Help

In addition to these help documents, we also offer other support options.

Getting started

AccountsPortal is a real-time online accounting system, aimed specifically at owner-managed companies, contractors and temporary workers in the UK, as well as accountants offering services to Limited Companies.
 
There are no downloads or installations procedures, and the system can be accessed by multiple users at the same time.
 
AccountsPortal streamlines and automates the administration and management of UK Limited Companies significantly, and the system is designed to be intuitive and easy to use.

A quick overview

With AccountsPortal, you can easily create and maintain a record of a company's financial transactions, such as invoices, income, expenses and assets, and create reports based on this information.

All information is presented in an easy to understand format.

AccountsPortal is very flexible with regards to VAT (with the ability to handle standard rate and flat rate vat, as well as the accrual or cash basis), and it is also easy to perform bank reconciliations and import your bank statement in an electronic format.

You can access your information from anywhere, as long as you have a web browser and internet connection (see System requirements for more information). 

Managing your accounting and bookkeeping is made easy and fast through AccountsPortal.

How does it work?

Your information is stored on a centralised high-end web server, that is connected to the internet permanently, allowing you access to your information at any time and from any location.

There are no installation requirements, and you never have to worry about upgrades - everything is taken care of seamlessly behind the scenes.

Only users that have been provided with valid login details will have access to the system, and only they will be allowed to view the information that pertains specifically to them.

All of this happens via high security SSL encryption (similar to what online banks use) which means that no one else will be able to view the information. You can rest assured that your data will always be available to you, and that it will be kept safe and secure at all times.

System requirements

Minimum requirements:

  • Any popular web browser, such as Firefox or Internet Explorer.
  • Internet connection
  • Adobe Flash Player allows rich content applications to be displayed in your browser. It is highly likely that it is already installed on your computer; AccountsPortal will determine if this is this is the case and, if not, a small download will commence automatically. You can also manually download Adobe Flash Player from http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/

Recommended:

  • Adobe Reader is required in order to be able to view printed PDF documents, such as invoices. Adobe Reader can be downloaded for free from http://get.adobe.com/reader/

Installation

Providing that you have a web browser and internet connection, there is nothing to install. Simply start your web browser, navigate to www.accountsportal.com, click the "Login" button and follow the Login or Signup prompts.
 
If your computer does not yet have Adobe Flash Player installed, this will install automatically the first time that you run AccountsPortal. See System requirements for more information.

Quick Start Guide

When you register for the first time or add a new organisation in AccountsPortal, it is immediately ready for use. There are, however, some items that you should check and possibly update in order to accurately represent the setup of your organisation.

For more information on each step, please click on the relevant links.

 

1. Organisation details should be checked for accuracy and completeness. In particular, ensure that the financial year-end settings are correct, as these impact on reporting. 

2. If the organisation is VAT registered, then the VAT settings must be updated.

3. You can invite additional users to your organisation at no extra charge. For example, you may wish to grant access to your accountant or bookkeeper.

4. You may want to examine the default Chart of Accounts, which can be modified to suite your unique circumstances. You can, for example, add new accounts or disable those accounts that you will not need (they can always be re-enabled at a later date).

 

If you are converting from another accounting system, then steps 5, 6 and 7 are of particular importance.

5. Transaction Numbering for the organisation should be checked. This is particularly relevant for outbound documents (such as sales invoices and credit notes), and if you would like to continue with the numbering used in a previous system.

6. The Conversion Date should be checked in the organisation's settings, and must be set to the first day you will be entering day to day transactions in AccountsPortal.

7. Conversion Balances and outstanding sales and purchase transactions can be added. These relate to the accounts and records you have kept prior to the Conversion Date that you entered in step 6.

Demo organisation

In addition to the organisation that you create with a new profile, AccountsPortal automatically creates a Demo Company for you.

The Demo Company is a great way to get comfortable with AccountsPortal before you start entering real transactions into your own organisation. In addition to a few transactions that have already been entered for you, you can add, edit or delete any of the information in the Demo Company. Feel free to experiment as much as you want!

Note that access to the Demo company will expire one month after first signing up to AccountsPortal.

My Profile

Click on My Profile to modify settings relating to your user account.

My Profile

 

The My Profile pop-up will appear as follows:

My Profile

 

 

Changes made to your profile will become active once you have clicked the Save button.

Sales

Invoices

Create Sales Invoice

Navigate to the Sales tab and click on the New Invoice button

Proceed to enter the invoice details as follows:

 

New Sales Invoice

  • Transaction ID: Automatically generated sequential number based on the Transaction Numbering settings for the organisation. It represents the unique sales invoice number which is presented to the customer. 
  • Customer: Select the customer you are selling the goods or services to. If the customer has not already been set up, click on the plus sign (+) to create a new customer
  • Reference: Enter relevant information such as customer purchase orders or other details you would like to appear on the invoice output. 
  • Invoice Date: The date you issue the invoice. Note that if you specify a date prior to the Conversion Date in your organisation settings, the invoice is treated as part of your Conversion Balances and does not have an impact on your financial results. 
  • Due Date: The date that payment of the invoice falls due. This date is controlled by values specified in the Invoice Options for the organisation. 
  • Add New Line Item: If more than one line item is to be entered, click on this button to initiate the entry of the next line item. 
  • Show VAT Amount: Selecting this checkbox displays the VAT Amount field for each line item. The VAT amount can be changed if required.   
  • Amounts include VAT: By default, the Unit Price is expected to be entered net of VAT. Selecting this checkbox results in all VAT calculations assuming the Unit Price includes VAT. This impacts the overall VAT charged on the invoice and therefore, the Total of the invoice. 
  • Item: Optionally specify or add a new Price List Item.
  • Quantity: The quantity of the goods or services provided. Must be greater than 0. 
  • Description: Enter a description of the goods or services provided. This text will appear on the invoice output. 
  • Account: Enter the account against which the income should be recorded. Use the drop down arrow to search available accounts or click in the field and enter free text to find matching values. If you cannot find an appropriate account, check your settings for the Chart of Accounts and create a new account if required. 
  • VAT Code: Select the appropriate VAT Code which should be applied to the line item (default VAT codes can be set in Chart of Accounts). The codes chosen here impact your VAT Reporting. If you are unfamiliar with VAT, it is advisable to consult your accountant or the HMRC for advice.  
  • VAT: Only visible if Show VAT Amount checkbox selected. The VAT amount can be changed if required. 
  • Unit Price: Enter the unit price of the goods or services supplied to the customer. 
  • Total: Line item total – Unit Price multiplied by Quantity. 
  • Delete Line (X): This button allows you to delete an unwanted line item if there are no validation restrictions (such as the transaction being paid, credit noted or included in a VAT Report).
  • Memo: Enter information applicable to the entire invoice. The text is available for displaying on the invoice output. 
  • Include in PDF: Selecting this checkbox ensures that text in the Memo field appears on the PDF printed version of the sales invoice.

 

Click the Save button to complete the creation of the invoice or choose the Save Draft option which saves the invoice but does not update your financial results. Draft invoices can be edited at a later stage and saved again as draft or actual invoices.

Recurring Sales Invoice

Recurring Invoices are a convenient way to automate the creation of Invoices or Draft Invoices.

Recurring transactions are automatically processed once a day at 04h00 UK time and will generate invoices based on the recurring invoice settings for your organisation.

 

CREATE RECURRING INVOICE

Navigate to the Sales tab and use the drop down arrow on the New Invoice button to select New Recurring Invoice. Proceed to enter the recurring invoice details as follows:

Recurring Invoice

  • Next Invoice: The date on which the next invoice will be automatically created. If you enter the current date in this field, an invoice will be created immediately.
  • Repeat Every: Set the frequency of the invoice creation by entering a value and choosing from either Month(s) or Week(s). After an invoice has been successfully created, the Next Invoice date will be automatically recalculated in line with this setting.
  • Due Date: Set a default number of due days that will be applied to each invoice created from this recurring invoice.
  • Save As: Invoices can be saved as either standard Invoice or Draft Invoice
  • End Date: This is an optional setting used to prevent invoices being automatically created after a certain date.

The remainder of the invoice should be filled out as per the normal Create Sales Invoice procedure. Click the Save button to complete the creation of the recurring invoice.

 

EDIT RECURRING INVOICE

Navigate to the Sales tab followed by the Recurring tab. A list of all recurring invoices will be displayed.

Recurring Invoice List

Click on the link in the Customer field to view or edit a recurring invoice. Any changes made will only affect invoices created on the Next Invoice date.

Recurring Invoices can be deleted at any stage to prevent further invoices being created. Alternatively, use the End Date to achieve the same result and still retain a record of the recurring entry in the list.

View/Edit Invoice

Navigate to the Sales tab.

Invoices and credit notes are displayed in list format with the following statuses:

  • All - all invoices and credit notes
  • Draft - invoices saved as Draft
  • Outstanding - the invoice or credit note has not been fully paid, allocated, refunded or voided
  • Paid - the invoice or credit note has been fully paid, allocated, refunded or voided
  • Recurring - recurring invoices set up to automatically create invoices on specified dates and frequencies

 

Sales tab

 

Click on a transaction in the All, Draft, Outstanding and Paid tabs to view or edit the entry. See Create Sales Invoice for a detailed explanation of each field.

All fields will be available for editing unless the transaction (or line item) has been paid/credit noted or is already included in a Bank Reconciliation or VAT Report. Although inadvisable, it is possible to unreconcile bank items and delete VAT Reports in order to edit transactions. Careful consideration should be given to any representations already made to external parties such as the HMRC.

Items displayed in the Recurring tab can also be viewed or edited. See Recurring Sales Invoice for more information.

Email or Print Invoice

PRINT INVOICE

Open an existing invoice in View/Edit mode. Use the Sales Invoice options drop down list to select the Print to PDF option.

Sales Invoice options

Depending on your web browser settings, you will be prompted to open or save the PDF.  

 

EMAIL INVOICE

Open an existing invoice in View/Edit mode. Use the Sales Invoice options drop down list to select the Email option.

The fields in the Email window will be populated automatically, but can be edited as required. 

Email Invoice

 

  • From: Defaults to the user's email address.
  • To: Defaults to the email address specified in the customer record.
  • CC: Defaults to the user's email address so that you have a copy and record of the invoice sent out.
  • Subject: The subject as it appears to the recipient of the email.
  • Attachment: The attached document.
  • Body: Replace or add to the default text as required.

Click on the Send button to transmit the email.

Void an Invoice

Invoices can be voided if they were entered in error as long as they are not included in a VAT Report or have not been partially or fully paid/credit noted.

Open an existing invoice in View/Edit mode. Use the Sales Invoice options drop down list to select the Void option, which will set all value fields in the invoice to zero.

Sales Invoice options

Click the Save button to void the invoice.

Voided invoices are still visible in the Paid and All Sales tabs, to show that no gaps exist in the invoice number sequence.

Clone an Invoice

Cloning is a convenient way to copy an existing invoice in order to create a new one.

Open an existing invoice in View/Edit mode. Use the Sales Invoice options drop down list to select the Clone option.

Sales Invoice options

All details from the originally selected invoice are copied to the new one and can be freely edited.

Click the Save button to complete the invoice.

Credit Notes

Create Sales Credit Note

Navigate to the Sales tab and click on the New Credit Note button

Proceed to enter the credit note details as follows:

 

Sales Credit Note

  • Transaction ID: Automatically generated sequential number based on the Transaction Numbering settings for the organisation. It represents the unique sales credit note number which is presented to the customer.
  • Customer: Select the customer you are issuing the credit note to. If the customer has not already been set up, click on the plus sign (+) to create a new customer.
  • Reference: Enter relevant information such as customer purchase orders or other details you would like to appear on the credit note output.
  • Credit Note Date: The date you issue the credit note. Note that if you specify a date prior to the Conversion Date in your organisation settings, the credit note is treated as part of your Conversion Balances
  • Due Date: The date that credit note falls due. This defaults to the current date but can be changed.
  • Add New Line Item: If more than one line item is to be entered, click on this button to initiate the entry of the next line item.
  • Show VAT Amount: Selecting this checkbox displays the VAT Amount field for each line item. The VAT amount can be changed if required. 
  • Amounts include VAT: By default, the Unit Price is expected to be entered net of VAT. Selecting this checkbox results in all VAT calculations assuming the Unit Price includes VAT. This impacts the overall VAT charged on the credit note and therefore, the Total of the credit note. 
  • Quantity: The quantity of the goods or services being credited. Must be greater than 0.
  • Description: Enter a description of the goods or services being credited. This text will appear on the credit note output.
  • Account: Enter the account against which the reduction of income should be recorded. Use the drop down arrow to search available accounts or click in the field and enter free text to find matching values. If you cannot find an appropriate account, check your settings for the Chart of Accounts and create a new account if required.
  • VAT Code: Select the appropriate VAT Code which should be applied to the line item (default VAT codes can be set in Chart of Accounts). The codes chosen here impact your VAT Reporting. If you are unfamiliar with VAT, it is advisable to consult your accountant or the HMRC for advice. 
  • VAT: Only visible if Show VAT Amount checkbox selected. The VAT amount can be changed if required.
  • Unit Price: Enter the unit price of the goods or services supplied to the customer.
  • Total: Line item total – Unit Price multiplied by Quantity.
  • Delete Line (X): This button allows you to delete an unwanted line item if there are no validation restrictions (such as the transaction being refunded, allocated or included in a VAT Report).
  • Memo: Enter information applicable to the entire credit note. The text is available for displaying on the credit note output.
  • Include in PDF: Selecting this checkbox ensures that text in the Memo field appears on the PDF printed version of the credit note.

 

Click the Save button to complete the creation of the credit note or choose the Save Draft option which saves the credit note but does not update your financial results. Draft credit notes can be edited at a later stage and saved again as draft or actual credit notes.

Issue Credit Note based on Invoice

An efficient way to enter a credit note is to create it directly from within a saved invoice, retaining all the field values previously entered.

Open an existing invoice in View/Edit mode. Use the Sales Invoice options drop down list to select the Issue Credit Note option.

Sales Invoice options

Click the Save button to complete the creation of the credit note.

Note that there is no link created between the new credit note and the original invoice. If you wish to allocate the credit note to the invoice, then this must be done from within the credit note (see Allocate Credit Note).

See Create Sales Credit Note to view full details on entering credit notes.

