Online Procedures Guide
 Welcome


Contents


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Contents_General Ledger
 	Accounts

 	General Journal Entries

 	Jobs


Contents Chequebook
 	Cheques

 	Deposits


Contents Sales
 	Sales

 	Customer Credits

 	Customer Payments

 	Invoice Items


Contents Purchases
 	Purchases

 	Supplier Debits

 	Supplier Payments


Contents Card File
 	Cards

 	Contact Logs

 	Identifiers


Contents Forms and Reports
 	Forms

 	Reports

 	Printing


Contents Period End Procedures
 	Month-end

 	Year-end


Contents Setting Up
 	Preferences

 	Business Calendar

 	Passwords


Contents Reference
 	Glossary

 	Menus and Windows


Cards

In FirstAccounts, cards are the records of every person and company you do business with. There are four types of cards: customer, supplier, employee and personal. You’ll assign a card to each transaction you enter into the FirstAccounts system.

In this part:

 Creating cards

 Changing cards

 Removing cards


Creating cards

To create a card, you’ll complete the steps below.

Checklist: How to create a card

 Step 1: Create the type of card you need

 Step 2: Enter credit terms for customers and suppliers (optional)

 Step 3: Enter sales history for customers and employees (optional)

 Step 4: Add the card to your records

 Step 5: Enter historical sales for customers

 Step 6: Enter historical purchases for suppliers

  Step 7: Enter bank information for your suppliers


Step 1: Create the type of card you need

You can create many types of cards. Read the following information carefully, so you’re sure you’re creating the card you need.

Customer cards are records of the people and companies to whom you sell your company’s items and services. You’ll assign customer cards primarily to sales, such as invoices, in the Enter Sales window.

Supplier cards are records of the people and companies from whom you buy items and services. You’ll assign supplier cards primarily to purchases, such as purchase orders, in the Enter Purchases window.

Employee cards are records of the people who work for your company.

Personal cards are records of all the other people you do business with. Most likely, you won’t record transactions in FirstAccounts with personal cards; however, you may want to keep personal cards to track your business contacts, or you might want to keep your own list of friends and family using personal cards.

To create the card

1.	In the Card File command centre, click Cards to open the Cards window.

2.	Click the New button to open the Card File Entry window.

3.	From the Card Type list at the top of the window, choose Customer, Supplier, Employee or Personal.

4.	Make entries in the Card File Entry window that describe the person or company.

 Idea: Creating a card for walk-in (cash) customers

 Step 2: Enter credit terms for customers and suppliers (optional)


Idea: Creating a card for walk-in (cash) customers

If you conduct your business in cash, create a customer card for each form of payment you receive - cash, cheques or VISA, for example.

When you analyse your sales by customer in the Analyse Sales window, you can see how much of your business is based upon walk-in transactions. See Reviewing your sales information to learn more about analysing your sales information.


Step 2: Enter credit terms for customers and suppliers

The credit terms you assign to your customers - and your suppliers assign to you - are rules that govern the number of days between delivery and payment, discounts for early payment and penalties for late payment. You can set specific credit terms for each customer and supplier in the Credit Terms window.

After you set up credit terms, discounts based on the terms are automatically calculated when you enter sales and purchases. (You can change the terms and discount amounts at the time you enter them as part of a sale or purchase, if you need to.)

Similarly, after you set up credit terms, finance charges based on those terms are automatically calculated beginning the day after a transaction’s balance due date. Your customers’ finance charges can be printed on their monthly statements, if you want.

 Idea: You can set up credit terms for all customers and suppliers

The credit terms you set in these windows apply only to customers and suppliers for which you haven’t already entered specific credit terms.

To enter credit terms for customers and suppliers

1.	Be sure the card is displayed in the Card File Entry window.

2.	Click the Terms button at the bottom of the window to open the Credit Terms window.

3.	Make entries in the Credit Terms window that indicate how discounts should be calculated for the sales or purchases you enter.

4.	Select the Tax Status that applies to the customer or supplier. The first two options that display in this list are taken from your Tax Codes List. The third option, Taxable is based on the third tax code set up in the Tax Codes list, but in item invoices, the item’s tax code will determine the rate of tax. For more information on tax codes, click here.

5.	Once you’ve made all the entries you need to make, click the OK button in the Credit Terms window to assign the credit terms to the customer or supplier.

 Step 3: Enter sales history for customers and employees (optional)


Idea: You can set up credit terms for all customers and suppliers

Using the following instructions, you can establish a set of credit terms for an individual customer or supplier. If you wish to establish a set of credit terms for all your customers and all your suppliers quickly, you can use the Preferences window to do so. To do this, open the Preferences window, click either the Sales tab or the Purchases tab, then click the Terms button at the bottom of the window. In the window that appears, enter the credit terms that you want all your customers or all your suppliers to have.


Step 3: Enter sales history for customers and employees

FirstAccounts can track sales figures for a customer or employee on a monthly basis. FirstAccounts tracks the total sales for the card. Sales history is kept for the current year and the previous year. These monthly sales amounts are used in the Analyse Sales reports and in the Analyse Sales window.

 Note: If you track sales history for an employee

To enter sales history for customers and employees

You can also enter historical sales amounts for the months that occurred before you began using FirstAccounts. To do this, follow these steps:

1.	Be sure the card is displayed in the Card File Entry window.

2.	Click the History button at the bottom of the window to open the Sales History window.

3.	Enter the sales amounts for the months that occurred before you began using FirstAccounts.

4.	When you’re finished entering amounts, click OK in the Sales History window.

 Step 4: Add the card to your records


Note: If you track sales history for an employee

If you choose to track sales history for an employee, be sure to enter the employee’s name in the Salesperson field of the Sales window whenever you enter sales in which the employee participated.


Step 4: Add the card to your records

Once you’ve entered the card’s basic information, and you’ve made a decision to enter sales history, credit terms and employee information, you’re ready to add the card to the FirstAccounts system.

To add the card to your records

1.	Be sure the card is displayed in the Card File Entry window.

2.	Click the OK button to add the card to your records and close the Card File Entry window. The Cards window will appear; the new card will be displayed in the list.

 Step 5: Enter historical sales for customers


Step 5: Enter historical sales for customers

To ensure your accounting records are accurate, you must enter all your customers’ historical sales, which are the sales that have a current balance due on the first day of the month in which you began using FirstAccounts (This month is known as your conversion month.) The total balance of a customer’s historical sales is considered the customer’s receivable balance.

 Warning: Historical sales are different than sales history

To enter a customer’s historical sales

1.	From the Setup menu, choose Balances/Receivable Balances to open the Receivable Balances window.

2.	Note the amount that appears in the Linked Receivables Account Balance field at the bottom half of the Receivable Balances window. You should enter historical sales that, when totaled, equal this amount.

3.	Click the zoom arrow in the scrolling list next to the name of the customer. The scrolling list changes to show all the historical sales that exist for the customer. (If you’re just starting out, no sales appear in the scrolling list.)

4.	To enter a historical sale, click the Add Sale button. The Historical Sale window appears.

5.	Enter all information that applies to the historical sale. When you reach the Amount Due field, be sure to enter the remaining amount of the sale (including Tax), not the original amount. Ensure the correct Tax code, (if applicable) is selected for this sale. When you’re finished entering an historical sale, click Record.

6.	Continue entering historical sales for all customers until the amount that appears in the Out of Balance Amount field of the Receivable Balances window is zero (or as close to zero as you can get it). When you’re finished, click the Close button in the Receivable Balances window.

 Step 6: Enter historical purchases for suppliers


Warning: Historical sales are different than sales history

Earlier in this procedure, you may have entered sales history amounts for your customers. Although “sales history” sounds similar to “historical sales,” the two concepts are different. Sales history consists of transactions that occurred prior to your conversion month and were paid before your conversion month; historical sales are transactions that occurred prior to your conversion month but were unpaid when your conversion month began.


Step 6: Enter historical purchases for suppliers

To ensure your accounting records are accurate, you must enter all your suppliers’ historical purchases, which are the purchases that have a current balance due on the first day of the month in which you began using FirstAccounts. (This month is known as your conversion month.) The total balance of your historical purchases is considered your payable balance.

To enter a supplier’s historical purchases

1.	From the Setup menu, choose Balances/Payable Balances to open the Payable Balances window.

2.	Note the amount that appears in the Linked Payables Account Balance field at the bottom half of the Payable Balances window. You should enter historical purchases that, when totaled, equal this amount.

3.	Click the zoom arrow in the scrolling list next to the name of the supplier. The scrolling list changes to show all the historical purchases that exist for the supplier. (If you’re just starting out, no purchases appear in the scrolling list.)

4.	To enter a historical purchase, click the Add Purchase button. The Historical Purchase window appears.

5.	Enter all information that applies to the historical purchase. When you reach the Amount Due field, be sure to enter the remaining amount of the purchase (including Tax), not the original amount. Ensure the correct Tax code (if applicable) is selected. When you’re finished entering an historical purchase, click Record.

6.	Continue entering historical purchases for the supplier until the amount that appears in the Out of Balance Amount field of the Payable Balances window is zero (or as close to zero as you can get it). When you’re finished, click the Close button in the Payable Balances window.

  Step 7: Enter bank information for your suppliers


Step 7: Enter bank information for your suppliers

Electronic banking can save time and money. Instead of writing cheques to pay your suppliers, you can have your bank transfer funds from your account to the bank accounts of your suppliers. If you enter bank information for all the suppliers you want to pay electronically, you can use FirstAccounts to create a file containing all supplier payment transaction information that you can give to your bank. You can give the file to your bank on a diskette, or you can use your bank's facilities to transfer the file. Contact your bank for more information.

Follow these instructions to enter bank information for a supplier card so you can pay the supplier electronically.

1.	Choose Cards from the Card File command centre. The View Card File window will appear.

2.	Click the Suppliers tab to view a list of your company's suppliers.

3.	Locate the supplier whose banking information needs to be updated. Click the arrow that appears to the left of the supplier's name. The Card File Entry window will appear.

4.	Click the Bank Info button to open the Banking Information window.

5.	Enter the supplier's Bank-State-Branch code, account number and account name and then click OK.

 Click here to find out more about Electronic Payments for Suppliers


Changing cards

Follow the steps below to change information about a customer, supplier, employee or personal card in the Card File.

To change a card

1.	In the Card File command centre, click Cards to open the Cards window.

2.	Click the zoom arrow next to the name of the card you want to change. The Card File Entry window appears, displaying the card you selected.

3.	To make changes to the card, enter information as you normally do, then click OK.


Removing cards

Follow the steps below to remove a customer, supplier, employee or personal card from your records.

 Note: You can’t remove a card with transactions assigned to it

To remove a card

1.	In the Card File command centre, click Cards to open the Cards window.

2.	Click the zoom arrow next to the name of the card you want to remove. The Card File Entry window appears, displaying the card you selected.

3.	To remove the card, choose Delete Card from the Edit menu.


Note: You can't remove a card with transactions assigned to it

A card can be removed only if no transactions are assigned to it. You can review transactions assigned to a card using the Find Transaction window.


Accounts

An account is tool used to organise a business. Accounts keep track of the additions and subtractions that occur in regular business activity. Since accounts are the backbone of your FirstAccounts financial records, ensuring your accounts work the way you want them to should be one of your highest priorities.

In this part:

 Creating accounts

 Changing accounts

 Removing accounts


Creating accounts

To create an account, you’ll complete the steps below.

 Note: Have you set up a chart of accounts already?

