Overview
Switching from Quicken Classic for Windows (Business & Personal) to Quicken for Mac (Business & Personal), or vice versa, means adjusting to differences in how features look, behave, and are managed. This article highlights the key differences.
How are Accounts Receivable (A/R) and Accounts Payable (A/P) tracked?
Windows
You can create Accounts Receivable (for tracking Customer Invoices) and Accounts Payable (for tracking Vendor Bills/Invoices) accounts manually under the Business tab. If multiple businesses are tracked in Quicken, all invoices, regardless of the business, are tracked in a single Accounts Receivable (A/R) account by default. You can create multiple receivable accounts in Quicken for Windows, allowing for more robust tracking of invoices and payments.
Mac
Quicken automatically creates an Accounts Receivable (for tracking Client Invoices) account after an invoice is created. If multiple businesses are tracked, a separate Accounts Receivable account is created automatically for each business. For vendors, there is currently no A/P workflow as vendor bills and liabilities are not managed within the product and cannot be reported or tracked. Business expenses can be recorded as upcoming Bills, manually entered into the register, or downloaded from a financial institution (if supported by the institution).
How is Sales Tax handled?
Windows
By default, Quicken uses a single Sales Tax liability account to track all sales tax funds collected and owed, regardless of the number of businesses you manage. You can create multiple sales tax liability accounts, however only one sales tax account can be applied to an invoice.
Mac
Quicken automatically creates a Sales Tax liability account after you save your first invoice. Each business has its own sales tax liability account. You can set different sales tax rates on each invoice, but all sales tax amounts are tracked in the liability account for the business the invoice belongs to.
Are Business Reports the same in Windows and Mac?
Windows
Reports can be run on either a cash or accrual basis and are highly customizable with filters, titles, and formatting options. Quicken for Windows provides a full suite of Business Reports, including: Profit & Loss, Balance Sheet, Cash Flow, Accounts Receivable (A/R) Aging, Accounts Payable (A/P) Aging, and more.
Mac
Quicken for Mac offers a smaller set of Business Reports with fewer customization features. Reports can also be run on a cash or accrual basis and customized with filters. However, customization options are more limited than in Windows.
Current limitations in Mac include:
No Accounts Payable (A/P) report for tracking vendor bills.
Report titles cannot be changed.
Rows and columns cannot be customized (including subtotals).
Cents cannot be hidden.
Does the navigation differ between versions?
Both Quicken for Windows and Quicken for Mac include a Business tab for business-related functions and reports, but the navigation and interface differ.
Windows
Uses a traditional menu and tab layout with right-click options.
Accounts in the sidebar can be manually organized and grouped.
Reports are accessed from the Reports drop-down menu under the Business tab.
Mac
Uses a modern interface with limited right-click options.
Accounts in the sidebar are organized alphabetically (no custom sorting).
Reports are accessed from the Dashboard under the Business tab.
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