View/Edit Credit Note

Navigate to the Sales tab.

Invoices and credit notes are displayed in list format with the following statuses:

  • All - all invoices and credit notes
  • Draft - invoices saved as Draft
  • Outstanding - the invoice or credit note has not been fully paid, allocated, refunded or voided
  • Paid - the invoice or credit note has been fully paid, allocated, refunded or voided
  • Recurring - recurring invoices set up to automatically create invoices on specified dates and frequencies

 

Sales tab

 

Click on a transaction in the All, Draft, Outstanding and Paid tabs to view or edit the entry. See Create Sales Credit Note for a detailed explanation of each field.

All fields will be available for editing unless the transaction (or line item) has been refunded/allocated or is already included in a Bank Reconciliation or VAT Report. Although inadvisable, it is possible to unreconcile bank items and delete VAT Reports in order to edit transactions. Careful consideration should be given to any representations already made to external parties such as the HMRC.

Items displayed in the Recurring tab can also be viewed or edited. See Recurring Sales Invoice for more information.

Email or Print Credit Note

PRINT CREDIT NOTE

Open an existing credit note in View/Edit mode. Use the Credit Note options drop down list to select the Print to PDF option.

Credit Note options

Depending on your web browser settings, you will be prompted to open or save the PDF.  

 

EMAIL CREDIT NOTE

Open an existing credit note in View/Edit mode. Use the Credit Note options drop down list to select the Email option.

The fields in the Email window can be edited as required. 

 

Email Credit Note

 

  • From: Defaults to the user's email address.
  • To: Defaults to the email address specified in the customer record.
  • CC: Defaults to the user's email address so that you have a copy and record of the credit memo sent out.
  • Subject: The subject as it appears to the recipient of the email.
  • Attachment: The attached document.
  • Body: Replace or add to the default text as required.

 

Click on the Send button to transmit the email.

Allocate Credit Note to Invoice

A credit note can be allocated to one or more invoices in order to reduce the outstanding amount of the invoice. The credit note can be wholly or partially allocated as required.

Open an existing credit note in View/Edit mode. Use the Credit Note options drop down list to select the Allocate Credit Note option.

Credit Note options

Proceed to enter the credit note allocation as follows:

Credit Note Allocation

  • Reference: Enter any relevant information you may require.
  • Amount Allocated: Automatically fills in the amount outstanding on the credit note. You can change this amount to a lesser value if you require.
  • Date: The date that the allocation takes place.This defaults to the current date but can be changed.

 

A list of the customer's available invoices (where the outstanding amount is greater than zero) will be presented for selection. Tick the checkbox in the first column to select an invoice for allocation. 

  • Transaction ID: The transaction ID of an invoice available for allocation.
  • Invoice Date: The date as specified on the invoice.
  • Invoice Amount: The overall total value of the original invoice.
  • Other Payments: The total of any payments or credit note allocations previously made against this invoice.
  • This Allocation: The amount of the credit note being allocated to the selected invoice. This amount cannot be greater than [Invoice Amount - Other Payments]. Click on this field to change the amount allocated.
  • Outstanding: Calculated as [Invoice Amount - Other Payments - This Allocation].

 

Note that the amount in the This Allocation field can be changed by clicking on the value.

Continue to select and allocate as many invoices as required.

Click the Save button to complete the allocation of a credit note to an invoice.

Void a Credit Note

Credit notes can be voided if they were entered in error as long as they are not included in a VAT Report or have not been partially or fully allocated/refunded.

Open an existing credit note in View/Edit mode. Use the Credit Note options drop down list to select the Void option, which will set all value fields in the credit note to zero.

Credit Note options

Click the Save button to void the credit note.

Voided credit notes are still visible in the Sales tab (Paid & All) to show that no gaps exist in the credit note number sequence.

Clone a Credit Note

Cloning is a convenient way to copy an existing credit note in order to create a new one.

Open an existing credit note in View/Edit mode. Use the Credit Note options drop down list to select the Clone option.

Credit Note options

 

All details from the originally selected credit note are copied to the new one and can be freely edited.

Click the Save button to complete the credit note.

Payments and Refunds

There are three options for recording the payment of invoices and the refund of credit notes.

Where possible, we recommend that you make use of the third option, the Bank Statement Import, to enter these transactions. This will enhance efficiency, accuracy and transparency in managing your payments and receipts.

However, when using the Bank Statement Import, timing differences can arise between the actual transaction date and the date that the value appears on your bank statement. This is especially relevant if you are registered for Cash Accounting VAT which has special rules regarding the payment date and the relevant date is not always considered to be the date that the cash/credit card/cheque clears in your bank statement (see HMRC website for further details). Therefore, in some cases, it may be more appropriate to use option one or option two as detailed below. This can then be followed by a 'matching' activity when the transactions clear on an imported bank statement, which will avoid duplicate entries.

 

The three options for entering payments and refunds are:


1. Directly from an invoice or credit note

Payments and refunds entered in this manner have the benefit of certain fields being pre-filled based on the invoice or credit note values.

 

2. In the Bank Transactions section

Payments and refunds entered in this manner are not initiated from an invoice or credit note. The relevant invoices or credit notes are instead selected from within the Receive Money or Spend Money transaction.

Click here for more help on this option.

 

3. Bank Statement Import
Import a bank statement file to create payments and refunds directly from the line items of the statement.

Any items already entered using option 1 or option 2 above, should be 'matched' during bank statement import processing, to avoid duplicate entry.

Click here for more help on this option

Enter Payment directly from Invoice

Navigate to the Sales tab.

Open an existing invoice in View/Edit mode. Use the Sales Invoice options drop down list to select the Enter Payment option.

Sales Invoice options

The New Receive Money popup will appear with most fields pre-filled including the invoice you are entering the payment for. All fields can be changed if required and additional invoices can be selected for inclusion in this payment.

Make sure to specify the bank account into which the money is being received.

Payment directly from invoice

Click the Save button to complete the transaction.

Go to Customer Invoice Payment for a more detailed explanation of the field entry requirenents.

 

 

Enter Refund directly from Credit Note

Navigate to the Sales tab.

Open an existing credit note in View/Edit mode. Use the Credit Note options drop down list to select the Enter Refund option.

Credit Note options

The New Spend Money popup will appear with most fields pre-filled including the credit note you are entering the refund for. All fields can be changed if required and additional credit notes can be selected for inclusion in this refund.

Make sure to specify the bank account from which the money is being paid.

Enter refund directly from Credit Note

Click the Save button to complete the transaction.

Go to Customer Refund for a more detailed explanation of the field entry requirements.

View/Edit Payments and Refunds

Navigate to the Banking tab and click on Bank Transactions.

 

Bank Transactions

 

Select the appropriate bank account from the drop down list.

Click on a transaction to view or edit the entry.

 

All fields will be available for editing unless the transaction (or line item) is already included in a Bank Reconciliation or VAT Report. Although inadvisable, it is possible to unreconcile bank items and delete VAT Reports in order to edit transactions. Careful consideration should be given to any representations already made to external parties such as the HMRC.

Purchases

Invoices

Create Purchase Invoice

Navigate to the Purchases tab and click on the New Invoice button

Proceed to enter the invoice details as follows:

 

Purchase Invoice

  • Transaction ID: Automatically generated sequential number based on the Transaction Numbering settings for the organisation. 
  • Supplier: Select the supplier you are purchasing the goods or services from. If the supplier has not already been set up, click on the plus sign (+) to create a new supplier 
  • Reference: Enter relevant information such as supplier invoice number. 
  • Invoice Date: The date on the supplier invoice. Note that if you specify a date prior to the Conversion Date in your organisation settings, the invoice is treated as part of your Conversion Balances
  • Due Date: The date that payment of the invoice falls due. This date is controlled by values specified in the Invoice Options for the organisation. 
  • Add New Line Item: If more than one line item is to be entered, click on this button to initiate the entry of the next line item. 
  • Show VAT Amount: Selecting this checkbox displays the VAT Amount field for each line item. The VAT amount can be changed if required.  
  • Amounts include VAT: By default, the Unit Price is expected to be entered net of VAT. Selecting this checkbox results in all VAT calculations assuming the Unit Price includes VAT. This impacts the overall VAT charged on the invoice and therefore, the Total of the invoice.  
  • Quantity: The quantity of the goods or services purchased. Must be greater than 0. 
  • Description: Enter a description of the goods or services purchased. This text will appear on the invoice output. 
  • Account: Enter the account against which purchase should be recorded. Use the drop down arrow to search available accounts or click in the field and enter free text to find matching values. If you cannot find an appropriate account, check your settings for the Chart of Accounts and create a new account if required. 
  • VAT Code: Select the appropriate VAT Code which should be applied to the line item (default VAT codes can be set in Chart of Accounts). The codes chosen here have an impact on your VAT Reporting. If you are unfamiliar with VAT, it is advisable to consult your accountant or the HMRC for advice.  
  • VAT: Only visible if Show VAT Amount checkbox selected. The VAT amount can be changed if required. 
  • Unit Price: Enter the unit price of the goods or services purchased from the supplier. 
  • Total: Line item total = Unit Price multiplied by Quantity. 
  • Delete Line (X)This button allows you to delete an unwanted line item if there are no validation restrictions (such as the transaction being paid, credit noted or included in a VAT Report).
  • Memo: Enter information applicable to the entire invoice.

 

Click the Save button to complete the creation of the invoice or choose the Save Draft option which saves the invoice but does not update your financial results. Draft invoices can be edited at a later stage and saved again as draft or actual invoices.

Recurring Purchase Invoice

Recurring Invoices are a convenient way to automate the creation of Invoices or Draft Invoices.

Recurring transactions are automatically processed once a day at 04h00 UK time and will generate invoices based on the recurring invoice settings for your organisation.

 

CREATE RECURRING INVOICE

Navigate to the Purchases tab and use the drop down arrow on the New Invoice button to select New Recurring Invoice. Proceed to enter the recurring invoice details as follows:

Recurring Invoice

  • Next Invoice: The date on which the next invoice will be automatically created. If you enter the current date in this field, an invoice will be created immediately.
  • Repeat Every: Set the frequency of the invoice creation by entering a value and choosing from either Month(s) or Week(s). After an invoice has been successfully created, the Next Invoice date will be automatically recalculated in line with this setting.
  • Due Date: Set a default number of due days that will be applied to each invoice created from this recurring invoice.
  • Save As: Invoices can be saved as either standard Invoice or Draft Invoice
  • End Date: This is an optional setting used to prevent invoices being automatically created after a certain date.

The remainder of the invoice should be filled out as per the normal Create Purchase Invoice procedure. Click the Save button to complete the creation of the recurring invoice.

 

EDIT RECURRING INVOICE

Navigate to the Purchases tab followed by the Recurring tab. A list of all recurring invoices will be displayed.

Recurring Invoice List

Click on the link in the Supplier field to view or edit a recurring invoice. Any changes made will only affect invoices created on the Next Invoice date.

Recurring Invoices can be deleted at any stage to prevent further invoices being created. Alternatively, use the End Date to achieve the same result and still retain a record of the recurring entry in the list.

View/Edit Invoice

Navigate to the Purchases tab.

Invoices and credit notes are displayed in list format with the following statuses:

  • All - all invoices and credit notes
  • Draft - invoices saved as Draft
  • Outstanding - the invoice or credit note has not been fully paid, allocated, refunded or voided
  • Paid - the invoice or credit note has been fully paid, allocated, refunded or voided
  • Recurring - recurring invoices set up to automatically create invoices on specified dates and frequencies

 

Purchases tab

 

Click on a transaction in the All, Draft, Outstanding and Paid tabs to view or edit the entry. See Create Purchase Invoice for a detailed explanation of each field.

All fields will be available for editing unless the transaction (or line item) has been paid/credit noted or is already included in a Bank Reconciliation or VAT Report. Although inadvisable, it is possible to unreconcile bank items and delete VAT Reports in order to edit transactions. Careful consideration should be given to any representations already made to external parties such as the HMRC.

Items displayed in the Recurring tab can also be viewed or edited. See Recurring Purchase Invoice for more information.

Email or Print Invoice

Most Purchase documents are sent to you by a supplier and so it is less likely that you will need to print or email purchase invoices or credit notes. The same functionality provided for printing and emailing Sales transactions is available in Purchases.

PRINT INVOICE

Open an existing invoice in View/Edit mode. Use the Purchase Invoice options drop down list to select the Print to PDF option.

Purchase Invoice options

 

Depending on your web browser settings, you will be prompted to open or save the PDF.  

 

EMAIL INVOICE

Open an existing invoice in View/Edit mode. Use the Purchase Invoice options drop down list to select the Email option.

The fields in the Email window can be edited as required. 

Purchase Invoice options

  • From: Defaults to the user's email address.
  • To: Defaults to the email address specified in the supplier record.
  • CC: Defaults to the user's email address so that you have a copy and record of the invoice sent out.
  • Subject: The subject as it appears to the recipient of the email.
  • Attachment: The attached document.
  • Body: Replace or add to the default text as required.

 

Click on the Send button to transmit the email.

Void an Invoice

Invoices can be voided if they were entered in error as long as they are not included in a VAT Report or have not been partially or fully paid/credit noted.

Open an existing invoice in View/Edit mode. Use the Purchase Invoice options drop down list to select the Void option, which will set all value fields in the invoice to zero.

Purchase Invoice options

Click the Save button to void the invoice.

Voided invoices are still visible in the Purchases tab (Paid & All) to show that no gaps exist in the invoice number sequence .


Clone an Invoice

Cloning is a convenient way to copy an existing invoice in order to create a new one.

Open an existing invoice in View/Edit mode. Use the Purchase Invoice options drop down list to select the Clone option.

Purchase Invoice options

All details from the originally selected invoice are copied to the new one and can be freely edited.

Click the Save button to complete the invoice.

