Finance role guides — what each role can do, step by step

1Open the chart of accounts #

Where Finance » Chart of accounts

1. From the launcher, click the Finance tile.
2. In the left menu, find the BOOKS group.
3. Click Chart of accounts.
4. Click the small arrow beside any heading row — 1000 Cash and cash equivalents, for example — to open the accounts beneath it.
5. Use Expand tree, top right, to open every level at once.

You should see The full account tree for your country is already there — you do not build it from scratch.

Watch out An account with an arrow is a heading, not a place to post. Post to the accounts underneath it.

2See the books your entries land in #

Where Finance » Journals

1. In the left menu, open the BOOKS group.
2. Click Journals & numbering.
3. Read the short code beside each journal name.

You should see Sales, purchases, bank and general each have their own book and their own numbering.

Watch out Changing a journal's numbering affects every entry made afterwards, not the ones already posted.

3Find any entry ever posted #

Where Finance » Journal entries

1. In the left menu, under DAILY LEDGER, click Journal entries.
2. Click one of the summary boxes across the top — Drafts, for example — to narrow the list to those entries.
3. Click the same box again to clear the filter.

You should see Everything the business posted is in this one list, newest first.

Watch out The filter is written into the web address, so you can bookmark the filtered list or paste it to a colleague and they see the same thing.

Worth knowing The box you click also changes the web address, so you can bookmark the filtered list or send it to a colleague.

4Start a new journal entry #

Where Finance » Journal entries » New entry

1. On the Journal entries page, click New entry at the top right.
2. Fill the header: the date, the journal, and a memo saying what this is.
3. In the lines table, choose the account, then type the amount into either Debit or Credit — never both on one line.
4. Add a line for the other side of the entry.
5. Watch the totals under the table: they turn even when the two sides match.
6. Click Save as draft to come back to it, or Post to put it in the books.

You should see Debits and credits are totalled as you type, and the entry cannot be saved until the two sides agree.

Watch out Saving as a draft changes nothing in the books. Posting does, and a posted entry is corrected by reversing it — never by editing.

Worth knowing Close the form without saving and nothing is created — you can open it just to look.

5Check the books balance #

Where Finance » Reports » Trial Balance

1. In the left menu, under INSIGHTS, click Reports.
2. The page opens on the Trial Balance tab.
3. Set As of to the date you want the position for.
4. Read the totals row at the very bottom.

You should see The debit and credit totals match. If they ever do not, something is wrong upstream — not in the report.

Watch out If the two totals differ, do not go looking in this report — the problem is upstream, in an entry, and this is how you found out.

6Read the profit and loss #

Where Finance » Reports » Profit & Loss

1. Still on Reports, click the Profit & Loss tab.
2. Set From and To to the period you are reporting on.
3. Click a section heading to open the accounts inside it.

You should see Income, costs and the result for the period — all built from entries already posted.

Watch out This report covers a period between two dates. The balance sheet is a position on one date — that is why their date pickers differ.

7Read the balance sheet #

Where Finance » Reports » Balance Sheet

1. Click the Balance Sheet tab.
2. Set As of to the closing date.
3. Compare the two halves: what the business owns against what it owes plus what it is worth.

You should see What the business owns, owes and is worth on that date.

8Open the customer and supplier list #

Where Finance » Customers & vendors

1. In the left menu, under BOOKS, click Customers & vendors.
2. Type part of a name, a code or a tax number into the search box.
3. Use the All kinds dropdown to show only customers or only suppliers.
4. Turn on Show archived to find a record somebody tidied away.

You should see One list for both sides of the business, so a company you buy from and sell to is a single record.

Watch out Search matches the tax registration number too, which is usually the fastest way to find the right company when names are similar.

9Add a customer or supplier #

Where Finance » Customers & vendors » New customer or vendor

1. On Customers & vendors, click New customer or vendor at the top right.
2. Fill the name and choose the kind.
3. Add the tax details if you have them — they drive how tax is applied later.
4. Click Save.

You should see One record serves both sides: if you later buy from a customer, you do not create them twice.

10See money in and money out #

Where Finance » Receivables, then Finance » Payables

1. In the left menu, click Receivables to see what customers owe.
2. Then click Payables to see what the business owes suppliers.

You should see Both lists open for you, so you can reconcile the two sides without asking anyone.

11Tidy several records at once #

Where Finance » Customers & vendors » tick rows » Archive

1. Open Customers & vendors.
2. Tick the checkbox at the left of each row you want to tidy away.
3. A bar appears along the bottom saying how many are selected.
4. Click Archive in that bar.
5. Read the confirmation, then confirm.

You should see The records leave the everyday list without being deleted. Anything that cannot be archived is named, and the rest still go through.

Watch out Tick the box in the header row and you select everything the current filter shows — not the whole list. Filter first, then select all.

Worth knowing Archiving is reversible. Turn on Show archived to find a record again.

