Epicor Kinetic vs Sage Intacct vs Dynamics GP for ERP & Core Accounting

For a company moving off QuickBooks Enterprise and needing to connect Salesforce and ADP to a new ERP, Epicor Kinetic offers a fully documented, vendor-branded 'Open REST API' layer. Every ERP capability exposed in the Kinetic UI, including business objects (such as AP invoices), processes, reports, Business Activity Queries (BAQs), and custom Epicor Functions, is accessible through OData v4-compliant REST endpoints, meaning the buyer's developers can read, write, and execute ERP logic programmatically without screen automation or file-based workarounds. Authentication is handled via API keys with access scopes aligned to existing ERP user permissions, with OAuth 2.0 also supported depending on deployment configuration. Epicor publishes OpenAPI and Swagger tooling alongside the API, and each running Kinetic instance includes a built-in interactive REST help page (accessible at a standard URL path such as /apps/resthelp/) where developers can browse all services, inspect metadata, and test calls before writing integration code, covering the full integration build lifecycle for connecting Salesforce, ADP, and any other system the buyer's IT team chooses to wire in.

For a company moving from QuickBooks Enterprise and needing to connect Salesforce and ADP to a new ERP, Sage Intacct provides two documented, production-grade API surfaces. The modern REST API, which became generally available in February 2025, uses OAuth 2.0 Bearer token authentication and is documented at developer.sage.com; it covers core accounting objects including AP bills, AR invoices, GL journal entries, cash management, and custom objects, and Sage has committed that all new objects and features will be released exclusively via this REST API going forward. The legacy XML/SOAP Web Services API, documented at developer.intacct.com, still provides the most comprehensive coverage across all modules and requires a Web Services developer license (Sender ID plus a dedicated Web Services user account per company), which Sage provisions for customers. Together, both layers support bi-directional create, read, update, and delete operations on standard and custom objects across all entities; the XML API reference explicitly includes multi-entity consolidation endpoints (e.g., GCOWNERSHIPSTRUCTURE objects with AUTOELIMINATION support), which is directly relevant to this buyer's 8-entity close process. Platform Services (a separately subscribed module) extends the API to custom objects and fields, accessible through the same Web Services or REST layer.

For a $180M multi-entity company needing to connect Salesforce, ADP, and custom internal systems to its ERP, Dynamics GP offers no native REST API with documented endpoints. GP's Developer Toolkit provides two legacy integration layers: 'Web Services for Microsoft Dynamics GP,' which uses SOAP/XML over HTTP (not REST), and eConnect, a COM-based or .NET-based XML adapter that calls encrypted stored procedures directly against the GP database. A GP OData Service installable component exists but is read-oriented, designed for Power BI and reporting queries, not for bi-directional transactional integration. Any REST endpoint for Dynamics GP must be custom-built by the buyer's IT team using ASP.NET Core wrapping eConnect calls, or brokered through a third-party vendor's middleware product such as CData API Server or SmartConnect. Neither path delivers the 'documented REST endpoints' the buyer requires as a standard product feature.

For a company like yours replacing QuickBooks across 8 US/Canada entities and preparing for audited financials, Epicor Kinetic handles 1099 preparation and electronic filing through its USA Country Specific Functionality (CSF) package, which is built into Epicor Financials. The AP supplier master includes a 1099 flag and box-code assignment; payments accumulate at the supplier level throughout the year and are then pulled into 1099 form generation at year-end. Epicor supports 1099-MISC, 1099-NEC (introduced in version 10.2.700 and carried into Kinetic), 1099-INT, 1099-DIV, and user-definable custom form types, covering the contractor and vendor payment scenarios a professional services and distribution company would encounter. For TIN validation, the USA CSF package includes a pre-filing workflow that submits TIN/name combinations to the IRS matching service in bulk batches, reducing penalty exposure before any forms are transmitted. Completed forms can be printed for postal mail or saved and forwarded electronically in the IRS information returns format; Epicor's product page explicitly states forms are presented 'in the information returns format requested by the IRS,' satisfying the electronic filing mandate that now applies to filers with 10 or more returns.

For a company with 8 legal entities that needs to replace spreadsheet-driven 1099 processes and support audited financials, Sage Intacct delivers end-to-end 1099 preparation and electronic filing natively within its Accounts Payable module. In the AP vendor master, each vendor is flagged as 1099-eligible with a designated form type (1099-NEC, 1099-MISC, 1099-INT, 1099-DIV, 1099-R, 1099-S, 1099-PATR, 1099-G, and W2-G are all supported) and a default box assignment; after setup, each transaction created against that vendor is automatically tagged with the 1099 form type and box per line item. If line-level overrides are enabled, the form and box can be changed for individual line items during transaction entry, and specific line items can be included or excluded from 1099 calculations. For the buyer's 8-entity structure, a 'Issue a separate 1099 per entity' option in Multi-Entity Management ensures each entity files under its own EIN and address, and entity-level e-file submissions are available directly within the AP menu. Electronic filing is handled through a built-in integration with TaxBandits: 1099 data is sent from Sage Intacct to TaxBandits with a click, without exporting files or manipulating spreadsheet data, and the process completes on the TaxBandits site for IRS and state submission. To enable e-filing, the controller goes to Company > Subscriptions, activates Sage Cloud Services at no additional cost, then checks 'Enable 1099 e-filing' in the AP configuration. TaxBandits then verifies 1099 information, flags forms that need correction before IRS submission, and handles both federal and state filing as well as recipient copy distribution by mail or secure online portal.

