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About Accounting Software





Accounting software is [computer software] that records and processes [accounting] transactions within functional modules such as [accounts payable], [accounts receivable], [payroll], and [trial balance]. It functions as an [accounting information system]. It may be developed in-house by the company or organization using it, may be purchased from a [Third-party developer], or may be a combination of a third-party application software package with [locally modified software]. It varies greatly in its complexity and cost.

The market has been undergoing considerable consolidation since the mid [1990s], with many suppliers ceasing to trade or being bought by larger groups.

Modules Accounting software is typically composed of various modules, different sections dealing with particular areas of accounting. Among the most common are:

Core Modules
  • [Accounts receivable]—where the company enters money received
  • [Accounts payable]—where the company enters its bills and pays money it owes
  • [General ledger]—the company's "books"
  • [Billing]—where the company produces invoices to clients/customers
  • [Inventory]—where the company keeps control of its inventory
  • [Purchase Order]—where the company orders inventory
  • [Sales Order]—where the company records customer order for the supply of inventory


Non Core Modules
  • Debt Collection—where the company tracks attempts to collect overdue bills (sometimes part of accounts receivable)
  • [Expense]—where employee business-related expenses are entered
  • Inquiries—where the company looks up information on screen without any edits or additions
  • [Payroll]—where the company tracks salary, wages, and related taxes
  • Reports—where the company prints out data
  • [Timesheet]—where professionals (such as [attorney]s and [consultant]s) record time worked so that it can be billed to clients
  • [Purchase Requisition]—where requests for purchase orders are made, approved and tracked


(Different vendors will use different names for these modules)

Implementations In many cases, implementation can be a bigger consideration than the actual software chosen when it comes down to the total cost of ownership for the business. Most midmarket and larger applications are sold exclusively through resellers, developers and consultants. Those organizations generally pass on a license fee to the software vendor and then charge the client for installation, customization and support services. Clients can normally count on paying roughly 50-200% of the price of the software in implementation and consulting fees.

Other organizations sell to, consult with and support clients directly, eliminating the reseller.

See the article [Comparison of accounting software].

Categories Personal Accounting Mainly for home users that use [accounts payable] type [accounting] transactions, managing [budget]s and simple account reconciliation at the inexpensive end of the market suppliers include:

Low End At the low end of the business markets, inexpensive applications software allows most general business accounting functions to be performed. Suppliers frequently serve a single national market, while larger suppliers offer separate solutions in each national market.

Many of the low end products are characterized by being "[single-entry bookkeeping system]" products, as opposed to [Double-entry bookkeeping system] systems seen in many businesses. Some products have considerable functionality but are not considered [Generally Accepted Accounting Principles] or [Financial Accounting Standards Board] compliant. Some low-end systems do not have adequate security nor audit trails.

Mid Market The mid-market covers a wide range of business software that may be capable of serving the needs of multiple national accountancy standards and allow accounting in multiple [currency].

In addition to general accounting functions, the software may include integrated or add-on [management information systems], and may be oriented towards one or more markets, for example with integrated or add-on [project accounting] modules.

Software applications in this market typically include the following features:

  • Industry-standard robust databases (eg [PostgreSQL], [MySQL], [Microsoft SQL Server], [Oracle Database], [Pervasive PSQL])
  • Industry-standard reporting tools (eg [Cognos], [Crystal Reports])
  • Tools for configuring or extending the application (eg an [Software development kit], access to program code, the ability to be controlled via [Visual Basic for Applications] (VBA))


High End The most complex and expensive business accounting software is frequently part of an extensive suite of software often known as [Enterprise resource planning] or ERP software.

These applications typically have a very long implementation period, often greater than six months. In many cases, these applications are simply a set of functions which require significant integration, configuration and customisation to even begin to resemble an accounting system.

The advantage of a high-end solution is that these systems are designed to support individual company specific processes, as they are highly customisable and can be tailored to exact business requirements. This usually comes at a significant cost in terms of money and implementation time.

Vertical Market Some business accounting software is designed for specific business types. It will include features that are specific to that industry.