Checklist: How to create an account

 Step 1: Choose the type of account you want

 Step 2: Enter basic information about the account

 Step 3: Enter budgets for the account (optional)

 Step 4: Link the account to a transaction type (optional)

 Step 5: Enter your accounts’ opening balances

 Step 6: Enter your accounts’ historical balances (optional)


Note: Have you set up a chart of accounts already?

If you’re just starting to use FirstAccounts, you may or may not already have a chart of accounts to work with. A chart of accounts is merely a list of all the accounts that are used to track a business. If you selected a starter chart of accounts when you created your company’s data file in the FirstAccounts New Data File Assistant, you already have an extensive set of accounts that you can use to track your business activity, and you may not need to create any more accounts. If you didn’t choose a starter chart of accounts in the FirstAccounts New Data File Assistant, however, you’ll need to follow the instructions in this section carefully to build your own chart of accounts from scratch.

If you have upgraded from BestBooks, you will already have a chart of accounts set up, but you should check over these to see if the account numbers are appropriate for your needs.

To ensure your accounts are set up correctly for the GST, click here.


Step 1: Choose the type of account you want

Every account in the FirstAccounts system must be assigned a type before it can be used to track your company’s financial activity. In FirstAccounts, you can choose from eight different account types, each of which serves a specific purpose.

 Note: If you need to learn more about account types

To choose an account type

1.	In the General Ledger command centre, click Chart of Accounts to open the Chart of Accounts window.

2.	Click a tab at the top of the Accounts List window to choose the account type you want. Here are a few examples of typical account types for certain accounts:

Your company’s cheque accounts should be asset accounts.

If you plan to track credit card purchases using a specific FirstAccounts account, the credit card accounts should be liability accounts.

If you plan to use a cash drawer account to store all your daily cash receipts for a single deposit at your bank, the cash drawer account should be an asset account.

3.	When you’ve selected a tab, click the New button at the bottom of the window to open the Edit Accounts window.

 Step 2: Enter basic information about the account


Note: If you need to learn more about account types

If you’re unsure about which type you should assign to a new account, you should probably consult your accountant, or an FirstAccounts Quality Consultant. See the “On-Site Consultation” section of Using  FirstAccounts to locate a Quality Consultant in your area.


Step 2: Enter basic information about the account

The Edit Accounts window plays an important part in deciding how your accounts work. Be sure you make your entries in this window carefully.

Select the various characteristics for your new account in the Edit Accounts window.

 Step 3: Enter budgets for the account (optional)


Step 3: Enter budgets for the account (optional; detail accounts only)
Step 3: Enter budgets for the account (optional)

You can track your business’s financial progress by using a monthly budget for each of your detail accounts, including detail cheque and detail credit card accounts.

 Note: The 13th period can’t be budgeted

 To enter budgets for an account

 To use budget shortcuts to enter an account’s budget

 Step 4: Link the account to a transaction type (optional)


Note:The 13th period can't be budgeted

If your financial year is set up to use 13 periods, you can’t assign a budget to the 13th period.


To enter budgets for an account

1.	Be sure the account is displayed in the Edit Accounts window.

2.	Click the Budgets button at the bottom of the window to open the History and Budgets window.

3.	You can choose from two ways of entering budgets for your accounts:

You can manually make entries in the Budget column; or

You can use budget shortcuts to make an automatic monthly increase in the account’s budget.

If you plan to manually make your budget entries, continue reading these instructions. If you want to use budget shortcuts, see To use budget shortcuts to enter an accounts budget.

3.	In the Budget column, enter the amount of expected activity for the account.

Keep in mind that you should enter the expected activity for the account, NOT the expected balance of the account at the end of each month.

When you set a $100 monthly budget for an income account, it means you‘re expecting $100 income for the month. When you budget $100 for an expense account, you’re expecting expenses of $100 for the month. Budget $100 for an asset and you’re expecting the asset to grow by $100 during the month. Budget $100 for a liability and you’re expecting the liability to grow $100. If you’re repaying a loan liability, enter the budget amount as a minus $100 per month.

 Idea: Remember how positive and negative numbers affect accounts

5.	Click OK when you’re satisfied with your entries in the History and Budgets window.


Idea: Remember how positive and negative numbers affect accounts

Positive budget amounts tell FirstAccounts to expect the account balance to grow during the month. Be sure you properly indicate whether the amounts in the Budget column should be positive or negative. “Positive” and “negative” may appear to mean the opposite of what you expect; for example, if you enter a positive $100 for an expense account, you indicate that the account will cost you $100 for the month.


To use budget shortcuts to enter an accountís budget
To use budget shortcuts to enter an account’s budget

You can set up budget shortcuts for an account so each month incorporates a regular increase in budget amounts. FirstAccounts begins with the January budgeted amount and increases it by the amount or percent you specify for each consecutive month.

1.	In the History and Budgets window, click the Shortcuts button to open the Budget Shortcuts window.

2.	Enter a budget amount and a frequency, and then enter a monthly dollar increase or monthly percentage increase.

3.	When you’re satisfied with your entries in the Budget Shortcuts window, click OK. The History and Budgets window will appear again, displaying the monthly budgets that were calculated in the Budgets column.

4.	Click OK in the History and Budgets window when you’re satisfied with the budgets that appear in the window.


Step 4: Link the account to a transaction type (optional)

Every transaction you enter into the FirstAccounts system must be assigned to one or more specific accounts. To reduce your data entry time and the possibility of mistaken assignments, FirstAccounts was designed to automatically assign your transactions to the proper accounts at the time you record the transactions. These accounts are called linked accounts.

When you used the New Data File Assistant to create your company’s data file, specific linked accounts were set up automatically for you. For example, an asset account was assigned to track all sales that result in money owed to you. Whenever you enter a sales transaction that’s not fully paid at the time of the sale, the amount you’re owed will automatically be added to that particular account’s balance. This allows you to avoid the effort of selecting the correct account every time you enter a sale.

As mentioned earlier, your linked accounts are automatically set up for you when you create your data file. However, you might want to use different accounts to track your transaction activity. If you’re creating an account that you think you might want to link to a particular transaction type, read the procedure below for help in making your link.

 Warning: Be very careful with linked accounts!

 To link the account to a transaction type

 Step 5: Enter your accounts’ opening balances


Warning: Be very careful with linked accounts!

Your financial records rely greatly upon the balances of your linked accounts, since those accounts track the majority of your business activity. In most cases, the linked accounts that were set up for you when you created your data file will serve the needs of your business. Change your linked accounts only if you’re certain that the change is appropriate.

If you’re not sure whether you should change your linked accounts, we suggest you consult your accountant or one of FirstAccounts’ Quality Consultants. Refer to the “On-Site Consultation” section of Using  FirstAccounts to locate a Quality Consultant in your area.


To link the account to a transaction type

Accounts can be linked to numerous transaction types in FirstAccounts. The process of linking an account is simple:

1.	From the Setup menu at the top of your computer screen, choose Linked Accounts, then choose the appropriate category (General Ledger Accounts, Receivable Accounts, Payable Accounts) to which the transaction type belongs. The Linked Accounts window for that category will appear.

2.	Locate the transaction type in the window, then enter the account number in the field next to the transaction type.

3.	Click OK to close the window.

For information on linking accounts for the GST, click here.


Step 5: Enter your accountsí opening balances
Step 5: Enter your accounts’ opening balances

 Idea: Enter all your accounts before proceeding

Since your accounts probably had balances before you began using FirstAccounts, you need to assign those balances to your accounts before you can accurately track your business using FirstAccounts. In FirstAccounts terminology, the balances you assign to your accounts when you begin using FirstAccounts are called opening balances.

To properly assign opening balances to accounts, you need to enter the balance of each of your accounts as of the first day of your conversion month - the month you began using FirstAccounts to track your business.

 Note: Determining your accounts’ opening balances

 To enter your accounts’ opening balances

 Step 6: Enter your accounts’ historical balances (optional)


Idea: Enter all your accounts before proceeding

At this point, you’ve created a single account. If you plan to add many accounts to the FirstAccounts system - for example, if you’re setting up your company for the first time - we suggest that you follow Steps 1 through 3 again for each account that you plan to set up. Then, when you’re finished entering all your accounts, continue with these next steps.


Note: Determining your accountsí opening balances
Note: Determining your accounts’ opening balances

If you’re not sure what your accounts’ opening balances are, you can acquire this information from reports you may have recently created.

If you have a trial balance report for the month prior to your conversion month, each account’s ending balance for that month is the opening balance you should enter into FirstAccounts.

If you have a current balance sheet, you can use the total amounts on that report for the opening balances of your asset, liability and equity accounts.

If you have a current income statement, you can use the total amounts on that report for the opening balances of your income and expense accounts.


To enter your accountsí opening balances
To enter your accounts’ opening balances

1.	From the Setup menu, choose Balances/Account Opening Balances to open the Account Opening Balances window.

2.	If your conversion month is the first month of your financial year (for example, if your financial year runs from July to June, and your conversion month is July), enter the opening balances of your asset, liability and equity accounts only. (The opening balances of all your income and expense accounts should remain zero.)

If your conversion month is not the first month of your financial year (for example, if your financial year runs from July to June, and your conversion month is October), enter the opening balances of all your accounts.

You should almost always enter opening balances as positive numbers. Don’t, for example, enter your liability accounts’ balances as negative numbers. FirstAccounts knows whether your accounts usually have positive or negative balances. Enter negative amounts only if accounts have negative balances.

 Note: Important information about a few specific accounts

3.	Check the field at the bottom of the window that’s labeled “Amount left to be allocated.” If this field displays $0.00, the total of the opening balances you assigned to your asset accounts equals the total opening balances of your liability and equity accounts. Click OK to close the window.

If, however, the “Amount left to be allocated” field displays an amount other than $0.00, you should review the opening balances you’ve entered to be completely sure you’ve entered the exact amounts. (To keep accurate financial records, it’s important that the total of your asset accounts’ opening balances equals the total of your liability and equity accounts’ opening balances.) If you’ve entered any of the opening balances incorrectly, be sure you correct the amounts before you continue.

If the “Amount left to be allocated” field still doesn’t display $0.00 after you’ve rechecked your opening balances, click the OK button. The amount that appeared in the “Amount left to be allocated” field will be assigned to a special equity account called Historical Balancing. (If you want, you can see the balance of this account in the Chart of Accounts window.)


Note: Important information about a few specific accounts

Some of the accounts in your chart of accounts require some “special treatment” when you’re entering opening balances. Please read the following information carefully.

Current Year Earnings  One of your most vital accounts is an equity account called Current Year Earnings. The balance of this account is incremented automatically during the course of your normal FirstAccounts business activity. Although this account doesn’t appear in the Account Opening Balances window, don’t worry - it does exist! Since FirstAccounts calculates the balance of this account automatically, you can’t enter an opening balance for it.

If your conversion month is the first month of your financial year, the opening balance of your Current Year Earnings account will be zero. This indicates that your company hasn’t acquired any income in the current year because the year just began.

Retained Earnings  If you’ve just begun using FirstAccounts, enter your company’s entire previous year’s earnings as the opening balance of your Retained Earnings account.


Step 6: Enter your accountsí historical balances (optional)
Step 6: Enter your accounts’ historical balances (optional)

An account’s historical balances are the month-end balances of the account for the months before you began using FirstAccounts to track your business. You’re not required to enter historical balances for any of your accounts in FirstAccounts, but you might find this information handy if you want to compare the current year’s account balances with last year’s.

To enter your accounts’ historical balances

1.	Be sure the account is displayed in the Chart of Accounts window.

2.	Click the History button at the bottom of the window to open the Account Historical Balances window.

3.	For your asset, liability and equity accounts (also known as “balance sheet accounts”), click the Balance Sheet selection at the top of the window, then enter the ending balances for each account for the selected month.