12See where your authority stops #

Where Finance » Payables

1. Open Payables from the left menu.
2. Tick a bill that is waiting for approval.
3. Read the bar at the bottom.

You should see There is no Approve button for you. Approval belongs to the controller, and the system enforces that — it is not just a missing button.

13Have the whole chart checked for you #

Where Finance » Chart of accounts » Review

1. Open Chart of accounts.
2. Click Review at the top right.
3. Wait a few seconds while the whole chart is checked.
4. Read the findings, grouped by the kind of problem.

You should see Duplicates, unused accounts and gaps come back in one pass, each finding naming the accounts involved.

Watch out This reads the chart; it changes nothing. Acting on a finding is a separate, deliberate step.

14Fetch today's rates #

Where Finance » Currencies » Fetch today's rates

1. Open Currencies.
2. Press Fetch today's rates.

You should see The rate table shows the source and the date.

Watch out A Manual source answers with a sentence naming the fix, not a silent nothing.

15Revalue foreign balances #

Where Finance » Currencies » Revaluation

1. Open Currencies and click the Revaluation tab.
2. Pick the As of date and press Preview.
3. Tick Reverse it on the next day if the entry should undo itself tomorrow, then Post the revaluation.

You should see One chip per currency with its closing rate, gain and loss; then each account with the booked rate, the closing rate, the balance and the adjustment.

Worth knowing The booked rate is what the ledger carries the balance at today; the gap to the closing rate is the gain or loss.

16Submit a claim that lacks a cost centre #

Where Finance » Expense claims » a claim » Submit

1. Open a draft claim and press Submit.
2. With the setting on, the refusal names the line; pick the dimension and submit again.

You should see Expense spend without a dimension is spend nobody owns.

17Read the anomalies #

Where Finance » Anomalies

1. Open Anomalies.
2. Kinds across the top with counts; open one; Dismiss with a note or open the entry.

You should see A dismissed finding never resurfaces.

18Add a custom field #

Where Finance » Custom fields

1. Open Custom fields.
2. New field on partners, invoices, bills, entries or claims.

You should see The field appears on the form and in the detail; required blocks save when empty.

19Read the cash forecast #

Where Finance » Cash

1. Open Cash.
2. The first negative week is red; click a week for the documents behind it.

You should see Receipts by predicted date, bills due, payroll and recurring entries, week by week.

20Read one account line by line #

Where Finance » Reports » General ledger

1. Open Finance, then Reports.
2. Click General ledger.
3. Set Start date and End date.
4. Pick an account.

You should see The opening balance, every posted line with its entry and description, the running balance and the closing balance.

Worth knowing Export CSV takes exactly the lines on screen, filters included.

21Read what a customer or supplier owes, entry by entry #

Where Finance » Reports » Partner ledger

1. Open Reports and click Partner ledger.
2. Set the dates; each customer and supplier shows the opening balance, every invoice, bill, payment and credit, and what is left.

You should see The same lines a statement is built from, so a dispute is settled from the ledger.

22Read the statements of one company #

Where Finance » Reports » Trial Balance » Legal entity

1. Open Reports.
2. Click the Legal entity box and pick the company.

You should see The picker shows the company you chose, and the address bar keeps it, so a shared link opens the same view.

Worth knowing The picker appears once your company has set up a legal entity.

23Download a designed report to Excel #

Where Finance » Report designer » a layout » Download Excel

1. Open Report designer.
2. Pick the layout.
3. Press Show the report.
4. Press Download Excel.

You should see The workbook has your company, the report name and the period on top, bold headings and totals, and figures you can add up — numbers, not text.

24Write off a debt that will not be paid #

Where Finance » Receivables » an overdue invoice » Bad debt and VAT relief

1. Open Receivables and the overdue invoice.
2. Scroll to Bad debt and VAT relief.
3. Press Write off as bad debt.
4. Type the reason and confirm.

You should see The invoice leaves the open balances and the panel shows the write-off. When the rules allow it, Claim VAT relief takes the VAT back in the next return; a payment that arrives later is entered with Record recovery.

Watch out The write-off books the whole amount still owed; VAT relief is a separate claim with its own rules.

Worth knowing Nothing is deleted: the write-off is its own entry, and it is shown on the invoice for good.

25Clear the stock moves waiting to post #

Where Finance » Stock journal » Waiting to post

1. Open Stock journal and click Waiting to post.
2. Read Why it is waiting and What to do on each row, fix the cause, then press Post now.

You should see Each move becomes one journal entry; pressing Post now twice never books anything twice.

26Put a customer invoice on a project #

Where Finance » Receivables » New invoice » Project

1. Open Receivables.
2. Press New invoice.
3. Pick the project in Project.
4. Fill the rest and save.

You should see The invoice's amount before VAT then counts as that project's revenue in its profit and loss.

Worth knowing The Project field shows when your company uses Projects and you may read projects. An archived project cannot take a new invoice.

27Record an asset under the VAT capital assets scheme #

Where Finance » Fixed assets » an asset » VAT capital assets scheme

1. Open Fixed assets and the asset.
2. Scroll to VAT capital assets scheme.
3. Enrol it once: building or not, the VAT paid, the first year's taxable use.
4. Each year: type the year and its taxable use, then Work out and record.