Credit Notes

Create Purchase Credit Note

Navigate to the Purchases tab and click on the New Credit Note button

Proceed to enter the credit note details as follows:

 

Purchase Credit Note

  • Transaction ID: Automatically generated sequential number based on the Transaction Numbering settings for the organisation. 
  • Supplier: Select the supplier you received the credit note from. If the supplier has not already been set up, click on the plus sign (+) to create a new supplier
  • Reference: Enter relevant information such as supplier credit note number. 
  • Credit Note Date: The date on the supplier credit note. Note that if you specify a date prior to the Conversion Date in your organisation settings, the credit note is treated as part of your Conversion Balances
  • Due Date: The date that credit note falls due. This defaults to the current date but can be changed. 
  • Add New Line Item: If more than one line item is to be entered, click on this button to initiate the entry of the next line item. 
  • Show VAT Amount: Selecting this checkbox displays the VAT Amount field for each line item. The VAT amount can be changed if required.  
  • Amounts include VAT: By default, the Unit Price is expected to be entered net of VAT. Selecting this checkbox results in all VAT calculations assuming the Unit Price includes VAT. This impacts the overall VAT charged on the credit note and therefore, the Total of the credit note.  
  • Quantity: The quantity of the goods or services being credited. Must be greater than 0. 
  • Description: Enter a description of the goods or services being credited. This text will appear on the credit note output. 
  • Account: Enter the account against which the reduction of the purchase should be recorded. Use the drop down arrow to search available accounts or click in the field and enter free text to find matching values. If you cannot find an appropriate account, check your settings for the Chart of Accounts and create a new account if required. 
  • VAT Code: Select the appropriate VAT Code which should be applied to the line item (default VAT codes can be set in Chart of Accounts). The codes chosen here impact your VAT Reporting. If you are unfamiliar with VAT, it is advisable to consult your accountant or the HMRC for advice.  
  • VAT: Only visible if Show VAT Amount checkbox selected. The VAT amount can be changed if required. 
  • Unit Price: Enter the unit price of the goods or services purchased from the supplier. 
  • Total: Line item total – Unit Price multiplied by Quantity. 
  • Delete Line (X): This button allows you to delete an unwanted line item if there are no validation restrictions (such as the transaction being refunded, allocated or included in a VAT Report).
  • Memo: Enter information applicable to the entire credit note.

 

Click the Save button to complete the creation of the credit note or choose the Save Draft option which saves the credit note but does not update your financial results. Draft credit notes can be edited at a later stage and saved again as draft or actual credit notes.

Create Credit Note based on Invoice

An efficient way to enter a credit note is to create it directly from within a saved invoice, retaining all the field values previously entered.

Open an existing invoice in View/Edit mode. Use the Purchase Invoice options drop down list to select the Issue Credit Note option

Purchase Invoice options

Click the Save button to complete the creation of the credit note.

Note that there is no link created between the new credit note and the original invoice. If you wish to allocate the credit note to the invoice, then this must be done from within the credit note (see Allocate Credit Note).

See Create Purchase Credit Note to view full details on entering credit notes.

View/Edit Credit Note

Navigate to the Purchases tab.

Invoices and credit notes are displayed in list format with the following statuses:

  • All - all invoices and credit notes
  • Draft - invoices saved as Draft
  • Outstanding - the invoice or credit note has not been fully paid, allocated, refunded or voided
  • Paid - the invoice or credit note has been fully paid, allocated, refunded or voided
  • Recurring - recurring invoices set up to automatically create invoices on specified dates and frequencies

 

Purchases tab

 

Click on a transaction in the All, Draft, Outstanding and Paid tabs to view or edit the entry. See Create Purchase Credit Note for a detailed explanation of each field.

All fields will be available for editing unless the transaction (or line item) has been refunded/allocated or is already included in a Bank Reconciliation or VAT Report. Although inadvisable, it is possible to unreconcile bank items and delete VAT Reports in order to edit transactions. Careful consideration should be given to any representations already made to external parties such as the HMRC.

Items displayed in the Recurring tab can also be viewed or edited. See Recurring Purchase Invoice for more information.

Email or Print Credit Note

 

As opposed to Sales documents, most Purchase documents are sent to you and so it is less likely that you will need to print or email purchase invoices or credit notes. The same functionality provided for printing and emailing Sales transactions is available in Purchases.

PRINT CREDIT NOTE

Open an existing credit note in View/Edit mode. Use the Purchase Credit Note options drop down list to select the Print to PDF option.

Purchase Credit Note options

Depending on your web browser settings, you will be prompted to open or save the PDF.  

 

EMAIL CREDIT NOTE

Open an existing credit note in View/Edit mode. Use the Purchase Credit Note options drop down list to select the Email option.

The fields in the Email window can be edited as required. 

 

Email Purchase Credit Note

  • From: Defaults to the user's email address.
  • To: Defaults to the email address specified in the supplier record.
  • CC: Defaults to the user's email address so that you have a copy and record of the invoice sent out.
  • Subject: The subject as it appears to the recipient of the email.
  • Attachment: The attached document.
  • Body: Replace or add to the default text as required.

 

Click on the Send button to transmit the email.

Allocate Credit Note to Invoice

A credit note can be allocated to one or more invoices in order to reduce the outstanding amount of the invoice. The credit note can be wholly or partially allocated as required.

Open an existing credit note in View/Edit mode. Use the Purchase Credit Note options drop down list to select the Allocate Credit Note option.

Purchase Credit Note options

 

Proceed to enter the credit note allocation as follows:

 

Purchase Credit Note allocation

  • Reference: Enter any relevant information you may require.
  • Amount Allocated: Automatically fills in the amount outstanding on the credit note. You can change this amount to a lesser value if you require.
  • Date: The date that the allocation takes place.This defaults to the current date but can be changed.

 

A list of the supplier's available invoices (where the outstanding amount is greater than zero) will be presented for selection. Tick the checkbox in the first column to select an invoice for allocation. 

 

  • Transaction ID: The transaction ID of an invoice available for allocation.
  • Invoice Date: The date as specified on the invoice.
  • Invoice Amount: The overall total value of the original invoice.
  • Other Payments: The total of any payments or credit note allocations previously made against this invoice.
  • This Allocation: The amount of the credit note being allocated to the selected invoice. This amount cannot be greater than [Invoice Amount - Other Payments]. Click on this field to change the amount allocated.
  • Outstanding: Calculated as [Invoice Amount - Other Payments - This Allocation].

Note that the amount in the This Allocation field can be changed by clicking on the value.

Continue to select and allocate as many invoices as required.

Click the Save button to complete the allocation of a credit note to an invoice.

Void a Credit Note

Credit notes can be voided if they were entered in error as long as they are not included in a VAT Report or have not been partially or fully allocated/refunded.

Open an existing credit note in View/Edit mode. Use the Purchase Credit Note options drop down list to select the Void option, which will set all value fields in the credit note to zero.

Purchase Credit Note options

Click the Save button to void the credit note.

Voided credit notes are still visible in the Purchases tab (Paid & All) to show that no gaps exist in the credit note number sequence.

Clone a Credit Note

Cloning is a convenient way to copy an existing credit note in order to create a new one.

Open an existing credit note in View/Edit mode. Use the Purchase Credit Note options drop down list to select the Clone option.

Purchase credit note options

 

All details from the originally selected credit note are copied to the new one and can be freely edited.

Click the Save button to complete the credit note.

Payments and Refunds

There are three options for recording the payment of invoices and the refund of credit notes.

Where possible, we recommend that you make use of the third option, the Bank Statement Import, to enter these transactions. This will enhance efficiency, accuracy and transparency in managing your payments and receipts.

However, when using the Bank Statement Import, timing differences can arise between the actual transaction date and the date that the value appears on your bank statement. This is especially relevant if you are registered for Cash Accounting VAT which has special rules regarding the payment date and the relevant date is not always considered to be the date that the cash/credit card/cheque clears in your bank statement (see HMRC website for further details). Therefore, in some cases, it may be more appropriate to use option one or option two as detailed below. This can then be followed by a 'matching' activity when the transactions clear on an imported bank statement, which will avoid duplicate entries.

 

The three options for entering payments and refunds are:


1. Directly from an invoice or credit note

Payments and refunds entered in this manner have the benefit of certain fields being pre-filled based on the invoice or credit note values.

 

2. In the Bank Transactions section

Payments and refunds entered in this manner are not initiated from an invoice or credit note. The relevant invoices or credit notes are instead selected from within the Receive Money or Spend Money transaction.

Click here for more help on this option.

 

3. Bank Statement Import
Import a bank statement file to create payments and refunds directly from the line items of the statement.

Any items already entered using option 1 or option 2 above, should be 'matched' during bank statement import processing, to avoid duplicate entry.

Click here for more help on this option

Enter Payment directly from Invoice

Navigate to the Purchases tab.

Open an existing invoice in View/Edit mode. Use the Purchase Invoice options drop down list to select the Enter Payment option.

Purchase Invoice options

The New Spend Money popup will appear with most fields pre-filled including the invoice you are entering the payment for. All fields can be changed if required and additional invoices can be selected for inclusion in this payment.

Make sure to specify the bank account from which the money is being paid.

Enter Payment directly from Invoice

Click the Save button to complete the transaction.

Go to Supplier Invoice Payment for a more detailed explanation of the field entry requirements.

Enter Refund directly from Credit Note

Navigate to the Purchases tab.

Open an existing credit note in View/Edit mode. Use the Purchase Credit Note options drop down list to select the Enter Refund option.

Purchase Credit Note options

The New Receive Money popup will appear with most fields pre-filled including the credit note you are entering the refund for. All fields can be changed if required and additional credit notes can be selected for inclusion in this refund.

Make sure to specify the bank account into which the money is being received.

Enter refund directly from Credit Note

Click the Save button to complete the transaction.

Go to Supplier Refund for a more detailed explanation of the field entry requirements.

View/Edit Payments and Refunds

Navigate to the Banking tab and click on Bank Transactions.

 

Bank Transactions

 

Select the appropriate bank account from the drop down list.

Click on a transaction to view or edit the entry.

 

All fields will be available for editing unless the transaction (or line item) is already included in a Bank Reconciliation or VAT Report. Although inadvisable, it is possible to unreconcile bank items and delete VAT Reports in order to edit transactions. Careful consideration should be given to any representations already made to external parties such as the HMRC.



Journals

A Journal entry allows the user to enter amounts directly into the accounts listed in the organisation's chart of accounts.

Note: If you are unsure about creating manual journal entries, speak to your Accountant first.

Create Journal Entry

To create a new Journal, navigate to the Journal tab and click the New Journal button.

New Journal

Proceed to enter the Journal as follows:

  • Transaction ID: Automatically generated sequential number based on the Transaction Numbering settings for the organisation.
  • Reference: Optionally enter any relevant text here. 
  • Date: The date of the Journal entry. 
  • Add New Line Item: If more than one line item is to be entered, click on this button to initiate the entry of the next line item. 
  • Account: Enter the account against which the line item should be recorded. Use the drop down arrow to search available accounts or click in the field and enter free text to find matching values. If you cannot find an appropriate account, check your settings for the Chart of Accounts and create a new account if required.
  • Description: Optionally enter a description for each line item.
  • Debit / Credit: Each line item must contain either a debit or credit amount.
  • Delete line (X): Line item can be deleted if it is not a bank account transaction that has been reconciled.
  • Memo: Optionally enter information applicable to the transaction.

 

Click the Save button to complete the creation of the journal.

View/Edit Journal Entry

Navigate to the Journal tab.

All previous Journal and Conversion Balance transactions are displayed in a list format in ascending date order.

Click on a journnal transaction to display it in its original entry format.

View/Edit Journal

All fields will be available for editing unless the transaction (or line item) has already been included in a Bank Reconciliation.

You can also delete a journal unless the transaction (or line item) has already been included in a Bank Reconciliation.

Banking

All transactions that have a monetary value should be reflected in one of your bank accounts. This includes, but is not limited to, movements in your current account, credit card account, petty cash or deposit accounts.

The Banking area in AccountsPortal enables you to enter, manage and reconcile these entries in a logical and timely manner.

You can add a new bank account at any time.

Bank Overview

The accounts set up in your Chart of Accounts with account type of 'Bank Account' will be displayed with summary information for a quick overview of the current status. This overview will help you identify which accounts need attention so that they can be brought up to date.


Bank Overview

 

  • Account Name: The name defined for the account in the Chart of Accounts.
  • Reconciliation Status: Number of unreconciled items in each bank account.
  • Import Status: If you import bank statements for this account, then this represents the number unprocessed items across all imported bank statements.
  • Last Transaction: The date of the last transaction entered in this account
  • Balance: The current balance of the account relating to saved transactions (this will not necessarily match your bank statement balance).

Bank Transactions

Navigate to the Banking tab and then click on the Banking Transactions tab.

 

Enter incoming and outgoing payments by way of Spend Money, Receive Money or Bank Statement Import.

Manage bank transactions by viewing/editing if required.

Reconcile any bank account, card account or even petty cash using the Reconcile tool.

 

A list of all transactions relating to the selected bank account is displayed. Use the drop down list to select a different bank account if required.

Bank Transactions

  • Transaction ID: Automatically generated sequential number based on the Transaction Numbering settings for the organisation. It uniquely identifies the bank transaction.
  • Date: The date specified when entering the bank transaction.
  • Reference: The text specified in this optional field when entering the bank transaction.
  • Customer/Supplier: The relevant payee or payer (note this field is optional when entering General Receipts and General Payments).
  • Received: The transaction amount received into the bank account.
  • Spent: The transaction amount paid out of the bank account.
  • Balance: The cumulative total of the bank transactions (this will not necessarily match your bank statement balance). A red amount indicates that the balance is negative.
  • Reconciled: If ticked, then this indicates that the item has either been manually reconciled during a bank reconciliation, or automtically reconciled during a bank statement import.
  • Delete transaction: The option to delete a bank transaction will not be available if it has been reconciled or included in a VAT Report.

 

Although inadvisable, it is possible to unreconcile bank items and delete VAT Reports in order to delete bank transactions. Careful consideration should be given to any representations already made to external parties such as the HMRC. 

Receive Money

Navigate to the Banking tab and click on Bank Transactions

Select the appropriate bank account from the drop down list and then click on the Receive Money button to start entering receipts. Choose one of the options from the Type drop down list:

  • Invoice Payment: Receipts relating to existing customer invoices - see Customer Invoice Payment
  • General Payment: Receipts or inflows not relating to customer invoices or supplier refunds eg. interest received, bank transfer etc - see General Receipt
  • Refund: Receipts relating to existing supplier credit notes - see Supplier Refunds

 

Receipt Type

 

 

Customer Invoice Payment

This transaction is used for entering customer payments against existing Sales Invoices. If you are entering a cash sale for which you have not issued an invoice, you should consider use the General Receipt option.