 Note: Exception - your Current Year Earnings account

For income and expense accounts (also known as “profit and loss accounts” or “P&L accounts”), click the P&L selection at the top of the window, then enter the net activity for each account for the selected month.

 Warning: Historical balances affect P&L accounts’ opening balances

4.	When you’re finished entering historical balances for your accounts, click the OK button in the Account Historical Balances window to close the window.

At this point, you’ve entered all the account information that’s needed to track your business activity in the FirstAccounts system.


Note: Exception - your Current Year Earnings account

The balance of the equity account called Current Year Earnings is incremented automatically during the course of your normal FirstAccounts business activity. As a result, you can’t enter a historical balance for the Current Year Earnings account.


Warning: Historical balances affect P&L accountsí opening balances
Warning: Historical balances affect P&L accounts’ opening balances

When you enter historical balances for income or expense accounts, keep in mind that FirstAccounts will change the opening balances of those accounts to reflect the historical entries you make.

If, for example, your financial year runs from January to December and your conversion month is July, you should have entered opening balances for your income and expense accounts that indicated those accounts’ net activity for January through June. FirstAccounts, however, considers the opening balances as June’s historical balance, not the entire January-though-June time period. If you now enter historical balances for January through May, those balances will be subtracted from the June activity figure.

You can enter historical amounts for all months that preceded your conversion month, except for the month that immediately preceded your conversion month. There is one exception to this rule, however:  if your conversion month occurred at the beginning of a new financial year, you can enter historical amounts for your income and expense accounts for the month preceding your conversion month.


Changing accounts

Occasionally, you’ll find it necessary to make a change to a account. The instructions in this section will help you make your changes so your records are updated properly.

 To change an account’s basic information

 To change an account’s level


To change an account's basic information

You can change an account’s basic information, such as its name, number, opening balance and transaction links.

 Warning: Other accounts may be affected

1.	In the General Ledger command centre, click Chart of Accounts to open the Chart of Accounts window.

2.	Highlight the account you want to change in the Chart of Accounts window, then click the Edit button to open the Edit Accounts window.

3.	Make the changes you need to make to the account.

4.	 When you’re finished making changes to the account’s information, click the OK button to record your changes.


Warning: Other accounts may be affected

When you change an account’s number, the accounts in your chart of accounts will be reorganised to reflect the change. For example, if you change the number of a header account so it’s no longer associated with its detail accounts, the detail accounts will be automatically moved up one account level.


To change an account's level

All accounts are assigned a level, which indicates their location in your chart of accounts’ hierarchy. The eight section header accounts (asset, liability, equity, income, cost of sale, expense, other income, other expense) are the only accounts that can be Level 1 accounts. All other header accounts can be assigned Levels 2 and 3. Detail accounts can be Level 2, 3 or 4.

In many cases, you can change an account’s level quickly, using the instructions below. You can even change header accounts  (except for the eight account categories) to detail accounts. However, keep in mind that any changes you make to a header account will affect the detail accounts that were assigned to it.

 Note: Some accounts’ levels can’t be changed

1.	In the General Ledger command centre, click Chart of Accounts to open the Chart of Accounts window.

2.	Highlight the account you want to change in the Chart of Accounts window, then click the Up or Down button at the bottom of the window to change the account up or down one level.


Note: Some accounts' levels can't be changed

A detail account with transactions assigned to it can’t be changed to a header account.


Removing accounts

You can remove an account from the FirstAccounts system if the account fits the following criteria:

The account isn’t a Level 1 account.

The account has a zero balance and has been inactive for 12 months.

No journal entries are assigned to the account.

None of your recurring transactions use the account.

The account isn’t linked to any transaction types.

To remove an account

1.	Make a backup of your data file.

2.	In the General Ledger command centre, click Chart of Accounts to open the Chart of Accounts window.

3.	Highlight the account you want to remove, then click the Edit button. The Edit Accounts window appears.

4.	Choose Delete Account from the Edit menu at the top of your computer screen to remove the account.


Your Company

You can personalise your FirstAccounts system in a number of ways. By entering information about the unique aspects of your company, your FirstAccounts experience will be more closely tailored to your needs.

In this part:

 Entering information about your company

 Customising your FirstAccounts system

 Setting your Aging requirements

 Securing your company’s data


Entering information about your company

You can personalise your FirstAccounts data file by entering descriptive information about your company, such as its name, identification numbers and business calendar. In many cases, the company information you enter can be printed on your FirstAccounts business reports.

If you’ve created a data file with incorrect information that can’t be changed, you’ll need to create a new data file with correct information to fix the error.

 Note: Some company information is entered in the New Data File Assistant

To enter general information about your company

In the Company Information window, you can make entries that describe your company. You can make changes to the information in this window at any time, as well.

1.	From the Setup menu, choose Company Information to open the Company Information window.

2.	Enter or change the information you want.

3.	When you’re finished, click the OK button.

 Note: Enter your company’s bank information if you will be using Electronic Payments.


Note: Some company information is entered in the New Data File Wizard
Note: Some company information is entered in the New Data File Assistant

When you first created your data file using the FirstAccounts New Data File Assistant, you specified a few important details about your company, such as your current financial year, the number of periods in your financial year and your conversion month. This information is the foundation of your data file and can’t be changed.


To enter bank information for your company

You can display the Banking Information window using the Company Information window. Ensure this information is correct if you will be paying your suppliers electronically.

To update your company's bank information, complete these steps:

1.	Choose Company Information from the Setup menu. The Company Information window will appear.

2.	Click the Bank Info button. The Banking Information window will appear.

3.	Enter information about your bank and bank account;

4.	If your bank requires that electronic payments be accompanied by a self-balancing transaction, mark the Self Balancing Transaction option. (Consult with your bank if you're unsure about the bank's requirements for electronic payments.)

5.	When you're satisfied with your entries, click OK.

 Paying Suppliers Electronically


Setting up your business calendar

Using the Business Calendar window, you can specify which days make up your company’s work week, as well as the days of the year on which holidays and important business events occur.

The Business Calendar is a three-year calendar, made up of the current calendar year, the previous calendar year and the next calendar year.

 Note: How the Business Calendar affects the To Do List

To set up your business calendar

1.	From the Setup menu, choose Business Calendar to open the Business Calendar window.

2.	The current month is displayed in the calendar at the top of the window. Days that are shaded in gray are currently marked as days when your business is closed.

If there are any specific days in the month whose status you want to change, click those days.

If your business is always opened or closed on a specific day, click that day in the middle part of the window, labeled “Shortcut for setting average business week.” A message will appear, confirming that you are changing the day’s status; click OK to accept the change.

 Note: When you change a day, you change all three years

3.	Add any important events that occur during the month in the Important Dates section of the window.

4.	If you wish to change other months in the Business Calendar, use the arrows at the top of the calendar to move from month to month.

5.	When you’re finished setting up your calendar, click the OK button.


Note: How the Business Calendar affects the To Do List

The To Do List will remind you to perform your tasks on business days only. The work week that you set up in the Business Calendar is the basis for the To Do List’s reminders. If a reminder is due to fall on a non-business day, the To Do List will remind you to perform the task on the first business day before the actual day the task is due. For example, if you’re closed on Saturdays but a reminder is scheduled to appear on Saturday, the reminder will appear in your To Do List on Friday instead.


Note: When you change a day, you change all three years

When you use the “Shortcut” section of the window to change the status of a day, you’ll be changing the status of the day for all three years in the Business Calendar’s three-year calendar.


Customising your FirstAccounts system

Everyone has their own way of doing their books and working with computer programs. FirstAccounts provides the flexibility you want when you’re doing your daily accounting tasks. This section describes some of the tools available to you to personalise your FirstAccounts experience.

 Customising your work using preferences

 Organising your cards by using identifiers

 Setting your Aging requirements


Customising your work using preferences

Using FirstAccounts’ Preferences window, you can choose how you access, view and make entries in the FirstAccounts system. Following is a description of many of FirstAccounts’ preferences; we encourage you to review all the options in the Preferences window and experiment with the possibilities they offer.

The Preferences window is accesible from the Setup menu.

 To set up FirstAccounts to conform to the way you work

 To set up FirstAccounts to preserve the accuracy of your accounting entries

 To automatically create business contacts

 To automatically print transactions when you enter them


To set up FirstAccounts to conform to the way you work

There are a number of ways you can set up FirstAccounts to help you make your accounting tasks more efficient.

You can use FirstAccounts’ Easy-Fill feature to quickly enter account numbers and card names that you enter frequently. When you enter an existing account number or card name, Easy-Fill will “recognise” the entry you’re making and automatically fill in the rest of the entry for you. If you want to use Easy-Fill, click the Windows tab in the Preferences window, then mark the box labelled “Use Easy-Fill When Selecting From a List.”

You can use Expandable Data Entry Fields in the Enter Sales and Enter Purchases windows to enter and view the whole description without having to scroll through it. If you want to use Expandable Data Entry Fields, click the Windows tab in the Preferences window, then mark the box labelled “Use Expandable Data Entry Fields in Windows”.

You can use FirstAccounts’ Auto-Save feature to automatically save changes to your data file after a certain amount of time has passed. If you want to use Auto-Save, click the Security tab in the Preferences window, mark the box labelled “Automatic Save Every ____ Minutes,” then enter, in whole minutes, how often you want your data file to be saved. You can enter a maximum of 120 minutes in this field.

If your company has many items in stock, your list of invoice items is probably long. If you’d like to sort your item search lists alphabetically by the items’ names instead of by the items’ numbers, click the Windows tab in the Preferences window, then mark the box labelled “Select Items by Item Name, Not Item Number.”

If you use FirstAccounts for Windows, pressing the ENTER key will click the default button (the button with a dark border around it). If you’d rather press the ENTER key to move between fields in FirstAccounts windows, click the Windows tab in the Preferences window, then mark the box labelled “The Enter Key Works Just Like the Tab Key When Entering Data.” (If you mark this selection, you can still use the TAB key to move between fields, as well.)

If you want the To Do List to appear immediately when you start FirstAccounts, click the Windows tab in the Preferences window, then mark the box labelled “Display To Do List When Starting FirstAccounts.”


User-defined aging

With FirstAccounts, you can choose to use daily aging periods of any length you like; you also can use monthly aging periods. The selections you make will affect the way information is displayed in the Analyse Receivables and Analyse Payables windows, on plain-paper statements and on the summary and detail versions of the following reports: Aged Receivables, Aged Payables, Receivables Reconciliation and Payables Reconciliation.

The user-defined aging preferences are found in the Setup/Preferences window, and clicking the Reports & Forms tab. If you choose to use daily aging, you can use any number of days you like, up to 999 days. For example, if aging periods of 7, 14 and 21 days are common in your industry, enter 7 for the first aging period, 14 for the second aging period, and so on.

If you choose to use monthly aging, you can identify your aging periods by either month name or month number. If you choose month names, your FirstAccounts reports and windows will include transactions in the months they came due. If you choose month numbers, FirstAccounts reports and windows will categorise transactions by the number of months they are overdue.

Click here for a detailed example of monthly aging.

If you don't select any aging options using the Preferences window, your transactions will continue to be aged at 30-, 60- and 90-day intervals as they have been in previous versions of FirstAccounts.


