Sage Intacct for your business: your questions answered

For businesses looking for an upgrade to their financial systems, Sage Intacct often crops up as a popular choice. It’s business finance software that many companies will see as a logical upgrade once they start seeing the limits of a basic package such as QuickBooks, Xero or one of Sage’s more entry-level options. 

We know that figuring out all the specific details and differences between software packages isn’t always straightforward. At Thinc, we’ve got decades of experience in helping growing companies pick out the best technology to help drive their business forward. That’s why we’ve put together this handy guide to help you answer whatever questions you’ve got about Sage Intacct.  

We’re constantly listening to your questions about Sage Intacct and updating this advice – we last reviewed this information on 20 February 2023. 

What is Intacct? 

Intacct is a cloud-based finance software platform created by Sage, who also create a range of other business applications. It offers businesses best-in-class financial in an all-in-one solution, with a wide range of accounting and financial tools and reports. That’s why Gartner have named Sage Intacct the number one accounting software for customer satisfaction, as well as the number one choice for core financials for 5 years running. 

 Find out more about Sage Intacct.

What is Sage Intacct used for? 

Sage Intacct is mainly designed for small to medium-sized enterprises with complex finance needs – multi-entity business structures, high transaction volumes, global operations and strict compliance requirements – and for sizable finance teams needing more in-depth control. 

Intacct gives you the power to create multi-dimensional reports, which can reduce your reliance on Excel, saving time and giving much more in-depth insights. Automation and AI tools also speed up the time it takes to do month-end closing, journals or invoices. 

Is Sage Intacct an ERP system? 

While Sage Intacct offers a range of financial management tools for accounting and finance processes, it doesn’t provide the end-to-end integration of business processes across departments that you’d get with a full Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. An ERP system doesn’t just do financials, it will give you a single platform to run your whole business, including tools for HR, inventory, supply chain, manufacturing, sales and more. However, the financial capabilities of Intacct go beyond what you’d expect from most ERP systems, including multi-company functionality and tools to help you deal with global currencies and legislations. 

How much does Sage Intacct cost per month? 

As Sage Intacct is designed to be flexible and modular, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer to how much you’ll pay each month as the cost will vary from system to system. 

The pricing you’ll pay depends on three things: software, support and setup.  

For software, you can choose from different user licensing levels and module-specific options. Additionally, fixed-price editions suit smaller finance teams. Support is calculated as a percentage of licensing, and gives you direct access to an expert. The setup will be tailored to your business needs and how customised you need your Intacct setup to be.  

Is Sage Intacct cloud based? 

Yes, Sage Intacct has been designed to be a completely cloud– based system. This means that all of Intacct’s software and data is hosted on Sage’s servers in the cloud and you access it via the internet, without any on-premises installations. This does away with the need for setting up, maintaining and managing the hardware associated with these setups. Because of that, there’s no hefty upfront investment for any hardware. 

How long does it take to implement Sage Intacct? 

As it’s a customisable bespoke solution, the time it takes to get up with Sage Intacct will vary on your specific requirements. Here at Thinc, we offer two different methods for implementing Intacct, depending on your requirements. 

If you’re after something more ‘off-the-shelf’ with minimal customisation, we can get you set up with our ‘Fast start’ approach that will see you go-live with Intacct in three months or less. For a more complex, bespoke setup, we’ll use a configured approach that will typically take between 6 and 12 months. 

Does Sage Intacct have payroll? 

Sage Intacct does not have any payroll functionality included as standard. However, as it’s designed to be highly customisable, you can easily add on third-party applications that will seamlessly integrate with the base software. There are applications available for payroll that will allow you to easily manage both accounting and payroll inside the same system.  

Is Sage Intacct the same as Sage 50? 

Sage Intacct and Sage 50 are both financial management software solutions from Sage. However, they’re targeted at different types of businesses.  

Sage 50 is desktop-based accounting software built for smaller businesses that’s designed to meet their basic accounting needs like invoicing, expense reporting and inventory management. It works on local machines without relying on an internet connection.  

Sage Intacct, however, is designed to meet the more advanced financial needs of larger or more complex businesses. It’s much more configurable and features AI and automation tools as well as in-depth insights that will help guide your business. Intacct is also fully cloud-based so your team can work from anywhere on any device without needing to rely on being tied to physical hardware. 

What is the difference between Sage 200 and Sage Intacct? 

Sage 200 is a traditional client server application made up of numerous software modules to meet the commercial needs of a business, whereas Sage Intacct is a true SaaS (software as a service) cloud ERP solution.

Intacct has more of a focus on financials and, as such, offers some more advanced tools that don’t come as standard with 200, including support for global currencies and taxes as well as more advanced auditing. 

While both Intacct and 200 are available as a cloud-based solution, only Intacct is purely native to the cloud, while 200 comes as either a cloud-based or on-premises solution and will need some on-premises hardware to unlock its full capabilities. 

What types of reports are available in Sage Intacct? 

Sage Intacct gives you access to 150 built-in financial reports and you’re also able to easily make your own custom reports. These out-of-the-box templates include all of the common statements, analysis reports and dashboards (P&L, cash flow, budget variance, etc.). You can also access or create a reporting dashboard to analyse key drivers of business performance in real time. 

How do I decide where to buy Sage Intacct? 

The Sage Intacct software package itself will be the same wherever you decide to buy it from. Therefore, it so important to carefully consider which partner you want to work with to take you through the consultancy and implementation processes and offer ongoing support for your system.

Make sure you look for a partner that will take the time to understand the way you work and figure out exactly what’s going to be the best solution for your business. The best Sage partners are the ones who give their customers an ongoing relationship, rather than just setting them up and leaving them to it.

Why Thinc? 

At Thinc, we’re a longstanding Sage Business Partner, Sage UK’s number 1 partner for service excellence and have decades of experience using Sage to help businesses scale. We pride ourselves on working closely with your business to really understand the way you work and the problems you face. That means we can tailor the perfect solution to fit your needs that can grow with you. We’ll also be on hand with ongoing expert support to help you get the most out of your system.  

Still need to know more about Sage Intacct? Head to our Sage Intacct page to learn more about how it can help – you can even book a demo or a chat with one of our experts.