The starting point for creating this entry is one of the following options. View the relevant help files to see how the popup window for New Receive Money is activated:

 

Customer Invoice Payment

  • Transaction ID: Automatically generated sequential number based on the Transaction Numbering settings for the organisation.
  • Customer: Use the drop down list to select the appropriate customer. This field is automatically entered if you are processing a bank statement using an import rule or entering payment directly from an invoice.
  • Reference: Enter any relevant information you may require eg. cheque number.
  • Amount Received: Enter the amount of the receipt. This field is automatically entered if you are processing a bank statement or entering payment directly from an invoice, in which case you can change this amount to a lesser value if you require. You cannot save the transaction if this value differs from the Total Amount Allocated.
  • Date: The date that the receipt took place. This defaults to the current date unless you are processing a bank statement in which case the system will automatically insert the the date as per the bank statement.
  • Bank Account: The relevant Bank Account for the receipt. This field is automatically entered if you are processing a bank statement or entering a payment from the Bank Transactions menu.
  • Type: Type of transaction being entered which should be Invoice Payment. This field is automatically entered if you are processing a bank statement or entering payment directly from an invoice. It can be changed if required.

 

A list of the customer's outstanding invoices (i.e where the outstanding amount is greater than zero) will be displayed for selection. Tick the checkbox in the first column to select an invoice for payment, and enter an amount in the This Payment column. Note that all other columns in this section are read-only and you will not be able to edit the information here.

  • Transaction ID: The transaction ID of an invoice available for payment.
  • Invoice Date: The date as specified on the invoice.
  • Invoice Amount: The overall total value of the original invoice.
  • Other Payments: The total of any payments or credit note allocations previously made against this invoice.
  • This Payment: The amount of the payment being entered against the selected invoice. This amount cannot be greater than [Invoice Amount - Other Payments]. Click on this field to change the amount if required.
  • Outstanding: Calculated as [Invoice Amount - Other Payments - This Payment].

 

Note that the amount in the This Payment field can be changed by clicking on the value.

Continue to select and enter a payment for as many invoices as required.

Click the Save button to complete the Customer Invoice Payment.

 

NOTES

Each invoice selected for payment results in one line posted to the Accounts Receivable account for this transaction ie. if five invoices are selected for payment, this transaction will result in five separate lines posted against the Accounts Receivable account. This is to allow you to subsequently report which invoices were paid by a particular bank transaction.

The transaction can only be saved if the Amount Received equals the Total Amount Allocated.

General Receipt

This transaction is used for entering miscellaneous receipts and cash sales for which you have not issued an invoice.

If the receipt relates to an issued customer invoice, use Customer Invoice Payment.

If the receipt relates to the refund of a supplier credit note, use Supplier Refund.

 

The starting point for creating this entry is one of the following options. View the relevant help files to see how the pop up window for New Receive Money is activated:

 

General Receipt

  • Transaction ID: Automatically generated sequential number based on the Transaction Numbering settings for the organisation.
  • Customer: Use the drop down list to select the appropriate customer. This field is automatically entered if you are processing a bank statement using an import rule. Note that when the Type selected is General, the customer is an optional selection.
  • Reference: Enter any relevant information you may require eg. cheque number.
  • Amount Received: Enter the amount of the receipt. This field is automatically entered if you are processing a bank statement in which case you can change this amount to a lesser value if you require. You cannot save the transaction if this value differs from the Total.
  • Date: The date that the receipt took place. This defaults to the current date unless you are processing a bank statement in which case its the date provided by the bank for the line item.
  • Bank Account: The relevant Bank Account for the receipt. This field is automatically entered if you are processing a bank statement or entering a receipt from the Bank Transactions path.
  • Type: Type of transaction being entered which should be General. This field is automatically entered if you are processing a bank statement. It can be changed if required.
  • Add New Line Item: If more than one line item is to be entered, click on this button to initiate the entry of the next line item.
  • Show VAT Amount: Selecting this checkbox displays the VAT Amount field for each line item. The VAT amount can be changed if required.
  • Amounts include VAT: This is ticked as the default setting for General Receipts. If required, remove the tick to continue entering amounts net of VAT. Be sure to check that the VAT is correct.
  • Account: Enter the account against which the receipt should be recorded. Use the drop down arrow to search available accounts or click in the field and enter free text to find matching values. If you cannot find an appropriate account, check your settings for the Chart of Accounts and create a new account if required.
  • Description: Enter a description of the receipt.
  • VAT Code: Select the appropriate VAT Code which should be applied to the line item (default VAT codes can be set in Chart of Accounts). The codes chosen here impact your VAT Reporting. If you are unfamiliar with VAT, it is advisable to consult your accountant or the HMRC for advice.
  • VAT: Only visible if Show VAT Amount checkbox selected. The VAT amount can be changed if required.
  • Amount: Line item amount.
  • Delete Line: This button allows you to delete an unwanted line item if there are no validation restrictions (such as the transaction being included in a Bank Reconciliation or VAT Report).
  • Memo: Enter information applicable to the entire receipt.

 

Click the Save button to complete the General Receipt.

 

NOTES

Unlike, Invoice Payments and Refunds, General receipts do not save values to the Accounts Receivable account. The Customer field in this type of bank transaction is optional and for information purposes only.

The transaction can only be saved if the Amount Received equals the transaction Total.

Supplier Refund

This transaction is used for entering supplier refunds against existing Credit Notes. If you are entering a refund for which you did not receive a credit note, you should consider using the General Receipt option.

 

The starting point for creating this entry is one of the following options. View the relevant help files to see how the pop up window for New Receive Money is activated:

 

Supplier Refund

  • Transaction ID: Automatically generated sequential number based on the Transaction Numbering settings for the organisation.
  • Supplier: Use the drop down list to select the appropriate supplier. This field is automatically entered if you are processing a bank statement using an import rule or entering refund directly from a credit note.
  • Reference: Enter any relevant information you may require eg. cheque number.
  • Amount Received: Enter the amount of the refund. This field is automatically entered if you are processing a bank statement or entering refund directly from a credit note, in which case you can change this amount to a lesser value if you require. You cannot save the transaction if this value differs from the Total Amount Allocated.
  • Date: The date that the refund place. This defaults to the current date unless you are processing a bank statement in which case its the date provided by the bank for the line item.
  • Bank Account: The relevant Bank Account for the refund. This field is automatically entered if you are processing a bank statement or entering refund from the Bank->Bank Transactions path.
  • Type: Type of transaction being entered which should be Refund. This field is automatically entered if you are processing a bank statement or entering refund directly from a credit note. It can be changed if required.

 

A list of the supplier's outstanding credit notes (i.e where the outstanding amount is greater than zero) will be displayed for selection. Tick the checkbox in the first column to select an invoice for payment, and enter an amount in the This Payment column. Note that all other columns in this section are read-only and you will not be able to edit the information here.

  • Transaction ID: The transaction ID of a credit note available for refund.
  • Date: The date as specified on the credit note.
  • Amount: The total value of the original credit note.
  • Other Payments: The total of any refunds or allocations against invoices previously made for this credit note.
  • This Payment: The amount of the refund being entered against the selected credit note. This amount cannot be greater than [Amount - Other Payments]. Click on this field to change the amount if required.
  • Outstanding: Calculated as [Amount - Other Payments - This Payment].

 

Note that the amount in the This Payment field can be changed by clicking on the value.

Continue to select and enter refund for as many credit notes as required.

Click the Save button to complete the Supplier Refund.

 

NOTES

Each credit note selected for refund results in one line posted to the Accounts Payable account for this transaction ie. if five credit notes are selected for refund, this transaction will result in five separate lines posted against the Accounts Payable account. This is to allow you to subsequently report which credit notes were refunded by a particular bank transaction.

The transaction can only be saved if the Amount Received equals the Total Amount Allocated.

Spend Money

Navigate to the Banking tab and click on Bank Transactions

Select the appropriate bank account from the drop down list and then click on the Spend Money button to start entering payments. Choose one of the options from the Type drop down list:

  • Invoice Payment: Payments relating to existing supplier invoices - see Supplier Invoice Payment
  • General Payment: Payments or outflows not relating to supplier invoices or customer refunds eg. interest paid, bank transfer out etc - see General Payment
  • Refund: Payments relating to existing customer credit notes - see Customer Refunds

 

Payment Type

 



Supplier Invoice Payment

This transaction is used for entering supplier payments against existing Purchase Invoices. If you are entering a cash purchase, or where you have not received a purchase invoice, you should consider using the General Payment option.

The starting point for creating this entry is one of the following options. View the relevant help files to see how the pop up window for New Spend Money is activated:

 

Supplier Invoice Payment

  • Transaction ID: Automatically generated sequential number based on the Transaction Numbering settings for the organisation.
  • Supplier: Use the drop down list to select the appropriate supplier. This field is automatically entered if you are processing a bank statement using an import rule or entering payment directly from an invoice.
  • Reference: Enter any relevant information you may require eg. cheque number.
  • Amount Spent: Enter the amount of the payment. This field is automatically entered if you are processing a bank statement or entering payment directly from an invoice, in which case you can change this amount to a lesser value if you require. You cannot save the transaction if this value differs from the Total Amount Allocated.
  • Date: The date that the payment took place. This defaults to the current date unless you are processing a bank statement in which case its the date provided by the bank for the line item.
  • Bank Account: The relevant Bank Account for the payment. This field is automatically entered if you are processing a bank statement or entering payment from the Bank->Bank Transactions path.
  • Type: Type of transaction being entered which should be Invoice Payment. This field is automatically entered if you are processing a bank statement or entering payment directly from an invoice. It can be changed if required.

 

A list of the supplier's outstanding invoices (i.e where the outstanding amount is greater than zero) will be displayed for selection. Tick the checkbox in the first column to select an invoice for payment, and enter an amount in the This Payment column. Note that all other columns in this section are read-only and you will not be able to edit the information here.

  • Transaction ID: The transaction ID of an invoice available for payment.
  • Invoice Date: The date as specified on the invoice.
  • Invoice Amount: The overall total value of the original invoice.
  • Other Payments: The total of any payments or credit note allocations previously made against this invoice.
  • This Payment: The amount of the payment being entered against the selected invoice. This amount cannot be greater than [Invoice Amount - Other Payments]. Click on this field to change the amount if required.
  • Outstanding: Calculated as [Invoice Amount - Other Payments - This Payment].

 

Note that the amount in the This Payment field can be changed by clicking on the value.

Continue to select and enter payment for as many invoices as required.

Click the Save button to complete the Supplier Invoice Payment.

 

NOTES

Each invoice selected for payment results in one line posted to the Accounts Payable account for this transaction ie. if five invoices are selected for payment, this transaction will result in five separate lines posted against the Accounts Payable account. This is to allow you to subsequently report which invoices were paid by a particular bank transaction.

The transaction can only be saved if the Amount Spent equals the Total Amount Allocated.

General Payment

This transaction is used for entering miscellaneous payments and cash purchases for which you may not have received a supplier invoice.

If the payment relates to an issued supplier invoice, use Supplier Invoice Payment.

If the receipt relates to the refund of a supplier credit note, use Customer Refund.

 

The starting point for creating this entry is one of the following options. View the relevant help files to see how the pop up window for New Spend Money is activated:

 

General Payment

  • Transaction ID: Automatically generated sequential number based on the Transaction Numbering settings for the organisation.
  • Supplier: Use the drop down list to select the appropriate supplier. This field is automatically entered if you are processing a bank statement using an import rule. Note that when the Type selected is General, the customer is an optional selection.
  • Reference: Enter any relevant information you may require eg. cheque number.
  • Amount Spent: Enter the amount of the payment. This field is automatically entered if you are processing a bank statement in which case you can change this amount to a lesser value if you require. You cannot save the transaction if this value differs from the Total.
  • Date: The date that the payment took place. This defaults to the current date unless you are processing a bank statement in which case its the date provided by the bank for the line item.
  • Bank Account: The relevant Bank Account for the payment. This field is automatically entered if you are processing a bank statement or entering a payment from the Bank->Bank Transactions path.
  • Type: Type of transaction being entered which should be General. This field is automatically entered if you are processing a bank statement. It can be changed if required.
  • Add New Line Item: If more than one line item is to be entered, click on this button to initiate the entry of the next line item.
  • Show VAT Amount: Selecting this checkbox displays the VAT Amount field for each line item. The VAT amount can be changed if required.
  • Amounts include VAT: This is ticked as the default setting for General Payment. If required, remove the tick to continue entering amounts net of VAT. Be sure to check that the VAT is correct.
  • Account: Enter the account against which the payment should be recorded. Use the drop down arrow to search available accounts or click in the field and enter free text to find matching values. If you cannot find an appropriate account, check your settings for the Chart of Accounts and create a new account if required.
  • Description: Enter a line item description of the payment.
  • VAT Code: Select the appropriate VAT Code which should be applied to the line item (default VAT codes can be set in Chart of Accounts). The codes chosen here impact your VAT Reporting. If you are unfamiliar with VAT, it is advisable to consult your accountant or the HMRC for advice.
  • VAT: Only visible if Show VAT Amount checkbox selected. The VAT amount can be changed if required.
  • Amount: Line item amount.
  • Delete Line: This button allows you to delete an unwanted line item if there are no validation restrictions (such as the transaction being included in a Bank Reconciliation or VAT Report).
  • Memo: Enter information applicable to the entire payment.

 

Click the Save button to complete the General Payment.

 

NOTES

Unlike, Invoice Payments and Refunds, General payments do not save values to the Accounts Payable account. The Supplier field in this type of bank transaction is optional and for information purposes only.

The transaction can only be saved if the Amount Spent equals the transaction Total.

Customer Refund

This transaction is used for entering customer refunds against existing Credit Notes. If you are entering a refund for which you did not issue a credit note, you should consider using the General Payment option.

