Easy Desk Office
Checking and Banking
Content
You will find in-depth help file plus additonal information and hints on using Easy Desk Office On Line at our site.
The Checking and Banking department must be setup before any other department. Without it you cannot create companies in any other departments. Even if you do not plan on using checking, you must setup a company or personal account associated with your invoices, purchase orders, inventory, and payroll.
Once a company has been setup, you will be able to print customers' checks. You can accept checks from your customer via fax, phone, email, web site, or an agreement for reoccurring payments.You will find the laws governing the acceptance of checks without a signature at http://www.easydesksoftware.com/legal.htm
To setup your account, click on the button Setup Account; fill in all the windows that appear. If you do not know what the Branch or the Reserve numbers are click on Save Information. You will be asked for an account nick name. The account nick names can be no larger than 15 characters. The nick name is only displayed in the account window, not on your checks. For non-US accounts see Account Number. The software will then need to be restarted.
If you did not enter the Branch or
Reserve numbers: When you restart, select your account nick name
and click on New Check and then Display Check. Now click on the
menu Bar Item Edit >Edit Account Information. Open your
existing check book, look for some small printing with numbers
that are formatted like:
63-2/630 555
or
63-2 555
630
In this example, the 555 is the Branch number, the 63 is the
reserve number. If you still have a problem identifying these
numbers, place an X in the Reserve window and click on Display
check. You will clearly see where the Reserve number belongs. The
Branch number is not required if your current checks do not have
one. The Branch number is normally 1 to 5 digits.
You may add as many accounts as you wish. To add additional accounts, you will find Add New Account in the drop down accounts window. When this is selected the New Check button will display Setup Account, repeat the above process.
You should now view Customizing and Adjustments for setting up the magnetic numbers.
The Account Number can be customized to accept non-US account numbers. The account number can be up to 20 digits. To insert A use an A, to insert B use a B to insert C use a C, to insert D use a D
Deposits and Balances
Deposits and balances can be setup and edited using the menu bar item Banking > Edit Account Balance, is self explanatory.
You have two options when it comes to making a deposit and entering it into the database. You can use the menu bar item Banking >Make Deposit or Banking >Import On Line Banking.
Make Deposit:
You can manually enter each deposit. This will add to the account
balance of the account displayed in the My Check window.
Import
On Line Banking:
On Line Banking adds to the balance in the database, it can be
used with or without Make Deposit.
The Import On Line Banking imports QIF files, either 2 digit or 4
digit. A screen is displayed showing all transactions to be
imported. It automatically un-checks normal counter credits,
which are your deposits. On the debit side of the screen it will
un-checks any checks that you written. It places a check next to
all other transactions such as bank fees, credit card deposits,
and transfers.
When using Import On Line Banking and not use the Make Deposit method, you will need to use the Select All button on the deposits side.
Invoice Payments:
Under the menu bar item Banking, you will also find Invoice
payments. If you have the Invoicing license, you can use this
menu item. It will tell you how much the Billing and Receivables
department have collected. When you make the deposit you can set
it to zero. This function has no effect to on the bank balance,
it is just informational.
Customizing and Adjustments
After you have setup your checking account, you need to verify that the MICA font has been installed.
Click on the New Check button, click on Display Check.
Look at the account and routing number line at the bottom of the check on the screen. If the numbers look like A000056789A instead of A000056789A (if both look the same then the font is not installed) then the MICA font is not installed or you need to reboot to load the font. The software should check for this font installation automatically, and install it, if it is not already.
You must now adjust the routing and account numbers at the bottom on the check. Place a blank check or blank 8.5 X 11 sheet of paper in your printer.
Using the Menu bar item Customize > Magnetic Numbers > Print Sample Check, print a sample check.
You can customize the check with:
If you want your check printed with any of these options you must also check the appropriate item under Printing.
To print on blank paper and not blank check stock, you will need to use Customize > Add a Background. Once you have selected and saved the background you must select the option Printing > Print on Blank Paper
To print on blank check stock you will need to have business size checks. Blank check stock comes 3 to a sheet (8.5 X 11) OR 1 with a stub to a sheet. You must select the option Printing > Print on Check Stock.
If you are planning on using the Payroll department in the software you might want to use both types of blank check stock. The Payroll checks will print with a stub. This stub can also be printed to the second check on the sheet of check stock; if you elect to use 3 checks to a sheet, instead of stock with a stub.
If you are printing on check stock without a stub, select the menu bar item Printing > Print No Stub. To print on check stock with a stub you must select Printing > Print With Stub. Payroll check will automatically print with a stub no matter what your setting are.
Ordering Check Stock
To order blank check stocks, we have supplied you with a link to a site that you can order check stock from. We are not associated with this site. The link is simple there for your convenience. You can also find blank check stock at Staples and Office Max.
Recalling Information
You can quickly recall a check and print it.
My
Check:
To print a check for a payee that has already been issued a check
Use the menu bar item Search > My Check
Do a search for all checks or by Payee, or by the month or day.
Double click on the check you want in the report window.
Click on the button Make New Check for Payee. All the information will be inserted for you. It will put the dollar amount in and the same information you had in the note field that was on the check you selected.
Customer
Check:
If you have reoccuring payments from a customer or a customer
that orders regularly and has you print his check; you do not
need to fill in all the information.
Use the menu bar item Search > Customer Check
Do a search for all checks or by the month or day.
Double click on the check you want in the report window.
Click on the button Make Check for this Customer
Printing Checks
The software will always print to the default printer. Envelopes can be set to printed to a different printer if you have a dedicated envelope printer. See the envelope screen.
