More than two million small businesses rely on QuickBooks to manage their companies, far more than any other comparable product. New QuickBooks 2000 simplifies accounting management by putting the most critical business information in one easy-to-read, easy-to-customize location. New QuickBooks 2000 also goes beyond accounting to add important new electronic services to help small businesses automate critical business activities. These e-services include QuickBooks Site Builder, QuickBooks Merchant Account Service, and QuickBooks Postage Service, as well as Internet links to online leasing and business loans, and an automated direct mail service. In addition, Intuit is expected to roll out the new QuickBooks Purchasing Service later this year.

"Intuit has created a fast and simple way for small businesses to have a presence on the Internet, and to take advantage of services integrated into the QuickBooks software," said Scott Cook, Intuit executive committee chairman and founder. "The result is that for the first time, small business people can manage many of the key facets of their businesses from accounting, to Web site creation and management, to payroll, all from a single integrated system."

New e-Finance Services Automate Critical Business Activities
The new e-finance services help QuickBooks users automate their critical business activities through Internet connected services, revolutionizing small business management in the process. Some of these e-finance services are integrated with the QuickBooks software, so important business data is shared between the accounting system and each service. This creates efficiency, saving time and duplication of effort as a result of only entering data one time in most cases. For example, because the QuickBooks Merchant Account Service works within QuickBooks, credit card payments are entered into the accounting system and processed with the bank -- all in one quick, streamlined process. Automating such an important business activity can help small business owners save time and steps.

Intuit's new QuickBooks e-finance services can also help small business owners save money. For example, a small business can quickly sign-up and receive approval to accept credit card payments using the QuickBooks Merchant Account Service. There is no sign-up fee, which can save businesses anywhere from $200 to $1000, and the credit card processing fees are also competitively priced, offering small businesses a viable credit card solution.

New Features Contribute to Ease of Use
The new QuickBooks 2000 also includes features that make it easy for small business owners to know more about their business. New features include:

• Navigation Bar providers faster, easier one-click access to the features users most frequently use.
• Report Finder allows users to preview exactly what kind of information the report will generate and what the information means.
• Synchronization between Microsoft Outlook ('97 and later)/Symantec ACT! (v.3.08 & 4.02) and QuickBooks Pro enables users to enter or edit data one time and the information will be updated in the other applications.
• New Centers, such as a Company Center, Customer Center, and Customer and Vendor Detail Centers which aggregate all like information into the appropriate locations.
• And 20 additional enhancements resulting from customer suggestions

QuickBooks e-Finance Services

QuickBooks Postage Service
Small business owners using QuickBooks 2000 will no longer need to make trips to the post office, wait in line or lick stamps. Now QuickBooks users can seamlessly access E-Stamp® Internet postage from within the QuickBooks application via the QuickBooks Postage Service. Small businesses can sign up for and purchase postage through an Internet postage account with E-Stamp Corporation. With a simple click of a button, users can print out First-Class Mail®, Priority Mail®, Express Mail® and Parcel Post"! complete with address information stored in QuickBooks on an envelope, document or label. Shipping packages and sending invoices has never been easier. QuickBooks users will receive the E-Stamp Internet postage Starter-Kit free, a $49.99 value, complete with everything they will need to get their "home post office" up and running.

E-Stamp Corporation, the exclusive Internet postage provider for QuickBooks, is the only Internet postage company that allows for the printing of digital stamps without maintaining a constant connection to the Internet. E-Stamp is the first company to sell postage commercially over the Internet, providing an easy and convenient way for small businesses to buy, download and print postage directly from their PC.

QuickBooks Merchant Account Service
Currently, only 17 percent of small businesses have merchant accounts, in part because they are time consuming to set up and expensive to maintain. Through QuickBooks Merchant Account Service, businesses can easily sign up for a merchant account online and receive approval within about 24 hours. Once businesses have set up the Merchant Account Service, they can easily integrate it into their business and accounting processes. With one step, the business can accept approved credit card payments within QuickBooks, enter the transactions into the accounting system and process the payment with the bank.