The starting point for creating this entry is one of the following options. View the relevant help files to see how the pop up window for New Spend Money is activated:

 

Customer Refund

  • Transaction ID: Automatically generated sequential number based on the Transaction Numbering settings for the organisation.
  • Customer: Use the drop down list to select the appropriate customer. This field is automatically entered if you are processing a bank statement using an import rule or entering refund directly from a credit note.
  • Reference: Enter any relevant information you may require eg. cheque number.
  • Amount Spent: Enter the amount of the refund. This field is automatically entered if you are processing a bank statement or entering refund directly from a credit note, in which case you can change this amount to a lesser value if you require. You cannot save the transaction if this value differs from the Total Amount Allocated.
  • Date: The date that the refund place. This defaults to the current date unless you are processing a bank statement in which case its the date provided by the bank for the line item.
  • Bank Account: The relevant Bank Account for the refund. This field is automatically entered if you are processing a bank statement or entering refund from the Bank Transactions menu.
  • Type: Type of transaction being entered which should be Refund. This field is automatically entered if you are processing a bank statement or entering refund directly from a credit note. It can be changed if required.

 

A list of the customer's outstanding credit notes (i.e where the outstanding amount is greater than zero) will be displayed for selection. Tick the checkbox in the first column to select an invoice for payment, and enter an amount in the This Payment column. Note that all other columns in this section are read-only and you will not be able to edit the information here.

  • Transaction ID: The transaction ID of a credit note available for refund.
  • Date: The date as specified on the credit note.
  • Amount: The overall total value of the original credit note.
  • Other Payments: The total of any refunds or allocations against invoices previously made for this credit note.
  • This Payment: The amount of the refund being entered against the selected credit note. This amount cannot be greater than [Amount - Other Payments]. Click on this field to change the amount if required.
  • Outstanding: Calculated as [Amount - Other Payments - This Payment].

 

Note that the amount in the This Payment field can be changed by clicking on the value.

Continue to select and enter refund for as many credit notes as required.

Click the Save button to complete the Customer Refund.

 

NOTES

Each credit note selected for refund results in one line posted to the Accounts Receivable account for this transaction ie. if five credit notes are selected for refund, this transaction will result in five separate lines posted against the Accounts Receivable account. This is to allow you to subsequently report which credit notes were refunded by a particular bank transaction.

The transaction can only be saved if the Amount Spent equals the Total Amount Allocated.

View/Edit Bank Transaction

Navigate to the Banking tab and click on Bank Transactions.

 

Bank Transactions

 

Select the appropriate bank account from the drop down list.

Double click on a transaction to view or edit the entry.

 

All fields will be available for editing unless the transaction, or one or more line items, have already been included in a Bank Reconciliation or VAT Report. Although inadvisable, it is possible to unreconcile bank items and delete VAT Reports in order to edit transactions. Careful consideration should be given to any representations already made to external parties such as the HMRC.

Delete Bank Transaction

Navigate to the Banking tab and then click on Bank Transactions.

Delete Bank Transaction

The Delete indicator on the bank transaction will only be available if the transaction (or line items) have not already been included in a Bank Reconciliation or VAT Report.

Click the button and confirm the prompt to delete the bank transaction.

 

NOTE

Although inadvisable, it is possible to unreconcile bank items and delete VAT Reports in order to delete transactions. Careful consideration should be given to any representations already made to external parties such as the HMRC.

Bank Reconciliation

The goal of the reconciliation process is to compare banking related transactions (i.e. money received and money spent) in AccountsPortal with your actual bank statement.

To initiate a new bank reconciliation:

  • Navigate to the Banking tab
  • Click on the Bank Transactions tab
  • Select the account that you wish to reconcile from the drop down list
  • Click the Reconcile button

 

At this point you will have access to the bank reconciliation screen. You will not be able to navigate to other areas in AccountsPortal until you Save or Cancel the reconciliation.

  • Only show items in date range: If this is selected, then you will only see transactions between the Start Date and End Date. If this item is not selected, then all transactions for the relevant bank account will be visible.
  • Start Date: This is the start date as per your bank statement. If you have previously saved a reconciliation in AccountsPortal, then this date will default to 1 day past the previously saved End Date.
  • End Date: This is the end date as per your bank statement.
  • Start Balance: The start or opening balance as per your bank statement. If you have previously saved a reconciliation in AccountsPortal, then this date will default to the previously saved End Balance.
  • End Balance: The ending or closing balance as per your bank statement.
  • Change in Bank Statement: The difference between the Start Balance and End Balance, which will be automatically calculated.

Bank Reconciliation

Once you have set your parameters as above, then you can commence the actual reconciliation process by ticking off individual items in the main list, which will automatically affect the following amounts:

  • Received: The total amount received of all reconciled transactions between the start and end date.
  • Spent: The total amount received of all reconciled transactions between the start and end date.
  • Total Reconciled: The difference between Received and Spent.
  • Difference: The difference between the Change in Bank Statement and Total Reconciled.

Once the Total Reconciled is equal to the Change in Bank Statement, then the Difference will be equal to zero and the reconciliation can be saved.

 

NOTES

Items with a blue checkmark are transactions that have previously been reconciled in AccountsPortal. These can be un-reconciled, but only if they have not been included in a VAT report.

Once a bank transaction has been reconciled, then you will be unable to edit or change certain elements of the transaction. Although inadvisable, it is possible to unreconcile bank items in order to edit transactions, but careful consideration should be given to any representations already made to external parties.

  • The total amount received of all reconciled items between the start and end date.

Bank Statement Import

Where possible, we recommend you make use of this functionality to enter bank transactions. This will enhance efficiency, accuracy and transparency in managing your payments and receipts. Use Import Rules for intelligent, assisted transaction entry.

The following steps should be followed:

1. Download your bank statement from your online banking account in either OFX, QFX or CSV formats and save the downloaded file on your local computer. 

2. Import the bank statement into AccountsPortal.

3. Process each line item in the imported bank statement.

Importing a file

Once you have downloaded the OFX, QFX or CSV file from your online banking, navigate to the Banking tab and then the Bank Statement Import tab. Click the Import New Bank Statement button.

 

Import Bank Statement

  • Bank account: Select the appropriate bank account for the statement being imported.
  • File to import: Click on the Browse button and select the OFX, QFX or CSV file that you previously downloaded and saved on your computer.

 

Once you have made your selections, click the Import button to read the transactions in the selected file.

 

If you selected an OFX or QFX file for import, the fields will appear similar to the image below:

Import OFX

  • Transaction Date: will be used in the transaction date field of bank transaction.
  • Amount: the amount to be used in the bank transaction.
  • Payee: represents the payee or payer and is the key field for creating an Import Rule.
  • Description: the values in this field will appear in the Memo field in the saved bank transaction.

 

Cell values can be edited before the Bank Statement is saved. It is not advisabe to edit dates or amounts but the functionality can be useful to add text or comments.

 

If you selected a CSV file for import, you will need to assign each of the fields in the file to an appropriate system field.

Import Bank Statement

  • Transaction Date/Amount: these fields must be assignedas the minimum requirement.
  • Payee: represents the payee or payer and is the key field for creating an Import Rule.
  • Transaction Memo: the values in this field will appear in the Memo field in the saved bank transaction.
  • Don't Import: use this option to ignore the values in a particular field.
  • First row contains headings: use this option prevent headings from being imported.
  • Date format: this will be automatically determined if possible and must match the date format in the file. 

 

Cell values can be edited before the Bank Statement is saved. It is not advisabe to edit dates or amounts but the functionality can be useful to add text or comments.

 

Click the Save button to create the bank statement. You will be transferred to the Bank Satement Detail screen from where you can process the bank statement

 

NOTE

When importing a bank statement, timing differences can arise between the actual transaction date and the value appearing on your bank statement. Time taken for cheques to clear is a good example of this. This is especially relevant if you are registered for Cash Accounting VAT, which has special rules regarding receipt date and does not consider the relevant date to be the date the cash clears in your bank statement (see HMRC website for further details) In some cases, it is therefore more appropriate to make use of Receive Money or Spend Money options to initially record the entry followed by a 'matching' activity when the values clear on the bank statement which has been imported.

 

Tip for users who cannot download Bank Statements

You can create a bank statement import file from scratch by entering a record for each bank transaction in your favourite spreadsheet program and saving the file as a CSV type. This is helpful if you cannot download a statement from your bank but wish to use the Import Bank Statement tool and would like an online record of statements in AccountsPortal.

File preparation:

  • Open spreadsheet program.
  • Create rows of information representing bank transactions.
  • Enter at least 4 columns of information.
  • Amount: positive amounts create Receive Money and negative amounts create Spend Money.
    Date: date transaction clears in bank account. Use format DD/MM/YYYY, YYYY/MM/DD, YYYY-MM-DD or DD-MM-YYYY.
    Payer/Payee: the text entered here is matched against the search term of Import Rules.
    Description: the text entered here is inserted into the Memo field.
  • Save the file as file type CSV.
  • If any text or numbers contain commas, then they should be delimited with quotation marks as follows (the spreadsheet program should do this automatically):

10/06/2009,"1,000.21",Endcorp,INV39
11/06/2009,"-1,250.20",Telco Ltd,Telephone Charges
15/06/2009,-25.50,Charges,"Bank Charges, May09"

Go back to the top of this page and process the file as a CSV type.

Process a Bank Statement

Navigate to the Banking tab and then the Bank Statement Import tab.

 

Import Bank Statement

  • Bank account: Bank Account of the statement.
  • Start date: The date of the earliest transaction.
  • End date: The date of the latest transaction.
  • Import date: The date you imported the file into AccountsPortal.
  • Statement lines processed: Current status of the statement.
  • Delete statement: The option to delete a statement only exists if there are 0 lines processed (see Delete Bank Statement).

 

Click on a bank statement line to open the statement for processing

Process Bank Statement

  • Date: The date the transaction cleared at the bank or appeared on the statement.
  • Amount: The amount provided in the statement.
  • Payee: This is the payee or payer. The text in this field is used to search for the relevant Import Rule. It will also be used as the basis for creating new rules automatically if activated in your organisation's settings.
  • Transaction Memo: Any relevant information provided by the bank as a description of the transaction.
  • Status:
    • P : Click this button to initiate a new bank transaction using Spend Money for negative amounts and Receive Money for positive amounts.
    • R : This button is only active if an Import Rule is found matching the value in the Payee field. Click the R button to create a Spend Money or a Receive Money bank transaction using the rule.
    • M : This button is only active if an existing unreconciled bank transaction has been entered which matches the statement line item on Amount. An example might be a cheque you received and banked which was already saved as a bank transaction. The cheque has now cleared in your bank account. Avoid creating a new Receive Money which would be a duplicate. Click the M button to match the items (see below for more information on using M).
  • Delete line: Any unprocessed statement line can be deleted.

 

Once you have completed the creation of a new bank transaction or matched a statement line item to an existing bank transaction, the status will be updated to reflect the bank transaction (saved bank transactions will be visible in the Bank Transactions tab). There will also be a V and a U button visible.

Process Bank Statement

  • Status:
    • V : This button is only active for statement line items already processed. Click the V button to view or edit the saved transaction.
    • U : This button is only active for statement line items already processed. Click the U button to unlink statement line items and saved bank transactions. This action will mark the saved bank transaction as unreconciled but does not delete it. The bank transaction can only be deleted in the Bank Transactions screen.
  • Delete line: Processed statement lines can no longer be deleted.

 

 

M - Matching statement lines to bank transactions

You can only match one bank transaction to a statement line. Select the appropriate bank transaction and click on Use Selected to create the link.

Matching items

Delete Bank Statement

Navigate to the Banking tab and then the Bank Statement Import tab.

Import Bank Statement

The Delete indicator on the bank statement line will only be available if none of the line items have been processed.

Click the button and confirm the prompt to delete the statement.

 

NOTE

Line items that have been processed (thus preventing deletion of a statement) can be reset to unprocessed.  Click the U button to unlink statement line items and saved bank transactions. This action will mark the saved bank transaction as unreconciled but does not delete it. The bank transaction can only be deleted in the Bank Transactions screen (see Process a Bank Statement).

Manage Import Rules

During bank statement import, AccountsPortal checks for existing rules which match the Payee (payee/payer) field in the bank statement line. If a rule is found, it can be used to quickstart the bank transaction by selecting the appropriate Transaction Type and where applicable the Customer/Supplier, Account and VAT code. The purpose of this functionality it to increase efficiency and consistency of how bank transactions are created from bank statement lines.

If activated in your organisation's settings, Import Rules will be created automatically when a bank statement line is processed using button P (see Process a  Bank Statement). The rule is based on a search term that is derived from the Payee field in the bank statement line and is only created once. If you want to change the settings of a rule or delete the rule, then follow the instructions below.

Navigate to the Banking tab, click on Bank Statement Import and then Manage Import Rules.

 

Double click on an existing rule to edit the settings. All fields can be changed including the Transaction Type.

Import Rules

The existing field values are based on the bank transaction created from the first statement imported. It is not necessary to differentiate at a rule level between payments and receipts as this determined whilst processing a bank statement line based on the sign of the Amount field. 

  • Search Term: This is the key text checked to see if it matches a value in the Payee field of the statement line. A positive match results in this rule being available for use during bank statement processing. During automatic creation of a rule the text is set to lowercase.
  • Customer/Supplier: Customer/supplier to be used with this rule. Only applicable if Transaction Type is Invoice Payment or Refund.
  • Account: Acount to be used with this rule. Only applicable if Transaction Type is General Payment.
  • VAT: VAT code to be used with this rule. Only applicable if Transaction Type is General Payment.
  • Transaction Type: This determines the type of bank transaction that will be created when using the rule (see Receive Money or Spend Money).

Customers and Suppliers

Customers and Suppliers are third parties that you do business with. They are managed centrally in AccountsPortal which means that it is possible to set up a third party as both a Customer and a Supplier. Customer and Supplier records must exist in order to enter Invoices and Credit Notes

Create Customer or Supplier

Navigate to the Customers/Suppliers tab and click on the Add New Customer or Supplier button.

 

Customer/Supplier

 

  • Name & Address fields: Information entered here appears on the customer invoices and credit notes.
  • Email: address used when emailing an invoice or credit note.
  • Customer/Supplier checkboxes: Indicate whether the details belong to a Customer or a Supplier thus determining which transactions can be processed against this account. Ticking both checkboxes is possible.

 

The remaining fields are for information only.

Click the Save button to create the new Customer/Supplier

Customers and suppliers can also be created during invoice and credit note entry by clicking on the '+' sign next to the relevant drop down list

View/Edit Customer or Supplier

Navigate to the Customers/Suppliers tab.

 

View/Edit Customer

 

If needed, use the filter text box to find the customer or supplier from the list.