Examples of monthly aging

When FirstAccounts performs aging on a monthly basis, it determines  the month in which an invoice or purchase was recorded, and adds its value to that month’s column. For example, assume you have the following invoices:

Customer	Date	Amount	Terms	Due
A-Z Stationery	1 Jul 99	$123.45	21 days from Inv	22 Jul 99
A-Z Stationery	14 Jul 99	200.50	21 days from Inv	4 Aug 99
Chelsea Mosset	2 Jul 99	400.24	C.O.D.	2 Jul 99
Footloose Dance Studio	30 Apr 99	25.00	30 days from Inv	30 May 99
Footloose Dance Studio	12 May 99	112.30	30 days from Inv	11 Jun 99
Footloose Dance Studio	29 Jun 99	149.30	30 days from Inv	29 Jul 99
Footloose Dance Studio	30 Jun 99	20.35	30 days from Inv	30 Jul 99
Footloose Dance Studio	6 Jul 99	90.70	30 days from Inv	5 Aug 99
Footloose Dance Studio	21 Jul 99	85.12	30 days from Inv	20 Aug 99
My Town Realty	26 May 99	210.45	7 days from EOM	7 Jun 99
My Town Realty	10 Jun 99	142.40	7 days from EOM	7 Jul 99

Aging by invoice date using month names

Assume you chose to age on a monthly basis and selected to identify your aging periods by month names. If you age these invoices by invoice date using any date in July 1999, the invoices will be aged in the following fashion.

	Total	Jul	Jun	May	Pre-May
A-Z Stationery	323.95	323.95
Chelsea Mosset	400.24	400.24
Footloose Dance Studio	482.77	175.82	169.65	112.30	25.00
My Town Realty	352.85		142.40	210.45
Totals	1,559.81	900.01	312.05	322.75	25.00
Aging Percent		57.7%	20.0%	20.7%	1.6%

In the example above, each aging period represents the month in which the invoice came due.

Aging by invoice date using month numbers

Now assume you chose to identify your aging periods by month numbers. The results above would be the same, but with different headings, as follows:

	Total	1 Month	2 Month	3 Months	3+ Months
A-Z Stationery	323.95	323.95
Chelsea Mosset	400.24	400.24
Footloose Dance Studio	482.77	175.82	169.65	112.30	25.00
My Town Realty	352.85		142.40	210.45
Totals	1,559.81	900.01	312.05	322.75	25.00
Aging Percent		57.7%	20.0%	20.7%	1.6%

In this example, each aging period represents the number of months by which the invoices assigned to the period are overdue.

Aging by month name using invoice terms

If you were to age the transactions based on their invoice terms, the results would be similar. however, your report or FirstAccounts window would show the month in which the invoice falls due.

	Total	Current	Jul	Jun	Pre-June
A-Z Stationery	323.95	200.50	123.45
Chelsea Mosset	400.24		400.24
Footloose Dance Studio	482.77	175.82	169.65	112.30	25.00
My Town Realty	352.85		142.40	210.45
Totals	1,559.81	376.32	835.74	322.75	25.00
Aging Percent		24.1%	53.6%	20.7%	1.6%
Aging by month number using invoice terms

If you were to age the example transactions based on their invoice terms and using month numbers, the results would look like this:

	Total	Current	1 Month	2 Months	2+ Months
A-Z Stationery	323.95	200.50	123.45
Chelsea Mosset	400.24		400.24
Footloose Dance Studio	482.77	175.82	169.65	112.30	25.00
My Town Realty	352.85		142.40	210.45
Totals	1,559.81	376.32	835.74	322.75	25.00
Aging Percent		24.1%	53.6%	20.7%	1.6%


To set up FirstAccounts to help you preserve the accuracy of your accounting entries

FirstAccounts provides many methods to keep your accounting records as accurate as possible. The system will be as vigilant as you want; for example, you can set up FirstAccounts so it warns you when you make an entry that might be incorrect. You can even set up FirstAccounts so it completely prevents you from making changes to transactions you’ve already entered.

The following options are a few of the preferences you can set up to help preserve the accuracy of your accounting records.

If you wish to maintain a comprehensive history of all transactions you enter in the FirstAccounts system - in other words, if you want to keep a strict audit trail - click the Security tab in the Preferences window, then mark the box labeled “Transactions CAN’T be Changed; Saved entries must be Reversed.”

 Note: What are unchangeable transactions?

If you wish to be notified whenever you enter a future date as a transaction date - for example, if you mistakenly enter a date two months from now - click the Security tab in the Preferences window, then mark the box labeled “Warn Before Recording Post-Dated Transactions.”

If you want to be warned whenever you enter a transaction number that’s already been used on a cheque, sale or purchase, click either the Chequebook, Sales or Purchases tab in the Preferences window, then mark the box whose label begins with, “Warn for Duplicate...”

 Note: FirstAccounts takes time to check for duplicate numbers

If you’d like to be notified that a customer has an existing customer credit whenever you apply one of the customer’s payments to a sale, click the Sales tab in the Preferences window, then mark the box labeled “Warn if Customer has an Outstanding Credit Before Applying a Payment.”

If you’d like to be notified that your company has an existing supplier debit whenever you apply one of your Supplier Payments to a purchase, click the Purchases tab in the Preferences window, then mark the box labeled “Warn if Supplier Owes Me Money Before Making a Supplier Payment.”

If you’d like FirstAccounts to automatically suggest that customer payments and Supplier Payments should be applied to the oldest outstanding sales and purchases first, click either the Sales or Purchases tab in the Preferences window, then mark either the box labeled “Apply Customer Payments Automatically to Oldest Invoice First” or labeled “Apply Payments Automatically to Oldest Purchase First.”


Note: What are unchangeable transactions?

If you mark the selection described in the previous paragraph, your transactions are considered unchangeable; that is, you won’t be able to make changes or remove the transactions you’ve recorded and saved; instead, you’ll need to reverse the transaction to completely remove the effects of the transaction from your records.

You’ll find more information about the process of reversing transactions throughout your FirstAccounts documentation.


Note: FirstAccounts takes time to check for duplicate numbers

If you mark any of the “Warn for Duplicate” boxes in the Preferences window, keep in mind that FirstAccounts must search your entire data file for duplicate transaction numbers each time you record a new transaction in the Spend Money, Enter Sales or Enter Purchases windows. As a result, it will take a little more time for FirstAccounts to complete the process of recording those types of transactions.


To automatically create business contacts

You can choose to create a business contact in the Contact Log each time you create a cheque, deposit, sale or purchase transaction. The business contacts will be created for the card whose name appears on the transactions you enter.

To automatically create a business contact each time you create a cheque, deposit, sale or purchase, click either the Chequebook, Sales or Purchases tab in the Preferences window, then mark the box whose label begins with, “Make a Contact Log Entry for Every...”


To automatically print transactions when you enter them

You can set up FirstAccounts so invoices are printed immediately when you record them, and so purchase orders are printed immediately when you place them in the Pending File.

To print invoices immediately when you record them, click the Sales tab in the Preferences window, then mark the box labeled “Print Invoices When They’re Recorded.”

 Idea: You can print packing slips and shipping labels, too

To print purchases immediately when you place them in the Pending File, click the Purchases tab in the Preferences window, then mark the box labeled “Print Purchases When They’re Placed in the Pending File.”


Idea: You can print packing slips and shipping labels, too

You might want to print packing slips and shipping labels to accompany your invoices. If you do, consider marking the boxes labeled “Print Packing Slips (or Shipping Labels) When Invoices are Printed.”


Organising your cards by using identifiers

Identifiers are one-letter labels you can assign to cards in FirstAccounts to help you organise your cards into groups more specific than just Employee, Customer, Supplier or Personal. When you create reports or view information about cards throughout the FirstAccounts system, you can limit the information you view to that of a specific group of cards by indicating the identifiers you’ve assigned to the cards in that group.

To create identifiers

1.	In the Card File command centre, click Identifiers to open the Identifiers window.

2.	The Identifiers window provides a field for each of the 26 letters of the alphabet. Enter a description for as many of the identifiers as you want.

3.	When you’re finished, click OK.

To assign identifiers to a card

1.	In the Card File command centre, click Cards to open the Cards window.

2.	Highlight the card to which you wish to assign identifiers, and then click the Edit button. The Card File Entry window appears.

3.	In the Identifiers field, enter the identifiers you want to assign to the card. (If you need to remember how you set up your identifiers, click the zoom arrow next to the Identifiers field.) You can assign up to 10 identifiers to a card.

4.	When you’re finished, click OK.


Securing your company's data
Securing your company’s data

An important part of maintaining your data’s integrity may require that you set up a password security system so your sensitive financial records are protected from others.

In FirstAccounts, you can use a security system based on a master password and several sub-passwords. This section describes how to set up your security system’s passwords.

 To create a master password

 To create a sub-password

 Changing passwords

 To remove a password


To create a master password

The master password is used to control access to the entire FirstAccounts system; that is, each time you attempt to open a data file for which you’ve assigned a master password, you’ll need to enter the master password before you can work with the data file. You can have only one master password in a single data file.

Follow the steps below to create a new master password.

1.	From the Setup menu, choose Preferences to open the Preferences window. Click the Security tab at the top of the window, then click the Passwords button at the bottom of the window. The Set Up Passwords window appears.

2.	In the New Master Password field, enter the master password you wish to use, then click the Record New Password button. Passwords aren’t case-sensitive; that is, it doesn’t matter whether you type lowercase or uppercase letters in your password.

3.	An alert message appears, allowing you to review the entry you made. Review the password you typed, then click OK; the master password is created, and the Password Access window appears. You can now either exit the password windows by clicking the OK button, or you can begin setting up sub-passwords in the Password Access window.

After you’ve created a master password, you’ll need to use the master password each time you want to access this data file, and each time you want to open the Password Access window. Don’t forget the master password!

 To create a sub-password


To create a sub-password

Sub-passwords are used to control access to various sections of the FirstAccounts system, such as individual command centres. Each time you attempt to access a part of FirstAccounts for which a sub-password is assigned, you’ll need to enter the sub-password before you can work with that part of FirstAccounts. You can set up any combination of sub-passwords in your security system.

Follow the steps below to create a new sub-password.

1.	Choose Preferences from the Setup menu to open the Preferences window. Click the Security tab at the top of the window, then click the Passwords button at the bottom of the window. A window appears, requesting that you enter the master password.

2.	Enter the exact password. When you type an existing master password, an asterisk (*) appears for each character you type, ensuring others can’t read the password on the computer screen as you type it.

3.	After you’ve entered the password, click the OK button. The Password Access window appears.

4.	The Password Access window contains two lists. On the left-hand side of the window, a list of all existing passwords is displayed. If you’ve just begun working with passwords, only **MASTER** will appear in this list. On the right-hand side of the window, a list of all FirstAccounts command centres and their accompanying windows is displayed.

To create a sub-password, click the New button; the Set Up Passwords window appears.

5.	Enter a sub-password in the New Sub-Password field. Passwords aren’t case-sensitive; that is, it doesn’t matter whether you type lowercase or uppercase letters in your password.

6.	When you’re finished typing the password, click the Record New Password button. The Password Access window reappears, with the new sub-password appearing in the list in the left-hand side of the window.

7.	Be sure the new sub-password is highlighted in the Sub-Password list in the left side of the window.

8.	Select the command centres and windows for which users with this password will NOT be able to access by clicking on the appropriate names. When you select a command centre or window, an X will appear in the Not Allowed column next to the label you selected. If you select a command centre or a window that opens another window, an X will appear next to the name of the other window, as well.

9.	When you’re finished restricting access for the sub-password, click the OK button to close the Password Access window.

