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#61
smtcpa  
Posts:
515
Joined:
28-Jul-2014 5:16am
Location:
Richmond, VA
I started accepting payments via QBO this year and I absolutely love it. The time savings are great, the convenience for the client is great and I find that people question fees less and pay MUCH quicker. Now that their ACH option is next-day costing only 1%, that makes it even better.

zl28 wrote:i'm finding accepting credit cards thru quickbooks online is saving nice time. sure i don't love to pay the fee...but if i'm paying $15 on a $500 fee...and i don't have to go to bank or send someone to bank, or do the bookkeeping work (as qbo does it for you when you use their credit card)...turns out not to be such a bad deal. if a bill is like 3k, then i dont' want to pay 3% on that, so i'll not offer option for pymnt by cr cd there. Also, people are paying way, way more promply when i send over quickbooks online bill with option to pay by card with the 8879.
 

#62
makbo  
Posts:
6840
Joined:
23-Apr-2014 3:44pm
Location:
In The Counting House
smtcpa wrote:I started accepting payments via QBO this year and I absolutely love it. The time savings are great, the convenience for the client is great and I find that people question fees less and pay MUCH quicker. Now that their ACH option is next-day costing only 1%, that makes it even better.

I use Quickbooks (Intuit Payments) to collect most of my fees, but it only costs me $1.00 per payment received (used to be $0.50). I don't get the money next day, but I get it within 2-4 business days, often sooner, and only once or twice in many years has a payment ever been reversed.

I don't efile (or print mailable) returns until I get paid, so that has something to do with my great collection rate. 8-)
 

#63
ATSMAN  
Posts:
2094
Joined:
31-May-2014 8:34pm
Location:
MA
This year I am really fed up with clients who "dribble" their information over months and then expect their return to be completed pronto. So next year with clients who typically e-mail or drop-off their documents, I will have a checklist and the clock starts running after I have received all necessary documents. No more of this "start with what I gave you and we will fill in the rest later". I am losing valuable productive time with these people.

I have one family that gave me 50% of their info in early Feb and now I am pulling teeth getting the rest :evil:
 

#64
zl28  
Posts:
2066
Joined:
22-Apr-2014 10:27pm
Location:
usa
i'm enjoying using Alexa.....i have so many little things to do...it's nice to just say it to Alexa.

I tell the machine to "remind me at 2pm to call back Bob" and the machine will

a. send me a reminder on my cell phone
b. says this out loud.

Nice not to have to type everything
 

#65
Posts:
886
Joined:
26-Feb-2016 10:14pm
Location:
Oakland CA
Willl try that. Have one in my office I only use for music and reminding me to stand up and stretch
 

#66
zl28  
Posts:
2066
Joined:
22-Apr-2014 10:27pm
Location:
usa
they also have a list feature

ex

alexa

add to the tax list

they say

prepare bob's w2
 

#67
zl28  
Posts:
2066
Joined:
22-Apr-2014 10:27pm
Location:
usa
If you are a person with lots of 'to do' items...check out Voice Reminder X app

Instead of typing your to do item, click the app button and your to do item is recorded,

then a reminder pops up on the iphone for whatever time you want to be reminded.

Way quicker!
 

#68
zl28  
Posts:
2066
Joined:
22-Apr-2014 10:27pm
Location:
usa
can we post products on here?

i thought that this is appealing to a cpa possibly

https://www.mobilepixels.us/pages/duex_pro_product_page
 

#69
Posts:
13
Joined:
25-Mar-2018 5:33pm
Location:
TN
https://www.amazon.com/AOC-e1659Fwu-136 ... 1575561149

Much more cost effective portable monitor. Used these at BKD and immediately implemented them when I started my firm.
 

#70
zl28  
Posts:
2066
Joined:
22-Apr-2014 10:27pm
Location:
usa
i like those also, but i find they dont' travel so well; they used to break easily...nevertheless, i use them in my office also.
 

#71
Posts:
2887
Joined:
21-May-2018 7:50am
Location:
Northern MI and Coastal SC
I have a 12.9" iPad Pro I use as a secondary monitor for my laptop when out-of-office. Works very well, only added cost was the Duet app required on the PC and iPad.
 

#72
zl28  
Posts:
2066
Joined:
22-Apr-2014 10:27pm
Location:
usa
that's cool Corner...i'm going to check out...i just purchased this attachment to my desk to hold ipad pro upright.

anyone know of wireless bluetooth monitors....i'm having trouble adding an extra monitors bc of the attachment...so iw as thinking about a dell bluetooth monitor
 

#73
Posts:
886
Joined:
26-Feb-2016 10:14pm
Location:
Oakland CA
SurePrep ocr scan/human verify worked very cost efficiently for individuals and trusts for 2018 tax season. Fewer errors than I make.

Not cheap but unless you're a larger firm around here in the Bay Area, you can't hire competent experienced people for love or money because the tech driven job market is so strong and cost of living so high. Heck, I've picked up a couple of young cpa's who left cpa firms as soon as they got signed off to work for tech companies in non accounting positions. They didn't want like the hours or the pay. Both of them got hefty high 6 figure stock compensation amounts after 3 years at startups.

SPrep worked well for me because I use cloud tax software that's multi user. In my case GST. I'm sure CCH Axcess works fine with SP also. UT, even cloud, not as well. Lacerte don't know.

They did not do good on a massive multi state S corp. And they won't do much tax accounting for business returns.
 

#74
zl28  
Posts:
2066
Joined:
22-Apr-2014 10:27pm
Location:
usa
good to know....you feel secure putting tax prep work in cloud? i feel a bit insecure at this point bc i have ckg acct #'s listed for direct deposit along with social security #'s...do you disclose to clients using sureprep

wonder what the price is for your average return

i'm having hard time finding p/t staff these days.
 

#75
zl28  
Posts:
2066
Joined:
22-Apr-2014 10:27pm
Location:
usa
MY computer tech guy recommended buying a firewall for around 2k..and then i'd have to pay 600 per year for updates and support. Anyone else out there have a firewall?
 

#76
sjrcpa  
Posts:
6474
Joined:
23-Apr-2014 5:27pm
Location:
Maryland
Yes. We've had them for years.
 

#77
zl28  
Posts:
2066
Joined:
22-Apr-2014 10:27pm
Location:
usa
you spent around 1500- 2k ?

are you a one person office or several accountants?
 

#78
sjrcpa  
Posts:
6474
Joined:
23-Apr-2014 5:27pm
Location:
Maryland
I don't know the cost. We have about 40 people now. Back when we started we were 4 people.
 

#79
Posts:
2887
Joined:
21-May-2018 7:50am
Location:
Northern MI and Coastal SC
sjrcpa wrote:I don't know the cost. We have about 40 people now. Back when we started we were 4 people.


For an office that size, I would absolutely want a firewall appliance and correct, they are not cheap. I am guessing it has additional functions beyond firewall--could very well be an anti-virus and anti-malware appliance for all traffic running on your network.

For smaller firms, an enterprise grade small firewall/gateway costing $300-500 takes care of their firewall needs. My core network is all Ubiquiti Unifi managed appliances, except for a couple of dumb switches I have.
 

#80
zl28  
Posts:
2066
Joined:
22-Apr-2014 10:27pm
Location:
usa
ty Corner.....cmptr consultant said would cost me around 1500-2000 and maintenance of 600/yr......$300-$500 sounds alot better when there is just 2 of us.
 

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