I will tell you right off the bat, I hate quickbooks. I am not a negative person nor do I take to hating anything lightly. I have just cause to hate the software. I just can’t sit around and watch businessesand non-profits not be aware of QB shortfalls. Where do I begin? In my opinion, It is not a proper accounting software. It is not based on debits and credits which is the basis of all good accounting systems.

The following is my opinion:

Using quickbooks is the easiest way to embezzle money. I believe QB knows it and won’t put internal controls in because it will take away the biggest selling point which is “It’s user friendly”. It’s also “embezzler friendly”. You can delete and void any check or deposit and put in your own name. You can make it appear on two sets of books. You can enter it on several sets of books.

What damage has been done? Colleges are now offering courses in Quickbooks. It is a marketing success but a detriment to accounting.

Audit Trail? What audit trail? QB promoters will fight me on this one saying accountants can run an audit trail. My point is the business owner doesn’t run it and isn’t aware of any stealing. The old means of monitoring a bookkeeper are gone. Owners used to ask for a list of the checks written and using a real accounting system you could trust that the list would show all the vendors. The vendors were the actual vendors the checks were written to because there were strict controls set on the system for deleting and voiding checks. In contrast, a QB check payment list could be anything you want it to be.

Quickbooks has also crept into large businesses. Businesses with several million dollars in sales are using QB and in my opinion, they are opening themselves up to embezzlement.

If you have ever worked on a real accounting system. (ones with debit and credits and controls), when you make a mistake on a check, deleting is not an option. You have to void and rewrite a check.

If you make a mistake on an entry, you have to reverse the wrong entry and put in the new entry. When I was a young staff accountant, I remember being embarrassed that everyone could see my mistakes and corrections. It made me be a better accountant faster.

In summary, the QB deposits, bills and checks can be manipulated so easily that the numbers they produce are only has honest as the bookkeeper you hire. Make sure your bookkeeper is bonded and do a background check on all of your employees that have access to QB. Or, simply buy a real accounting software package.