An “audit trail” for Accounts Receivable in QuickBooks is only one of the many complexities faced by government construction contractors. Running any sort of construction business can be difficult – but the amount of paperwork, the level of detail, and the additional requirements for a government contractor can cause 2 and sometimes 3 times the amount for a bookkeeper. Below is a question submitted by a reader named Shirley.
We are a Construction Company and do government contracting. Is it possible to use the Accounts Receivable Summary to track each Project and the invoices when received and when paid. It has been several years since I have used QuickBooks and have never used the Construction Version. We have QuickBooks 2011 Premier Construction.
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First, let me say that the Contractor version doesn’t work any differently than the Pro – it just has some built-in construction specific reports and other features that aren’t available in other versions. So your learning curve shouldn’t be difficult at all! That’s the good news 
As for using the Accounts Receivable Summary Report as an audit trail, personally I don’t think I would use that because it wouldn’t give me the detail that I would want – OR – that I “think” you are looking for. The A/R Summary report only shows you how much {total} money is overdue in 30, 60, and 90 day increments. This information may meet your needs if you just need to know how much money is how many days overdue by job.
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My own personal preference, would be to know which invoices were how many days past due; therefore, I would rather run the Accounts Receivable Aging Detail to determine exactly which invoices where outstanding.
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Both of these reports would provide me with information about just a specific job – each could be modified and filtered for a specific job or jobs.
Another very good report, especially if you are concerned about a specific job, is the Customer Open Balance Report {available from the actual QuickBooks job record and choosing Open Balance}.
Another alternative to obtain this information easily, without running and printing reports – would be to customize how job record information is displayed in QuickBook, that way anyone who has access to this type of information can easily see it without having to run, print, and then distribute reports. Remember, it’s all about efficiency and streamlining the workload/work flow. Customizing how information is displayed in the job record let’s you quickly see how much total money is outstanding for a specific job, when invoices were created {dated}, the date you anticipate receiving the money, how many days outstanding the money is, what the invoice was issued for and the open balance.
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For tracking Vendor costs you could run a Job Cost by Job and Vendor Detail, click the Modify Report button and customize it like the screenshot below:
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QuickBooks can do many things, including provide you with an “audit trail” for Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable. You just have to get in there an poke around and see what works for you.
While the information provided about may not answer the original question to the 100% satisfaction of the person asking it, based on the information provided it should at least provide you with things to look at and modify to best meet your needs.
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In previous posts we’ve been following the evolution of the E-Verify program and today I’d like to post an update on this program.
Beginning on September 8, 2009 (less than a week away folks) a new federal rule will require general contractors AND subcontractors – including those who are receiving American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds to use the E-Verify program.
At this time a July 1, 2010 compliance deadline is anticipated for businesses with more than 30 employees, if the businesses plan to work on state-funded projects.
From what I understand penalties can be harsh for non-compliance, violators can be fined $1,000 to $10,000 and be put in jail for 1-5 years. Additionally, contractors will loose ALL government contracts for up to three years and possibly loose business permits and licensing.
The E-Verify system was implemented and is enforced by the Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Immigration Services with the Help of the Social Security Administration.
If you haven’t signed up, and you want to continue to work on Federal/State-funded construction projects, you’d better “get going”. Visit the E-Verify section of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website at http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.eb1d4c2a3e5b9ac89243c6a7543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=75bce2e261405110VgnVCM1000004718190aRCRD&vgnextchannel=75bce2e261405110VgnVCM1000004718190aRCRD
Beginning in June, Sunburst will be offering a monthly, live and on-line, certified payroll training class.
For more information, click here.
{from the American City Business Journals/Denver on 4/27/09}
Federal contractors will now have until June 30 before they have to use the E-Verify system to check the eligibility of their employees to work in the U.S.
The Obama administration postponed the date the electronic verification rule would apply to government contractors and subcontractors in order to have more time to review it, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The rule was issued by the Bush administration in November.
Business groups have filed a lawsuit challenging the rule, contending the government doesn’t have the authority to make use of E-Verify mandatory. Congress created the E-Verify system as a voluntary program, they noted. More than 117,000 employers now use the Web-based system, which compares information supplied by employees with government records.
“We applaud the administration’s decision to take more time to re-evaluate its questionable policy mandating E-Verify use for federal contractors,” said Robin Conrad, executive vice president of the National Chamber Litigation Center. “We are hopeful that they will agree that E-Verify is the wrong solution at the wrong time.”
