How do I record a SAFE (simple agreement for future equity)? If it was a stock sale I would record the par value as preferred stock and the rest as paid-in capital?

Hello, William. 

I'd like to throw in a solution to help you record a SAFE in QuickBooks Online. 

We can record the SAFE investments using an equity account, and using the Bank deposit function to add the investor funds. 

Create an equity account:

1. Go to your Chart of Accounts page. 
2. Click the New button. 
3. Set the Account Type to Equity. 
4. Select the appropriate Detail Type (we might need an accountant for this). 
5. Enter a name (we can use "SAFE equity" or "SAFE investment"). 
6. Once done, click Save and close. 

Next, we can record the invested funds using the Bank deposit function: 

1. Click the + New button, then select Bank deposit. 
2. Set the bank account where you want to deposit the funds to from the Account drop-down menu. 
3. Under Add funds to this deposit, select a profile (add them if you haven't done it yet by selecting Add new). 
4. Under ACCOUNT, select the equity account.
5. Enter the invested amount under AMOUNT.
6. Add other information such as Memo, Description, etc..
7. Once done, click Save and close. 

This is just a general way of recording investments into your company. If you need more details about the process, we can use this article: Record an owner's contribution or capital investment in your business.

In regards to the stock sale or paid-in capital. we would recommend consulting an accountant. Recording this in QuickBooks might have a different approach as opposed to using a bank deposit for the equity funds. 

The accountant will ensure that those SAFE funds or the stock sale will be recorded properly and make sure that your books are accurate and correct.

We have a portal that'll help you search for an expert: https://quickbooks.intuit.com/find-an-accountant/.

If you'd like to run reports for the SAFE transactions or any other financial data, we can take a look at this article for some guides: Run reports in QuickBooks Online.

Want to record other transactions or need more help recording your investments? Please let me know and I'll do what I can to ensure you'll be able to achieve your tasks.