Click on the appropriate cusomter or supplier to open the popup and view or edit the customer/supplier.

See Create Customer or Supplier for more detail on each field.

Customer Statements

You can view individual transactions for each customer on a line-by-line basis in the Customer Statements view.

Navigate to the Customers/Suppliers tab. Determine the relevant customer and click the View statement icon. The icon is only visible for customer accounts.

 Customer Statement

The statement is presented on the screen. Change the Start Date and End Date as required and the statement will refresh automatically.

Customer Statement displayed

The ageing buckets at the bottom of the statement are calculated based on the Due Date of each invoice and credit note. All payments and refunds are taken into account when calculating this ageing. This can also be viewed in detail in the Aged Receivables report.

Ageing Buckets

Email, Print or Export the customer statement as required

Click on the Close Statement button to return to the main Customers/Suppliers screen or use the View statement icon for any customer in the left column to generate a new statement..

Reports

VAT Report

The Vat Report will calculate the figures to use on your VAT return.

To view an organisation's previous VAT Reports, navigate to the Reports tab, and then click the VAT Report link. All previous VAT reports that have been saved in AccountsPortal will be listed; you can view these in more detail by double clicking a row.

 

VAT Overview

 

To create a new VAT report, perform the following steps:

  • Ensure that the organisation's VAT status is correct.
  • Click on the New VAT Report button.

 

VAT Report

 

  • AccountsPortal will automatically enter the Start date and End date. If you have previously completed a VAT return, then the Start date of the new VAT return will be 1 day after the previous return, and the End date will take into account the VAT Reporting Frequency that you have specified in the organisation's VAT status. You can change these dates if needed. Note that you cannot set a Start date or End date to a date earlier than the Conversion Date.
  • Click on the Refresh button.

The report will then calculate the appropriate figures. If you would like to view additional details and how each value is calculated, click the View Underlying Transactions button.

Click the Save button to complete the report and save it for future reference.

 

Validations will now prevent any changes to transactions saved in this report which may impact on the VAT reported. In order to make changes to these transactions you will need to delete the VAT report.

 

Important Note: You must ensure that there is no change in the organisation's VAT status (for example, from standard rate VAT to flat rate VAT, or from the cash to accrual accounting basis) during the VAT reporting period. Any change in VAT status MUST be effected at the start of a VAT period. See the section on Adding a VAT status for more information.

 

Note that EU related transactions are not currently supported in AccountsPortal.

Profit and Loss

The Profit and Loss report is an indication of an Organisation's financial performance over a period of time.

View the Profit and Loss report

To view the Profit and Loss report, navigate to the Reports tab, and then click the Profit and Loss link on the left hand side of the page.

Report parameters

  • Start Date: Select any date.
  • End Date: Select any date greater than the Start Date.
  • Show Monthly: If this option is selected, then the report will display the information on a month-by-month basis. Note that data may be shown for partial months; for example, if the specified start date is 15-01-2009, then the Jan-2009 column will only reflect transactions with a date between (and including) 15-01-2009 and 31-01-2009. The same principle applies to the End Date. Some care should also be taken with choosing very large date ranges with the Show Monthly option selected, as you may have to scroll to the right to view all the information.

Once the parameters have been chosen, click the Refresh button.

Profit and Loss

The current report can be exported at any time by clicking the Export Button.

Notes

This report will automatically exclude all transactions (with the exception of Conversion Balance transactions) entered before the Conversion Date. Refer to the section on Converting from Another Accounting System for more information.

Balance Sheet

The Balance Sheet report is a summary or snapshot of an Organisation's financial position at a point in time.

View the Balance Sheet

To view the Balance Sheet report, navigate to the Reports tab, and then click the Balance Sheet link on the left hand side of the page.

Report parameters

  • End Date:  The point in time at which the report will be run.

Once the parameters have been chosen, click the Refresh button.

The current report can be exported at any time by clicking the Export Button.

Balance Sheet

Notes

This report will automatically exclude all transactions (with the exception of Conversion Balance transactions) entered before the Conversion Date. Refer to the section on Converting from Another Accounting System for more information.

All reports in Accountsportal are created in real time and there is no need to process any end-of-year journals. This means that Retained Earnings will be automatically calculated for prior financial years, and the Profit and Loss reflected in the Balance Sheet will therefore always pertain to the current financial year only. Accordingly, it is critical that the correct financial year-end has been specified in the Organisations's settings.

Trial Balance

The Trial Balance report is a summary of all accounts for the Organisation at a point in time. Totals Debits should always equal Total Credits.

View the Trial Balance

To view the Trial Balance report, navigate to the Reports tab, and then click the Trial Balance link on the left hand side of the page.

Report parameters

  • End Date:  The point in time at which the report will be run.

Once the parameters have been chosen, click the Refresh button.

The current report can be exported at any time by clicking the Export Button.

 

Trial Balance

 

Notes

This report will automatically exclude all transactions (with the exception of Conversion Balance transactions) entered before the Conversion Date. Refer to the section on Converting from Another Accounting System for more information.

All reports in Accountsportal are created in real time and there is no need to process any end-of-year journals. This means that Retained Earnings will be automatically calculated for prior financial years, and the Profit and Loss reflected in the Trial Balance will therefore always pertain to the current financial year only. Accordingly, it is critical that the correct financial year-end has been specified in the Organisations's settings.

Period Balance

The Period Balance report reflects the movement in all accounts between two dates. The total Period Debits should always equal the total Period Credits, and the total Period Change should therefore always be equal to zero.

View the Period Balance report

To view the Period Balance report, navigate to the Reports tab, and then click the Period Balance link on the left hand side of the page.

Report parameters

  • Start: The start date of the report.
  • End:  The end date of the report.
  • Find Matching: This is a real-time text filter to quickly refine the displayed information. For example, you could display only those accounts where part of the account name contains "current" or you could display only those accounts where the Account Type contains "expenses".

Once the parameters have been chosen, click the Refresh button.

 

Period Balances

 

The current report can be exported at any time by clicking the Export Button.

Notes

This report will automatically exclude all transactions (with the exception of Conversion Balance transactions) entered before the Conversion Date. Refer to the section on Converting from Another Accounting System for more information.

All reports in Accountsportal are created in real time and there is no need to process any end-of-year journals. This means that Retained Earnings will be automatically calculated for prior financial years, and the Profit and Loss reflected in the Period Balance report will therefore always pertain to the current financial year only. Accordingly, it is critical that the correct financial year-end has been specified in the Organisations's settings.

Transaction Line Items

The Transaction Line Item report reflects the detailed postings in all accounts between two dates.

View the Transaction Line Item report

To view the Transaction Line Item report, navigate to the Reports tab, and then click the Transaction Line Item link on the left hand side of the page.

Report parameters

  • Start: The start date of the report.
  • End:  The end date of the report.
  • Account: To filter the displayed data to a single Account, choose an item from the drop-down list.
  • Customer/Supplier: To filter the displayed data to a single Customer/Supplier, choose an item from the drop-down list.
  • Show all fields: By default, this report only shows the most pertinent information for each line item. Selecting this option will displays all details for each line item. Note that due to the large number of fields, you may have to scroll to the right to view all the fields.

Once the parameters have been chosen, click the Refresh button.

 

Transaction Line Items

 

The current report can be exported at any time by clicking the Export Button.

Notes

This report will automatically exclude all transactions (with the exception of Conversion Balance transactions) entered before the Conversion Date. Refer to the section on Converting from Another Accounting System for more information.

Aged Receivables

The Aged Receivables report is a summary of all outstanding Sales Invoices (and Credit Notes, where applicable) for the Organisation at a point in time. The information is displayed in specific aged brackets in each column.

View the Aged Receivables report

To view the Aged Receivables report, navigate to the Reports tab, and then click the Aged Receivables link on the left hand side of the page.

Report parameters

  • Date:  The point in time at which the report will be run.
  • Due Date / Transaction Date: Choose from the drop-down list to view the ageing by Transaction Date or Due Date. 

Once the parameters have been chosen, click the Refresh button.

 

Aged Receivables

 

The current report can be exported at any time by clicking the Export Button.

The overall total should agree to the balance of the Accounts Receivable account on the date specified. It is good practise to check this periodically against any one of the Balance Sheet, Trial Balance or Period Balance reports for the same date.

Summary vs Detail view

By default, the Aged Receivables report displays information on an aggregated basis; i.e. the ageing for each Customer is shown as a total. It is also possible, however, to display the information in more detail, so that the ageing for each invoice or credit note is shown individually - this is achieved by clicking the Display Detail button. You can revert back to the Summary view at any time by clicking the Display Summary button.

Aged Payables

The Aged Payables report is a summary of all outstanding Purchases (and Purchase Credit Notes, where applicable) for the Organisation at a point in time. The information is displayed in specific aged brackets in each column.

View the Aged Payables report

To view the Aged Payables report, navigate to the Reports tab, and then click the Aged Payables link on the left hand side of the page.

Report parameters

  • Date:  The point in time at which the report will be run.
  • Due Date / Transaction Date: Choose from the drop-down list to view the ageing by Transaction Date or Due Date.

Once the parameters have been chosen, click the Refresh button.

 

Aged Payables

 

The current report can be exported at any time by clicking the Export Button.

The overall total should agree to the balance of the Accounts Payable account on the date specified. It is good practise to check this periodically against any one of the Balance Sheet, Trial Balance or Period Balance reports for the same date.

Summary vs Detail view

By default, the Aged Payables report displays information on an aggregated basis; i.e. the ageing for each Customer is shown as a total. It is also possible, however, to display the information in more detail, so that the ageing for each invoice or credit note is shown individually - this is achieved by clicking the Display Detail button. You can revert back to the Summary view at any time by clicking the Display Summary button.

Settings

The Settings tab allows you to set up or edit options for your Organisation in AccountsPortal. These options will not typically need changing on a frequent basis.

Organisations

To view an Organisation's Details:

  • Click the Settings tab, and then Organisations.
  • Click the Organisation name in the displayed list.

Note: The current active Organisation is always shown in the top right of the browser windows, above your user name. You can view additional details on any Organisation in the displayed list, even if it is not the active Organisation.

Change the active Organisation

Although each user may have access to one or more Organisations, there can only be one active Organisation at any one time. The relevant Sales Invoices, Purchases, Banking and other Organisation-specific information will only be displayed for the active Organisation.

Note that the active Organisation's name is always shown in the top right of the browser window, above your user name.

If you have access to more than one Organisation, then you can change the active Organisation as follows:

  • Click the Settings tab, and then Organisations.
  • From the Organisation list, select an Organisation and click the Switch button.
  • The selected Organisation is now active.

Add or Edit an Organisation

To add a new Organisation, or edit an existing Organisation, perform the following steps:

  • Click the Settings tab, and then Organisations.
  • To add a new Organisation, click the “Add new Organisation” button.
  • To edit an existing Organisation, double click an Organisation's name from the displayed list.
  • From the resulting popup enter or amend the following information. Required fields are indicated by a *

 

DETAILS

  • Trading Name: The Organisation's trading name.
  • Legal Name: The Organisation's legal name.
  • Company Registration No.: The Organisation's registration number at Companies House.
  • VAT Registration No.: Only required if the Organisation is VAT Registered. See the section on VAT for more information.
  • Conversion Date: If you have transferred from another accounting system, then this is the first day that you start entering transactions in AccountsPortal. For more information, see the section on Converting from another accounting system.
  • Year End Month: Enter a number from 1 to 12. For example, if the Organisation's last financial year end was 31 December, then enter 12.
  • Year End Day:  Enter a number from 1 to 31. For example, if the Organisation's last financial year end was 31 December, then enter 31.
  • Auto-create bank import rule: If this option is selected, then a new Import Rule will automatically be created when importing new transactions from a bank statement. See the section on Importing  bank statements for more information .

 

CONTACT INFO

  • Telephone:  The Organisation's Telephone number. This field will appear on printed invoices
  • Trading Address: The Organisation's trading address, city and postcode. These fields will appear on printed invoices.
  • Registered Address: The Organisation's registered address, city and postcode.
  • Place of Registration: The country or jurisdiction of the registration. This field will appear on printed invoices.

 

LOGO

  • Upload new logo: Use the Browse button to select a logo file. The file must be of file type .png .jpeg or .gif. Click on upload once you selected the appropriate file. The logo will appear on customer invoices, credit note and statements if selected in the PDF Options (see below).

 

PDF OPTIONS

These settings only effect PDFs for customer sales invoices, sales credit notes and statements.

  • Organisation Name In Header: Select from None, Tading Name, Legal Name, Logo.
  • Organisation Address In Header: Select from None, Trading Address, Registered Address.
  • Organisation Name in Footer: Select from None, Tading Name, Legal Name.
  • Organisation Address in Footer: Select from None, Trading Address, Registered Address.
  • Additional text: The default text that will appear at the bottom of all printed customer invoices, credit notes and statements. You may wish to enter a special message to all clients or your banking details, for example.

 

INVOICE OPTIONS

  • Default Sales Invoice Terms:  The default number of days between the Invoice Date and Due Date for new sales invoices.
  • Default Purchase Invoice Terms:   The default number of days between the Invoice Date and Due Date for new purchase invoices. 

 

 


Additional Notes:

  • The user that creates a new organisation will automatically be assigned as the Primary User for the new organisation. For more information, refer to the section on User Roles.
  • Each new Organisation will automatically start with a default Chart of Accounts. For more information, refer to the section on Chart of Accounts.
  • Each new organisation will automatically start with a default Transaction Sequence starting at 1 for all transaction types. For more information, refer to the section on Transaction Sequences.

Users

INTRODUCTION

AccountsPortal allows you to give one or more other users access to your Organisation's information. The number of users that you can add to your organisation is unlimited, and there is no additional cost.

 

USER ROLES

Primary User

  • The Primary user role is automatically accorded to the user that creates a new Organisation Profile.
  • There can only ever be one Primary user per Organisation.
  • Primary users can create additional (unlimited) users at any time for no additional charge. These users will automatically be accorded an Authorised User role.
  • Authorised Users will automatically receive an email address with their login details.

 

Authorised User

  • Each Organisation can have unlimited Authorised users.
  • Authorised users can only edit their own details
  • With the exception of the above, Authorised Users currently have full access to all information on each Organisation

 

Other users

  • We are in the process of adding additional user roles to provide far more granularity to the privilege system in AccountsPortal.

