New and improved features in QuickBooks Desktop Plus 2024

QuickBooks Desktop Plus 2024 includes many features that offer enhanced security, improved efficiency, and feature improvements. Let’s dive right in.

IMPROVED! Security enhancements

Included with: QuickBooks Desktop Pro Plus, Premier Plus, and Accountant Plus 2024, Enterprise (Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Diamond) and ES Accountant 24.0.

Features: QuickBooks Desktop, along with all Intuit Desktop applications, are upgrading their data encryption standards from AES 128 to AES 256.

All QuickBooks Desktop data stored in the user's hosting environment for local/network storage will be encrypted with stronger, industry leading encryption. QuickBooks users can be confident that their data is safeguarded and protected using the latest security protocols.

Note: External accountants using QuickBooks Desktop 2024 cannot upgrade their clients’ company files using accountant credentials if the clients’ company file is from QuickBooks Desktop 2023 or an older version.

IMPROVED! Seamless background updates

Included with: QuickBooks Desktop Pro Plus, Premier Plus, and Accountant Plus 2024, Enterprise (Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Diamond) and ES Accountant 24.0.

Previous releases of QuickBooks Desktop would present interrupting pop-up messages to update the software with no detailed information about what has been improved. QuickBooks 2024 provides the user with a notification on the toolbar, letting the user click it at a convenient time to learn about what is included in the update. QuickBooks users can then decide when it would be the best time to update without having to constantly close reminder pop-up messages. Future maintenance releases of QuickBooks are expected to let the user schedule when to complete the update.

IMPROVED! List search functionality

Included with: QuickBooks Desktop Pro Plus, Premier Plus, and Accountant Plus 2024, Enterprise (Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Diamond) and ES Accountant 24.0

Accessible: From the menu bar, select Lists > Payroll Item list or Fixed Assets Item List.

Features: For many QuickBooks users, navigating long lists creates the need for manual processes in order to sort or find a specific item on a list—only to have to repeat the process every time. With the release of QuickBooks Desktop 2024, a search bar has been added to these specific lists:

• Memorized transaction list
• Payroll item list
• Fixed asset item list

NEW! Prepayments on sales orders

Included with: QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise (Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Diamond) and ES Accountant 24.0 with an active QuickBooks Payments account.

Accessible: From a displayed Sales Order transaction, select Receive Payments on the main toolbar. The Admin user will also need to create or assign a Prepayment current liability type account. From the menu bar, select Edit > Preferences > Payments > Company Preferences tab.

Features: For many of the clients I have worked with over the years, I expect this will be one of their more useful features released. Recording customer prepayments (deposits) has always been a difficult accounting challenge for a growing business. Many of these businesses create Sales Order transactions to record the commitment to sell a product or provide a service. The confusion was how to invoice the customer for the upfront deposit, and not recognize the income until the product or service was provided to their customer.

With the release of QuickBooks Enterprise 24.0, users are provided the option to record a received payment from the Sales Order transaction. There is no need to create an invoice for the customer for them to pay from; when the receive payment is recorded from the Sales Order, QuickBooks Enterprise increases (debits) the bank account (or undeposited funds), and increases (credits) a current liability account assigned in the Payment company preferences.

QuickBooks Enterprise users can also print a Sales Order for their customer showing the prepayments received. Later, when the Sales Order is converted to an Invoice, the customer’s prepayment can then be applied to the invoice(s).

IMPROVED! Item categorization for multiple item types

Included with: QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise (Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Diamond) and ES Accountant 24.0.

Accessible: From the menu bar, select Lists > Item List > Add New or Edit an existing item.

Features: Effectively organize inventory with intuitive multi-level categorization. Establish comprehensive (up to four levels) categorization of inventory items. Improved in the QuickBooks Enterprise 24.0 release includes accessing the categories in the Lists > Add/Edit Multiple List Entries functionality. Work efficiently, performing many types of list maintenance in batch.

Optionally use the new Find & Select items with categories, use in Advanced Rules and even view item categories in important inventory and sales reports.

IMPROVED! Inventory lot tracking report enhancements

Included with: QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise (Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Diamond) and ES Accountant 24.0.

Accessible: When preparing reports with Items assigned to Lot tracking.

Features: New Inventory Stock Status by Lot Number report. QuickBooks users needed more detailed reporting when tracking inventory assigned to Lot Numbers.

IMPROVED! Employee center experience

Included with: QuickBooks Desktop Pro Plus, Premier Plus, and Accountant Plus 2024, Enterprise (Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Diamond) and ES Accountant 24.0 with an active Enhanced Payroll subscription.

Accessible: From the menu bar, select Employees, Employee List.

Features: This is an improved user interface when working with the employee setup screens. With QuickBooks Desktop 2024, the Employee Center offers visual cues where employee profile information might be incomplete. In prior year releases of QuickBooks Desktop, omissions of needed payroll information were not easily identified until trying to complete a payroll transaction, or when filing quarterly or annual forms.

IMPROVED! Integrated 401(k) for Enhanced Payroll subscribers

Included with: QuickBooks Desktop Pro Plus, Premier Plus, and Accountant Plus 2024, Enterprise (Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Diamond) and ES Accountant 24.0 with an active Enhanced Payroll subscription.

Accessible: First add the 401(k) payroll item deduction to your payroll items list, then from the menu bar, select Employees > Employee Center and assign the 401(k) item(s) to specific employees.

Features: QuickBooks Users can easily sign up for a fully integrated and affordable Guideline 401(k) plan through QuickBooks with an Enhanced Payroll subscription. Users can choose from a list of plan options suiting their needs in one place. Users can easily set up the plan, and 401(k) plan contributions and deductions are completed seamlessly. QuickBooks 2024 has improved the user’s experience, prompting the user to complete the needed employee profile information.

Check back to the Firm of the Future blog for any QuickBooks Desktop 2024 updates.