For a professional services and distribution company processing ~2,500 vendor invoices per month across 8 entities, Dynamics GP's Payables Management module handles the preparation side of 1099 compliance natively: each vendor record is flagged with a 1099 tax type (Nonemployee Compensation/NEC, Miscellaneous, Dividend, Interest), the system accumulates year-to-date payment amounts in the Vendor Yearly Summary window on a paid-date basis, and users can print forms 1099-NEC, 1099-MISC, 1099-INT, and 1099-DIV directly from Purchasing > Routines > Print 1099, including blank-paper versions with pre-printed boxes as of the 18.6 update. An Edit 1099 Transaction Information window allows corrections before filing, and a mass-update utility can reclassify vendors in bulk. However, the GP support team's own published guidance is explicit: 'Dynamics GP does not file Payables 1099s electronically.' Electronic transmission to the IRS requires sourcing and integrating a separate third-party ISV product (such as Greenshades or 1099 Pro) that is outside Microsoft's support umbrella entirely.

For a professional services and distribution company moving off QuickBooks and targeting audited financials, Epicor Kinetic addresses this requirement through two integrated layers. The base Project Accounting module includes a named Revenue Recognition Workbench where the controller can view costs and revenue at the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) phase or company level across multiple projects simultaneously, selecting methods such as percentage of completion, cost-to-cost, or units of delivery — directly replacing the manual spreadsheet process your controller currently runs. Billing and revenue recognition are explicitly decoupled: the Project Billing engine generates invoices at predefined milestone, progress, fixed-price, or time-and-expense checkpoints while deferring the revenue and cost of sale to be recognized at separate project stages, so invoicing a client at contract signing does not force immediate revenue recognition. For buyers requiring explicit ASC 606 / IFRS-15 compliance automation, Epicor's own Advanced Project Accounting (APA) add-on extends this with automated calculation and posting of accruals based on predefined rules and recognition methods with documented support for ASC-606 and IFRS-15, plus a full project ledger with drill-down to original GL postings for audit readiness. APA is a separately priced Epicor-native module, not a third-party product.

For a $180M professional services and distribution company replacing QuickBooks spreadsheet-based revenue schedules, Sage Intacct's native Contracts module is purpose-built for exactly this scenario. Each contract record holds separate, independent billing and revenue schedules per contract line: a billing schedule shows when a contract line's flat/fixed amount is expected to be invoiced, a revenue schedule shows when deferred revenue is expected to be recognized, and the two schedules can be independent — for example, invoicing a fixed fee upfront while recognizing revenue monthly over the contract term. For milestone-based service contracts, the two primary recognition methods are percent-completed (calculated at the project or task level) and milestone-based (tied to a specific project task flagged as a milestone), where a project can have multiple milestone tasks each with its own revenue recognition schedule. Milestone thresholds are configurable: the administrator selects 'Milestone' as the recognition method, defines completion percentage thresholds (for example, 25%, 50%, 75%, 100%), and if the milestones section is left blank, Intacct will not recognize any revenue until the task is 100% complete. For time-and-materials service contracts, the system gathers all approved timesheet hours dated on or before a selected 'as of' date, determines the completion percentage, multiplies it against the total contract line fixed amount, and updates the revenue schedule when revenue is available to recognize. When revenue recognition journal entries are due, Intacct debits AR and credits the deferred revenue account, creates a schedule of potential journal entries, and if the template uses automatic posting, creates the next revenue recognition journal entry on each scheduled posting date — replacing the manual spreadsheet process entirely. For bundled service and distribution contracts requiring multi-element arrangement (MEA) revenue allocation across performance obligations, the Contract Advanced Revenue Management subscription provides the ability to allocate revenue between contract lines one or more times during the contract term using standalone selling prices from a configured MEA price list. The module carries full ASC 606 and IFRS 15 compliance: the Contracts application automatically recognizes revenue using templates and schedules with complete support for ASC 606 and IFRS 15, and the five-step standard maps directly to tasks within the Contracts application. Salesforce integration is also documented: the recurring-revenue management solution integrates with Salesforce for a bi-directional flow of order, customer, and contract data, and when a deal closes in Salesforce, order details are automatically added to Sage Intacct for revenue schedule validation and invoicing.

For a professional services company running milestone and time-based service contracts, Dynamics GP's Project Accounting module provides multiple documented revenue recognition methods: for Time and Materials projects, revenue can be recognized either 'When Performed' (as cost transactions are posted) or 'When Billed' (when the billing invoice posts, with costs held in WIP until then); for Fixed Price and Cost Plus projects, a Revenue Recognition Entry routine supports percentage-complete calculations based on costs incurred, quantities consumed, or direct labor hours, using the formula (Actual to Date / Forecast Total) * Forecast Billing Amount. Service fees on T&M projects use a Ratable method that spreads recognition over a date-defined period by days elapsed, entirely independent of billing. The General Ledger module also has a Revenue/Expense Deferrals feature where deferral profiles can automate period-by-period recognition for service contracts recognized over a fixed term. Revenue recognition cycles allow batch processing across multiple contracts and projects at once. However, these mechanisms stop short of a full ASC 606 five-step model: there is no native engine for identifying and allocating transaction prices across distinct performance obligations in bundled contracts, no automated variable consideration handling, and the revenue recognition routine requires manual triggering rather than rules-based automated schedule generation — meaning complex multi-element arrangements still require off-system calculations or a third-party ISV add-on (such as Binary Stream's Subscription Billing Suite) to achieve full audit-ready ASC 606 compliance.