of the Accounting CS system is in its integration with other programs in the CS Professional Suite, which helps streamline workfl ow processes across all engagements. The program offers extensive reporting and customization options, as well as strong payroll compliance tools. A four-user license for Accounting CS costs $4,300 for the fi rst year (includes implementation and 60 days of support), with renewals priced at $1,400 per year. Many accounting fi rms are starting to use hosted versions of Quick- Books along with QuickBooks Accountant to gain bet er interac- tion with clients. T e program also off ers a good collection of write-up tools, with new tools for batch reclassifying, write-off s and client billing, as well as built-in trial bal- ance, good customization options and a familiar interface. A single-user license costs $399.95; a three-user version is $1,099.95. T e optional Intuit Statement Writer is $119.95. PRODUCT DELIVERY METHODS: ■ ✔ On-Premises ■ SaaS ■ ✔ Hosted by Vendor BASIC SYSTEM FUNCTIONS CORE WRITE-UP FEATURES REPORTING & FINANCIAL STATEMENTS IMPORT/EXPORT/INTEGRATION HELP/SUPPORT SYSTEM Read the full review of this product exclusively online at www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com/10313929 www.accountant.intuit.com ✔ On-Premises ■ ✔ SaaS ■ PRODUCT DELIVERY METHODS: ■ ✔ Hosted by Vendor BASIC SYSTEM FUNCTIONS CORE WRITE-UP FEATURES REPORTING & FINANCIAL STATEMENTS IMPORT/EXPORT/INTEGRATION HELP/SUPPORT SYSTEM Read the full review of this product exclusively online at www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com/10314242 www.CS.ThomsonReuters.com CCH Small Firm Services — Client Accounting Suite & Client Accounting Suite Premier 2011 OVERALL RATING BEST FIT: Firms using the ATX or TaxWise tax and workflow products who want an easy-to-use write-up package with aſt er-the-fact payroll reporting, fi nancials generation and optional live payroll are a match with Client Accounting Suite. CCH ProSystem fx Tax and Practice Management users are supported with a special integrated version, Client Accounting Suite Premier. STRENGTHS: • Simple interface with strong small business soſt ware import • Integrates with ATX & TaxWise tax and workfl ow systems • Includes trial balance utility • Flexible templates & fi nancials reporting with bilingual capa- bilities (English/Spanish) POTENTIAL LIMITATIONS: • No bank statement import for reconciliation • No client portal or collaboration tools SUMMARY & PRICING Client Accounting Suite is geared toward management of generally TaxWise: 888-455-0182; www.taxwise.com 22 September 2011 • www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com smaller business entities, but the program's features, particularly in batch processing of journal entries, recurring entries, ratios and its financial statement generation functions, are adept for virtually any business' needs. T e program is best suited to users of ATX and TaxWise, off ering solid integration and data transfer into those tax packages, but can be used as a standalone write-up utility, as well. Client Accounting Suite costs $520 for a site license usable by all in the practice. Client Accounting Suite with the live payroll option costs $795. PRODUCT DELIVERY METHODS: ■ ✔ On-Premises ■ SaaS ■ Hosted by Vendor BASIC SYSTEM FUNCTIONS CORE WRITE-UP FEATURES REPORTING & FINANCIAL STATEMENTS IMPORT/EXPORT/INTEGRATION HELP/SUPPORT SYSTEM Read the full review of this product exclusively online at www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com/10314682 ATX: 888-455-0183; www.atxinc.com