To open the QuickBooks Integration Setup form, click on Setup in the shortcut menu, then click Other, then click QuickBooks Integration.
The QuickBooks Integration Setup form allows you to set up Smart Contractor to share data with QuickBooks. If you use QuickBooks, and you would like Smart Contractor to share data with QuickBooks, follow the instructions below to set it up.
Important: Please read Notes On Implementing QuickBooks Integration, How Do I... Use QuickBooks Integration?, and QuickBooks Item Integration before connecting Smart Contractor to QuickBooks!
To Set Up QuickBooks Data Integration
Before Smart Contractor can share data with QuickBooks, you must install QuickBooks on the computer where the QuickBooks company file (that Smart Contractor will connect to) is located. This can be on the same computer as Smart Contractor, or on another computer on your network.
What Do I Need To Do In QuickBooks?
If you already have a company set up in QuickBooks, all you need to do is open that company file in "multi-user mode" in QuickBooks. You will also need to know the path and file name of the QuickBooks company file. To find that, run QuickBooks, open the company file, and press Ctrl-1 (hold the Ctrl key and press 1). This will display a box with various information about QuickBooks in it, among which includes the path and file name of the company file currently open. You will need this below...
If you have not set up a company in QuickBooks, you must do that now. As for what data you need to enter in QuickBooks, all you need to do is set up your general ledger chart of accounts (list of accounts). If you don't know what the list of accounts is or what it's for, you should consult your QuickBooks accountant/bookkeeper before proceeding.
Once you have...
Follow these steps to set up QuickBooks integration:
Important: You must use the same file path to open your company file in QuickBooks as you do in Smart Contractor. In other words, if you have a drive mapped to a folder on the computer on your network where your QuickBooks company file is located, and you open the company file in QuickBooks using that mapped drive, then you must use that mapped drive to open the QuickBooks company file from Smart Contractor (in step 5 below).
Important: You cannot integrate a Smart Contractor database with more than one QuickBooks company file! If you connect to a QuickBooks company file, update to it, and then connect to another QuickBooks company file, all connections to data in the first QuickBooks company file will be lost! Make sure that the QuickBooks company file you are connecting to is the correct one! Once you connect to a QuickBooks company file and update data in it, you cannot change to another QuickBooks company file.
If you need to use multiple QuickBooks company files, then you will need to use multiple Smart Contractor databases, and connect each database to a separate QuickBooks company file. See the New Database topic for information on how to create multiple Smart Contractor databases. See the Open Database topic for information on how to open different Smart Contractor databases.
Make sure the QuickBooks company file is open in multi-user mode. To do this, go to File > Open In Multi-User Mode.
With QuickBooks and Smart Contractor running at the same time, go to Smart Contractor (maximize the Smart Contractor window). In the main window, click Setup > Other > QuickBooks Integration. This will open the QuickBooks Integration setup form.
Check the Integrate With QuickBooks Data: box.
If You Are Not Running On Windows Vista... Click Browse to browse for and select the QuickBooks company file to use.
Important: You must use the same file path to open your company file in Smart Contractor as you do QuickBooks. In other words, if you have a drive mapped to a folder on the computer on your network where your QuickBooks company file is located, and you open the company file in QuickBooks using that mapped drive, then you must use that mapped drive to open the QuickBooks company file from Smart Contractor.
If You Are Running On Windows Vista or Windows 7...
Windows Vista/7 has a introduced a problem by changing the way the file browse dialog works. The file browse dialog allows you to browse to a folder or file. The file browse dialog is provided by Windows - not Smart Contractor (so this is our of our hands). The problem is that when a file is selected in the file browse dialog, Windows opens the file exclusively, which locks it so that another application cannot open it. If the file is open in another application (for example QuickBooks - it doesn't matter if the QB has it open in multi-user mode or not), Windows displays a "File is in use" error message, and the file browse dialog tells the program that called it (SC) that the file selected is not there. This makes it impossible for the Setup QuickBooks Interface form to browse to a company file which is open in QuickBooks. But that's a catch-22 because the file must be open in QuickBooks the first time you access if from SC.
To work around this problem, instead of browsing for the QB company file name, you must enter it manually in the prompt for file name. Here's the easiest way to do this:
When you click Next, Smart Contractor will then open the QB company file and proceed as usual.
Switch back to the QuickBooks window. QuickBooks should be displaying a form that says: "An application without a certificate is requesting access the following QuickBooks company file:...".
Below that it prompts: " Do you want to allow this application to read and modify the company file?"
Click on the option that says "Yes, always; allow access even when QuickBooks is not running." This will allow Smart Contractor to access QuickBooks data without having to run QuickBooks.
Also click on the option that says "Allow this application to access personal data such as Social Security Numbers and customer credit card information". This is necessary in order for Smart Contractor to share your employee data, and update employee time sheets.
Click Continue...
Another message will appear asking if you are sure you want to allow this access. Click Yes.