You will notice that there are two areas to the right of the screen. My Check and Customer Check. My Check refers to your company or personal checks. Customer Check refers to accepting a check from a customer that you are going to print.
You may also wish to see Customizing
To
print My Check:
Click on New Check; click on Insert Check and fill in the windows
that have been displayed in the Check window. Click on Display
Check and verify the check. If you need to make any changes click
on Insert Check to reopen the windows. The check will be printed
exactly as you see it on screen, without the background if you
have selected Print on Check Stock. To print the check, click on
Print Check. The amount that the check is for will automatically
be deducted from your balance in the database, on the account
that the check is drawn on.
When printing with a stub the entire Memo field is included on the stub, as well as the payee, payer, date, check number, and the amount.
To start a new check at any time, click on the Cancel button or Next Check.
To
print a Customer Check:
Click on the Take a Check button, and fill in the windows that
have been display. You must include at least the customers Name,
check number, routing number, and account number. Then click on Insert Check and fill in the windows that
have been display in the Check. If you have not already set up a
Payee, select Add a Payee from the drop down window in the Payee
field.
If your customer is not signing the check, you must also include a notice of how the check was authorized, as well as a date and time. You will also need to include a statement, "No Signature Required" Select the menu bar item Printing > Print No Signature Required.
Click on Display Check and verify the check. If you need to make any changes click on Insert Check to reopen the windows. To print the check, click on Print Check. The amount of the check is not added to your account automatically. You will need to add the check as a deposit or allow the Import On Line Banking function to add it to your balance.
When printing with a stub the entire Memo field is included on the stub, as well as the payee, payer, date, check number, and the amount.
To start a new check at any time, click on the Cancel button.
Reprinting a Check:
A check can be reprinted once it has been printed once. You will
not be able to change the date or the amount. This feature is
included with the software for the sole purpose of reprinting a
check that failed to print the first time.
Year End
Accounting:
To set a date that you want to close your year end account out,
use then menu bar item Banking > End of Account Year. The
default is always 1/1/(next year). When this date comes, the
software will post a notice that the year is up and a new
database should be started. The Payroll database cannot be
changed as the IRS ends the payroll tax year on December 31. The
payroll database will no longer allow you to enter payroll checks
after the fiscal year ends.
It is recommended that a new database be installed on the 1st day of the new account year. The database name should start with the year to make identifying it easy. This is done by default. When starting a new database you will have the option of importing all accounts, setting and balances, open and pending invoices and purchase orders, and other items that you require.
Closing an Account Year:
A supervisor can open a prior year's database and make reports
for departments. All the accounting reports for the year can be
printed. The supervisor will need to start a new database, see
year end accounting, above. The supervisor will also have to open
the new database for each user if you are using passwords in this
software; as users are not allowed to open different databases,
other than the sample.
Expense Types:
Expense types will be posted to each check printed in My Check.
If you enter the wrong expense type to a check, it can be change
later. Do a search for the check and displayed it, select edit
check and change the expense type; then save the edit. Your
accountant may wish to change Expense Types at year's end for
creating the spreadsheet.
Invoice Payments:
Displayed under the menu bar item Banking is strictly
informational and has no effect to on the bank balance in the
database. It will tell you how much the Billing and Receivables
department have collected. You may reset it to zero once the
payments have been received or deposited by the Banking
department.
Expense Types
Expense Types must be setup by the Banking and Checking department. All other departments will use the same expense types as Banking. The Payroll department will add Payroll as an expense type automatically.
Expense types are shared with all the bank accounts you have created. If you enter Phone in a business account, it will also be available for use in your personal account and other business accounts.
You should carefully select the types of expenses you enter. Accounting reports will be done by expense types; you do not want to have several expense types that are similar in accounting.
The Spreadsheet Expense Types can be entered seperately. When you open the spread sheet for the first time, you will be given an option to import the existing Expense Types. You will be able to add as many as you want to the spreadsheet. This allows you to break down expenses even further.
Reports can be generated for any search that is performed for Checking or Payables. There are four main types of searches that can be performed under the menu bar item Search. Each one of these will allow you to perform a variety of different searches.
The Payroll screen can only be accessed from the Checking and Banking screen.
If you are using the trial version you will not need to reenter any information into the registered version; with the exception for Payroll. You may use the sample database for trying the payroll system.
If you use the trial version payroll on your company's database and print payroll checks, they will be printed into your company's database and the trial version payroll database. Upon registration the trial payroll database will be obsolete.
The Sample Database can be open by selecting the menu bar item File > Open Sample Company. You are able to enter new information into this database without having it in your own company's database.
To access Payables use the menu bar item Departments > Payables. This will produce a new area on the Checking Screen.
You can manually setup reoccurring payments and regular bill payments. You can print a report for any query in payables.
Reoccurring Payments:
Must be setup manually, once. You will enter to due date and the
last date you paid it. When you query List All Due Payables these
payments will be included in the list if they are due.
You will find a few samples in the Sample Database.
Regular Payments:
You do not need to post each bill you need to pay in Add Regular
Payables first. You may issue checks directly from the Check and
Banking screen. If you elect to add you bills to Add Regular
Payables, you will be able to see what is due today and what is
past due.
The Purchare Order department will automatically add bills to the Regular Payables when they have received a shipment. They will tell you when it is due and for how much.
You will find a few samples in the Sample Database.
List All Due Payables:
All bills, reoccurring or regular, due on the date or before the
date (Date on the Computer) will be listed. To pay - edit - or
delete any bill in the list, double click on it. Bills can be
paid from any query you do in this window. The account balance
will be deducted only when the check is printed. The Bill will be
mark as paid when you answer the question "Mark this bill as
paid?" after selecting Pay Now; even if you do not print it.