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Vulnerabilities in Remote Desktop Could Allow Remote Code Execution (2671387)

March 13, 2012 • Jeff Cecchini • Comments Off on Vulnerabilities in Remote Desktop Could Allow Remote Code Execution (2671387)

Vulnerabilities in Remote Desktop Could Allow Remote Code Execution . Make sure Windows update is installed.

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/security/bulletin/ms12-020

In Windows

CA Employer New Hire Notice (Wage Theft Protection Act of 2011)

March 5, 2012 • Jeff Cecchini • Comments Off on CA Employer New Hire Notice (Wage Theft Protection Act of 2011)

California Governor Brown has signed into law AB 469 (Chapter 655, Statutes of 2011) known as the Wage Theft Protection Act of 2011. Click here for the full text of the Bill. The provisions of the Act become effective January 1, 2012. Labor Code section 2810.5 was added by the bill which requires that all employers must provide each employee at the time of hire with a written notice that contains specified information and must be provided in the language the employer normally uses to communicate employment-related information to the employee. The Section requires that the Labor Commissioner make available a template that complies with the requirements of the notice.

Source: http://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/Governor_signs_Wage_Theft_Protection_Act_of_2011.html

In CA Payroll Taxes, Human Resources

Mac OS X Lion (10.7) Introduces Cut & Paste Functionality

March 3, 2012 • Jeff Cecchini • Comments Off on Mac OS X Lion (10.7) Introduces Cut & Paste Functionality
Command+C Selects files for copy or Move
Command+V Copies original file to the new location, leaves original file in original location
Command+Option+V Moves original file from original location to the new location. Original location does not contain that file anymore

Of course, you can still use the mouse to drag (which moves) files or Option+drag to copy files.

In Mac Tips

Payroll tax cut extended for remainder of 2012

February 23, 2012 • Jeff Cecchini • Comments Off on Payroll tax cut extended for remainder of 2012

The Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 (H.R. 3630) that was signed into law by President Obama on February 22, 2012, extends the 4.2% Social Security tax rate for employees through December 31, 2012.

It also extends jobless benefits for between 63 weeks and 73 weeks, and averts a big cut in the reimbursements doctors get for treating Medicare patients.

Payroll Update: Revised QuickBooks Tax Tables
Intuit has released Payroll Update 21206, which includes revised tax tables to reflect the extension of the Social Security tax rate for employees.

How do I get the Payroll Update?
It’s important that you receive everything in the Payroll Update to make sure that you are in compliance with legislation that affects your payroll. Just follow these three simple steps:

  1. Check to see if you have Automatic Updates turned on.
    —     Choose Help > Update QuickBooks.
    — On the Options tab, you will see either Yes or No selected for Automatic Update.
  2. If Yes is selected, verify that you received Payroll Update 21206 from within QuickBooks. Go to Employees > Get Payroll Updates. You should see a message that says, “You are using tax table version 21206.” If you do not have version 21206, you need to download the update manually. Click here for instructions.
  3. If No is selected for Automatic Update, you need to download the update manually. Click here for instructions.

Disk delivery customers: The next disk delivery is scheduled for late March 2012 and will include these updates. If you have an internet connection, we strongly recommend that you download the update now. Simply follow these instructions to install the update.
 
  Social Security Tax Rate for Employees
The Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 (H.R. 3630) that was signed into law by President Obama on February 22, 2012, extends the 4.2% Social Security tax rate for employees through December 31, 2012.Intuit QuickBooks Payroll is supporting this change in Payroll Update 21206. For more information, click here.
In CA Payroll Taxes, Payroll Taxes, SD Payroll Taxes

Computer Monitor Resolution Settings

February 22, 2012 • Jeff Cecchini • Comments Off on Computer Monitor Resolution Settings

Computer Monitors have dimensions for width and height expressed in pixels and the set of which is named the native resolution. The monitor’s native resolution is maximum resolution that the monitor can display.

Your computer’s graphics processor unit (GPU) which outputs the signal to the monitor can be set to output in many different resolution (pixel width by height) settings to match different monitors.

For greatest clarity, the GPU resolution setting should be set to be the same as the monitor’s native resolution because this is the resolution that it was designed for.

However, if you are having difficulty viewing the monitor, such as the text is too small, you can choose a lower resolution that has the same aspect ratio. The trade of of everything appearing larger on screen is that the things don’t look quite as clear and less will be displayed the screen.

The aspect radio is the width divided by the height, expressed as a decimal, but also often expressed as width:height. If your GPU setting is not the same aspect ratio of the native resolution of your monitor, then things will ook out of proportion.

Here are some common resolution settings:

Width (px) Height (px) Aspect Ratio
1920 1080 1.78
1680 1050 1.60
1440 900 1.60
1280 1024 1.25
1280 960 1.33
1280 800 1.60
1280 720 1.78
1152 864 1.33
1024 768 1.33
800 600 1.33
720 480 1.50
640 480 1.33
In Windows

Intuit credit card processing maintenance – Feb. 24 11PM – 3AM PST

February 22, 2012 • Jeff Cecchini • Comments Off on Intuit credit card processing maintenance – Feb. 24 11PM – 3AM PST

Advance Notification: Intuit credit card processing maintenance — Feb. 24

We’re committed to providing reliable services to you and your business. As part of our efforts to improve service and increase uptime, we are taking our QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Online Payroll, QuickBooks Connected Services, and payments processing systems offline for a short period on 2/24/2012 for planned maintenance. We expect systems to be offline between 11 PM and 3AM PST. If you need to process a payment during these hours, please click here for alternative processing instructions.

We appreciate your understanding and continued support as we work hard to complete this upgrade in an efficient and timely manner. If you need additional assistance, contact customer service at 800-558-9558.