The choice of whether to purchase an industry-specific application or a general-purpose application is often very difficult. Concerns over a custom-build application or one designed for a specific industry include:

  • Smaller development team
  • Increased risk of vendor business failing
  • Reduced availability of support


This can be weighed up against:

  • Less requirement for customisation
  • Reduced implementation costs
  • Reduced end-user training time and costs


Some important types of vertical accounting software are:

  • Banking
  • Construction
  • Medical
  • Point of Sale (Retail)


Hybrid Solutions As technology improves, software vendors have been able to offer increasingly advanced software at lower prices. This software is suitable for companies at multiple stages of growth. Many of the features of Mid Market and High End software (including advanced customization and extremely scalable databases) are required even by small businesses as they open multiple locations or grow in size. Additionally, with more and more companies expanding overseas or allowing workers to home office, many smaller clients have a need to connect multiple locations. Their options are to employ software-as-a-service or another application that offers them similar accessibility from multiple locations over the internet.

Use by Non-Accountants With the increasing dominance of having financial accounts prepared with Accounting Software, as well as some suppliers claims that anyone can prepare their own books, accounting software can be considered at risk of not providing appropriate information as non-accountants prepare accounting information. As recording and interpretation is left to software and expert systems, the necessity to have a Systems Accountant overseeing the accountancy system becomes ever more important. The set up of the processes and the end result must be vigorously checked and maintained on a regular basis in order to develop and maintain the integrity of the data and the processes that manage these data.

History [Bob Frankston], has noted that his [VisiCalc] wasn't an early accounting program and that software that "overly tuned for such function ([Javelin Software], [Lotus Improv], etc.) completely failed."

Online Resources The World Wide Web provides accountants with valuable resources for researching, selecting, and implementing accounting software. With the vast array of software products available, accountants can be overwhelmed by all the choices and options offered. Consequently, they have been turning to the web to search for solutions, to connect with each other, and to share best practices techniques for selecting software. This trend is likely to continue as the software market becomes more saturated and as accountants further embrace online resources.

See also
  • [Accounting], and [List of accounting topics]
  • [Application software]
  • [Construction Software]
  • [Comparison of accounting software]
  • [Double-entry bookkeeping system]
  • [E-accounting]
  • [Enterprise Resource Planning]
  • [‎Investment management]
  • [‎Tax]


References Information Reference: Wikipedia.org


Accounting software

Questions and Answers

Free Accounting Software?

Q) Which one is the best free accounting software without trial period?

A) Go to your bank. I was with Lloyds, and they supplied me with free accounting software with my Business Start up kit

Anyone with investment club accounting software?

Q) hi, just looking to find out if there is anyone with investment club accounting software or anyone who knows the best software for investment clubs. I am in Scotland

A) You could try & Google for Investment club software ... PROSHARE is the 'number one' Club reference & have a software section - http://www.proshareclubs.co.uk/cgi-bin/proshareclubs/runningaclub/pagewiz.cgi?pg=/services_software.htm you could also check the Fools guide to Investment clubs ( http://www.fool.co.uk/school/2005/sch050912.htm ) Of course if all else fails you could do same as a lot of Clubs & just use an on-line Broker (Bank/Building Soc) that allows downloading of statements into an Excel spreadsheet :-) [I use Barclays = they also support Clubs]

am looking for an accounting software for transportation and rental business?

Q) the accounting software should be from the owners

A) I have developed one of these, It is simple and easy to use, try it and e-mail me for any comments please http://www.geocities.com/file1_baghdad

Can you recommend a Japanese/English Accounting software for small businesses?

Q) I have a small home based business in Japan. I need a bi-lingual accounting software solution thats not going to cost a fortune i.e. less than US $1000.

A) thats really tough, but you will definately have more luck shopping for it in japan than outside japan. Anything you buy outsde japan is going to be very expensive because it is such a niche product and its not going to take into account things like japanese VAT etc. The easisets way would be to set someting up in excell or acess yourself. Spend the money on someone who is really good with excel and create your own templates with all the macros you need. As excel is a micsoft product you can enter japanese as easy as english if you have the japanese language edition.

What is the most widely used small to medium sized business accounting software brand?

Q) What is the accounting software most small to medium sized accounting firms use?

A) In my experience there are two accounting programs used widely by small to mid-sized businesses. The first is QuickBooks http://quickbooks.intuit.com and the second is BS/1 Professional http://www.dbsonline.com/purchase. I have my own bookkeeping business and use QuickBooks. I find the program very good for small businesses and easy enough to learn. Intuit has training CD's that can be purchased to help learn the program. I would recommend BS/1 Professional for the mid size business. This company has various programs that can be better customized for the larger business.