You should see Every row of the table is one year's adjustment, with a link to the ledger entry it booked. The threshold and the years are published defaults, labelled so you confirm them with your adviser.

Watch out An asset below the threshold cannot be enrolled; the badge says so.

Worth knowing Recording a year books an entry, so you also need the right to run depreciation; without it the form tells you who can record the year.

28Close the scheme when the asset is sold #

Where Finance » Fixed assets » a sold asset » VAT capital assets scheme

1. Open the sold asset.
2. Tick Sold or disposed of this year and say whether the sale was taxable.
3. Record it.

You should see The disposal adjusts every year that is left in one go. After it, the panel says the scheme is closed and offers no form for another year.

Worth knowing A disposal in the last year of the period leaves no years to adjust: record that year's own adjustment instead.

29Put a manual journal entry on a branch #

Where Finance » Journal entries » an entry » Branch

1. Open the journal entry.
2. Pick the branch in Branch.

You should see The FTA audit file for one branch lists the entries stamped with that branch; an entry with no branch appears only in the whole-company file.

Watch out An entry made from an invoice, a bill or a reversal takes its branch from that document.

Worth knowing An entry booked from an invoice, a bill or a reversal follows its document: change the branch there, not on the entry.

30Release prepaid costs and income month by month #

Where Finance » Deferred revenue & expense

1. Post an invoice or bill with a Service period on its line.
2. Open Deferred revenue & expense.
3. Press Run now, or wait for the nightly release.

You should see The report at the top puts the schedules against the ledger, account by account, so a difference shows before the month is closed.

Worth knowing Stop schedule ends a schedule early, for example when a contract is cancelled; what is still deferred stays on the balance sheet for you to clear.

1Open the supplier bills list #

Where Finance » Payables

1. From the launcher, open Finance.
2. In the left menu, click Payables.
3. Use the tabs across the top: Bills, Approvals, Aging, Payment proposal.

You should see Every bill you have entered is here with its current state.

2Enter a supplier bill #

Where Finance » Payables » New bill

1. On Payables, click New bill at the top right.
2. Choose the supplier, or type a one-off name if they are not in the list.
3. Enter the supplier's own invoice number, the bill date and the due date.
4. Add one line per charge: description, account, quantity, unit price and tax.
5. Check the total against the supplier's document.
6. Click Save to keep it as a draft, or Save and submit to send it for approval.

You should see The total, the tax and what is left to pay are worked out for you as you add lines.

Watch out If the total is a few fils out, the tax code on a line is usually the reason — not the prices.

Worth knowing Have the supplier's PDF? Use New from document instead and the details are read off it for you to check.

3See what is due and how late #

Where Finance » Payables » Ageing

1. On Payables, click the Aging tab.
2. Read the Bucket column.

You should see You can tell in one look which suppliers need paying first.

4Look at the payment runs #

Where Finance » Payment runs

1. In the left menu, click Payment runs.
2. Open a run to see which bills it covers.

You should see You put the run together; the controller approves it before any money moves. A supplier whose payments are on hold is left out of a new run, and the run says which bills it left out and why.

Worth knowing Paying a held supplier's bill by hand is refused too, with the hold's reason and end date, until the hold is lifted in Parties.

5Send a batch of bills for approval #

Where Finance » Payables » tick rows » Submit

1. On Payables, tick each bill you have finished entering.
2. In the bar at the bottom, click Submit.
3. Confirm.

You should see They all go forward in one action, and each bill is still checked on its own — a bill with a problem is named and the others still move.

Watch out A bill that fails its own checks is named in the result and stays where it was — the others still go forward.

Worth knowing Not sure about a batch? Ask for a practice run first — it checks every row and changes nothing.

6See where your authority stops #

Where Finance » Payables

1. Tick any bill.
2. Read the bar at the bottom.

You should see Submit is there; Approve is not. The person who enters a bill never approves it — that is what keeps payables honest.

7Edit suppliers, but do not remove them #

Where Finance » Customers & vendors

1. Open Customers & vendors.
2. Tick a supplier.
3. Read the bar.

You should see You can correct a supplier's details, but taking one out of the master list is a different authority.

8Payroll is not yours to see #

Where The left menu

1. Look down the app list in the left rail.

You should see Someone handling supplier invoices has no reason to see salaries, so the whole area is closed — not just hidden.

9Match a bill to a purchase order #

Where Finance » Bills » New bill » Match to PO

1. Click New bill, pick the vendor, then Match to PO.
2. Lines pre-fill from what was received; the chip names the match or the exception.

You should see A bill that ties to a PO and a receipt needs no phone call.

10Work the approvals inbox #

Where Finance » Approvals

1. Open Approvals.
2. Each row names the document, the amount, the step and how long it has waited.

You should see Approve or reject with a note; escalation moves the rest on.

