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No W-2s? 2023 is the year of QuickBooks Online

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This content was produced in partnership with Intuit.

For the average employed person, tax season is a relative breeze. Pop in some W-2 information and watch the refunds accumulate. At least that’s what it seems like from the outside, for the increasing number of us who make money via freelancing, side hustles, and small businesses. For us, tax season can be a real headache and the endless forms for dozens of income streams can feel like a minefield.

What’s worse is that guidance has never been so terrible. Established businesses have tax-prep procedures built up over the years and the resources to hire teams to get the nasty bits done, while millennials – and our younger, Gen Z friends – feel left in the dust. Doing a little Google Sheets data entry and praying that PayPal won’t make any mistakes with their new reporting requirement is rough enough. Trying to put this information into unfeeling, computerized boxes that don’t always match 1-to-1 with what you are wanting is enough to warrant full-on panic.

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Luckily, QuickBooks Online is jumping into the fray to give us a leg up and demystify taxes, business and personal. QuickBooks, which you’ve probably heard of — they’ve been around since 1983 — has long been a favorite of tax professionals and small business owners. But if you haven’t been following them since 1983, getting started sounds intimidating. That’s why, this year, QuickBooks Online is offering “Free Guided Setup” so you can get your business dealing recorded to the same level of solid, established bookkeeping as your older competitors. They’re bringing the human element back to tax preparation so a whole new generation can finally get on the footing they deserve.

Getting started on the right foot

Man working on tablet using Intuit QuickBooks Online
Intuit QuickBooks

If you’re just starting your business, or want to in 2023, this part is for you.

QuickBooks Online has all of the tools you need to track your business dealings. It can track your sales flow, help you deal with contractor payments, and so much more. This year added a new feature where your sales channels can connect directly to the QuickBooks software. In other words, a lot of reduced work and worry for you. The software — and our tax structure — has grown so much in QuickBooks’ 40 years of business that there are a lot of features added and a ton of potential time to be saved by you.

But won’t getting it all connected and working be difficult? If I make a mistake, won’t I get audited?

They’re not totally unreasonable fears. In our collective minds, we can imagine the sepia-toned days of yore, with the clueless young businessperson sitting down with a tax professional that helped them get everything together. Today, it can feel like YouTube tutorials and error messages are all the help we’ll ever receive. QuickBooks Online is taking us out of YouTube and back into the comfort of the hands-on experience with their new Free Guided Setup program, connecting new users with a QuickBooks expert. Here’s just a taste of the services your QuickBooks expert will provide:

  • Help you connect QuickBooks with your Bank and cards, so income and expenses can be extracted easily.
  • Guidance on how to utilize all of the automated tools that are relevant to you.
  • Teach you the QuickBooks best practices and tricks to get you up to speed with your older peers.

The nice part about this new program is that it not only comes free, but you can also save up to 50% off on your QuickBooks Online subscription when you try it. Go ahead and see if it’s right for you:

Untangling the mess

Intuit helping construction business
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Maybe you’ve been hacking it together for years, but tax time keeps presenting unusual struggles for you each year.

Join the club.

Luckily, QuickBooks Online is still for you! In addition to the Free Guided Setup described above (let’s face it, you’ll know a lot more about what you want automated away after a few years of doing it yourself) you’ll probably also love taking advantage of QuickBooks Online’s Live Bookkeeping. While this feature is great for everyone, it can be especially great for those of us that know our record-keeping hasn’t been so diligent for the past few months. Why? Your QuickBooks-certified bookkeeper will help you bring your past books up to date and then get you on track for a less confusing year. If wading through your payments records feels like walking through a vine-filled jungle, let QuickBooks be your machete.

You’ll also get help correctly categorizing all of those transactions that you’ve just been guessing at and hoping for the best all of these years. With access to reports at your fingertips, you’ll always know how your business is doing and what tweaks need to be made. So, consider scheduling a free consultation with a QuickBooks-certified bookkeeper today to save you some stress in the future.

John Alexander
John Alexander
Former Digital Trends Contributor
John Alexander is a former ESL teacher, current writer and internet addict, and lacks the wisdom to know what the future…
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