10.	To activate the access rights you’ve established, exit and restart FirstAccounts. When you exit FirstAccounts, we recommend that you make a backup of your company’s data file to ensure the access rights are properly saved.


Changing passwords

Follow the steps below to change an existing master password or sub-password.

To change an actual password

1.	Choose Preferences from the Setup menu to open the Preferences window. Click the Security tab at the top of the window, then click the Passwords button at the bottom of the window. A window appears, requesting that you enter the master password.

2.	Enter the exact password. When you type an existing master password, an asterisk (*) appears for each character you type, ensuring others can’t read the password on the computer screen as you type it.

3.	After you’ve entered the password, click the OK button. The Password Access window appears.

4.	Highlight the password you want to change in the list on the left-hand side of the window and then click Edit.

5.	The Set Up Passwords window will appear, displaying the password. Change the password, then click Record Changes. If you changed a master password, an alert message will appear, allowing you to review the new password. Click OK to save your changes and return to the Password Access window.

To change a sub-password’s access rights

1.	Choose Preferences from the Setup menu to open the Preferences window. Click the Security tab at the top of the window, then click the Passwords button at the bottom of the window. A window appears, requesting that you enter the master password.

2.	Enter the exact password. When you type an existing master password, an asterisk (*) appears for each character you type, ensuring others can’t read the password on the computer screen as you type it.

3.	After you’ve entered the password, click the OK button. The Password Access window appears.

4.	Highlight the password you want to change in the list on the left side of the window, and then make the changes you want on the right side of the window.

5.	When you’re finished, click OK.


To remove a password

Follow the steps below to remove a password.

 Note: If you want to remove the master password

1.	Choose Preferences from the Setup menu to open the Preferences window. Click the Security tab at the top of the window, then click the Passwords button at the bottom of the window. A window appears, requesting that you enter the master password.

2.	Enter the exact password. When you type an existing master password, an asterisk (*) appears for each character you type, ensuring others can’t read the password on the computer screen as you type it.

3.	After you’ve entered the password, click the OK button. The Password Access window appears.

4.	Highlight the password in the list on the left side of the window, then click the Delete button.

5.	If you chose to remove a sub-password, the password will be removed immediately.

If you chose to remove the master password, an alert message will appear, informing you that all password protection will be removed for this company’s data file when you remove the master password. Click OK; the message All passwords have been deleted will appear. Click OK to return to the Preferences window.


Note: If you want to remove the master password

If you want to remove your master password, you must remove all your sub-passwords first.


Sales

In FirstAccounts, sales are transactions that indicate that items or services were sold to a customer. Sales that are printed on documents you give to your customers are called invoices. You can choose from three types of invoice sales in FirstAccounts - item invoice, service invoice, or professional invoice - or you can use unprinted sales called miscellaneous sales.

In this part:

 Entering sales

 Printing invoices, packing slips and shipping labels

 Printing statements

 Using pending sales

 Creating and recording recurring sales

 Finding sales

 Reviewing your sales information

 Changing sales

 Removing sales

 Reversing sales


Entering sales

To enter a sales transaction, you’ll complete the steps below.

Checklist: How to enter a sale

 Step 1: Choose the type of transaction you want

 Step 2: Enter customer information

 Step 3: Bill the customer for reimbursable job expenses (optional)

 Step 4: Enter line items

 Step 5: Complete the transaction

 Step 6: Choose what you want to do with the sale


Step 1: Choose the type of transaction you want

The Enter Sales window can be viewed in four different ways; each way, or view, allows you to enter a particular type of sales transaction. Before you begin creating a sale, be sure you’re using the view of the Enter Sales window that matches the type of sale you want to create.

To choose a particular type of sale

1.	Click Enter Sales in the Sales command centre to open the Enter Sales window.

2.	In the Enter Sales window, click the Type button. The Type window appears, displaying the four types of sales (service invoices, item invoices, professional invoices and miscellaneous sales) you can create in the Enter Sales window.

3.	Click the selection next to the type of transaction you want, then click the OK button. The Type window will disappear, and the Enter Sales window will change to reflect the type of transaction you’re creating.

 Step 2: Enter customer information


Step 2: Enter information about the customer

Regardless of the type of sale you’re creating, you should pay special attention to the top section of the Enter Sales window. The information you enter here will determine a number of things about the customer and the sale itself, including the customer’s terms for the sale and the identification numbers assigned to the transaction.

To enter information about the customer

Enter the customer’s name, or click the search icon next to the Customer field and choose a name from the search list of customer names. When you enter the customer’s name, many other fields at the top of the Enter Sales window will be filled in for you automatically.

To enter a sale for a new customer

If you want to enter a sale for a customer who doesn’t exist in your Card File yet, you can quickly set up a new customer record and get back to the business of creating the sale.

1.	If you haven’t done so already, type the new customer’s name in the Customer field, then press TAB. A search list of existing customers appears.

2.	Click the Easy-Add button at the bottom of the search list. The new customer’s name is added to your Card File, and the search list disappears.

You can now continue creating the sale. Keep in mind, however, that you haven’t fully set up the record for the new customer. When you have a spare moment, remember to use the Card File Entry window to complete the customer’s record.

 Step 3: Bill the customer for reimbursable job expenses (optional)


Step 3: Bill the customer for reimbursable job expenses (optional)

Follow these steps if you’ve set up a job for this customer and you want to bill the customer for expenses you’ve incurred during the course of the job. After you’ve completed this step, the line item area in the Enter Sales window will contain a list of the expenses for which you intend to bill the customer.

 Note: Set up your jobs before you attempt to bill for reimbursable job expenses

 To bill the customer for job expenses

 Step 4: Enter line items


Note: Set up your jobs before you attempt to bill for reimbursable job expenses

There are a number of steps you need to follow to set up your jobs and profit centres before you can begin billing customers for reimbursable job expenses. See Creating jobs to learn more about setting up and working with jobs.


To bill the customer for job expenses

1.	Click the Reimburse button to open the Customer Reimbursable Expenses window.

This window displays all expenses you’ve incurred for this particular customer, both billed and unbilled. Expenses that have already been billed to the customer are listed under the Reimbursed/Removed tab; expenses that have yet to be billed are listed under the To Be Reimbursed tab.

2.	Click the To Be Reimbursed tab at the top of the window to display the expenses that have yet to be billed to this customer.

3.	Click the Action column for each expense you want to include on the customer’s invoice. A mark will appear in the Action column for the expense when you click the column; the mark indicates that you intend to bill the customer for this expense.

4.	At the top of the Customer Reimbursable Expenses window is a field whose name depends upon the type of sale you’re currently creating in the Enter Sales window. This field, named either Reimbursement Item or Reimbursement Account, is used to properly track your reimbursements. Refer to the information below that applies to the field that’s displayed on your computer screen.

If the Reimbursement Item field is displayed: This field name appears if you’re currently in the process of creating an item invoice in the Enter Sales window. Enter the “placeholder” item number you use to track reimbursements on item invoices.

 Click here for more information about using “placeholder” items

If the Reimbursement Account field is displayed: This field name appears if you’re currently in the process of creating a service invoice, professional invoice or miscellaneous sale. Enter the account number you use to track reimbursements on these types of sales.

5.	If you want to mark up the cost of the reimbursement to the customer, click the Markup button at the bottom of the window. The Markup Information window appears. Make entries in this window to indicate the amount or percentage by which you want to mark up the expenses, then click either the Markup All Items button or the Markup X Items Only button, depending upon how you want to mark up the cost of the expenses. The Customer Reimbursable Expenses window will appear again.

6.	Click the Reimburse button to close the Customer Reimbursable Expenses window. All the expenses whose Action column you marked in step 3 appear in the line item area of the Enter Sales window automatically. These expenses are now considered reimbursed; the next time you open the Customer Reimbursable Expenses window or the Job Reimbursable Expenses window, you’ll notice that the expenses have been moved to the Reimbursed/Removed list.

If you want to add more line items to the sale, proceed to Step 4: Enter line items; otherwise, skip to Step 5: Complete the sale.

 Warning: If you make a mistake when you bill for job expenses


Warning: If you make a mistake when you bill for job expenses

At this point, you should be viewing one or more expenses listed in the line item area of the Enter Sales window. These expenses are already considered reimbursed by the FirstAccounts system. If you inadvertently placed an expense in the line item area, you must follow the steps below to remove the expense from this sales transaction and restore the expense’s “to be reimbursed” status.

You cannot merely click the Cancel button in the Enter Sales window to undo this error!

1.	In the line item area of the Enter Sales window, delete the line item that contains information about the expense that you don’t want to include in the sale.

2.	When you’ve finished clearing the line item, click the Reimburse button to open the Customer Reimbursable Expenses window.

3.	Click the Reimbursed/Removed tab to display a list of all expenses you’ve already billed this customer. Locate the expense whose status needs to be restored to “to be reimbursed.”

4.	When you’ve found the expense, click the zoom arrow in the expense’s Job column; the Edit Job window appears.

5.	Click the Reimburse button to open the Job Reimbursable Expenses window.

6.	Click the Reimbursed/Removed tab in the Job Reimbursable Expenses window; the same list you viewed in step 3 appears. Locate the expense whose status needs to be restored to “to be reimbursed,” then click the expense’s Remove column. A mark will appear in the column.

7.	Click the Remove From List button at the bottom of the window. The expense you marked will disappear from the list. Click the To Be Reimbursed list; the expense you marked now appears in this list again.

8.	Click OK in the Job Reimbursable Expenses window, and in the Edit Job window. The Customer Reimbursable Expenses window appears again, with the expense back in the To Be Reimbursed list.

9.	Click OK to return to the Enter Sales window. The expense is removed from the sale and is no longer considered reimbursed.


Step 4: Enter line items

The scrolling list in the middle of the Enter Sales window is the main area where invoices and miscellaneous sales are created. In this area, you’ll enter item numbers, descriptions, account numbers and various other information that will serve as the detail for your transaction.

When you enter information in one row in the scrolling list, you enter one line item of the transaction. You can enter as many line items on a sale as you want.

The actual fields that appear in the scrolling list differ, depending upon the type of sale you’re creating. The instructions below describe the line item entries you can make for each type of sale in the Enter Sales window.

 To use two or more lines to describe one item on an item invoice, or to create a blank line between line items

 To assign a line item on a sale to more than one job

 Step 5: Complete the transaction


To use two or more line items to describe one item on an item invoice, or to create a blank line between line items

If you want to create more than one line of text to describe a line item on an item invoice, or if you want to include a blank line between line items on an item invoice, you can set up a special “item” using the Invoice Items window in the Sales Command Centre to give you the space you need. For example you could call the item “\comment”. By using the backslash in the item’s account number, FirstAccounts will not print the item number on the invoices.

To use a line item for text: Enter the number of the new “item” in the Item# field in the line item where you want the text to appear, then enter the text you want in the Description field. (Be sure to leave the Ship and Tax columns blank in that line item.)

To place a blank line between line items: Create the first line item like you normally do, then enter the number of the new “item” in the Item# field of the second line item. In the Description field of the second line item, enter a space. (Be sure to leave the Ship and Tax columns blank in the second line item.) Then create the third line item like you normally do.

Expandable Data Entry Fields: In FirstAccounts you have the option of using “Expandable Data Entry Fields” in Invoices and Purchases to enter and view long descriptions. You can also leave a blank line in the Description of the item. To turn this preference on or off, go to the Preferences window in the Setup menu and select the option “Use Expandable Data Entry Fields in Windows” in the Windows tab.