11Accept inbound e-invoices #

Where Finance » Inbound invoices

1. Open Inbound invoices.
2. Read the supplier match and the duplicate flag; Accept the ones that are right.

You should see A Peppol invoice that arrived by itself is data you should not retype.

12Read the vendor-risk findings #

Where Finance » Anomalies » Vendor risk

1. Open Anomalies and choose Vendor risk.

You should see Duplicate IBAN, new bank details, near-duplicate bills — each with the reason.

13Start a bill from its photo #

Where Finance » Bills » From document

1. Click From document and upload the scan.
2. The proposal shows supplier, VAT number, totals and VAT with verify markers.

You should see OCR proposes; the clerk verifies.

14Record the customs numbers of an imported bill #

Where Finance » Payables » a bill » Customs (imported goods)

1. Open Payables and the bill.
2. Scroll to Customs (imported goods).
3. Press Add customs numbers.
4. Type both numbers and press Save.

You should see Both numbers show on the bill and in its history; the FTA audit file lists them with the purchase.

Worth knowing The numbers can be added after the bill is posted or paid — the declaration often arrives later. They never change the totals.

15Issue and print a supplier cheque #

Where Finance » Cheque printing » Issue cheque

1. Open Cheque printing.
2. Press Issue cheque.
3. Fill the form and press Issue and print.

You should see The cheque takes the chequebook's next number, with the amount in words in English and Arabic; a cheque dated in the future is also listed with the post-dated cheques.

Worth knowing A spoiled cheque is voided with a reason and re-issued on the next number; the number is never reused.

16Void a spoiled cheque #

Where Finance » Cheque printing » a cheque » Void

1. Open Cheque printing.
2. Find the cheque and press Void.
3. Write the reason and press Void.

You should see The number is never reused: it stays in the trail with your reason. A cheque in the post-dated cheque register is cancelled there in the same step and its entry is reversed, so nothing waits on a cheque that no longer exists.

Worth knowing A cheque the bank already has (deposited or cleared) cannot be voided — record the bounce or the stop-payment in the post-dated cheque register instead.

17Choose the bank a supplier payment comes from #

Where Finance » Payables » a posted bill » Record payment

1. Open Payables and the posted bill.
2. Press Record payment.
3. Pick the bank in Paid from.
4. Fill the amount, date and method, then confirm.

You should see Only banks that can pay in the bill's currency are listed. If the bank you had chosen cannot, the form moves to one that can.

Worth knowing A bank kept in another currency is refused, and the message names the currency it is kept in: pay from a bank in the bill's currency, or record the payment in the bank's.

18Record the branch that made a purchase #

Where Finance » Payables » a bill » Branch

1. Open the bill.
2. Pick the branch in Branch.

You should see The FTA audit file for that branch then lists this purchase.

19Give a prepaid bill line its service period #

Where Finance » Payables » New bill » a line » Service period

1. Press New bill.
2. Fill the line.
3. Fill Service period: first and last day.

You should see When the bill is posted, the cost goes to prepayments and is released month by month over that period.

Worth knowing Give both dates or neither. A period that ends in the bill's own month is booked at once.

1Open the customer invoices #

Where Finance » Receivables

1. Open Finance, then click Receivables in the left menu.
2. Use the tabs: Invoices, Recurring, Reminders.

You should see Every invoice and where it has got to, in one list.

2Raise a customer invoice #

Where Finance » Receivables » New invoice

1. On Receivables, click New invoice.
2. Choose the customer, or type a one-off name.
3. Set the invoice date and the due date.
4. Add a line per thing you are charging for.
5. Check the total, then Save — and Send when you are ready for the customer to have it.

You should see Tax is applied per line from the customer's tax treatment, so the total is right without you working it out.

Watch out Sending is what makes an invoice real for the customer. Before that it is a draft you can change freely.

3See who is overdue #

Where Finance » Reports » Ageing

1. Open Reports from the left menu.
2. Click the Ageing tab.
3. Start at the oldest column and work left.

You should see Balances are grouped by how late they are, so the call list writes itself. The payables half of the report belongs to the people who pay suppliers and is not shown here.

4See what was already chased #

Where Finance » Receivables » Reminders

1. On Receivables, click the Reminders tab.

You should see You will not chase the same customer twice by accident.

5Cancel invoices properly #

Where Finance » Receivables » tick rows » Cancel

1. On Receivables, tick the invoices to cancel.
2. Click Cancel in the bar at the bottom.
3. Type the reason once — it is stored against every invoice in the batch.
4. Confirm.

You should see The reason is kept with every invoice you cancelled. An invoice already sent to a customer is never simply deleted.

Watch out An invoice already sent to a customer is cancelled by credit note, never deleted. That is what keeps your numbers defensible.

Worth knowing Leave the reason blank and nothing happens — the record must say why.

6Supplier bills are not yours #

Where Finance » Payables

1. Look at the left menu under Finance.

You should see Money in and money out are separate jobs. Your sign-in covers customers, not suppliers.

7Start an invoice with a term and the customer's reference #

Where Finance » Receivables » New invoice

1. Click New invoice.
2. Pick the customer, the term, the emirate; type the PO number in Reference.

You should see What is typed here prints on the invoice and drives Box 1 of the VAT return.

