What are the best business accounting programs for small businesses?

One of the most important functions in a small business is the accounting management. All small businesses need to know where the money went and most importantly where it is going. Sales records for 2008 show that these top selling accounting software programs simplify small business accounting tasks, and provide all the reports and tools any small business owner will need to effectively use his or her financial data. An important note is that Simply Accounting and QuickBooks are available for Windows, NT, and Mac platforms.

• Intuit QuickBooks Accounting Software-This popular accounting software holds the number one spot in sales to small businesses at this time. QuickBooks is a popular and full featured accounting and payroll program that is specifically designed for small businesses in other words a small business accounting software series. QuickBooks is also available in Basic, Online, Pro, and Premier Editions; the Pro Edition of this accounting program includes management tools such as a Vehicle Mileage Tracker and a Cash Flow Projector. The small business owner with or without extensive computer experience will find this software easy to use and highly applicable to the running of a small business.
• Simply Accounting Software-This is a full featured accounting and payroll package with all the features and reports that any small business needs.The program also includes Internet and e-commerce features. For ease of use this small business accounting software's data entry screens resemble their paper counterparts, and best of all the screen tips and drag and drop functionality make the accounting program easy to learn. Professional versions also include a time and billing module. Simply Accounting Software comes multi-user ready which can really be plus for a new company just starting.
• Peachtree Complete Accounting Software-The Complete version of this small business accounting software program includes over 125 reports and features.The software has such tools as in-depth inventory, time and billing and job costing. This accounting program also comes multi-user ready and "value packs" for 3 or more users are available. Peachtree accounting software is also available in Premium and First Accounting versions for small businesses looking to expand.
• Sage Business Vision Accounting Software-Users report one of the things they like most about Sage's Business Vision small business accounting and management system is how the program does so much of the accounting for you. For example: year-end processing is automatic, and the user can continue to apply backdated transactions to the previous year, even after the year-end. Users also like the way the program is integrated with Act! and the fact that there's an add-on that offers a fully integrated ecommerce Web store and shopping cart. Sage Business Vision Accounting Software is also available in Limited, Small Business, Standard and Client Server editions.
• Microsoft Office Small Business Accounting-The big selling feature of this small business accounting software is integration.This fact alone becomes a pretty big selling feature if you are already using Microsoft Office. Being able to reuse data that is already entered into Excel or Outlook is a really useful feature and the integration with the Business Contact Manager makes it easy to stay on top of your accounts. A full slate of add-on services ranges from online payroll through Pay Pal invoicing.

Accounting software can be a really great tool for your small business.Using accounting software allows you to keep track of all your financial data, and easily produce reports for effective planning. Because you will be using your accounting software frequently, it's vitally important to ensure that you pick the accounting software that's right for your business and your needs.