Users Details

View Users

To display a list of all users that have have access to the active Organisation, click the Settings tab, and then click the Users tab.

Add or Edit a User

Note that you must have the 'Primary User' role to perform the actions listed below. Users with the 'Authorised User' role will not be able to perform any of these actions.

To add a new User, or edit an existing User, navigate to the Settings tab, and then click on Users.

To add a new User, click the “Add new User” button, and proceed to enter the following information:

  • First Name.
  • Last Name.
  • Email address: This must be a valid email address, otherwise the user will not be able to access AccountsPortal. 
  • Disable this user: If you wish to prevent this user from accessing the Organisation's information, then select this option. Note that only the Primary User can specify this option for other users.

 

Note that the only change that a Primary User can make to an Authorised User's profile is to change their enabled/disabled status. Once a user's status has been disabled, then they will no longer be able to access any information for that organisation.

VAT

Note: Changes made to this part of the application can signficantly affect your data. If you are unsure, speak to your Accountant first.

AccountsPortal provides comprehensive VAT treatment, and caters for Standard Rate and Flat Rate VAT, as well as Accrual or Cash accounting.

When entering new transactions (such as sales invoices, for example), the system will automatically determine the Organisation's VAT status at the date of the transaction and apply the correct accounting and VAT treatment.

Add or Edit VAT status

PLEASE READ CAREFULLY:

We highly recommend that you speak to your Accountant before editing an existing VAT status. If you know your VAT Status is going to change on a certain date, then you should create the new status well in advance of that date, and prior to entering new transactions.

If the Organisation is already VAT registered, and you are changing to a different VAT scheme or accounting basis, we advise where possible, that you arrange with the HMRC for the new status to be valid from the beginning of a new period/month. This will greatly reduce the complexity of checking the values of the VAT Report before and after the change of status.

If the VAT status for the Organisation has changed, then a New Vat Status should be entered and saved, rather than editing the existing status.

If a new VAT Status is created, any existing transactions with a transaction date on or after the 'Valid From Date' will need to be opened and resaved to pick up the new VAT Status. This step is extremely important as the VAT Status is set in the transaction and referenced during creation of the VAT Report. Alternatively, you can void/delete these existing transactions and re-enter them.

 

To add a new VAT status, or edit an existing status, perform the following steps:

  • Click the Settings tab, and then VAT.
  • If you have previously entered a VAT status, then this will be shown in the list; otherwise the list will be empty.
  • To add a new VAT status, click the 'Add New VAT Status' button.
  • To edit an existing VAT status, click the relevant row from the displayed list.
  • From the resulting popup enter or amend the following information.  
    • Valid From Date: Enter the date upon which the VAT status became active.
    • VAT Scheme: Choose Standard rate or Flat rate from the drop down list. Alternatively, if you are deregistering from VAT, then you can choose Not Registered from the drop down list.
    • Flat Rate (%): If the Organisation is Flat rate registered, then a flat rate % will also be required.
    • Accounting Basis: Choose Accrual Accounting or Cash Accounting from the drop down list.
    • Reporting Frequency: Choose Monthly, Quarterly or Yearly from the drop down list.
    • Memo: Enter any other optional information.
  • Click the Save button.

Delete VAT Status

Note: Changes made to this part of the application can signficantly affect your data. If you are unsure, speak to your Accountant first.

To delete an existing VAT status, perform the following steps:

  • Click the Settings tab, and then VAT.
  • From the displayed list, click the 'X' image on the right hand side of the relevant row.
  • Confirm the action.
  • Click the Save button.

 

VERY IMPORTANT NOTE

The deletion will only succeed if there are no existing transactions already saved with the VAT Status being deleted. You have two options if existing transactions were entered with an incorrect VAT Status:

1. Firstly, delete/void all the incorrectly entered transactions. Then change the VAT Status, or delete it and enter a new one. Lastly, re-enter the transactions.

2. Enter a new VAT Status with the correct settings and the same 'Valid From Date' as the existing incorrect record. You will only be able to do this if the date is not included in a saved VAT Report. Any existing transactions with a transaction date on or after the 'Valid From Date' will need to be opened and resaved to pick up the new VAT Status. This step is extremely important as the VAT Status is set in the transaction and referenced during creation of the VAT Report. Alternatively, you can void/delete these existing transactions and re-enter them.

Price List Items

Price List Items are products and/or services that you use on Invoices or Credit Notes on a regular basis. Using Price List Items can greatly speed up the entering of transactions into AccountsPortal, as you do not have to manually key in the relevant information each time.

Price List Items can only be used in Invoices and Credit Notes.

 

VIEW PRICE LIST ITEMS

Navigate to the Settings tab and click on the Price List tab.

 

ADD OR EDIT PRICE LIST ITEMS

Proceed to enter the information as follows:

Price List Item

  • Item Code: This is a unique identifier that allows you to easily store and remember each price list item. It is limited to maximum of 10 characters.
  • Description: A description of the Item, which will be used for the transaction line item description. Can be left blank.
  • Quantity: The number of units that you usually sell for the Item.
  • Unit Price: The unit price for the Item.
  • Account: Optionally specify the default account from the Chart of Accounts.
  • VAT: Optionally specify the default VAT code for the Item.

 

Click the Save button to complete the creation of the Item.

Notes:

  • The only required field is the Item Code; all other fields are optional.
  • Even if you have specified values for all of the fields, these can easily be over-written in the transaction screen.

Transaction Numbering

AccountsPortal automatically applies a sequential number sequence to all transactions, which means that the sequence will automatically increment for each new transaction.

AccountsPortal will automatically create a default set of transaction numbers for all new Organisations. 

View Transaction Numbering

To view the Transaction Numbering sequence, click the Settings tab, and then click the Transaction Numbering tab.

Edit Transaction Numbering

Although AccountsPortal creates a default Transaction Number sequence (with all transactions starting at '1') for new Organisations, the transaction numbering can be changed at any time.

  • Prefix: The transaction Prefix is a static text field that appears before the transaction Number. It can contain any mix of letters and numbers. 
  • Next Number: The Next Number field, which must be a number, can start at any value. It will automatically increment by '1'for each new transaction.
  • Next Transaction ID: This field is a read-only field and reflects the next Transaction ID for each Transaction type.

To simulate the effect that a change in Prefix and Next Number would have on the Transaction ID, try changing the values in the text boxes. The result is displayed below as the Next Transaction ID.

Clicking the 'Update Transaction Sequence' button will permanently store any changes that you have made.

 

NOTE

If you set the Next Number back to a number which already exists, and leave the Prefix unchanged, you will be able to create a transaction with a Transaction ID that has previously been saved. In other words you will now have a duplicate Transaction ID. This is not prevented by the system because in some countries there is a legal requirement to reset  the numbering of certain transactions at the start of each financial year. This is not a requirement in the United Kingdom and should be avoided unless legally required.

Chart of Accounts

The Chart of Accounts is a list of all the accounts used by an Organisation. To view the Chart of Accounts, click the Settings tab, and then click the Chart of Accounts tab.

Each Organisation will start off with a default Chart of Accounts, which will contain the most commonly used accounts, and will cover the majority of requirements for most Organisations.

Account Codes

Default Chart of Accounts and Account Codes

A default Chart of Accounts is provided for all new Organisations, and the following numbering scheme is used for Account Codes.

  • Assets
    • Fixed Assets: 1000
    • Current Assets: 1400
    • Bank Accounts: 1800
  • Liabilities
    • Current Liabilities: 2000
    • Long Term Liabilities: 2500
  • Equity
    • Equity: 3000
  • Income
    • Revenue: 4000
    • Other Income: 4100
  • Expenses
    • Cost of Sales: 5000
    • Operating Expenses: 6000

New Account Codes

The Account Code for new Accounts is typically incremented by 5. For example, if the largest Account Code for Expenses is 6165, then the Account Code for the new Expense will be 6170.

System Accounts

Certain accounts are also automatically designated as System Accounts, which are special accounts that cannot be disabled or modified in any way. The System Accounts are:

  • Accounts Receivable: 1400
  • Accounts Payable: 2000
  • VAT Control: 2100
  • Retained Earnings: 3005

Add or Edit an Account

Note: Changes made to this part of the application can signficantly affect your data. If you are unsure, speak to your Accountant first.

To add a new Account, or edit an existing Account, perform the following steps:

  • Click the Settings tab, and then Chart of Accounts.
  • To add a new Account, click the “Add New Account” button.
  • To edit an existing Account, click an Account name from the displayed list.
  • From the resulting popup enter or amend the following information.
    • Enabled: If an Account is not Enabled, then it will not appear in any transactions forms (such as a sales invoice, for example).
    • Account Name: Specify a Name for the Account. Note that you cannot change the Name for System Accounts.
    • Account Code: The Account Code is automatically assigned by AccountsPortal and cannot be changed for new or existing accounts. For more information, refer to the section on Account Codes.
    • Account Group: Each Account must have an Account Group specified. There are five Groups: Assets, Equity, Expenses, Income and Liabilities. For more information, refer to the section on Account Codes.
    • Account Type:  Each Account must have an Account Type specified. The options displayed are dependant on the Account Group. For more information, refer to the section on Account Codes.
    • Default VAT: Specify the Default VAT that will be applied whenever the relevant Account is selected in a transaction.
    • Display in Sales: If selected, then the Account will appear in all Sales related transactions, such as Invoices and Credit Notes. Note that if an Account is not Enabled, then it will not appear in any transaction, irrespective of the Display in Sales setting.
    • Display in Purchases: If selected, then the Account will appear in all Purchase related transactions, such as Purchase Invoices and Purchase Credit Notes. Note that if an Account is not Enabled, then it will not appear in any transaction, irrespective of the Display in Sales setting.

Conversion Balances

This is fully explained in the section dealing with How to Convert from Another Accounting System.

My Subscriptions

In order to access and enter transactions in an organisation beyond the Free Trial period, you will need to enable billing for the organisation. This activity is carried out individually for each organisation. Once you have enabled billing and provided valid payment card details (only required for the first organisation enabled), your subscription for the organisation will be valid and a monthly charge applied to your card. This monthly charge will continue until such time as you disable the billing for that organisation.

To check which organisations you will be paying subscription fees for, navigate to the Settings tab and then click on the My Subscriptions tab

My Subscription

  • Trading Name: The Trading Name as per the organisation's settings.
  • Start Date: The start date of the subscription, and when the first payment will be (or has been) charged.
  • Interval: The billing interval for charging the payment card entered.
  • Next Billing: The next date the payment card will be charged for this organisation.
  • Amount: The amount that will be charged to the card on the next billing date.
  • Status: The current status of the subscription, either 'Active' or 'Disabled'.

 

In order to check or change the details of the card being charged, click on the Update Card Details link.

 

NOTE

The subscription schedule only applies to the logged on user . It is possible that someone else is responsible for the subscription of an organisation you have access to. This is evident by checking the billing contact in the Billing Details field of the Organisations tab. For more information see enable billing.

All subscription fees paid by a single user, regardless of the number of organisations included, will be charged to the same payment card. 

The payment card will be charged separately for each organisation listed in the subscription schedule.

AccountsPortal will send out one invoice per organisation that has been enabled for billing.

Enable and Disable Billing

In order to ensure ongoing access to each of your organisations, its is necessary to enable the billing. After billing has been enabled for an organisation, that organisation will be added to the subscription schedule in My Subscriptions.

The first time you enable billing for an organisation, you will be asked to enter payment card details, and for each subsequent organisation you enable the same card details will be used. You can update your card details at any time.

To enable billing, navigate to Settings tab, and then click the Organisations tab. This will list all the organisations that you have access to (for more information on organisations, click here).

Organisations and billing

  • Billing Details: This field contains the current billing status of the organisation.
  • Billing Action: The only two options available are Enable Billing or Disable Billing.

 

ENABLE BILLING

Any user can enable billing for an organisation that they have access to. This will add the organisation to your subscription schedule in My Subscriptions.

Click on Enable billing in the Billing Action field.

Billing Step 1

The Billing Details are transferred from the organisation. They are for viewing only to ensure you selected the correct organisation.

If you are taking advantage of a promotion being run by AccountsPortal, enter the code in the space provided and click the Apply button. Otherwise, this field can be left blank.

Click on Step 2 to enter your payment card details. You will only be asked for these when you enable the billing for your first organisation. If you have previously entered card details, you will only need to agree to the T&C's to proceed.

Billing Step 2

Enter details for all the fields marked with * (if you select Maestro/Switch/Solo as Card Type, you may have to enter an Issue number if your card has one).

Note that we currently only accept cards registered to a UK address.

You will also need to agree to the AccountsPortal T&C's before saving the settings.

All card details are processed by Optimal Payments and AccountsPortal does not save these at any time.

 

Click Save to complete the billing activation for the organisation. If all your card details are correct, then you will receive confirmation that your records have been successfully updated.

The organisation will now be listed in the subscription schedule in My Subscriptions.

 

DISABLE BILLING

Disabling billing is restricted to the user that initially enabled the billing for an organisation. This action will set the organisation to disabled in your subscription schedule in My Subscriptions. 

Click on Disable billing in the Billing Action field.

Disable Billing

Read the warning carefully before clicking OK. Ensure that you have selected the correct organisation to disable billing. Once you have disabled the billing you will no longer be able to access the organisation's information.

 

NOTE

You will only be able to access organisations that have a green tick associated with their billing status.

Organisations that have been disabled for billing may be permanently removed from our database in line with our  T&C's.

To re-enable billing for an organisation which has a status of 'Billing disabled by Joe Bloggs', you will need to raise a support ticket

Update Card Details

You can update your card details at any time. You may want to do this, for example, if your card is nearing its expiry date.

Navigate to the Settings tab and then click on the My Subscriptions tab

My Subscription

Click on the Update Card Details link.

Update Card Details

All card details are processed by Optimal Payments and AccountsPortal does not save these at any time.

For security reasons, if you are changing any details, you will need to re-enter the Card number and Expiry date (and Issue number if applicable). 

Click Save to update the changes you have made.

 

Please read My Subscriptions and Enable and Disable Billing for more information.

How do I ?

Add a new bank account

The procedure for adding a new bank account is exactly the same as adding any other account to the Organisation's Chart of Accounts.

