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

1Check what your sign-in can do #

Where Your name, top right » Profile

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. Click your name in the very top-right corner of the screen.
5. Choose Profile from the menu that drops down.
6. Scroll to the Security and access section.

You should see It says Accountant. You can write and post entries and tidy the customer and supplier list — approving supplier bills is somebody else's job.

Watch out Two people can have the same job title and different roles here. If the chip does not say what you expected, ask your administrator before you start entering anything — the buttons you see depend on it.

Worth knowing If the role here is not what you expected, stop and ask your administrator before you start entering anything.

2Open 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.

3See 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.

4Find 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.

5Start 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.

6Check 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.

7Read 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.

8Read 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.

9Open 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.

10Add a customer or supplier #

Where Finance » Customers & vendors » New partner

1. On Customers & vendors, click New partner 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.

11See 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.

12Tidy 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.

13See 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.

14Have 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.

1Check what your sign-in can do #

Where Your name, top right » Profile

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. Click your name, top right.
5. Choose Profile.

You should see It says AP Clerk. You can enter bills and prepare payments; approving and posting them is somebody else's job.

2Open 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.

3Enter 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.

4See 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.

5Look 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.

6Send 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.

7See 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.

8Edit 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.

9Payroll 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.

1Check what your sign-in can do #

Where Your name, top right » Profile

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. Click your name, top right.
5. Choose Profile.

You should see It says AR Clerk. You can raise invoices, record what customers pay, and cancel an invoice with a reason.

2Open 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.

3Raise 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.

4See 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.

5See 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.

6Cancel 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.

7Supplier 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.

1Check what your sign-in can do #

Where Your name, top right » Profile

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. Click your name, top right.
5. Choose Profile.

You should see It says Auditor: you can read the whole ledger and the trail behind it, and you cannot change a single record.

2Open 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.

3Follow 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.

4See 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.

5Nothing 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.

1Check what your sign-in can do #

Where Your name, top right » Profile

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. Click your name, top right.
5. Choose Profile.

You should see It says Cashier. Petty cash and cheques are yours; writing to the ledger is not.

2Open 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.

3See 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.

4Record 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.

5Know 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.

6Count 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.

7You 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.

1Check what your sign-in can do #

Where Your name, top right » Profile

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. Click your name, top right.
5. Choose Profile.

You should see It says Finance Controller — approving, posting, and closing the month all sit with you.

2See 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.

3Close 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.

4Check 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.

5Approve 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.

6Clear 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.

7Spot 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.

1Check what your sign-in can do #

Where Your name, top right » Profile

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. Click your name, top right.
5. Choose Profile.

You should see It says Tax Agent. You prepare and file returns; you do not post to the ledger they are drawn from.

2Produce 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 a box 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.

3Read 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.

4Check withholding and zakat #

Where Finance » Tax codes & VAT returns

1. Open the withholding register from the tax area.
2. Then open the zakat view.

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

5See 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.

6You 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.

1Check what your sign-in can do #

Where Your name, top right » Profile

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. Click your name, top right.
5. Choose Profile.

You should see It says Payroll Manager. In finance you can read the accounts and the reports — supplier and customer money is closed to you.

2Find 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.

3See 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.

4Supplier 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.

1Check what your sign-in can do #

Where Your name, top right » Profile

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. Click your name, top right.
5. Choose Profile.

You should see It says Tenant Admin. The settings every finance role works inside are yours to change.

2Open 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.

3Check 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.

4Review 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.

5Add 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.

6See 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.

7Keep 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.