To assign a line item on a sale to more than one job

If you need to assign one line item to more than one job, use multiple line items to record the transaction. For example, assume you want to include 100 gadgets on an item invoice, but you want to assign 30 gadgets to job 12 and 70 gadgets to job 43. To do this, you’d follow these steps:

1.	In the first line item of the transaction, enter the gadgets item number in the Item# field, then enter 30 in the Ship field and 12 in the Job field.

2.	In the second line item of the transaction, enter the gadgets item number again in the Item# field, enter 70 in the Ship field and 43 in the Job field.


Step 5: Complete the sale

The actual fields that appear at the bottom of the Enter Sales window differ, depending upon the type of sale you’re creating.

 To enter a salesperson, comment, shipping method or inquiry source

 To change tax amounts

 Step 6: Choose what you want to do with the sale


To assign the sale to a salesperson
To enter a salesperson, comment, shipping method or inquiry source

Salesperson

You can track the progress of your employees’ sales performance by assigning their names to individual sales transactions. When you do this, each employee’s sales amounts are added together and stored on a monthly basis. You can then use this information to analyse your company’s sales on a salesperson-by-salesperson basis and to pay sales commission to your employees. Follow these steps to track a salesperson’s sales history.

1.	When you create a sale for which you want to track a salesperson’s sales history, enter the salesperson’s name in the Salesperson field of the Enter Sales window.

2.	To view previous sales totals for the employee, click the History button in the Card File Entry window. The Sales History window appears. In this window, you can also add previous months’ sales history totals into this window. When you’re finished, click OK to close the window, then click OK to close the Card File Entry window.

Comments, Shipping methods and inquiry sources

Use the Comments, Shipping Methods and Inquiry Source fields to display extra information on invoices. You can type these in and use the Easy Add option, or create a new Comment, Shipping Method or Inquiry Source by clicking the Comments & Shipping Methods button in the Sales command centre.


To change GST amounts
To change tax amounts

When you assign tax codes to a sale, all parts of the sale (line items and freight charges) to which you’ve assigned tax codes will be taxed based on the tax codes’ rates.

If, after you’ve entered all your line items and freight charges, the tax amount that appears in the Tax field isn’t the amount you want to bill the customer, be sure you’ve assigned tax codes to all the parts of the sale you want to be taxed, and that you’ve assigned the proper tax codes to those parts. If the tax amount still isn’t correct, you can manually change the amount. Follow these steps to do so. For more information on using GST tax codes, click here.

1.	Click the zoom arrow next to the Tax field to open the Tax Information window.

2.	Enter the new tax amounts in the Tax column.

3.	Click OK to close the Tax Information window. The total tax amount displayed in the Tax field will change to reflect the change you made.

 Warning: tax amounts change automatically


Warning: GST amounts change automatically
Warning: Tax amounts change automatically

The amount in the Tax field will change whenever you change an amount in the line item area or the Freight field, regardless of whether you’ve changed the tax amount manually. If you change a transaction’s information after manually changing its tax amount, be sure to review the amount in the Tax field again to ensure that the amount is still the amount you want.

If, at a later time, you realise the original tax amount was correct, open the Tax Information window again and click the Recalculate button. The tax amount will be restored to an amount that’s based on the tax codes assigned to the transaction.


Step 6: Choose what you want to do with the sale

Now that you’ve finished making entries in the Enter Sales window, there are a number of tasks you can perform with the transaction. Be sure to review all the following options before you choose what you want to do.

To see how the sale will affect your financial records

Choose Recap Transaction from the Edit menu to view the accounting entries that will be made to your financial records when you record the sale.

To print and record an invoice

If the sale you’ve created is an item invoice, service invoice or professional invoice, you can print and record the transaction at the same time.

 Idea: Another way to print and record at the same time

1.	Click the Print button in the Enter Sales window.

2.	A message appears, explaining that the transaction will be recorded before it’s printed. Click OK to begin the printing process.

3.	Choose Save from the File menu to permanently store the sale in your financial records.

To record the sale

To record the sale without printing it, click the Record button. After you record the sale, choose Save from the File menu to permanently store the sale in your financial records.

See Printing invoices, packing slips and shipping labels  for information about printing an invoice after you’ve recorded it.

 To store the sale as a recurring sale

 To place the sale in the Pending File


Idea: Another way to print and record at the same time

You can print and record an invoice at the same time by clicking the Record button if you’ve set up your preferences properly. To do this, click the Sales tab in the Preferences window and mark the box labeled “Print Invoices When They’re Recorded.”


To store the sale as a recurring sale

If you want to store the sale information so you can use it many times in the future, follow these steps.

1.	Click the Save Recurring button in the Enter Sales window to open the Save Recurring Transaction window.

2.	Enter the necessary information about the transaction in this window.

3.	Click Record to close the Save Recurring Transaction window.

4.	If you want to record the sale as an actual transaction now, click the Record button in the Enter Sales window. If you don’t want to record the sale at this time, click the Cancel button.

See Creating and recording recurring sales  for detailed information about performing more tasks with recurring sales.


To place the sale in the Pending File

To place the sale in the Pending File, click the Pending button. After you place the sale in Pending File, choose Save from the File menu to permanently store the sale in your financial records.

See Using pending sales  for detailed information about performing more tasks with pending sales.


Printing invoices, packing slips and shipping labels

You can print and reprint individual invoices, packing slips and shipping labels, or you can print several of these FirstAccounts documents at the same time - the choice is yours. These three types of sales documents are all printed from the same location in FirstAccounts, so finding the documents you need to print is an easy process.

You can also customise the look of your printed invoices, packing slips and shipping labels. See Customising forms for detailed information about customising your printed forms.

 Choosing the invoices, packing slips and shipping labels you want to print

 Printing and reprinting invoices, packing slips and shipping labels


Choosing the invoices, packing slips and shipping labels you want to print

After you’ve recorded an invoice, you can print it, along with an accompanying packing slip and a shipping label, if you want. You can also choose a specific set of forms to print.

To choose the forms you want to print

In the Sales command centre, click Print Invoices to open the Forms Selection window for invoices, packing slips and shipping labels.

To choose a form layout for your sales forms

In the Forms Selection window, you can choose to print your sales forms on pre-printed forms or on blank paper, and you can customise your forms so they’ll look the way you want them to look. Collectively, these choices are called form layouts in FirstAccounts. See Choosing a form layout  for information about choosing a form layout for your sales forms.


Printing and reprinting invoices, packing slips and shipping labels

Follow these steps to print your sales forms. If you want to print some invoices you’ve already printed, be sure the Unprinted Invoices Only selection is not marked in the Forms Selection window before you use these instructions.

 Before you begin printing

To print and reprint your sales forms

1.	Insert blank forms in your printer.

2.	After you’ve selected the forms you want to print in the Forms Selection window, click the OK button. A Review window will appear, listing the transactions you selected in the Forms Selection window. (The name of the Review window will reflect the type of document you’re printing.) You can also select how many copies of the invoices you would like to print at this stage.

3.	To begin printing the forms, click the Print button in the Review window. Depending upon how your computer is set up, the first form may begin to print immediately, or a print window may appear on your computer screen. If a print window appears, make your selections in the window, then click the button in the window that begins the printing process (the button is usually labeled “OK” or “Print”).

 Note: If you can’t make entries in your print selection window

4.	If you chose to print either packing slips or shipping labels with your invoices, a message will appear when the invoices are finished printing, indicating that you should load the appropriate paper in your printer. Load the paper, then click OK to begin printing the next set of forms.

To reprint a single invoice

1.	Insert blank invoice forms in your printer.

2.	Display the invoice in the Enter Sales window. (If you need help doing this, see Finding sales.)

3.	Click the Print button.


Note: If you can't make entries in your print selection window

If you’re unable to make entries or selections in your print window, your printer driver software may not be up-to-date. See Preparing your printer and computer for printing  for more information about printer drivers.


Printing statements

At the end of your billing periods, you’ll probably want to print statements for customers that summarise their activity with your company. FirstAccounts statements contain all the necessary information for customers to quickly review their current billing status.

You can customise the look of your printed statements. See Customising forms  for detailed information about customising your printed forms.

You can also customise the way outstanding sales are aged. Click here to find out how.

 Note: Finance charges are calculated when you print statements

Finance charge amounts are calculated automatically by FirstAccounts by multiplying the customer’s total overdue balance by 1/30th of the monthly finance charge rate for each day the balance is overdue.

 Choosing the statements you want to print

 Printing statements


Note: Finance charges are calculated when you print statements

When you print customer statements, the credit terms you’ve set up for the customers whose statements you’re printing will be used to calculate each customer’s finance charge amount. See Entering credit terms for customers and suppliers  to learn more about assigning credit terms to customers.


Choosing the statements you want to print

After you’ve recorded some sales activity with a customer, you can print a statement for the customer.

 Before you begin printing

To choose the statements you want to print

In the Sales command centre, click Print Statements to open the Forms Selection window for statements.

To choose a form layout for your statements

In the Forms Selection window, you can choose to print your statements on pre-printed blank forms or on blank paper, and you can customise your forms so they’ll look the way you want them to look. Collectively, these choices are called form layouts in FirstAccounts. See Choosing a form layout  for information about choosing a form layout for your statements.


To print your statements

1.	After you’ve made your entries in the Forms Selection window, click the OK button. A Review window will appear, listing the customers you specified in the Forms Selection window. Select how many copies of the Statement you would like to print for each customer.

2.	To begin printing the statements, click the Print button in the Review window. Depending upon how your computer is set up, the first form may begin to print immediately, or a print window may appear on your computer screen. If a print window appears, make your selections in the window, then click the button in the window that begins the printing process (the button is usually labeled “OK” or “Print”).

 Note: If you can’t make entries in your print selection window


Using pending sales

In FirstAccounts, pending sales are item, professional and service invoices that you expect to occur sometime in the future. Pending sales aren’t actual transactions that affect your financial numbers; they merely store sales information in FirstAccounts’ Pending File until you’re ready to use them.

Pending sales are handy to use when a customer requests a price quote. You can create a pending sale, provide the customer with the quoted price, and then store the pending sale until the customer decides whether to go ahead with the sale. When the customer agrees to buy, you simply open the pending sale and record it as an actual sale.

 Placing sales in the Pending File

 Recording deposits on pending sales

 To convert a pending sale into an actual invoice


Placing sales in the Pending File

Creating a pending sale is almost the same process as creating a “normal” sale. Item invoices, service invoices and professional invoices can be placed in the Pending File.

To place an entire invoice in the Pending File

1.	Use the Enter Sales window to create an invoice as you usually create an item, service or professional invoice. Enter quantities and amounts the same way, as well.

2.	If you want to indicate that a deposit was made on the transaction, enter that amount in the Paid Today field.

3.	When you’re done entering the invoice information, click the Pending button. The entire invoice will be placed in the Pending File.


Recording deposits on pending sales

If a customer puts money down on a pending sale, keep track of the deposit amount by assigning it to the pending sale.

To record a deposit on a pending sale when you’re creating the pending sale

Follow either set of instructions in the  Placing sales in the Pending File topic to create the pending sale; when you get to step 2 of those instructions, be sure to enter the amount of the customer’s deposit in the Paid Today field of the Sales window.

To record a deposit on a pending sale after you’ve already recorded the pending sale

Follow these steps to record a deposit on a sale you’ve already placed in the Pending File.

1.	In the Sales command centre, click Customer Payments to open the Customer Payments window.

2.	In the Customer field, enter the name of the customer who made the deposit.

3.	Search the list of transactions at the bottom of the Customer Payments window for the pending sale. (If you can’t remember the number assigned to the transaction, look for a transaction whose Status column shows the word “Pending.”) When you find the transaction, enter the amount of the deposit in the Amount Applied column of that transaction.

