Please - will anybody be so kind and could you explain me : How does it work with Bookkeeping software licencing? I mean = if you purchase any kind of Software (Sage, Quick Books, VT...) for how many sole traders / small companies can you use it as their bookkeeper? Do they also need to buy any kind of licence in this case? 2) Do I need to buy any licence if I work in "client site" with his software? + How is it with of py this software / data to my portable external HD?
QB Pro will let you have 99 companies on there. Not sure about VT as I don't use it. Sage is expensive and you buy the software with x amount of licences on it, so you could buy it with say 5 on it if you have 5 companies that you work for. (I think thats how it works anyway). I haven't got sage due to the cost factor. If you are working at the clients's premises then they should really have their own software on their PC. Like if its only a small company they may have Sage instants which is for only 1 company so may suit the smaller companies. Some companies that you will work at their premises might not be too happy about their data going off site.
I'm sure others will be on here soon to contribute.
VT Transaction+ is not licensed by the number of clients it is used for but the lower of the number of users, or the number of computers it is installed on. So if you are the on.y user and have it on 5 computers you need 1 license. If there are 5 users but it is only installed on one computer you still need only 1 license.
VT is pretty much unlimited users as each company is kept as a seperate and the initial screen just lists the files for you to pick one.
You can install the software on as many machines as you wish (home pc, office pc, laptop, etc.). The licence is per user, not per machine.
If working at a client site you can email yourself the VT files, or drop them to USB etc. making them quite easy to be mobile without going cloud.
The free software, VT Cashbook can read the VT Transaction+ files but is limited in what it can do with them.
VT Accounts is an Excel add on where VT Transaction+ and VT Cashbook are both stand alone transactions.
VT has iXBRL filing which QB does not.
QB is the UK's top selling accounts package in retail sales.
Sage is the most used but by dfar the most expensive and to my mind not the best option but that part is personal opinion and others have different views.
You've probably heard me refer to Sage licencing on the site as the Sage client tax as unlike the other options, the more clients you have the more you pay whereas with VT and QB you pay the same whether you have one or ninety nine clients.
Personally I swear by VT but it does have limitations in that it expects a serious knowledge of manual bookkeeping, the fixed asset register is non existant requiring one to keep records outside of VT and in a similar way the built in tax computations are not stored between years.
The downsides are only minor irritations that are easy to work around.
To learn VT I would recomend downloading the two month free trial of VT Accounts (which also includes VT Transaction+) even if you do not intend to provide full accountancy services as seeing th data flow through to final positions in the accounts.
It took me a couple of days using a set of accounts and the original documents of prime entry to get my head around the software (espechially how to use the Opening balance Contra's) by recreating a set of accounts identical to those that had been produced through Sage and IRIS.
Once you've mastered the basics its very intuitive but you may find it frustrating that there is so little training material out there for VT whereas there is plenty for QB and SAGE.
Good luck in your choice. Don't forget to also check out the sites sticky thread "convince me that I don't need Sage" which you may find interesting as it has strongly held view both for and against Sage.
kind regards,
Shaun.
__________________
Shaun
Responses are not meant as a substitute for professional advice. Answers are intended as outline only the advice of a qualified professional with access to all relevant information should be sought before acting on any response given.
If there are 5 users but it is only installed on one computer you still need only 1 license.
And a bit of backup on that from the licence agreement from the VT site (the bold, underline is me)
A single copy of the software can be used for an unlimited number of companies/clients. The number of user licenses required is the lower of:
The number of different individuals who operate the software (whether simultaneously or not)
The number of PC's from which the software is operated
__________________
Shaun
Responses are not meant as a substitute for professional advice. Answers are intended as outline only the advice of a qualified professional with access to all relevant information should be sought before acting on any response given.
Thank you very much for all your help (reply). I think - now I understand that "licencing process". I also did manage to look at some different bookkeeping software - (except Sage which I have as part of my studies) = mabye just to be prepare for next future.... I am trying couple of trial version just for my pleasure. I quite like that VT software = everytime when I turn it on I remember the lyrics of one Depeche Mode songs : Is simplicity best - Or simply the easiest...
Thank you and I am glad to be here (forum).
Rastislav
P.s. Mr. Don Tax - I am still in process of finishing my ICB studies (payroll) and maybe I will try that Level 3 - SA diploma and will see "what future will bring"...
-- Edited by Rastislav on Tuesday 23rd of October 2012 11:54:35 AM
