Management

Best Accounting Software For Childcare Centers

Gavin Wieske
March 15, 2017

When operating a childcare center, much like any business, it is very important to organize your finances. Software makes it easier to keep track of information such as your revenue, receivables, and expenses to help you monitor your financial performance. It’s of utmost importance to manage your cash flow and finding ways to cut costs will help you to increase your profit.

Sandbox Software has been designed specifically for child care centers, making it easy to invoice your parents and process and/or record payments. In order to fully manage all of your accounting needs, including expenses, Sandbox recommends using an accounting software package alongside it. The accounting summary report in Sandbox makes it easy to enter your revenue into the accounting software of your choice. In order to help you decide which accounting software is the best fit for your business, here are three great options available for small businesses.

1. Quickbooks

Quickbooks is by far the most popular accounting software available, serving over 80% of small businesses. With their most recent release of Quickbooks Online, they now provide both installed and web-based options of their software. With many years of experience, they have built a robust product with extensive functionality. The main features that Quickbooks offers include Accounts Payable & Receivable tracking, Billing & Invoicing, Online Payment, Expense Tracking, and Payroll. Their pricing starts as low as $4.99/Month and ranges up to $49/Month. On Capterra their installed software has the best results with a 4.5/5 rating and their new online software has received a solid 4/5 star rating. If you need powerful software and don’t mind spending the money, Quickbooks could be the right fit for you.

2. Zoho Books

Zoho provides many different business modules, including Zoho Books for accounting. Although their accounting module is not as well known as other accounting software programs, they have an impressive supply of features available including Accounts Payable & Receivable, Billing & Invoicing, Project Accounting, Client Portal and more. The software is built using responsive design and they offer apps for iOS, Android and Windows. Their pricing ranges from $7/Month to $27/Month, with other add-ons available for an extra fee. They currently have an impressive 4.5/5 rating on Capterra. If you are looking for easy to use software for your basic accounting needs, Zoho Books is another great option.

3. Wave

Wave is free web-based accounting software. They started in 2010 and already have over 2 million customers. Wave is a great option for startups or small businesses that are not able/willing to pay for accounting software. One frustration with Wave is that there is no phone support available (unless you pay for it) so waiting for a 24-48 hours for a response from their support team when you’re in a bind will likely cause you frustration. However, they do maintain a 4/5 rating on Capterra. Waves features include Accounts Payable & Receivable tracking, Billing & Invoicing, Expense Tracking, Payroll (also at an additional cost) and more. If you are tech savvy and looking for free software to manage your accounting needs, Wave may be the right choice for you!

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