An "Access Confirmation" message will appear to confirm the access you have just granted. Click Done. This will take you back to the QuickBooks Integration form in Smart Contractor.
Now you are ready to proceed with selecting QuickBooks integration options in the prompts discussed below.
Select your desired options in each frame of the setup wizard, click Next to move to the next frame, then click Save to save your settings.
The QuickBooks Integration Setup wizard form has the following frames and prompts:
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First Step |
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The first step of the setup wizard prompts you for the following: |
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Check this box. to integrate Smart Contractor with QuickBooks. |
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Click Browse to select the QuickBooks company file to use. When you select a company file, Smart Contractor will open that company file and...
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Select the mode in which to update QuickBooks data. Batch Update means data will be updated when the Update QuickBooks Data utility is run from the Utilities menu, or from the exit options. See the QuickBooks Integration topic for more information. Real Time means data will be updated as it is entered (where applicable). If you select the real time data synchronization option in the QuickBooks Integration setup form, a yellow "QB" box will appear in the upper right corner of the Smart Contractor main window when the QuickBooks data connection is active. The "QB" box will also appear when you run the Update QuickBooks Data utility. To terminate the QuickBooks data connection, either exit Smart Contractor, or un-check the Integrate With QuickBooks Data: option in the QuickBooks Integration setup form. For a full discussion about how Smart Contractor works with QuickBooks, see the QuickBooks Integration topic. |
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This is the second step of the QuickBooks integration setup wizard. For each cost category, Materials, Labor, Equipment, Subcontract and Other Charge, select the QuickBooks accounts to post job costs and income to. See Notes About Creating Items In QuickBooks in the QuickBooks Integration topic for more info. |
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Item Material: |
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Select cost and income accounts to post material costs and income in QuickBooks. |
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Item Labor: |
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Select cost and income accounts to post labor costs and income in QuickBooks. |
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Item Equipment: |
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Select cost and income accounts to post equipment costs and income in QuickBooks. |
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Item Subcontract: |
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Select cost and income accounts to post subcontract costs and income in QuickBooks. |
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Item Other Charge: |
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Select cost and income accounts to post other costs and income in QuickBooks. |
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Select QuickBooks Transactions To Create |
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The last step of the setup wizard allows you to specify which type of transactions to create in QuickBooks: |
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Check this box to create estimates in QuickBooks from estimates in Smart Contractor. |
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Check this box to create customer deposits in QuickBooks from customer deposits entered in the Estimate Setup tab of the Edit Job form in Smart Contractor. |
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Select the QuickBooks "Other Current Liability" type account in which to record job deposit receipts in QuickBooks. This liability account will be used for holding deposits until the completion of work. You can apply part of all of the balance of the job deposit when you create an invoice in Smart Contractor. |
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Check this box to create invoices in QuickBooks when you create invoices in Smart Contractor. |
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Select the QuickBooks Class to post invoices transactions to in QuickBooks. |
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Select the QuickBooks accounts receivable account in which job related receivables will be recorded in QuickBooks. |
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Select the QuickBooks sales tax payable account in which job related sales tax payables will be recorded in QuickBooks. |
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Check this box to create payment receipt transactions in QuickBooks when you enter payments in Smart Contractor. |
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Enter the age of QuickBooks payment receipt (sales receipt) transactions to retrieve from QuickBooks (in days). |
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Select the QuickBooks account in which payment receipts will be recorded in QuickBooks. Typically, this will be your company bank account, or an "Undeposited Funds" account in which you record receipts before they are deposited in your company bank account. |
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Check this box to create purchase transactions in QuickBooks when you enter purchases in Smart Contractor. The type of purchase transaction created in QuickBooks depends on the payment method that you select when you enter a purchase transaction:
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Select the QuickBooks GL Account to use as the accounts payable account that job related payables (bills) will be posted to in QuickBooks. |
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Select the QuickBooks GL Account to use as the checking account account to use as the default for job related purchases by check. You can override the checking account account in the Enter Purchases form. |
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Select the QuickBooks GL Account to use as the credit card account to use as the default for job related purchases by credit card. You can override the credit card account in the Enter Purchases form. |
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Allow Changes To Bills That Have Been Paid In QuickBooks: |
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Check this option to allow changes to bills that have been paid (or partially paid) in QuickBooks. |
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If you use QuickBooks Payroll, check this box. This will allow Smart Contractor to automatically generate time sheets in QuickBooks based on the employee labor hours that you enter in the Labor Hours entry form. |
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Select the QuickBooks Payroll Item to use as the default on the time sheets that you enter in the Labor Hours entry form. This will be called something like "Regular Pay", or "Salary".
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Back Button |
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Click the Back button to go back to the first step of the setup wizard and start over. |
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Save Button |
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Click the Save button to save changes. |
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Cancel/Exit Button |
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Click the Cancel/Exit button to exit the setup wizard without saving changes. |