QuickBooks® Online for Churches may sound like a good idea. However, there are several things to be aware of. Many churches try hard to get it to work for them but are unaware of the required workarounds to get the reports they need. Watch the video and you’ll see how it may not be the best choice for churches.
In this video, we do an in-depth walkthrough of how
QuickBooks® Online for Churches tracks designated funds. Then we will show you the steps you must take to get to your Cash Balance by Fund, Income Statement by Fund, and Balance Sheet. Plus, we compare it to Aplos, an alternative to QuickBooks® that is a true fund accounting software made for churches.
What can true church accounting software do that small business accounting software cannot?
Church accounting allows you to track designated money in multiple funds, and pull reports based on those funds to track income and expenses. The ability to do all of this is called fund accounting. For more info, read a complete definition of fund accounting.
Trouble Tracking At The Fund Level
Like with most small business accounting software, there is no way to easily track income and expenses for designated funds. Income is dropped into one general fund. Therefore, you must use a combination of sub-accounts, classes, external spreadsheets, or even separate bank accounts. Take a look at our complete evaluation of QuickBooks® for Churches.
QuickBooks® Online For Churches: The Verdict
Having a true fund accounting system will allow you to pass your annual audits, and produce reports for your board to show money is used appropriately. Plus, your supporters will have the assurance that you are stewarding your resources in the way they have asked. Unfortunately, QuickBooks® Online for Churches does not make this easy.
To learn more about how true fund accounting is different, try Aplos Church Accounting Software for free.
2 comments
While we have been using QBO or Desktop version since the beginning of this church. I find your article of interest. I have been doing the books for this church for almost 6 years and I have questions regarding some of your articles and maybe I should suggest changing our software. Would you be open to a conversation?
Hi Tina,
Absolutely! We would love to chat with you and answer any questions you have. We will reach out to you by email soon so we can talk more about it.
– Janie