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How to Use the Lead Center in QuickBooks Desktop

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When you’re trying to grow your business, not every contact is ready to become a customer. Some people just need more time, more information, or a few follow-ups before they decide. That’s where the Lead Center in QuickBooks Desktop Pro can help.

This handy feature gives you a place to keep track of potential customers without cluttering up your main customer list. It’s especially helpful for service-based businesses or any team with an active sales process.

What Is the Lead Center in QuickBooks Desktop?

The Lead Center is a built-in feature that lets you manage your prospects separately from your actual customers. Think of it as a waiting room for future clients. You can store their name, contact info, notes, and updates—without them appearing in your main Customer Center.

It’s a great way to stay organized if you get a lot of inquiries that don’t turn into immediate sales.

You’ll find the Lead Center under the “Customers” menu in QuickBooks Desktop.

Adding and Managing Leads: A Step-by-Step Guide

1. Open the Lead Center – Go to the Customers menu and select Lead Center.

2. Add a New Lead – Click the New Lead button. Fill in any basic details you have—like name, phone number, email, or company. You can always add more information later.

3. Keep Notes and Follow-Up Info – Use the Notes tab to jot down important details, such as where the lead came from, what they’re interested in, or the last time you spoke.

4. Convert to Customer When Ready – Once the lead agrees to work with you, just click Convert to Customer. All the info you entered transfers right into your Customer Center.

Best Practices for Using the Lead Center

  • Take good notes: Add reminders, preferences, or anything you learn during your conversations.
  • Review regularly: Check the Lead Center weekly or monthly to make sure you’re not missing opportunities.

Real-World Example

Imagine you run a home repair business. You get inquiries through your website, local flyers, or phone calls. Instead of writing everything down on sticky notes, you enter each inquiry into the Lead Center. When someone decides to move forward, one click turns that lead into a customer—and you’re ready to create an estimate or invoice right away.

Final Thoughts

If you’re juggling several prospects at once, the Lead Center can keep your sales process neat and manageable. It gives you one central place to track potential clients without mixing them up with active customers.

Consider giving it a try the next time someone expresses interest but isn’t quite ready to buy. A little organization today could mean more business tomorrow.

How to Use Job Costing in QuickBooks Desktop to See What Projects Really Earn

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If your business handles projects, jobs, or client-specific work, you’ve probably asked yourself: “Am I actually making money on this?” That’s where job costing in QuickBooks Desktop comes in.

Job costing helps you track all the income and expenses tied to a specific job or project so you can clearly see what’s working — and what’s not. Whether you’re a contractor, consultant, or creative, understanding your job profitability can help you quote smarter, manage costs better, and grow your bottom line.

Let’s walk through how to set it up and use it in QuickBooks Desktop.

What is Job Costing in QuickBooks Desktop?

Job costing is the process of tracking income and expenses by individual jobs or projects instead of just lumping everything together. This gives you a clear view of what each job truly costs you — and how profitable it is.

Think of it like this: Instead of just knowing how much you spent on materials last month, you’ll know exactly how much you spent for Client A’s kitchen remodel. That kind of detail is what helps you stay in control and profitable.

How to Set Up Job Costing in QuickBooks Desktop

Here’s a simple step-by-step guide to getting started:

1. Turn On Job Costing Features

  • Go to Edit > Preferences > Jobs & Estimates.
  • Under the “Company Preferences” tab, make sure progress invoicing and estimates are turned on.

2. Create Customers and Jobs

  • Use the “Customers & Jobs” list (located in the Customer Center) to set up each client and add individual jobs underneath them.
    • Example:
      • Customer: Mike Balak
      • Job: Utility Shed

3. Assign Costs to Jobs

  • When you enter bills, checks, or expenses, use the “Customer:Job” column to link each cost to the correct job.
  • The same applies when recording employee time — always assign it to the job if it applies.

Tip: Keep job names short and clear so they’re easy to find in reports.

Tracking Costs Accurately

Once setup is complete, your job is to stay consistent:

  • Every expense — from materials to subcontractors — should be linked to the correct job.
  • If you track employee time, use the Weekly Timesheet or Time/Enter Single Activity window to assign hours directly to jobs.
  • Don’t forget to capture smaller costs like travel or job-site rentals. They add up!

