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QuickBooks Basics Class may be just what you are needing for your business. If you have had no previous experience with QuickBooks, or have been keeping your books by hand or spreadsheets, the QuickBooks Basics class is for you. Whether you are the owner of your own small business having to wear the bookkeeper hat for the first time, the spouse of the owner who was asked to help with the books, or the bookkeeper who used to be the receptionist, this class might be just the thing for you.

However, if you have been using QuickBooks for over a year and are comfortable in what you are doing, QuickBooks Basics is not for you. Even though you may feel that you are not using QuickBooks to its fullest potential, this class might be too fundamental. QuickBooks Intermediate (coming in September) might be more appropriate for you.

What to Expect in the Quickbooks Basics Class

In the QuickBooks Basics class we assume that students have no formal training in accounting or QuickBooks. The first part of the class is reserved for basic accounting principles. While this is not a comprehensive lesson in accounting, it plays a vital part in laying a foundation for working with QuickBooks. Learning this basic accounting terminology will help you when working with your accountant.

The next section of the class deals with getting to know what QuickBooks can do for you and also, what QuickBooks will not do for you. In this section we take a look at the various QuickBooks products. It is very important to know what QuickBooks offers and decide which product is right for you. Much time and money can be saved by simply purchasing the right product.

Each student is provided with his own computer. Following along with the instructor, the student is then taught how to navigate QuickBooks. QuickBooks makes navigation very easy and has several ways to access the same information. Along with ease of use, QuickBooks provides a “Coach,” tutorials and a help menu. Once the student is at his office, he will know where to look for answers.

Once the student is taught how to navigate QuickBooks, he is lead through the process of setting up his own company. Together, the class records “live-like” transactions. This process is used to emulate a real live situation. The first day of class is dedicated to transactions that affect the Balance Sheet. As transactions are recorded, they are followed step-by-step through a process. Each transaction is analyzed and discussed in relation to where it appears on the Balance Sheet and how it affects each account. This step-by-step “hands-on” approach helps give the student confidence that he can return to his office and start working immediately. In fact, students have often commented that they cannot wait to return to their offices to start applying what they have learned in class.

On the second day of class, transactions that affect the Profit & Loss report are recorded. Each transaction is analyzed just like the first day. The relationship between the Profit & Loss report and the Balance Sheet is studied. By the afternoon of the second day, the student has a good working knowledge of how to record transactions in QuickBooks and how they affect the financial statements. In addition, other topics are discussed in depth, including the setting up of payroll, making payroll liability payments and preparing payroll reports.

While the QuickBooks Basics class is not for everyone, it is an invigorating two day class that will take a student with no prior experience and send him home with a good working knowledge of QuickBooks. More importantly, the student will go home filled with confidence to do much more.