Watch out The credit badge names allow, warn or block before you press Send.

8Read an invoice's payment schedule #

Where Finance » Receivables » an invoice

1. Open a sent invoice.
2. Scroll to Payment schedule.

You should see Each instalment with its due date, what each receipt settled, and what is next.

9Print the invoice #

Where Finance » Receivables » an invoice » Print invoice

1. Click Print invoice in the schedule panel.
2. Use Print / save as PDF.

You should see The tax invoice is printed from its e-invoice: seller and buyer with their tax numbers, the purchase order, the lines, the VAT totals and the QR code, in English and Arabic.

Worth knowing The tax invoice is printed from its e-invoice. An invoice still waiting for its e-invoice says so on the print page; open it to see what it is waiting for.

10Take a post-dated cheque as payment #

Where Finance » Receivables » an invoice » Receive payment

1. Open the invoice.
2. Press Receive payment.
3. In Method, pick Post-dated cheque.
4. Pick the cheque.
5. Press Record receipt.

You should see No bank is asked: the cheque register books the money when the cheque is deposited. If it bounces, this receipt is taken back and the invoice is open again.

Watch out The list shows only this customer's cheques that are registered or deposited, in the invoice's currency.

11Leave write-offs to the accountant #

Where Finance » Receivables » an overdue invoice

1. Open an overdue invoice and scroll to Bad debt and VAT relief.

You should see You can read what was written off and recovered, but there is no Write off button for this role.

12Choose the bank a customer payment goes into #

Where Finance » Receivables » an invoice » Receive payment

1. Open Receivables and the invoice.
2. Press Receive payment.
3. Pick the bank in Paid into.
4. Press Record receipt.

You should see The list offers only banks that can take the payment's currency: a bank kept in that currency, your company-currency bank, or a bank with no currency set.

Watch out A receipt dated outside every fiscal year is refused; nothing is recorded.

Worth knowing A receipt dated on a day no fiscal year covers is refused and nothing is recorded — ask the accountant to create that fiscal year first.

13Give an invoice line billed in advance its service period #

Where Finance » Receivables » New invoice » a line » Service period

1. Press New invoice.
2. Fill the line.
3. Fill Service period: first and last day.

You should see When the invoice is sent, the income is released month by month as the service is given.

Worth knowing Give both dates or neither. A period that ends in the invoice's own month is income at once.

1Open every report yourself #

Where Finance » Reports

1. Open Finance, then Reports.
2. Move through the tabs: Trial Balance, Profit & Loss, Balance Sheet.
3. Set the date or period on each.

You should see Trial balance, profit and loss, and balance sheet all open without you asking anyone to prepare them.

2Follow a number back to its evidence #

Where Finance » Journal entries

1. Open Journal entries.
2. Click any row to open the entry.
3. Follow the source shown on the entry back to the bill, invoice or payroll run behind it.

You should see You can walk from a report figure to the entry, then to the customer, supplier or bank statement behind it.

3See that you cannot change anything #

Where Finance » Journal entries

1. Open Journal entries.
2. Look at the top right of the page.

You should see There isn't one — and the same refusal happens underneath, so nothing can be written under your name.

4Nothing can be archived either #

Where Finance » Customers & vendors

1. Open Customers & vendors.
2. Tick a row.
3. Read the bar.

You should see It offers you nothing. You cannot remove the evidence you are reviewing.

5Read one partner, everything #

Where Finance » Partners » a partner

1. Open a partner.

You should see Balance, ageing, open orders and POs, cheques, credit standing, term, custom fields, the last events.

6Read the journal audit #

Where Finance » Reports » Journal audit

1. Open Reports and click Journal audit.
2. Set the dates; pick one journal, or a state, to narrow it.

You should see One row per journal with its entries, debits, credits and tax, then every line with its entry, account and tax.

7See the customs numbers without changing them #

Where Finance » Payables » a bill » Customs (imported goods)

1. Open a bill and scroll to Customs (imported goods).

You should see Both numbers are shown — or Not recorded — and there is no Add or Edit button for this role.

8Read the deferral schedules #

Where Finance » Deferred revenue & expense

1. Open Deferred revenue & expense.

You should see You see every schedule and its months, but no Run now and no Stop schedule: an auditor reads, and the system refuses the rest.

1Open your cash floats #

Where Finance » Petty cash

1. Open Finance, then click Petty cash in the left menu.
2. Choose a float from the dropdown at the top.

You should see You can see at a glance what you are accountable for.

2See every spend against a float #

Where Finance » Petty cash

1. With a float selected, read the list underneath.
2. Each row is one movement, newest first.

You should see Nothing leaves the float without a line here — which is what makes the count at the end of the day add up.

3Record money out of the float #

Where Finance » Petty cash » New voucher

1. On Petty cash, click New voucher.
2. Fill what it was for, who was paid, the account and the amount.
3. Add the receipt reference so the paper and the record match.
4. Click Save.