Follow the steps listed to add a new account, making sure to specify Assets as the Account Group and Bank Account as the Account Type. You should also ensure that the Account is Enabled.

Allow access to someone else

You can allow anyone else to access your information in AccountsPortal by following the steps listed in Adding another User.

There is no limit (and no additional charge) to the number of other users that you can give access to.

Convert from another accounting system

Note: Changes made to this part of the application can signficantly affect your data. If you are unsure, speak to your Accountant first.

If you are transferring from another accounting package, then it may be necessary to enter a Conversion Balance (which is essentially an opening balance) for all of your existing accounts.

Step 1

You must first make sure that the Conversion Date is correct in the Organisation's settings. The Conversion Date is the first date that you start to enter transactions in AccountsPortal. Once you have decided on a Conversion Date (this should be the start of a VAT reporting period, or a calender month if you are not VAT registered), ensure that your accounts from the previous system are up to date; for example, if your Conversion Date is 01 July 2009, then the accounts from the previous system should be complete up to 30 June 2009.

Step 2

Enter a Conversion Balance for each of your existing accounts.

Step 3

Enter all Sales Invoices, Purchase Invoices and Credit Notes that were still outstanding at the Conversion Date. Ensure that the date of these transactions is before the Conversion Date.

Add a Conversion Balance

To enter your conversion balances into AccountsPortal, navigate to the Settings tab, select the Chart of Accounts tab and click on the Add Conversion Balance button.

Add Conversion Balance

  • Transaction ID:  Automatically generated sequential number based on the Transaction Numbering settings for the Organisation. 
  • Reference: Optionally enter any relevant text.
  • Date: For new Conversion Balance transactions, the Date field will default to 1 day before the Conversion Date specified in the Organisation's setting. Although you can set this to an earlier date if you wish, you cannot choose a date greater than or equal to the Conversion Date.
  • Add New Line Item: Enter a separate line item for each account that you are converting from your previous accounting system; you can add as many line items as you wish.  
  • Account: Enter the account against which the value should be recorded. Use the drop down arrow to search available accounts or click in the field and enter free text to find matching values. If you cannot find an appropriate account, check your settings for the Chart of Accounts and create a new account if required. If you are unsure of any amounts or accounts, then you can post the item to the Conversion Suspense (account code 3200). This should only be seen as a temporary account and the value should be appropriately reposted before you finalise your year-end reporting.
  • Description: Optionally enter a description for each line item.
  • Debit / Credit: Enter a debit or credit for each line item. Consult your accountant if you are unsure as to the usage of debits and credits.
  • Memo: Optionally enter any relevant text.

 

Once you have entered a Conversion Balance for each of your existing accounts, make sure that the total Debits equal the total Credits and then click the Save button.

Any Conversion Balances entered as above will be immediately reflected in the Conversion Balance: Debit and Conversion Balance: Credit columns in the Chart of Accounts.

 

NOTE

If you have added in conversion balances for the Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable accounts, you should consider adding the transactions which make up these balances. This will ensure that the Aged Receivables and Aged Payables reports correctly reflect the ageing on all outstanding invoices and credit notes.

Edit a Conversion Balance

If you have already entered a conversion balance for an account and you wish to change this, there are two options:

  1. Edit the existing Conversion Balance transaction:
    • Navigate to the Journals tab
    • Identify the relevant transaction from the list and double click to open the original Conversion Balance transaction
    • Edit the transaction.
    • Click the Save button.
  2. Enter a new Conversion Balance transaction. For example, if you originally entered a conversion balance of £100 for Accounts Receivable, but wish to edit this to £120, you can enter an additional Conversion Balance transaction for £20. See Adding a Conversion Balance for more information.

View Conversion Balances

To view Conversion Balances on a per-account basis, navigate to the Settings  tab, and then click on the Chart of Accounts tab. The Chart of Accounts will display each account with a corresponding Conversion Balance:Debit or Conversion Balance:Credit amount.

Additional details on each individual Conversion Balance transaction can also be viewed by navigating to the Journals tab, and double-clicking each Conversion Balance transaction in the list.

Adding Transactions before the Conversion Date

You can enter other transactions (such as invoices or purchase invoices), where the transaction date is earlier than the Conversion Date. For example, you may wish to enter a sales invoice or sales credit note that was issued from your previous accounting system, but is still oustanding after the Conversion Date. To do this:

  • Ensure you have entered the appropriate VAT settings if you are VAT registered. You must carry out this step prior to entering the transactions which follow. This is especially important if you use the Cash Basis for VAT.
  • Enter the sales invoice or sales credit note into AccountsPortal, making sure to use the original invoice date or credit note date (i.e. the date should be before the Conversion Date). Enter the line items as you would have in your previous accounting system taking special care to use the correct VAT Codes if you are VAT registered.
  • Ensure that the Conversion Balance for the Accounts Receivable account includes the outstanding amount on the sales invoice or credit note at the Conversion Date.
  • When you receive a payment on the above invoice (i.e. after the Conversion Date), proceed to capture the payment in AccountsPortal.
  • Apply the same process for outstanding purchase invoices and purchase credit notes and ensure that the Conversion Balance for the Accounts Payable account includes the total of these outstanding transactions.

 

Note that with the exception of Conversion Balance transactions, any other transaction entered into AccountsPortal before the Conversion Date will not be taken into account for reporting purposes. The Aged Receivables and Aged Payables reports will, however, correctly reflect the ageing on all outstanding invoices or credit notes, including those entered before the Conversion Date.

Entering a transaction with a date before the Conversion Date displays a warning next to the date field

Conversion Transactions

Enter Salary, PAYE and NI contributions

Usually an employee is paid a net salary after certain taxes/deductions have been taken into consideration. What follows is a suggestion of how you might account for these various components.

As an example, let's assume that an employee gets paid monthly and that the following values apply:

Amount paid to employee (a) £1150
+ PAYE (b) £250
+ Employee NI contribution (c) £100
= Gross Wage on payslip £1500
+ Employer's NI contribution (d)

£150

= Total Salary Cost to Organisation £1650

To reflect this in Accountsportal, you need to enter two transactions. Start with a Spend Money - General Payment transaction for the amount paid to the employee, followed by a Journal entry transaction to capture the taxes/deductions and show that they are payable to the HMRC at a later date.

 

1.Spend Money - General Payment transaction to reflect Amount paid to employee (e)

Proceed to enter the transaction as per the instructions in the link above. The following fields need special attention:

  • Amount Spent: Enter the Amount paid to employee (a).
  • Type: Type of transaction being entered which should be General. This field is automatically entered if you are processing a bank statement.
  • Account: Enter the Salaries account.
  • VAT Code: Select '0.0% - Out of Scope' or 'No VAT' (if not VAT registered)

 

Salary Payment

 

2. Journal entry of PAYE(b) and NI(c + d)

This step will capture the taxes/deductions and show that they are payable to the HMRC at a later date. For more detail on entering journals view the instructions in the link above.

Line Item 1 raises the taxes as an expense in our books. The amount is the total of all (b) + (c) + (d). If you prefer, you could split this line into multiple debit lines to enter each category of tax/deduction against its own account.

Line Item 2 raises the liability for the amount the needs to be paid to HMRC at a later date.

 

PAYE & NI journal

 

At some point you will need to pay the HMRC the total amount of PAYE and NI due to them. This can also be entered as a Spend Money - General Payment transaction. In the example below, it is assumed that the HMRC is paid monthly for taxes/deductions. If you only pay quarterly, then you should adjust the amounts as required. The entry against the PAYE and NIC Payable account creates a debit entry which offsets the credit amount entered in the journal above.

 

Payment to HMRC

  • Amount Spent: Enter the Amount due to the HMRC (b + c + d).
  • Type: Type of transaction being entered which should be General. This field is automatically entered if you are processing a bank statement.
  • Account: Enter the PAYE and NIC Payable account.
  • VAT Code: Select '0.0% - Out of Scope' or 'No VAT' (if not VAT registered)

Export my data

In various screens throughout AccountsPortal, you will notice an Export button.

Export button

Clicking this button will export your data in csv format. Because csv is a common and simple file format, it is easy to view this data in Excel or any other spreadsheet programme.

Manage Out-of-pocket Expenses

Out-of-pocket expenses are business costs that have been paid out of your personal bank account or cash. At a later date, the business reimburses you for the full out-of-pocket amount.

Using online bookkeeping and accounting means you and your staff can submit these expenses from just about anywhere. You no longer have to wait until you return to the office.

Managing out-of-pocket expenses consists of just four easy steps:

  1. Create a Supplier account for the relevant staff member (only required once per staff member).
  2. Create a Purchase Invoice for each invoice you pay or receipt you collect.
  3. Pay yourself or your staff from the business bank account, or petty cash, to reimburse the total out-of-pocket expenses incurred.
  4. Enter the Payment and allocate it against the staff Supplier account.

Remember though, maintaining online accounts does not mean you can ignore good basic accounting practises. Hang onto your physical invoices/receipts and file them methodically for future reference.

Process Customer Overpayments

This procedure explains how to record the transactions required when a customer overpays you.

Note that if the payment is an overpayment of a single invoice and there are other outstanding invoices for the customer, then this would not be considered an overpayment in the example being covered here. You should assign the excess payment to one of the other invoices.

Let's assume you have only one invoice outstanding for £200 and your customer pays you £250.

1. Create a Customer Overpayments account in your Chart of Accounts

If it doesn't already exist, create an account in your Chart of Accounts called 'Customer Overpayments' (Account Group - Liabilities, Account type - Current Liabilities, Default VAT - Out of Scope).

2. Enter a payment against the customer invoice

Use the Receive Money option to enter £200 as a Customer Invoice Payment transaction to settle the outstanding invoice. If you are entering the payment from an imported bank statement, then you will need to change the Amount Received from £250 to £200. The reason for this is that you need to enter a separate Receive Money for the £50 overpayment (see the next step).

3. Enter a separate payment for the overpayment value

Use the Receive Money option to enter the £50 overpayment as a General Receipt. In the line item, select the 'Customer Overpayments' account and apply the 'Out of Scope' VAT Code (or 'No VAT' if not registered).

 

If you intend to refund the overpayment, continue with 4. If you intend to apply the overpayment against the next invoice you issue, then go to 5.(VAT registered on Accrual Basis or not registered) or 6.(VAT registered on Cash Basis).

4. Refund the overpayment

Enter a Sales Credit Note transaction for £50. In the line item, select the 'Customer Overpayments' account and apply the 'Out of Scope' VAT Code (or 'No VAT' if not registered). When you pay the customer, use the Spend Money option to enter a Customer Refund.

5. Offset overpayment against next invoice - you are VAT registered on Accrual Basis or not registered

Enter a Sales Credit Note transaction for £50. Allocate the Credit Note to the next available invoice.

6. Offset overpayment against next invoice - you are VAT registered on Cash Basis
In order for the VAT to be correctly calculated under the Cash Basis, the invoice needs to be 'paid' rather than have a Credit Note allocated against it. Remember that at this stage the full £250 has already been received into the bank account (steps 2 & 3). To simulate a payment type transaction and and apply the amount in the 'Customer Overpayment' account against the invoice in the customer account, carry out the following 2 transactions:

a. Spend Money - General Payment for £50
This moves the £50 overpayment out of the 'Customer Overpayments' account and into the bank account. In the line item, select the 'Customer Overpayments' account and apply the 'Out of Scope' VAT Code.

b. Receive Money - Customer Invoice Payment for £50
Ensure that you enter the same Bank Account as a. above. Select the appropriate invoice to allocate the payment against it.

Note that the net impact of the above two transactions on the bank account is zero.

Process Supplier Overpayments

This procedure explains how to record the transactions required when you overpay a supplier.

Note that if the payment is an overpayment of a single invoice and there are other outstanding invoices for the supplier, then this would not be considered an overpayment in the example being covered. You should assign the excess payment to one of the other invoices.

Let's assume you have only one invoice outstanding for £200 and you pay your supplier £250.

1. Create a Supplier Overpayments account in your Chart of Accounts

If it doesn't already exist, create an account in your Chart of Accounts called 'Supplier Overpayments' (Account Group - Assets, Account type - Current Assets, Default VAT - Out of Scope).

2. Enter a payment against the supplier invoice

Use the Spend Money option to enter £200 as a Supplier Invoice Payment transaction to settle the outstanding invoice. If you are entering the payment from an imported bank statement, then you will need to change the Amount Spent from £250 to £200. The reason for this is that you need to enter a separate Spend Money transaction for the £50 overpayment (see the next step).

3. Enter a separate payment for the overpayment value

Use the Spend Money option to enter the £50 overpayment as a General Payment. In the line item, select the 'Supplier Overpayments' account and apply the 'Out of Scope' VAT Code (or 'No VAT' if not registered).

 

If you expect to be refunded for the overpayment, continue with 4. If you intend to apply the overpayment against the next invoice you receive, then go to 5.(VAT registered on Accrual Basis or not registered) or 6.(VAT registered on Cash Basis).

4. Receive refund for the overpayment

Enter a Purchase Credit Note transaction for £50. In the line item, select the 'Supplier Overpayments' account and apply the 'Out of Scope' VAT Code (or 'No VAT' if not registered). When you receive payment from the supplier, use the Receive Money option to enter a Supplier Refund.

5. Offset overpayment against next invoice - you are VAT registered on Accrual Basis or not registered

Enter a Purchase Credit Note transaction for £50. Allocate the Credit Note to the next available invoice.

6. Offset overpayment against next invoice - you are VAT registered on Cash Basis
In order for the VAT to be correctly calculated under the Cash Basis, the invoice needs to be 'paid' rather than have a Credit Note allocated against it. Remember that at this stage the full £250 has already been paid out of the bank account (steps 2 & 3). To simulate a payment type transaction and and apply the amount in the 'Supplier Overpayment' account against the invoice in the supplier account, carry out the following 2 transactions:

a. Receive Money - General Receipt for £50
This moves the £50 overpayment out of the 'Supplier Overpayments' account and into the bank account. In the line item, select the 'Supplier Overpayments' account and apply the 'Out of Scope' VAT Code.

b. Spend Money - Supplier  Invoice Payment for £50
Ensure that you enter the same bank account as a. above. Select the appropriate invoice and allocate the payment against it.

Note that the net impact of the above two transactions on the bank account is zero.