See what's new in QuickBooks 2021

QuickBooks 2021 is here.

QuickBooks Desktop 2021 brings both new and improved features to help you get paid faster, while making the data your employees see more effective for their role in your company.

Here’s what’s included in the QuickBooks Desktop 2021 release and how you can use the software to keep better track of your business’ money while making it easier to do at the same time. This information is from Intuit and QuickBooks experts Laura Madeira and Karen Siewert, and it applies to QuickBooks Enterprise, QuickBooks Premier and Premier Plus, and QuickBooks Desktop Pro and Pro Plus.

New! Automated Send Statements

You can use payment reminders to schedule statements for your customers or let them know when they have invoices they still need to pay you for. Here’s how to create automated payment reminders for statements and invoices.

New! Customized Payment Receipts

Create custom templates for forms like invoices, sales receipts, estimates, statements, and purchase orders. You can customize these templates to control how they look and what information to include.

By customizing payment receipt formatting, including adding a logo, you’ll enjoy a professional and consistent look across your customer communications. Customize the format by using the familiar Layout Designer tool. Create multiple formats for use with specific customers.

Here’s how to use and customize form templates.

New! Create Customer Groups

Creating customer groups allows you to find all customers that match certain criteria for things like location, customer type, or the customer’s status. Then you can create automated statements, send payment reminders, or create mailing lists for specific groups of customers. The bottom line here is you can easily manage and automate communications to your customers.

In QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise, you can use them to define permissions and access at customer and supplier group level.

Here’s how to create customer and supplier groups.

New! Receipt Management

Automatically create and categorize receipt expense transactions in QuickBooks by using the QuickBooks Desktop mobile app to capture receipt data. Just photograph receipts, import, and review. Stay organized by attaching digital receipt images to expense transactions for audit trails. Efficiently categorize, review, and manage multiple receipt transactions at once.

Improved! Bank Feeds

Automatically categorize bank transactions with more detail by using enhanced rules, batch editing, and improved matching. Gain flexibility and efficiency with enhanced rules that permit you to quickly search for, and define, categorization criteria.

Improved! PDF Invoice and Attachment Review

Automatically preview the invoice and attachments from the Send Invoice view in QuickBooks. No longer necessary to manually open each attachment outside of QuickBooks to confirm accuracy of your email content.

Improved! Payroll Liability Reminders

An improvement for payroll processors that want to set up a payroll liability payment due reminder, using a calendar application.

Improved! Simplified Employee Payroll Setup

With the release of QuickBooks Desktop 2021, small business owners are now able to complete historical payroll setup more efficiently. Last year’s release of the simplified payroll setup offered a more complete guided setup experience. Small business owners can invite their employees to securely fill in their own personal information.

Improved! Auto Matching for Customer Merchant Payments

Helps QuickBooks Desktop merchants auto match all payments to their accounting records every time, with complete confidence and no work. The majority of downloaded payment transactions will be automatically assigned to the proper open invoice. Users can efficiently focus on a category of transactions that need immediate attention. And, the best news yet: Credit card payments are deposited the next day into the merchant’s account; no extra fees or merchant action required!

David Mitchell

Digital content coordinator and sales consultant for Peak Advisers QuickBooks and business accounting experts.