Tips

Bookkeeping software features to expect

Not sure what to look for when shopping for bookkeeping or accounting software? Here’s a checklist of useful capabilities to keep in mind.

Bank connections: Your business transactions will stream straight into your accounts

Online ledger: It’s easier to work with partners and accountants when there’s one single version of the books

Dashboards: Get a visual summary of things like money due to come in, bills due to go out, and more

Mobile notifications: Get alerts for things like overdue invoices or payments received

Quotes: Send professional quotes with an "accept quote" button to make customers’ lives easier

Online invoicing and payments: Complete and send invoices with online payment options

Accounts receivable: Get notifications when customers open or pay your invoice, or if they go past the due date

Accounts payable: Enter bills into the system simply by emailing them to your software

Tax tools: Using smart reporting features can speed up tax prep and filing

Payroll: Automatically calculates pay and deductions, and produces pay stubs

Inventory: Keeps you informed about the volume and value of inventory and cost of goods sold

Integrates with other systems: Check that it integrates widely with other time-saving financial and business apps