Does anyone know the accounting software used in the Big acoounting firms? (PWC), KPMG, ernst & young, deloitt

Q) I am doing a project on the data efficiency of audit software and would like to know the software used by the big audit firms for audit practise such as PWC, KPMG, Deloitte, Ernst & Young.

A) Sage, Have a look here. http://www.sage.co.uk/home.aspx

Anybody know anything about SAGE line 50 Accounting software?

Q) If anybody can guide me how is the future of SAGE LINE 50 accounting.I mean is it worth to do this course.are jobs available in USA

A) I have just finished stage 2 of line 50 accounts training and the course was packed and the next stage is already booked up for months so it seems to be growing - Can't comment on the states but in the uk more and more companies are using sage and therefore the requirements for trained sage users is high You do need training if your doing book keeping rather than credit control, accounts assistant etc.. If you get a few figures wrong or put some info in the wrong place you can stuff up tax returns etc...

Which accounting software is compatible with indian accounting system ?

Q) 1. Can we use Quikbooks, Peachtree or sage line 50 in india?, 2. vender available in india for these softwares?

A) Better option would be to use something which is already customized for India. Examples are:- 1) Tally 2) EX

On SAGE accounting software, how would you account for the following transaction?

Q) Customer purchases from company, tax is added, they pay in 2 installments, on the day and a month later, paying only the original tax-free price, leaving a tax liability against their sales ledger account which needs to be removed somewhere?

A) Well if someone buys a product from a company that is VAT registered then the customer is stilll liable for the outstanding tax balance unless there is an agreement in place, so there would still be a balance still on the 'Customers Ledger' (Debtors ledger). If the agreement is that it is tax free, then the company is liable for the balance due, and a credit note should be raised on Customers, against the balance due. Please be aware though, if the company is VAT registered, the company cannot escape the VAT that is due on the sale, and must pay it over themselves which means a reduction on your original sale of 17.5%.

Small accounting software for societies?

A) Try Quickbooks

Accounting Software????

Q) I am an accounting student learning accounting the manual way (on paper) and would like to know if anyone knows of any student accounting software that I can practice computerized accounting on?

A) You can use the free download of Microsoft Accounting Express, or a trial version of QuickBooks Online -- both are free. With MS Accounting Express, you download the application to your computer, and everything you do is saved in the file(s) you create. This is great for testing different company set-ups. With QB Online, the trial "try it now" version has pre-loaded data from a sample company, but it does not save your work from one session to the next, so it's better to use when you want to test something less crucial for you. Hope this helps!

Accounting software?

Q) What is the easiest, most userfriendly, most popular accounting software out there?

A) Why not check what is available specifically in your industry? Quickbooks is easy, user-friendly and popular, but it is not the right solution for a lot of businesses, because they need more than what it does. Define what your needs are first, then see what software will best fit them.

accounting Software?

Q) hey guys i own trucking company and looking for a software that can do accounting, payroll, keep all the driver/emloyee records! any idea?

A) You can use the Microsoft Office Accounting 2007. You can buy or download a trial version here. http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/accounting/default.aspx Or you can try a lot more softwares here. http://accounting.comparison.softwareresearchtools.com/acct_compare/index.asp Just choose any & search for it at Google or Yahoo. Or search here for instant results. http://www.download.com http://www.softpedia.com http://www.soft32.com http://www.freedownloadscenter.com http://www.brothersoft.com http://www.softplatz.com

Accounting Software?

Q) What is a good, easy to use accounting software? I need something to use for my small business, to invoice customers and I'd like to be able to print reports with it also. I am using Peachtree now and I would like to get away from it because it has been so much trouble. Thanks in advance.

A) QuickBooks is excellent for small business. Check at your local Office Depot

accounting software?

Q) what is a good software for financial statements

A) For a small business, Peachtree works reasonably well. If you're talking about what an accounting firm would use, you'd need something expensive and versatile.

accounting software?

