Thinking of switching out of Peachtree

[angiesetc]

I have been using peachtree for about 8 years and I have had great luck with it but I am finding it unbearable having to pay for the upgrades and tax updates yearly. In January the company tried to switch to paying everyone as subcontractors to eliminate having to pay the workers comp on payroll but that isn't working and I have to start with Payroll again. Unfortunately I cant due to not having the most recent tax update and in order to get it I have to fork out 299.00 and there were no changes in the payroll tax formulas from 2004 and I have to still pay the money in order to continue using payroll. That sucks. So, I am really thinking of switching over to Quickbooks, any suggestions?

[rosech252]

You can update your own tax tables. Do a search on postings around the first of the year for that info. I have only been using PT for a year, and have so much to learn! But, I had little trouble doing the updates. Sure beats forking over those bucks!

[Diane Koers]

First of all...switching to QuickBooks will not fix the problem. QuickBooks has a yearly upgrade just like PT. And with Quickbooks, you MUST subscribe to their tax service. You cannot manually edit the tax tables....and you must do it online which many people don't like to do.

With Peachtree, you don't have to subscribe to the tax service. You can manually update your user defined tax table to include the SS, FIT and other taxes. It's not real easy the first time, but after that; it's a piece of cake.

[angiesetc]

Do you know where I can find the directions to post them manually? They are the same in CT as last year is there a simpler way of doing this?

[wbarrick]

Updating the tax tables is easy - perhaps a little tedious but you can do it. I've use Peachtree since the very first Windows version and I've never purchased a tax update (and I've always had employees).

Go to the main tool bar, select File/Payroll Tax Tables/Maintain Company (or User Maintained in v 2005). You have to select each of the type taxes listed (FICA and Medicare for both employee and employer, FUTA and State unemployment, and FIT and State income tax if applicable) Except for income taxes, you just edit each tax type's formula to make sure the percentage and the limit is correct, then assign a new id and rename the tax with the last two digits of the current payroll year and save it. For income taxes you have to select Table from the tool bar on the tax maintenance box and fill in the brackets for the tax ranges - you can get this from the IRS publication Employer's Tax Guide. You will have to do this for the "Married" tax and for the "Single". Sounds really complicated, I know, but it really isn't.