You should see The float's balance drops by that amount the moment you save, so the figure on screen always matches the tin.

4Know which cheques clear when #

Where Finance » Post-dated cheques

1. In the left menu, click Post-dated cheques.
2. Sort or filter by date to see what matures next.

You should see Nothing gets banked early, and nothing is forgotten on the day it is due.

5Count the cash and record the difference #

Where Finance » Petty cash » Count cash

1. On Petty cash, click Count cash.
2. Count the tin physically.
3. Type what you actually counted into Counted.
4. Add a note if there is a difference and you know why.
5. Click Save.

You should see Any difference between the count and the books is recorded rather than quietly absorbed — which is what protects you.

Watch out Never adjust the count to match the books. Recording the difference is the thing that protects you.

6You can read the books, not write them #

Where Finance » Journal entries

1. Open Journal entries from the left menu.
2. Look at the top right.

You should see You can look up any entry — but there is no button to add one. Counting cash and writing the books are deliberately different jobs.

7Open the reconcile workbench #

Where Finance » Bank » Reconcile workbench

1. Open the workbench.
2. The queue lists unmatched lines oldest first; the tiles count the proposals by kind.

You should see Most lines are exact matches the workbench already found.

8Apply a proposal #

Where Finance » Bank » Reconcile workbench » a line

1. Pick a line from the queue.
2. Read the proposals with their confidence; Apply the right one, or book the line to an account.

You should see After three bookings of the same shape a learned rule appears.

9Say how much of a receipt's VAT can be claimed #

Where Finance » Petty cash » New voucher » VAT recovery

1. Press New voucher.
2. Type the VAT on the receipt.
3. Choose what can be recovered of it.

You should see VAT that cannot be claimed (entertainment, for example) is booked as part of the cost, not claimed on the VAT return.

1See the months and their state #

Where Finance » Periods

1. Open Finance, then Fiscal periods in the left menu.
2. Read the state beside each month.

You should see Closing a month stops anyone posting into it by accident.

2Close a month #

Where Finance » Periods

1. Find the month you are closing.
2. Open its actions and choose Close.
3. Read what it tells you is still outstanding.
4. Confirm only when you are satisfied.

You should see Closing stops anyone posting into that month by accident. It can be reopened, and both actions are recorded against your name.

Watch out A closed month can be reopened, and both actions are recorded against your name. That is a feature, not a loophole.

3Check what still blocks the close #

Where Finance » Overview

1. Open the Finance overview from the left menu.
2. Read the close card near the top.

You should see One card lists what is still unapproved, unposted or unreconciled — you do not go hunting for it.

4Approve a queue of bills at once #

Where Finance » Payables » tick rows » Approve

1. Open Payables.
2. Use the Approvals tab to see only what is waiting for you.
3. Tick the bills you are approving.
4. Click Approve in the bar at the bottom and confirm.

You should see Each bill is still checked on its own inside the batch, so one bad row does not stop the rest.

Watch out Each bill still runs its own checks inside the batch, so a bill over budget is refused and named while the rest go through.

Worth knowing Before a large batch, ask for a practice run — it checks every row and changes nothing.

5Clear drafts out of the way #

Where Finance » Journal entries » tick rows » Archive

1. Open Journal entries.
2. Tick the draft entries you no longer want in the list.
3. Click Archive in the bar and confirm.

You should see Drafts are tidied away; anything already posted is refused and named. History is never rewritten.

Watch out Archiving tidies the list. It does not delete anything, and history cannot be rewritten this way.

6Spot odd entries before an auditor does #

Where Finance » Journal entries » Anomalies

1. Open Journal entries.
2. Switch to the anomalies view.
3. Read the reason beside each flagged entry.

You should see Round numbers, weekend postings and back-dated entries are surfaced for you to look at — nothing is blocked, only flagged.

Watch out Nothing is blocked. These are questions to answer, not errors to fix.

7Write the approval matrix #

Where Finance » Approvals » Matrices

1. Open Matrices and pick the document kind.
2. Bands by amount and dimension, the approver, the escalation hours; Simulate a bill.

You should see The inbox routes every submitted document by this table.

8Read a bill's approval chain #

Where Finance » Bills » a submitted bill

1. Open a submitted bill.
2. The chain chip names the current step and who is next.

You should see The inbox routes it; escalation moves it on.

9Set the dimension rules #

Where Finance » Dimensions » Rules

1. Open Rules.
2. An account prefix requires a plan; a default distribution is optional.

You should see Settings → Finance turns advice into a block when the team is ready.

10Run the close checklist #

Where Finance » Periods » a period » Close checklist

1. Open the period and its checklist.
2. Each probe is green or names what is left; manual items tick by hand.

You should see Close succeeds only when every probe is green.

11Read a budget's variance #

Where Finance » Budgets

1. Open Budgets and a budget.
2. The variance tab by account × dimension × period.

You should see The check dialog says whether an amount still fits.