Recording Income to the Right Job

Just like expenses, your income needs to be tied to the correct job to get accurate profitability reports.

  • When creating Invoices or Sales Receipts, always select the correct job in the “Customer:Job” field — not just the main customer.
  • If you’re billing for time or materials, make sure the billable items are linked to the job as well.
  • Using the correct job helps ensure that the income shows up on your job profitability reports and gives you a full picture of how each project is performing.

Tip: Double-check the job name before saving an invoice — it’s an easy step that makes a big difference.

Helpful Job Costing Reports in QuickBooks Desktop

Here are a few reports that give you powerful insights:

  • Job Profitability Summary – Shows profit margins for each job.
  • Job Profitability Detail – Breaks down each income and expense item.
  • Estimates vs. Actuals – Helps you compare what you planned versus what actually happened.

You can find these reports under:

Reports > Jobs, Time & Mileage

Spend a few minutes reviewing these reports regularly — they’ll tell you where things are on track and where adjustments are needed.

Why Job Costing Helps You Make Smarter Decisions

Once you’ve been using job costing for a while, you’ll start to notice trends:

  • Which jobs are the most profitable?
  • Where are you losing money?
  • Are your estimates accurate?
  • Which clients or job types should you pursue more often?

Once you start seeing patterns in your reports, it becomes easier to price future jobs, adjust how you work, and steer clear of unexpected issues.

Final Thoughts

Not assigning transactions to specific jobs means you could be missing some key details about your actual project costs. The good news? Job costing in QuickBooks Desktop is less about complexity and more about staying consistent with how you enter information.

Start with one active job and begin linking your income and expenses. Once you see the results in your reports, you’ll wonder how you ever managed without it.

Unlock Better Data in QuickBooks with Custom Reports

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Let’s be honest—QuickBooks Desktop is packed with reports. If you’ve ever scrolled through the Reports Center wondering which one to open, you’re not alone. But here’s the thing: sometimes, the standard reports don’t give you exactly what you’re looking for. That’s where custom reports come in.

They’re your chance to slice and dice your data in a way that means something to you and your business.

Why Custom Reports Are Worth It

Custom reports let you focus on the parts of your business that matter most—whether that’s tracking income by job, checking expenses by vendor, or comparing sales across departments.

Generic reports feel like one-size-fits-all. With custom reports, you get to shape the data to fit your business—kind of like choosing exactly what songs to play instead of listening to whatever’s on the radio. It’s your information, your way.

A Quick Example

Let’s say you want to keep a closer eye on how much you spend with each vendor over time. You can start with a prebuilt report like the Expenses by Vendor Summary, then tweak it:

  • Add a date range that aligns with your budget review period
  • Filter by a specific account (maybe just job materials)
  • Sort by Total to see where most of your money’s going

Tip: You can also customize the report’s name by selecting the Header/Footer tab in the Customize Report window.

Once you like the way it looks, memorize it.

Name it something clear (like “Monthly Vendor Spend—Job Materials”), and it’ll be right there for next time. There’s no need to start from scratch.

Prefer to Create a Report from Scratch?

In QuickBooks Desktop, go to:

  1. Reports in the top menu
  2. Choose Custom Reports
  3. Select Transaction Detail or Summary to begin

You can filter, sort, group, and format from there to your heart’s content.

One Last Tip

Once you’ve built a custom report that works, don’t keep it to yourself. Share it with your team or your bookkeeper so everyone’s on the same page. You can also export it to Excel if you like working with spreadsheets outside of QuickBooks.

Final Thought

Custom reports are one of the most underrated tools in QuickBooks Desktop. They help you stop guessing and start seeing the whole picture.

Do you have a favorite report you always customize? Let me know—I’d love to hear what’s working for you.

Unlock Deeper Insights: How to Utilize Classes in QuickBooks Desktop

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Class tracking in QuickBooks Desktop allows users to track financial information by business segments (locations, departments, programs, events, etc.). It also allows you to keep your chart of accounts simplified as you don’t need to duplicate elements of your chart of accounts to track multiple business segments.

To begin using the class tracking feature, you’ll first need to turn the feature on.