4.	Notice that the Amount Received field in the top half of the window is empty. Before you can record the deposit, you must enter the amount of the deposit in this field. To do this, simply click the empty field. The amount will automatically appear.

5.	Click Record.


To convert a pending sale into an actual invoice

When a pending sale in your business becomes an actual sale, you need to convert the pending sale in FirstAccounts into an actual invoice.

1.	In the Enter Sales window, enter the name of the customer whose pending sale you want to convert. A search list appears, displaying all of the customer’s pending sales.

2.	Select the pending sale you want to convert and click Use Pending Sale. The transaction appears in the Enter Sales window.

3.	If you want, make any changes to the transaction.

4.	When you’re ready, click the Record button. The pending sale will be converted and recorded as an actual invoice.


Creating and recording recurring sales

If you plan to record the same sale on a regular basis, you may want to consider creating a recurring sale. When you create a recurring sale, the transaction information is saved in a separate “holding area” where you can retrieve the transaction as many times as you want in the future.

Until you record them, recurring sales have no effect on your financial records.

To create a recurring sale

You can create as many recurring sales as you want. Use the following instructions to create a recurring sale.

1.	Use the Enter Sales window to create a sale as you normally do. (Don’t forget to click the Type button and choose the type of sale you want.)

2.	Click the Save Recurring button. The Save Recurring Transaction window appears.

3.	Enter the necessary information about the transaction in this window, then click Record. The transaction is saved as a recurring transaction.

 Warning: You haven’t recorded the transaction yet

To record a recurring sale

You can record a recurring sale as many times and as often as you want.

1.	In the Enter Sales window, click the Use Recurring button.

2.	A window will appear, displaying all recurring transactions you’ve set up. Double-click the transaction you want; the transaction’s information will appear in the Enter Sales window.

3.	Be sure to review all the information that appears in the window to be sure it’s correct. Pay particular attention to the date and invoice number; if you need to find this transaction in the future, you’ll need to remember this information.

4.	To record the transaction, click Record. The recurring sale will be recorded as an actual transaction, and will also remain available in the recurring transaction “holding area” for future use.


Warning: You haven't recorded the transaction yet
Warning: You haven’t recorded the transaction yet

Keep in mind that, even though you clicked Record, you haven’t recorded the transaction yet; you’ve merely stored the recurring information. If you want to record the transaction, use the instructions in the next section.


Finding sales

After you record a sale, you might want to view the transaction again sometime in the future.

To find an invoice or miscellaneous sale

1.	Select Sales/Find Transaction from the Command Centres menu to open the Find Transaction window.

2.	If you know the number of the sale you want to view, then enter the sale’s number in the Invoice # field.

If you can’t remember the number of the sale, click the Card tab, then enter the name of the customer whose sale you’re looking for.

3.	The sale you’re looking for appears in the scrolling list. If you want to view detail about the sale, click the zoom arrow next to the sale’s number. The transaction will appear in the Enter Sales window.

To find a pending sale

1.	Open the Enter Sales window.

2.	In the Customer field, enter the name of the customer whose pending sale you’re looking for. A search list appears, displaying all of the customer’s pending sales.

3.	From the search list, select the pending sale you want. The pending sale will be displayed in the Enter Sales window.

To find a recurring sale

1.	In the Enter Sales window, click the Use Recurring button.

2.	A window will appear, displaying all recurring transactions you’ve set up. Double-click the sale you want; the recurring sale will be displayed in the Enter Sales window.


Reviewing your sales information

An important part of managing your business revolves around collecting your sales data and understanding its effects on your overall financial picture. FirstAccounts contains a number of tools that allow you to review your sales information so you can make better decisions about your business.

 Viewing lists of your sales

 Viewing the history of sales

 To view the amounts your customers owe you

 To analyse your sales activity


Viewing lists of your sales

Depending upon your preference, you can either display or print lists of your sales activity.

To display a list of all sales on your computer screen

In the Transaction Journal window, you can view a list of all your sales, as well as all other types of transactions you’ve entered in the FirstAccounts system. To open the Transaction Journal window, click the Transaction Journal button in the Sales command centre.

 To display a list of all open sales on your computer screen

 To display a list of recurring sales on your computer screen

 To display a list of pending sales on your computer screen

 To print a list of all your invoices

 To print a list of all your recurring sales

 To print a list of all your pending sales


To display a list of open sales on your computer screen

Follow these steps to view a list of all your open sales - that is, the sales you’ve entered in FirstAccounts that your customers haven’t fully paid yet. These steps will also allow you to create a file that contains information about the customers who have open sales, so you can create letters that remind them that their payments are due.

1.	Choose Sales/To Do List from the Command Centres menu. The To Do List window appears. Alternatively, you can select A/R from the To Do List command panel while in the Sales command centre.

2.	Click the Accounts Receivable tab to display a list of all your open sales.

3.	If you want to view detail about a specific sale, click the zoom arrow to the left of the sale’s name.

4.	If you’d like to send payment-due letters to your customers with open sales, you can create an export file that contains the name, address and transaction information for the customer. Using the information in this file and your word-processing software, you can create personalised letters to the customers, reminding them to make their payments. To do this, follow the next steps.

5.	Click the Action column for each customer in the list you want to send a letter, then click the Mail Merge button at the bottom of the window.

6.	The Save As window appears, allowing you to specify a name and location for the export file. Enter this information, then click OK to create the export file.

FirstAccounts will create a tab-delimited file containing the payment-due information. A tab-delimited file is a text file that uses the TAB character to separate fields. This file format works with most word processors. Check your word processor’s user’s guide to see whether it supports tab-delimited files.

7.	You’re now ready to merge the export file’s data with your word-processing software’s documents. To do this, see Creating personalised letters using exported FirstAccounts data.


To display a list of recurring sales on your computer screen

Follow these steps to view a list of all your recurring sales. These steps will also allow you to record recurring sales automatically.

1.	Choose Sales/To Do List from the Command Centres menu. The To Do List window appears. Alternatively, you can select Recurring Sales from the To Do List command panel in the Sales command centre.

2.	Click the Recurring Sales tab to display a list of all your recurring sales.

3.	If you want to view detail about a specific sale, click the zoom arrow to the left of the sale’s name.

4.	If you want to record one or several of the recurring sales in the list, click the Action column for the sales you want to record.

 Warning: Read this before you record recurring sales using the To Do List

5.	When you’ve marked the recurring sales you want to record, click the Record button at the bottom of the To Do List window.


Warning: Read this before you record recurring sales using the To Do List

If you choose to record recurring sales using the To Do List window, keep in mind that the transactions will be recorded automatically if you click in the Action button and press Record. To review or make a change to a recurring sale, click the zoom arrow pointing to the transaction and press Record in the Invoice window.


To display a list of pending sales on your computer screen

Follow these steps to view a list of all your pending sales. These steps will also allow you to convert your pending sales into actual sales.

1.	Choose Sales/To Do List from the Command Centres menu. The To Do List window appears. Alternatively, you can select Pending from the To Do List command panel in the Sales command centre.

2.	Click the Pending tab to display a list of all your pending sales and purchases.

3.	If you want to view detail about a specific sale, click the zoom arrow to the left of the sale’s name.

4.	If you want to convert one or several of the pending sales in the list to actual sales, click the Action column for the sales you want to convert.

 Warning: Read this before you convert pending sales to actual sales using the To Do List

5.	When you’ve marked the pending sales you want to convert, click the Record As Actual button at the bottom of the To Do List window.


Warning: Read this before you convert pending sales to actual sales using the To Do List

If you choose to convert pending sales to actual sales using the To Do List window, keep in mind that the conversion will occur automatically If you click in the Action column and press Record. To review a pending sale before recording it, click the zoom arrow pointing to the pending sale and press Record from the Invoice window when ready.


To print a list of all your invoices

A number of FirstAccounts reports are available for you to view your sales activity. Use the Index to Reports window to print or display any of the following reports:

Sales (Customer Summary)	Sales (Item Summary)
Sales (Customer Detail)	Sales (Item Detail)
Sales (Salesperson Summary)	Sales & Receivables Journal
Sales (Salesperson Detail)


To print a list of all your pending sales

1.	In the Index to Reports window, click the Sales tab.

2.	Locate either the Sales (Customer Summary) selection or the Sales (Customer Detail) selection in the scrolling list; highlight the report you want.

3.	Click the Filters button to open the Report Filters window for the report you selected.

4.	Be sure All Customers is selected at the top of the window, and that the Dated From/To fields reflect the range of dates you want to view on the report.

5.	Choose Pending from the Invoice Status list, then click OK. You now can either display the report on your computer screen or print it on your printer.


To print a list of all your recurring sales

To view a list of all your recurring sales, use the Index to Reports window to print or display a To Do List (Recurring Sales) report. You can also review your recurring sales by clicking Recurring Sales tab in the To Do List.


Viewing the history of sales

Using the Find Transaction window, you can quickly gain a detailed picture of the activity related to a particular sale. In this window, you can view the sale itself, as well as any payments and other adjustments made to the transaction.

To view a sale’s history

1.	Choose Sales/Find Transaction from the Command Centre menu. The Find Transaction window appears with the Invoice tab selected.

2	In the Invoice# field, or Customer PO field enter the number of the sale whose history you want to view. You can also click the search icon and choose the sale from the list that appears. When you enter the number of the sale, a list of transactions related to that sale appears in the scrolling list section of the window.

To change a transaction from the Find Transaction window

If you notice that there’s an error in one of the transactions you see in the Find Transaction window, you can immediately make a change to the transaction.

1.	In the Find Transaction window, click the zoom arrow next to the transaction you want to change. The window in which the transaction was originally entered will appear. (For example, if you click the zoom arrow next to a payment transaction, the Customer Payments window will appear.)

2.	You can now change, remove or reverse the transaction as you normally do.


To view the amounts your customers owe you

Possibly the most vital activity of your business is the timely collection of the money that your customers owe you. In the Analyse Receivables window, FirstAccounts provides you with the tools to evaluate how much and how old your customers’ outstanding sales balances are.

To open the Analyse Receivables window, choose Sales/Analyse Receivables from the Command Centres menu, or select Sales from the MYOB Analyst in the command panel.

Use the Aged Receivables report to view all sales outstanding today, or use the Receivables Reconciliation report to view all sales outstanding as at a certain date.


To analyse your sales activity

Understanding the “big picture” of your sales activity will help you spot business trends and anticipate your company’s future needs. The Analyse Sales window will help you perform this important task by providing various illustrations - in graphs or in lists - of your sales activity.

1.	Choose Sales/Analyse Sales from the Command Centres menu, or from the MYOB Analyst in the command panel. The Analyse Sales window will appear.

2.	Click the Filters button to open the Analysis Selection window. In this window, choose the sales figures, time periods and other criteria you want to view in the Analyse Sales window. When you’re finished, click OK.

3.	The information you selected in step 2 appears in the Analyse Sales window.

The Analyse Sales window can be displayed in a number of ways, depending upon the criteria you set in step 2.


Changing sales

Occasionally, you’ll find it necessary to make a change to a sale you’ve already recorded. The instructions below will help you make your changes so your records are updated properly.

 Note: Use this section only if your transactions are changeable

To change an invoice, miscellaneous sale or pending sale

Use the following instructions to change item invoices, service invoices, professional invoices, miscellaneous sales and pending sales.

1.	Display the sale you want to change in the Enter Sales window. (If you need help doing this, see Finding sales.)

2.	To change the sale, change the information in the Enter Sales window in the same way you normally enter information. When you’re finished, click Record, or if you are editing a pending sale click Pending.

