Intuit Tools Clean Up Small-Business Books

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (TheStreet) -- Here's a smart way to end summer 2009: Get organized for 2010.

Believe it or not, my fellow small-business owners, there are fewer than 20 weeks left on the calendar. Your quarterly estimated tax payments for 2009 are due on Sept. 15. If you sought an extension for your company's 2008 annual returns, those forms are due Oct. 15.

It's the perfect time to organize those miserable excuses for accounting ledgers you have. The good news for small businesses is that America's Fortune 500 elite are lining up to give us makeovers.

Microsoft(MSFT Quote) has its jazzy Small Business Center. Google(GOOG Quote) has an enormous banner on its Google Apps page announcing that more than 1 million businesses use its free tools. And Intuit(INTU Quote), not to be left behind, has its Small Business United site.

I have been poking around Intuit's Small Business United site, and was particularly impressed by the online riffs of QuickBooks and Quicken, the company's small-business and personal accounting tools. With a little tinkering, these packages are the simplest and cheapest way to streamline invoicing, track expenses and get ready for tax season. And best of all, they don't cost a dime. Here's how to put them to use.

Track what you're owed: QuickBooks Online Simple Start is a stripped-down version of QuickBooks Simple Start, with limited reporting features, single-user access (meaning your accountant can't log on) and a limit of 20 customers. It works as well as the original, if you don't ask it to do too much.