Turning on Class Tracking

Click on the Edit menu at the top of the task bar. Select Preferences from the dropdown menu. In the Preferences window, choose Accounting from the list on the left, then select the Company Preferences tab at the top. Check the box next to Use class tracking for transactions.

If you’d like QuickBooks to remind you to assign a class every time you enter a transaction, also check Prompt to assign classes. We highly recommend turning this feature on.

Create the Class List

Go to the Lists menu at the top of the task bar and select Class List. In the new window, click on the Class button (usually in the lower left corner) and select New. Give your class a name. For example, if you’re tracking type of business, you might name your classes “New Construction,” “Remodel,” or “Overhead” Click OK to save.

Tip: The Subclass of provides an option to create a grouping of classes. This gives you the ability to organize your class data in greater detail as keeping the data easier to view when you run the class report. You will also have the ability to filter classes when running reports.

Assign Classes to Transactions

When you enter a transaction (like a bill, invoice, or check), you’ll see a field labeled Class. Select the appropriate class from the dropdown menu. You can also add a new class by typing in a new one or selecting <Add New> from the dropdown menu. You can also split the transaction to multiple classes within one transaction.

Class Reports

Once you start using classes, you can run reports to see how each class is doing. Go to the Reports menu, select Company & Financial, and then choose Profit & Loss by Class. The report provides a clear breakdown of income and expenses for each class, making it easier to review and use the information to make informed decisions.

Tip: Pay attention to the Unclassified column as these are transactions that have not been assigned to a class. Double click on the total for any account that shows a balance to see if anything needs to be assigned to a class. If you have activity that doesn’t require a class, we suggest setting up a generic class such as N/A so you don’t continue to review activity you have previously double-checked.

If you are consistent in using the class tracking feature, you’ll have a clearer picture of how different areas of your business are performing and can make decisions in a timelier manner.

Scheduled Reports: What They Are and Why They’re Useful

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As a business owner or accounting professional, staying on top of financial data is critical for making informed decisions. QuickBooks Desktop offers a powerful tool to help with this: Scheduled Reports.

Scheduled Reports allow you to automate the delivery of financial reports directly to your inbox—or to your team’s inbox—on a recurring schedule. Instead of manually running and sharing reports every week or month, this feature ensures that your financial information is consistently delivered on time, without any extra effort.

This automation can be helpful for businesses with tight schedules or multiple partners.

To start using this feature, ensure QuickBooks is setup to email reports. To verify, go to Preferences, under the File menu, and select Send Forms. Under the My Preferences tab, click the Add button to setup your email if needed.

Customize Reports

Before scheduling reports to be sent automatically, customize the reports to meet your specific needs.

When you first run a report in QuickBooks, it displays with default settings. To adjust the report, click Customize Report in the upper left corner of the report window. Modify the Display and Filters to include the data you want. Once you’ve finished customizing, click OK to run the report with your updated settings.

You can customize QuickBooks reports to see just the data you want.

Memorized Reports

After clicking OK, click Memorize in the toolbar. In the window that opens, enter a descriptive name so you’ll recognize it later. If you want to save the report to a group (optional), check the box and select a group from the menu, such as Company or Customers, etc. Click OK to save your changes.

To find a memorized report, open the Reports menu and highlight Memorized Reports. Find your report in the list and click on it.

Scheduled Reports

Access the schedule reports by going to the Reports menu, select Scheduled Reports, and Schedule Setup. The following window will open:

Click Get Started then setup the schedule frequency (weekly, monthly, etc.) and delivery method. Save the schedule and confirm it is active.

Additional Notes

While this feature can save time if you frequently email reports, keep the following points in mind:

  • QuickBooks Desktop needs to be open at the time reports are scheduled to run.
  • If you need slightly different reports or need to send emails to various recipients, you will need to setup multiple customized reports and email templates.
  • If a report is scheduled without regular review, there is a risk of sending out outdated or incomplete information.
  • There are potential security risks, such as issues with encryption (consult your IT or email provider) and the risk of emailing sensitive financial data.

By understanding these limitations, you can take proactive steps to mitigate risks and ensure Scheduled Reports work effectively for your business. If these drawbacks are a concern, consider alternative third-party solutions to assist you in sending out scheduled reports.

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