Module 1: QuickBooks Setup
Choosing Your QuickBooks Version
QuickBooks is one of the most widely used accounting systems for small businesses, but "QuickBooks" is really a family of products with different features, prices and regional availability. Choosing the wrong version can mean paying for features you never use, or discovering six months later that you cannot track inventory or run payroll in the version you picked. This lesson helps you choose deliberately. Intuit changes its plans, prices and regional offerings over time, so treat this as a framework and confirm the current details on Intuit's official website for your country before you subscribe.
Online versus desktop
The two broad families are:
- QuickBooks Online: a cloud subscription you use in a web browser or mobile app. Your data lives on Intuit's servers, you can log in from anywhere, and you can invite your accountant to access the same file. This is the product Intuit actively promotes and develops, and the one this course focuses on.
- QuickBooks Desktop: software installed on a Windows computer, with data stored in a company file on that computer or your network. Intuit has been moving customers toward the online product and has stopped selling some desktop editions to new customers in some markets. Check current availability before considering it.
For most new small businesses, especially in East Africa where your accountant may be in another town, the online version's anywhere access and accountant sharing are strong advantages.
Comparing plans by need, not by name
QuickBooks Online is offered in tiers, typically with names like Simple Start, Essentials, Plus and Advanced, though names and availability vary by country. Instead of memorising plan names, list what your business needs and check which plan includes it:
| Need | Question to ask |
|---|---|
| Number of users | How many people besides you need their own login? |
| Bills and payables | Do you want to enter supplier bills and track what you owe? |
| Inventory | Do you sell physical stock and need quantity tracking? |
| Projects or classes | Do you need profit by job, branch or department? |
| Payroll | Is QuickBooks Payroll offered in your country, or will you use a separate payroll system? |
| Multiple currencies | Do you invoice in USD and KES, or pay foreign suppliers? |
| Tax | Does the version support your VAT or sales tax setup? |
Two features deserve special attention. First, payroll: Intuit's integrated payroll service is available only in certain countries. If it is not offered where you operate, plan to run payroll in a separate local system and record the totals in QuickBooks, as you will learn later in the course. Second, multicurrency: once you switch it on in QuickBooks Online, it generally cannot be switched off, and your home currency cannot be changed afterwards. Decide carefully.
Worked example: three businesses, three choices
- Achieng, freelance copywriter in Nairobi. Works alone, sends about fifteen invoices a month, no stock. A starter plan with invoicing, expense tracking and reports is enough. She invites her accountant as an accountant user, which normally does not use one of her paid user seats.
- Kamau Hardware, two shops in Thika. Sells hundreds of stock items, buys on credit from suppliers and needs profit by shop. He needs a plan with inventory tracking, bills, and classes or locations. He checks that the plan's user limit covers his two shop managers and bookkeeper.
- Safari Routes Ltd, tour operator. Invoices overseas agents in USD, pays local hotels in KES. Needs multicurrency, which must be decided at setup, plus project tracking per tour group.
Practical steps before you subscribe
- Write down your needs list using the table above.
- Check the current plans and prices for your country on Intuit's official website.
- Use the free trial if one is offered, and test your most common tasks: an invoice, a bill, a bank import, a report.
- Ask your accountant which version they support; many prefer a particular product.
- Note whether the trial and a discounted introductory price can be combined, since offers vary.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Choosing the cheapest plan and discovering it lacks inventory or bills when you need them. Upgrading is usually possible, but downgrading can be restricted.
- Turning on multicurrency casually during a trial in the file you intend to keep.
- Assuming payroll is included in your country.
- Selecting the wrong country or currency at sign-up, which can be hard or impossible to change later.
Exercise
Write a needs list for your business (or a hypothetical one) covering users, bills, inventory, projects or classes, payroll, currencies and tax. Then visit Intuit's official QuickBooks website for your country, compare the current plans against your list, and record which plan you would choose, its current price, and one feature you would lose if you chose the plan below it.
Key points
- QuickBooks Online is cloud-based and is the product Intuit actively develops; desktop availability is limited.
- Choose a plan by listing your needs: users, bills, inventory, classes, payroll, currencies and tax.
- Integrated payroll is only offered in some countries, and multicurrency cannot normally be switched off.
- Confirm current plans and prices on Intuit's official site and test with a trial.