Intuit Statement Writer

Intuit made QuickBooks 2009 available for electronic download on Monday, September 29th. The new version brings with it a host of important changes, new products, and in at least 1 case, the migration of a included feature into a extra-cost add-on.

We’ve prepared a short list of what we think are the most noteworthy new or improved features. Keep in mind it’s not an all-encompassing list. Here’s our top 10 improvements:

Feature	Pro & Premier 2009	Enterprise Solutions 9.0	POS Basic 8.0	POS Pro 8.0
Multi-currency support	Yes	Yes	-	-
Multi-user enhancements	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
New company snapshot	Yes	Yes	-	-
Improved sorting in bank reconciliations	Yes	Yes	-	-
Support for larger numbers	Yes	Yes	-	-
PIN pad with signature capture	-	-	Yes	Yes
Improved sales tax reporting	-	-	Yes	Yes
New POS Webstores service	-	-	-	Yes
Improved inventory turn reporting	-	-	-	Yes
Improved re-order support	-	-	-	Yes

With the economy becoming increasingly global, multi-currency support for all global currencies is a timely addition. Pro, Premier, and Enterprise Solutions automatically convert currencies into a designated “home” currency. A new report, “Realized and Unrealized Gains & Losses,” shows the impact of currency fluctuations. In addition, wire transfers can now be performed directly within QuickBooks.

For Enterprise Solutions, the maximum number of users in multi-user mode increased from 20 to 30; for POS, it doubled from 10 to 20. Pro, Premier, and Enterprise Solutions now allow a back-up to be performed and reports to be printed while in multi-user mode. An instant messenger feature is now included to allow users to communicate using the familiar QuickBooks interface.

Less dramatic improvements for Pro, Premier, and Enterprise Solutions products include a new company snapshot, column sorting in bank reconciliations, and support for larger numbers (11 vs 8 digits).

One negative: the Financial Statement Designer that was formerly included at no extra charge with the Accountant edition has been replaced with the Intuit Statement Writer at a retail cost of $149. The program is included with the multi-user versions of Enterprise Solutions, but most accountants will find themselves having to buy something that was previously included at no charge.

POS Basic got new support for PIN pads with signature capture (pictured at left), and QuickBooks now saves an electronic copy of the signature in case of disputed transactions, along with a doubling in the number of active workstations in each store from 10 to 20.

POS Pro received all of the POS Basic improvements plus a new Webstores service to allow companies to create a web store ringing up sales from a product catalog. Intuit also introduced a new product, Cash Register Plus, for those businesses that aren’t ready for POS. The program rings up sales and tracks customers, processes credit cards, and performs basic bookkeeping to track sales performance.

This is just a partial list of the improvements for 2009. Two features – multi-currency support or the multi-user enhancements – could tip the scales to justify upgrading right away. We’ve done an in-depth analysis of the new multi-currency features in QuickBooks in a post on our blog.

With the release of the 2009 version, QuickBooks 2006 is slated to become obsolete in April 2010. Time to upgrade! When you decide to upgrade, you can save by using the banner at the top of this page or you can review discounts on both QuickBooks and Quicken at our Buy QuickBooks page.

Hopefully, Intuit addressed more than a few items on your personal wish list.

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