Thank you for being a valued customer of Intuit Payment Solutions. We sincerely appreciate your decision to process your credit card payments with us.

Sincerely,

Noelle Eder
VP of Customer Care – Intuit Payment Solutions

Source: Intuit email 02/22/12

In QuickBooks Merchant Services

Merchant Voice Authorizations for Credit Cards

February 22, 2012 • Jeff Cecchini • Comments Off on Merchant Voice Authorizations for Credit Cards

How (and Why) to Obtain a Voice Authorization

Normally, QuickBooks Merchant Services obtains an electronic authorization before processing a transaction. However there are two scenarios when you might need to seek a voice authorization:

  1. You think a transaction is legitimate but technical problems with your PC, terminal, or software prevent you from obtaining an electronic authorization. You need an alternate way to find out whether your customer has the funds necessary for the transaction.
  2. You suspect fraud and want to report it to the issuing credit card company without alerting your customer.

What is a Voice Authorization?
A voice authorization is a simple check to ensure that the cardholder has the funds available for your transaction. Voice authorization is not the same as processing the transaction — you still need to process the transaction to receive the funds.

How Does Voice Authorization Work?
There are two steps to processing a voice authorization. First, you will authorize the transaction, which secures the funds for your use. Then you will process the transaction in QuickBooks, to collect the funds. The following steps assume that you started to process the transaction electronically and had to stop and seek voice authorization.

Step 1: Obtain Authorization

  1. Have the following information on hand:
    1. Your merchant number. (This number appears on your monthly statement, your imprinter, and in the approval e-mail you received when you first signed up.)
    2. Cardholder’s credit card number
    3. Card expiration date
    4. Purchase amount
  2. Call the appropriate voice authorization center:
    Visa/MasterCard: (800) 228-1122
    American Express: (800) 528-2121
    Discover® Network: (800) 347-1111
    Diners Club: (800) 525-9040
  3. You will receive an authorization code. Be sure to write this number down.

Step 2: Process the Transaction in QuickBooks

  1. Return to the original transaction in QuickBooks.
  2. Save the transaction again.
  3. In the Process Credit Card Payment window, click the Voice Authorization Number link.
  4. Enter the voice authorization code you received when you called the voice authorization center in Step 1.
  5. Click submit.

Note: If you end up canceling a sale after you receive authorization but before processing the payment, you also need to cancel the authorization. To do so, call the same voice authorization center number that you called in Step 1.

How Do I Use the Voice Authorization Process to Report Fraud?
If you suspect that a transaction may be fraudulent, it is important to report the transaction to the issuing credit card company. The process starts out much like a voice authorization. It may be useful to tell your customer that you are having a problem with your equipment and need to call the credit card company, just as though this were a normal voice authorization process.

  1. Hold onto the credit card and have it on hand to answer questions from the issuing credit card company.
  2. Call the appropriate voice authorization center:
    Visa/MasterCard: (800) 228-1122
    American Express: (800) 528-2121
    Discover Network: (800) 347-1111
    Diners Club: (800) 525-9040
  3. Ask for a “Code 10” authorization.
  4. The credit card company will walk you through a series of “Yes” or “No” questions to help you determine how to proceed.

Please note: The credit card company may ask you to keep the customer’s card, if you can do so safely. Remember that you should always put your safety and your employees’ safety first. As with all anti-fraud measures, it is important to discuss these scenarios with your staff to make sure they feel prepared to handle these situations. For the fastest possible response time, be sure to keep the voice authorization center phone numbers near your PC or terminal and your telephone.

Source: http://www.quickbooksmerchantservice.com/newsletter/0905_Merchant_How-Tos.php

In QuickBooks Merchant Services

Discounts on QuickBooks Software & Supplies – Buy From Us!

February 21, 2012 • Jeff Cecchini • Comments Off on Discounts on QuickBooks Software & Supplies – Buy From Us!

We now have a store on our site where you can enjoy discounts on QuickBooks Software and Supplies. Check it out: http://qbpros.net/store/

In Software

How to convert an existing bank account to QuickBooks so that it can be reconciled

February 15, 2012 • Jeff Cecchini • Comments Off on How to convert an existing bank account to QuickBooks so that it can be reconciled

When you convert an existing bank account into QuickBooks, you must perform the following steps to be able to reconcile the bank account for the first time:

  1. Get your last reconciled bank statement. Enter the ending balance from the bank statement into the check register in QuickBooks as a deposit if positive or as a check if negative.
  2. Enter each one of the transactions that were written in previous months that still have not cleared (shown up) on any of those bank statements.
  3. Note: The difference between #1 and #2 above should be your actual bank register balance.
  4. Perform the Reconcile function on that prior month through the Banking->Reconcile function.
  5. QuickBooks will show the begining statement balance as $0.00, that’s ok; Just enter the actual ending statement balance in the appropriate field.
  6. Check off the the transaction from #1 & #2 above.
  7. The “Difference” amount should be $0.00 which means you are reconciled. Click “Reconcile Now” button.
  8. You are now ready to reconcile the first bank statement (the following month’s bank statement).
In QuickBooks Tips & How-to's

Employer-Provided Health Coverage Reporting Requirements on W-2 (2011 and 2012)

February 15, 2012 • Jeff Cecchini • Comments Off on Employer-Provided Health Coverage Reporting Requirements on W-2 (2011 and 2012)

Employer-Provided Health Coverage Reporting Requirements on W-2. Source: http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=237894,00.html

QuickBooks “Health Coverage Cost” set-up for reporting code DD in Box 12 Source: http://payroll.intuit.com/support/kb/2001263.html and http://www.payroll.com/healthcoverage

In IRS Tax Info, Payroll, QuickBooks Tips & How-to's