QuickBooks Merchant Account Service customers are not charged a sign-up fee and the credit card processing fees are competitive for small businesses.

This new service was created through alliances with Signio and Wells Fargo & Company. Signio provides a robust e-commerce payment service for online merchants, merchant aggregators, auctions sites and e-business buyer and seller communities. The nation's leading Internet bank, Wells Fargo & Company, is an innovator in enabling small business e-commerce.

Automated Direct Mail Service
With ELetter Inc.'s automated direct mail service, QuickBooks users will be able to easily manage all aspects of a business mailing - from production to distribution - from the desktop, in a fraction of the time and effort it takes for companies to do it manually. Small businesses send about 30 billion pieces of mail per year, but now QuickBooks users can simply upload addresses and mail content onto the E-letter service, and ELetter's fully automated system will quickly and efficiently produce and mail their letters, postcards and booklets worldwide. Fees are based on the size and complexity of the printing and mailing project. With this service, users can set up a direct mail campaign within as little as 10 minutes.

ELetter is a market-leading, Internet-based postal mailing solution for direct mail and corporate communication.

Online Leasing and Loans
QuickBooks users can now access the most comprehensive automated loan fulfillment solution available to small businesses. Through this leading end-to-end business loan automation process, applicants can receive approval for lease financing for specific equipment purchases and working capital loans for general business purposes in as little as two minutes and funds in as little as 24 hours from time of approval.

Intuit is offering the service through an alliance with First Sierra, an Internet leader in business-to-business e-finance lending, which has funded more than $2 billion in loans through its electronic fulfillment platform.

QuickBooks Payroll
QuickBooks users can take advantage of the updated QuickBooks Deluxe Payroll and Direct Deposit Services to manage their payroll through QuickBooks. The service manages virtually every payroll detail, handling federal and state payroll filings, tax deposits and W2 processing for QuickBooks users. In addition, the service tracks the latest federal and state payroll tax regulations and automatically sends users the most up-to-date tax tables. The Deluxe Payroll service assumes responsibility for federal and state payroll filings and payments transferred directly from the user's accounts based on data from the user, provided the user has sufficient funds. The payroll service is $20 per month plus an additional $1 per employee per payroll period. There is also a charge of $1.50 per employee for direct deposit.

QuickBooks Purchasing Service
QuickBooks users, in aggregate, spend approximately $500 billion per year on goods and services for their businesses (based on a QuickBooks '99 user study). Yet they spend countless hours searching through web sites, stores and catalogs to find what they need. The QuickBooks Purchasing Service is being designed to make it easy for businesses to find and compare products and services, order directly from their search results, and pay by credit card - all from within QuickBooks. Small business owners will also be able to easily track order status, payment history and delivery information. The QuickBooks Purchasing Service is currently expected to become available in QuickBooks 2000 beginning in the second quarter of calendar 2000.

The QuickBooks Purchasing Service is being created through an alliance with global business-to-business e-commerce leader Intelisys Electronic Commerce, Inc.

Pricing and Availability
The suggested retail price for QuickBooks 2000 is $119.00. The suggested retail price for QuickBooks Pro 2000 is $219.00. QuickBooks Pro 2000 5-User Value Pack suggested retail price is $499.95. QuickBooks and QuickBooks Pro are available immediately. Customers can purchase QuickBooks 2000 or QuickBooks Pro 2000 by visiting their local software retailer. Customers can also order the software directly from Intuit at www.intuit.com or by calling 1-800-4-INTUIT (1-800-446-8848).

Off cycle updates and new services will be delivered to QB 2000 through Marimba's Castanet technology.

Terms, conditions and pricing of e-finance services are subject to change. Certain e-finance services require application approval. Internet access is required for online services, including e-services.

Additional QuickBooks and QuickBooks Pro 2000 Facts and Information
Additional QuickBooks and QuickBooks Pro 2000 information, such as system requirements, additional features and pricing is available at the Intuit Press Room at http://www.intuit.com/pressroom.