A) MYOB Accounting Plus has both payroll, multi-currency plus many more features. I love MYOB software. It is logical, sensible, simple and easy to use and if set-up correctly it will streamline administration, freeing up the business owners’ time to concentrate on running their business. There is a huge amount of MYOB support available for the end-user. MYOB software will grow with your business, and add-on solutions can be utilised for specialist requirements. Where are you located? You can download a free 3 month trial version from http://www.myob-us.com. If you are not in America, you can go to the website & click on the links for the relevant country. You should speak to your accountant - what software would they prefer you to use (this will save you money at tax time) as it will easily integrate with their systems. You could also proactively search for an MYOB savvy accountant. I would also recommend, what ever software you get you get an expert to spend two hours setting it up properly for you – you can find an MYOB Certified Consultant on the web site. I am an MYOB Certified Consultant, so I am biased, but I have a lot of happy clients.

Accounting software?

Q) I just got a job in which i will be 10-99ed at the end of the year. Is there a program out there that i can use to track all my income and expences that i'm able to use as a write off?

A) If you have Microsoft Excel I would just setup a spreadsheet in that. You can create formulas to add the rows. Ask your tax advisor for a checklist of possible expense writeoffs.

Accounting software(most popular in canada)?

Q) Accounting software(most popular in canada)? hi dears, i want to know about the name of some accounting softwares and most polpular ones in canada(vancouver), and is there any website that has free tutorial for learning accounting softwares. How much knowledge an entry level acouuntant most know? best regards. anna

A) Accounting software is computer software that records and processes accounting transactions within functional modules such as accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll and trial balance. It functions as an accounting information system. It may be developed in-house by the company or organization using it, may be purchased from a third party, or may be a combination of a third-party application software package with local modifications. It varies greatly in its complexity and cost. Since the mid 1990s, the market has been undergoing considerable consolidation, with many suppliers ceasing to trade or being bought by larger groups, notably by Sage and Microsoft. Modules Accounting software is typically composed of various modules, different sections dealing with particular areas of accounting. Among the most common are: * Accounts payable—where the company enters its bills and pays money it owes * Accounts receivable—where the company enters money received * Billing—where the company produces invoices to clients/customers * Debt Collection—where the company tracks attempts to collect overdue bills (sometimes part of accounts receivable) * Expense—where employee business-related expenses are entered * General ledger—the company's "books" * Inquiries—where the company looks up information on screen without any edits or additions * Payroll—where the company tracks salary, wages, and related taxes * Reports—where the company prints out data * Timesheet—where professionals (such as attorneys and consultants) record time worked so that it can be billed to clients SAP, ORACLE FINANCIALS

Accounting software(most popular in canada)?

Q) Accounting software(most popular in canada)? hi dears, i want to know about the name of some accounting softwares and most polpular ones in canada(vancouver), and is there any website that has free tutorial for learning accounting softwares. How much knowledge an entry level acouuntant most know? best regards. anna

A) SAP, ORACLE FINANCIALS Accounting software is computer software that records and processes accounting transactions within functional modules such as accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll and trial balance. It functions as an accounting information system. It may be developed in-house by the company or organization using it, may be purchased from a third party, or may be a combination of a third-party application software package with local modifications. It varies greatly in its complexity and cost. Since the mid 1990s, the market has been undergoing considerable consolidation, with many suppliers ceasing to trade or being bought by larger groups, notably by Sage and Microsoft. Modules Accounting software is typically composed of various modules, different sections dealing with particular areas of accounting. Among the most common are: * Accounts payable—where the company enters its bills and pays money it owes * Accounts receivable—where the company enters money received * Billing—where the company produces invoices to clients/customers * Debt Collection—where the company tracks attempts to collect overdue bills (sometimes part of accounts receivable) * Expense—where employee business-related expenses are entered * General ledger—the company's "books" * Inquiries—where the company looks up information on screen without any edits or additions * Payroll—where the company tracks salary, wages, and related taxes * Reports—where the company prints out data * Timesheet—where professionals (such as attorneys and consultants) record time worked so that it can be billed to clients

which accounting software is better for a small business?

Q) I am trying to control 4 separate businesses from one location. Basicly checking on sales,expenses, profit & loss, bank deposits and other similar reports. Each business has its own system and reports to the headquarter on daily basis. I am looking for an accounting software that will fit this scenario...I just need to receive, compile and generate additional reports from the data provided. would it be Peachtree accounting software or Microsoft accounting express or if there are any other please do let me know. yours, desparatly awaiting the answer

A) I truely believe that it would be quickbooks. Check out their website with all the stuff it can do for you. www.quickbooks.com

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