Change Time Format in QuickBooks Desktop

This article addresses how to select either the Decimal or Minutes time format in QuickBooks Desktop.

It is important that you understand and choose the correct time format setting in your bookkeeping software. Here are two time format options to choose from in QuickBooks Desktop:

1. Decimal: This uses the “base 10” number system (0-9) to represent time. For example: one half of one hour would be written as “.5” instead of 30 minutes.
2. Time: This uses 60 minutes to represent one hour (or one whole). For example: ¾ or “.75” of one whole is actually 45 minutes (of one hour).

There are a number websites you can visit that can convert between decimal and time formats for you. However, within QuickBooks Desktop, you will need to select which time format to automatically utilize for tasks such as:

• Billing
• Payroll

This is important to choose, especially if you have another 3^rd party application that you utilize for information to manually enter into your bookkeeping software, but the calculations (and results) will not quite match if the 3^rd party application and your bookkeeping software are not utilizing the same time format.

So, here are the steps to select a Time Format in QuickBooks desktop (be sure you are in single-user mode):

1. Go to “Edit” in your top menu drop-down lists.
2. Select “Preferences”
3. Select the “General” tab
4. Select the “Company Preferences” tab
5. Now, under Time Format, select either “Decimal” or “Minutes”.
6. Click “Ok”

Note: AccuraBooks is a bookkeeping firm only, so please consult with your C.P.A. for verification and clarification about the contents of this article.