12Report the group as one #

Where Finance » Consolidation » a group

1. Open Consolidation and click the group.
2. Read each company's balance sheet side by side, then Combined, Eliminations and Consolidated.
3. Open Intercompany to match what the companies owe each other, and Books to post a consolidation book.

You should see Figures in the group's currency, each company at 100 % or at its ownership share; the companies' own books never change.

Worth knowing A note above the tables counts the entries that belong to no company, so nothing is left out silently.

1Produce the VAT return #

Where Finance » VAT return

1. Open Finance, then VAT return in the left menu.
2. Choose the period you are filing for.
3. Read each box and the figure behind it.
4. Click the number in a box's Lines column to see the entries that make it up.

You should see Every box is filled from entries already in the books. Anything the rulebook cannot place is shown rather than quietly dropped.

Watch out Anything the rulebook cannot place is shown separately rather than dropped, so you notice before the authority does.

2Read the corporate tax calculation #

Where Finance » Tax codes & VAT returns

1. In the left menu, open Tax codes & VAT returns.
2. Open the corporate tax view.
3. Follow it down: revenue, accounting profit, taxable income, tax due.

You should see The calculation shows its working, so you can explain any line of it.

3Check withholding and zakat #

Where Finance » Direct taxes

1. Open Direct taxes from the Finance menu.
2. Open the WHT tab for withholding.
3. Then open the Zakat tab.

You should see Both are computed from the same books as everything else, so they agree with the accounts.

4See which returns are filed #

Where Finance » Compliance

1. Open Compliance calendar in the left menu.
2. Read the returns list and the state beside each.

You should see Nothing is 'probably filed' — the state and the date are on the record.

5You read the books, you do not write them #

Where Finance » Journal entries

1. Open Journal entries.
2. Look at the top right.

You should see Every figure you file can be traced here — and there is no button to add an entry. That separation is what makes the return trustworthy.

6Read the VAT return by emirate #

Where Finance » VAT return

1. Open the VAT return for the period.
2. Read Box 1 by emirate and the invoices without an emirate.

You should see Every box renders, zero rows included.

7Prepare and submit the VAT return #

Where Finance » VAT return » Prepare / Submit

1. Press Prepare the return.
2. Press Submit to the tax portal when EmaraTax is connected; the confirmation names the period and the net VAT before anything is sent.
3. Read the acknowledgement card.

You should see Filing also books the VAT settlement — the period's VAT accounts are closed into VAT payable — and locks the books up to the end of the period, unless your company turned the lock off.

8Read the corporate-tax workpaper #

Where Finance » Corporate tax

1. Open Corporate tax.
2. Read the rungs from accounting profit down to the tax: the entertainment add-back and the 0 % band allowance are worked out for you.
3. Open the Tax losses, Interest limitation, Tax group, Deferred tax and Related parties tabs; press Source on any rung to see where its figure comes from.

You should see Taxable income and tax due across the top; every rung shows the running total. Apply to the ledgers books the provision once.

9Withholding tax #

Where Finance » Taxes » WHT

1. Open Taxes and the WHT tab.
2. Record WHT against a payment; issue the certificate; read the return totals.

You should see The certificate is what the supplier's tax office accepts.

10Read the compliance calendar #

Where Finance » Compliance calendar

1. Open the calendar.
2. VAT rows at the frequency in Settings; Zakat and corporate-tax rows when switched on.

You should see A deadline is always about a period that has ended.

11Save the FTA audit file for one branch #

Where Finance » FTA Audit File

1. Open FTA Audit File.
2. Set From and To.
3. Pick the branch, or leave Whole company.
4. Read the checks.
5. Press Save the audit file.

You should see A branch's file lists its invoices, its bills and the journal entries stamped with that branch. Each check says what is missing and where to fix it.

Worth knowing An error check (the company's tax registration number, for example) is fixed where the message says before the file is sent to the FTA.

12Open the entries behind a VAT box #

Where Finance » VAT return » a box » Lines

1. Open the VAT return.
2. Click the number in the Lines column of a box.

You should see The entries add up to the figure on the return, and each one links to its journal entry.

Worth knowing A return that is already filed shows plain numbers: it keeps the figures it was filed with.

13Recalculate partly recoverable VAT at year end #

Where Finance » Taxes (VAT) » Year-end VAT recovery recalculation

1. Open Taxes (VAT).
2. Type the year and the actual ratio.
3. Read the result.
4. Press Book the correcting entry.

You should see The difference moves between the VAT account and the cost accounts the purchases were booked to.

Watch out Booking needs the right to file tax returns.

Worth knowing Only purchases on a partly recoverable tax are recalculated. The ratio used during the year is a company setting your administrator keeps.

1Find the accounts pay runs post to #

Where Finance » Chart of accounts

1. Open Finance, then Chart of accounts.
2. Search for salary, or open the expense branch.

You should see You can check the mapping before a pay run rather than after it.

2See payroll cost where the business reads it #

Where Finance » Reports

1. Open Reports.
2. Read the trial balance, then switch to Profit & Loss.

You should see The cost of people appears in the same statements everyone else uses — no separate spreadsheet.

