PeachTree Accounting, Teach YourSelf

Starting with Peachtree Accounting

Peachtree Accounting is a business accounting and management software that is  direct competitor of QuickBooks. In 2013, the accounting software is being rebranded as Sage 50, it’s parent company’s name. Peachtree is a robust accounting software solution that allows you to track many facets of your business. You can do everything from managing your accounts to sending out invoices to paying employees.

In this free Sage 50, Peachtree Accounting, tutorial, you will learn how to use Peachtree to manager your small business accounting needs.

Exploring the Peachtree Accounting User Interface

The Peachtree Accounting Interface allows users to view information for seven menu options:  Business Status, Customers and Sales, Vendors and Purchases, Inventory and Services, Employees and Payroll, Banking, and System.

The easy to use tab menu on the left side of the screen allows easy and convenient access to areas using panes that utilize photo icons to help users locate the appropriate task.

The Business Status feature is a company at a glance feature with information regarding all aspects of the business including the amount and percentages of past due amounts to be received, account balances, invoices due, year to date revenue, a report locator, and past due amounts to be paid.  You may customize your main screen under Business status by choosing to customize the screen.

The Customers & Sales tab features easy access for entering and editing new as well as existing customers.  In addition, from this tab users can generate quotes, proposals, sales orders, and invoices, enter sales taxes, receive money, and create jobs.

Vendors & purchases is the one-stop area for all things related to purchasing, including methods for entering and editing existing vendors, creating and paying bills, voiding checks, issuing returns, and generating reports.

Inventory & Services tracks all aspects of inventory.  Record new items into inventory, edit existing items, generate purchase orders, receive items into inventory, track inventory counts, generate reports, ship and track packages, and manage pricing as well as company services.

Employees & Payroll helps companies manage all aspects of payroll from the initial setup of a new employee to generating forms, checks, and direct deposits.  An easy to use reports feature allows users to keep view details at any time.

The Banking tab keeps your company’s finances in order by allowing you to manage expenses, deposits, bill pay, and account analysis.  You can also write checks, receive money, and view or edit your ledger.

The Systems option allows you to manage data, backup sensitive data, and run system checks.

Since Peachtree Accounting is a live accounting system, users can hit their refresh buttons to see the most up to date information regarding their company’s revenue, payroll, inventory, billing, accounts paid, and accounts received as it’s entered and reconciled.  This should be kept in mind when running reports.  Since the system is live, any information entered while a report is being generated will not be included in the report.  This means that reports can sometimes be inaccurate within minutes of being run.  When reporting data doesn’t match system data, the time and date of an entry into the system should be checked against the time and date a report was generated.  Peachtree reporting is deliberately designed this way so as to enable users to have access to the most up to date financial data at all times.  To create a new purchase order, select “Vendors & Purchases” from the menu on the left side of the page.  In the “Vendors & Purchases” pane, select “Purchase Orders” just below the “Vendors” and choose <New Purchase Order>.  You will be taken to a screen that allows you to enter the information.  Click <Save> in the upper left corner of the screen just under the primary menu when you are finished.

You can also generate multiple purchase orders by selecting <Auto-Create Multiple Purchase Orders> from the dropdown menu under “Purchase Orders.”  You will be taken to a screen on which you will be asked to select your view based on quantity, stock status, and item class.  When you are finished selecting your filters, click <Okay>.  A report will be generated based on your filters.  Click <Save> to generate.

To edit a purchase order:

Choose <View and Edit Purchase Orders> from the dropdown menu under “Purchase Orders.”  To alter the table view, select <Settings> from toolbar at the top of the screen.  You will then be able to add and remove fields from the table.  To edit a purchase order, locate the purchase order you wish to edit by scrolling through the table or searching for it using the vendor name or id.  Click <Open> on the toolbar at the top of the screen.

Add a line to the existing order by clicking <Row> on the toolbar at the top of the screen just under the primary menu.  Then choose <Add> from the dropdown menu.  A blank row will appear at the bottom of the purchase order.  To place a new row between existing rows, highlight the row below where you wish to insert the new row, click <Row> and then <Add>.

Delete a row by highlighting the row you wish to delete, selecting <Row> from the toolbar at the top of the screen, and then <Remove>.  You will not be asked to verify that you wish to remove the highlighted row, so be sure that you’ve selected the correct row to delete.  Note that the remove option remains grayed out until you highlight a row to delete.  It’s also important to note that clicking <Delete> on the toolbar at the top of the screen will erase the entire purchase order.  The “Delete” option should ONLY be selected if you wish to delete the purchase order in its entirety.

You may also enter events for Purchase Orders.

To enter an event for a purchase order:

Select <Event> from the toolbar in the upper middle of the screen just under the primary window.  A popup will appear and you will then be able to enter call, letter, or meeting information as well as comments.  When you are finished, click <Save> on the menu bar at the top of the popup or click <Recur> to schedule the event as a recurring one.

It’s possible to revise the purchase order view from the existing customer screen by choosing <Layout> from the toolbar at the top screen and then <Customize Purchase Order Layout>.

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