Is your business VAT registered?

Answer yes if your company is registered for VAT, or if you plan to register for VAT in the next 6 - 12 months.

Do you trade with customers or suppliers in foreign currencies?

Answer yes if some of your customers or suppliers are located outside the UK, or if you think you might work with foreign customers or suppliers in future.

QuickBooks makes it easy for you to trade with international customers and suppliers in their currencies, by monitoring exchange rates and automatically converting currencies.

Do you need to track stock or create purchase orders?

Answer yes if you'd like to monitor stock levels of products your business sells.

Also answer yes if you need to raise purchase orders when you place orders with suppliers.

Do you want to send documents through Hotmail, Yahoo Mail or Gmail?

Answer yes if you'd like accounting software which can connect to your webmail service to send out documents like invoices and estimates without you having to attach them to emails manually.

Some editions of QuickBooks Desktop have a webmail integration feature which enables them to connect to your Hotmail, Yahoo Mail or Gmail account.

Do you need to keep track of money your business owes?

Answer yes if you'd like your accounting software to track supplier invoices and outgoings due by a certain date.

QuickBooks can show how outgoings will affect your cashflow and warn when payments are due.

Do you want to view detailed reports about your business?

Answer yes if you would like to be able to see very detailed reports about your business through a central report centre.

Detailed reports contain information about your finances, sales and tax beyond the standard balance sheet and profit and loss reports. Many businesses find these useful as they grow.

Do you need to invoice several customers for the same things at once?

Answer yes if your business often invoices different customers for the same items at the same time.

Some versions of QuickBooks include batch invoicing, which means you can send a single invoice to several customers at once. If you currently create invoices individually, batch invoicing can save you lots of time.

Do you require a payroll system integrated with your accounting software?

Answer yes if you have employees in your business who you pay regularly. Also answer yes if you plan to employ people in your business.

Some QuickBooks editions are available with an optional payroll system which makes it easy to run payroll regularly and file payroll forms with HMRC. It's usually much faster than running manual payroll and means you don't have to outsource.

Do you need to create back orders?

Answer yes if you want customers to be able to order things from you even when they are out of stock.

QuickBooks has a back order function which keeps track of these orders and allocates stock to them once it's available. Offering a back order facility can reduce the number of customers who buy from competitors when you're out of stock.

Does your business require advanced stock control?

Answer yes if your business has products which are sold individually and as part of kits or bundles.

Also answer yes if you buy and sell stock in different units of measure. For instance, a pub might buy wine by the bottle but sell it by the glass.

Some editions of QuickBooks include advanced stock control which can automatically handle situations like these, ensuring stock levels are displayed accurately.