3Supplier bills are closed to you #

Where Finance » Payables

1. Look at the left menu under Finance.

You should see Responsibility for salaries does not extend to what the business owes its suppliers.

1Open the finance settings #

Where Settings » Finance

1. Open Settings from the app launcher.
2. Click Finance.
3. Read the base currency and the posting rules.

You should see This is the one place the module's behaviour is set for everybody.

2Check the country rulebook #

Where Settings » Finance » Country pack

1. Still in Settings, scroll to the country rulebook section.
2. The installed version is marked.

You should see Tax rates, account structure and filing rules come from a versioned rulebook, so an update is a deliberate act.

Watch out Upgrading a rulebook changes what is produced afterwards. Do it deliberately, and tell the finance team when you have.

3Review the tax rates in use #

Where Finance » Tax codes & VAT returns

1. Open Finance, then Tax codes & VAT returns.
2. Read the rate and the group beside each tax.

You should see Rates arrive from the rulebook and can be adjusted for your business.

Worth knowing Change a rate and every figure produced afterwards uses it. Past entries keep the rate they were posted with.

4Add or adjust a tax rate #

Where Finance » Tax codes & VAT returns

1. Click a tax to edit it, or add a new one.
2. Set the rate, the group it reports in, and the accounts it posts to.
3. Save.

You should see The change applies to everything raised afterwards; entries already posted keep the rate they were posted with.

Watch out The change applies to everything raised afterwards. Entries already posted keep the rate they were posted with, which is what makes old returns reproducible.

Worth knowing If your business is in more than one country, check which rulebook the rate belongs to before you change it.

5See the report layouts #

Where Finance » Report designer

1. Open Report designer in the left menu.
2. Open one of the standard layouts to see how it is built.
3. Copy it before changing anything.

You should see A custom statement is a setting, not a development request.

6Keep filing dates in view #

Where Finance » Compliance

1. Open Compliance calendar.
2. Read the dates for the country your business is registered in.

You should see The deadline arrives on the screen before it arrives in the post.

7Open the credit controller role #

Where Settings » Roles

1. Open Roles and choose credit_controller.

You should see Credit read / manage, payment terms manage, portal payments read.

8Connect a card gateway #

Where Settings » Integrations

1. Open Integrations.
2. Add Stripe, Telr, PayTabs, Tap or Checkout.com with the secret and the config keys.

You should see Pay-now is a setting plus a secret; register the webhook at the gateway.

9Set your company's own capital assets scheme rules #

Where Finance » Fixed assets » an asset » Scheme rules for this company

1. Open a fixed asset.
2. Open Scheme rules for this company.
3. Type your threshold and years, then Save.

You should see The published rule is shown next to your own value and its source, so an auditor can see which one applies.

Worth knowing A change applies to assets enrolled after it; an asset already enrolled keeps its period.

1See who is over their limit #

Where Finance » Credit control

1. Open your company's address in the browser — it looks like yourcompany.tarleaks.com.
2. Type the e-mail address your administrator set up for you, then your password.
3. You land on the app launcher: a grid of the apps your company uses.
4. Open Finance, then Credit control.
5. Click the Over the limit tile.

You should see Four numbers across the top; a table with limit, exposure, used % and overdue per customer.

2Open a customer's standing #

Where Finance » Credit control » a row

1. Click a customer row.

You should see The detail block shows open invoices, overdue and cheques, and the decisions taken at quote, order and invoice time.

3Put a customer on hold #

Where Finance » Credit control » Hold

1. Click Hold on a row.
2. Type why; the button enables.

You should see The reason is shown wherever the hold blocks a quote.

4Read the payment terms #

Where Finance » Payment terms

1. Open Payment terms.
2. Read What it means for each row.

You should see The usual six exist from the first visit; the Default badge marks the fallback.

5Design a term and watch the preview #

Where Finance » Payment terms » New term

1. Click New term.
2. Fill the code, name and lines.
3. Add a retention and read the preview.

You should see Save enables only when the lines add up to 100 %.

Watch out Save stays disabled until the lines add up to 100 %.

6Put a customer on a term #

Where Finance » Partners » the customer

1. Open a customer.
2. Pick a term in the Payment term field and Save.

You should see The Terms column shows the code; every new invoice inherits it.

7See the instalments falling due #

Where Finance » Payment terms » Instalments due

1. Open the Instalments due tab.
2. Overdue rows are red; the invoice and the customer are links.

You should see A three-instalment invoice is three promises with three dates.

8See what came in through the portal #

Where Finance » Portal payments

1. Open Portal payments.
2. Read the tiles; a row with the red badge is a paid attempt whose receipt failed.

You should see A receipt is recorded only after the gateway confirms.

9See a customer's credit on their party page #

Where Parties » a customer » Credit and balance

1. Open Parties.
2. Click the customer.
3. Scroll to Credit and balance.

You should see The credit limit, the payment terms, what the customer owes on open invoices, what is overdue and how late the oldest is, the cheques not yet cleared and what is still available.