 To change a recurring sale’s name or frequency

 To change a recurring sale’s line items and other information


Note: Use this section only if your transactions are changeable

If your transactions are unchangeable, these instructions don’t apply to you; instead, you must reverse an incorrect transaction and then create a new transaction that contains the information you want. To make your data file changeable, set the option in the Security tab of the Preferences window.


To change a recurring sale's name or frequency

1.	In the Enter Sales window, click the Use Recurring button to open the Select a Recurring Transaction window.

2.	Highlight the recurring sale you want to change and click Edit to open the Save Recurring Transaction window.

3.	Make your changes in the Save Recurring Transaction window, then click Record.

4.	 In the Select a Recurring Transaction window, click OK.


To change a recurring sale's line items and other information

1.	Wait until the next time you need to record the sale.

2.	When you’re ready to record the sale, display it as you normally do in the Enter Sales window and make your changes.

3.	When you’re finished changing the sale, click Record. Your changes will be reflected in the transaction the next time you display it in the Enter Sales window.


Removing sales

There may be times when you simply want to remove a sale. When this is the case, you can quickly remove the effects of such a transaction from your records.

 Note: Use this section only if your transactions are changeable

To remove a sale with no payments applied to it

1.	Display the sale you want to remove in the Enter Sales window. (If you need help doing this, see Finding sales.)

2.	Choose Delete Sale from the Edit menu.

 To remove a sale with a payment applied to it

 To remove a pending sale with no deposits applied to it

 To remove a pending sale with a deposit applied to it

 To remove a pending sale with deposits applied to it, and to write a refund cheque for the deposit amount

 To remove a recurring sale


To remove a sale with a payment applied to it

If you’ve already applied a payment to a sale that you want to remove, you need to remove the payment before you remove the sale. Follow these steps to do this.

1.	Display the payment you need to remove in the Customer Payments window. (If you need help doing this, see Finding customer payments.)

2.	Choose Delete Payment from the Edit menu.

3.	If more payments have been applied to the sale, be sure to follow steps 1 and 2 for each payment until all the payments have been removed.

4.	When all payments applied to the sale have been removed, display the sale you want to remove in the Enter Sales window.

5.	Choose Delete Sale from the Edit menu.


To remove a pending sale with no deposits applied to it

1.	Display the pending sale you want to remove in the Enter Sales window. (If you need help doing this, see Finding sales.)

2.	Choose Delete Pending Sale from the Edit menu.


To remove a pending sale with a deposit applied to it

If you’ve already applied a deposit to a pending sale that you want to remove, you need to remove the deposit before you remove the pending sale. Follow these steps to do this.

1.	Display the deposit you need to remove in the Customer Payments window. (If you need help doing this, see Finding customer payments.)

2.	Choose Delete Payment from the Edit menu.

3.	In the Enter Sales window, enter the customer’s name in the Customer field. A search list appears, displaying all of the customer’s pending sales.

4.	Highlight the pending sale you want to remove, then click Use Pending Sale to display the pending sale in the Enter Sales window.

5.	Choose Delete Pending Sale from the Edit menu.


To remove a pending sale with a deposit applied to it, and to write a refund cheque for the deposit amount

Follow these steps if you want to write a refund cheque to a customer for a deposit he or she placed on a pending sale. After you write the refund cheque, you can then remove the pending sale.

1.	In the Enter Sales window, enter the customer’s name in the Customer field. A search list appears, displaying all of the customer’s pending sales.

2.	Highlight the pending sale you want to remove, then click Use Pending Sale to display the pending sale in the Enter Sales window.

3.	Delete any items, amounts, tax and freight from the invoice. When you’re finished doing this, the amount in the Balance Due field will appear as a negative number.

4.	Click Record.

5.	A message appears, asking whether you wish to record the sale. Click OK.

You’ve just created a transaction, called a customer credit note, that indicates that you owe the customer the amount of his or her deposit. In the remaining steps of this task, you’ll write a refund cheque to the customer for the amount of the deposit.

6.	Click the Settle Returns & Credit Notes button in the Sales Command Centre. A search list appears, displaying all customer credit notes currently in your records.

7.	Highlight the customer credit note you recorded in step 5, then click the Refund button.

8.	The refund cheque appears in the Settle Returns & Credit Notes window. Click Print to print and also record the refund cheque, or click Record to record the cheque without printing it.


To remove a recurring sale

When you remove a recurring sale, the sale is removed from your list of recurring sales only. Any transactions you recorded using a recurring sale you remove won’t be affected.

1.	In the Enter Sales window, click the Use Recurring button to open the Select a Recurring Transaction window.

2.	Highlight the recurring sale you want to remove and click Delete.


Reversing sales

There may be times when you need to change or remove a transaction you’ve entered into the FirstAccounts system. When this is the case, you can quickly remove the effects of the transaction from your records by reversing the transaction. Then, if you want, you can enter a new, correct transaction to replace the transaction you reversed.

 Note: Use this section only if your transactions are unchangeable

Follow the steps below to reverse a sale. This process returns all account balances and item quantities to their actual levels.

To reverse a sale

1.	Display the sale you want to reverse in the Enter Sales window. (If you need help doing this, see Finding sales.)

2.	Choose Reverse Sale from the Edit menu. After a few moments, a customer credit note will be displayed in the Sales window.

If you want, you can make a few changes to the customer credit note (such as the date and the memo), but you can’t change the accounts, amounts and quantities that are associated with the customer credit note.

If you’re reversing a sale from a previous accounting period, consider assigning a date from that period to the customer credit note. This will allow your reports for that accounting period to reflect the proper amounts.

3.	Click Record Reversal to record the customer credit note.

At this point, the sale is reversed. If you reversed an item invoice, the item quantities that were listed on the invoice have been returned to their previous levels.

4.	Keep in mind that a customer credit note still exists for this customer in the FirstAccounts system. To settle the customer credit note, you can either apply the amount of the customer credit note to the customer’s outstanding sales balance, or you can write a refund cheque to the customer for the amount of the customer credit note. To learn how to apply customer credits to outstanding sales balances, see Applying customer credit notes. To learn how to write a refund cheque, see Writing refund cheques to customers.

 To reverse an item invoice when the customer didn’t return all the items


Note: Use this section only if your transactions are unchangeable

If your transactions are changeable, these instructions don’t apply to you; instead, you can either change or remove the transaction. To make your transactions changeable, set this preference in the Security tab of the Preferences window (Setup menu).


To reverse an item invoice when the customer didn't return all the items
To reverse an item invoice when the customer didn’t return all the items

Follow the steps below to reverse an item invoice from which the customer didn’t return all the items to your company. This process returns all account balances and quantities of items sold to their actual levels.

1.	In the Enter Sales window, begin creating a new item invoice by entering the customer’s name and other information at the top of the window.

2.	In the first line item, enter a negative number in the Ship field to indicate the quantity of items that were returned. For example, if the original item invoice recorded the sale of 10 widgets but the customer returned only five widgets, enter -5 in the Ship field and the widgets item number in the Item# field. When you do this, the amount of the invoice will appear as a negative number in the Total Amount field.

3.	When you’re finished entering line items, click Record. When you print sales reports, the quantities of the items on this transaction will reflect the negative numbers you entered in step 2.

4.	The transaction you recorded in step 3 is called a customer credit note. To settle the customer credit note, you can either apply the amount of the customer credit note to the customer’s outstanding sales balance, or you can write a refund cheque to the customer for the amount of the customer credit note. To learn how to apply customer credits to outstanding sales balances, see Applying customer credit notes. To learn how to write a refund cheque, see Writing refund cheques to customers.


Customer Payments

In FirstAccounts, customer payments are transactions you enter to indicate that customers have made payments for the sales you’ve conducted with them. When you enter a customer payment in FirstAccounts, you apply the payment to one or more of the customer’s outstanding sales balances.

In this part:

 Entering customer payments

 Finding customer payments

 Removing customer payments

 Reversing customer payments

 Tracking bounced cheques from customers


Entering customer payments

To enter a customer payment transaction, you’ll complete the steps below.

Checklist: How to enter a customer payment

 Step 1: Identify where the money from the customer payment will be deposited

 Step 2: Enter details about the customer payment

 Step 3: Indicate which sales will be affected by the customer payment

 Step 4: Choose what you want to do with the customer payment


Step 1: Identify where the money from the customer payment will be deposited

The list in the upper left corner of the Customer Payments window displays all the cheque accounts you’ve set up. Remember that cheque accounts can be used for any cash your company receives. Credit cards, petty cash, electronic funds transfers and other methods for receiving money may be displayed in this list.

 Note: If you want to add an account to the list

To identify where the money from the customer payment will be deposited

From the list, choose the account that will be used to receive the customer payment.

 Step 2: Enter details about the customer payment


Note: If you want to add an account to the list

Only accounts you’ve specifically designated as cheque accounts or credit card accounts appear in the list. If you want a particular account to appear in this list, you’ll need to create the account first. See Creating accounts  to learn how to create cheque accounts.


Step 2: Enter details about the customer payment

Fill in the top half of the Customer Payments window.

To enter details about the customer payment

1.	Enter or select the name of the customer from whom you received the payment.

2.	After you enter a customer name, some entries appear automatically in the top half of the window. These automatic entries - known as default entries in FirstAccounts - are merely suggestions to help you enter your data more quickly. You can make changes to these entries, if you wish.

If you’ve recorded sales for the customer, some entries will also appear in the scrolling list at the bottom of the window. These entries will be discussed later in this procedure.

3.	In the Amount Received field, enter the amount the customer paid you.

 Step 3: Indicate which sales will be affected by the customer payment


Step 3: Indicate which sales will be affected by the payment

Next, you’ll indicate which sales will be affected - what debt will be reduced or “paid off,” in effect - by the customer payment. You’ll make these entries in the scrolling list in the bottom half of the Customer Payments window.

To indicate which sales will be affected by the customer payment

1.	Take a moment to review the Amount Applied column in the scrolling list. This column is the area where you designate which sales are affected by the customer payment.

You can apply amounts to as many invoices as you like. When you place the highlight in the Amount Applied column (using the TAB key - or the ENTER key, depending upon your entries in the Preferences window - or the mouse), an amount will be entered for you automatically. If the amount you’ve applied is enough to pay the entire invoice, that amount will be suggested; otherwise, whatever amount hasn’t been applied will appear. These entries, however, are merely suggestions; you can apply the payment to any transactions you want.

Keep in mind that the total amount you apply in the Amount Applied column must equal the amount that appears in the Amount Received field before you can record the transaction.

2.	Locate the sale or sales to which you want to apply the customer payment, then enter the amount you want to apply in the appropriate field in the Amount Applied column.

3.	You can also apply the customer payment to any unpaid finance charges the customer may have accrued. To do this, enter the amount you want to apply in the Finance Charge field.

 Step 4: Choose what you want to do with the customer payment


Step 4: Choose what you want to do with the customer payment

Now that you’ve finished making entries in the Customer Payments window, there are a couple tasks you can perform with the transaction.

To see how the customer payment will affect your financial records

Choose Recap Transaction from the Edit menu to view the accounting entries that will be made to your financial records when you record the payment.

To record the customer payment

To record the customer payment, click the Record button. After you record the payment, choose Save from the File menu to permanently store the payment in your financial records.


Finding customer payments

After you record a customer payment, you might want to view the transaction again sometime in the future. The instructions in the topic below will help you find the customer payments you’ve entered into the FirstAccounts system.

To find a customer payment or a deposit on a pending sale

1.	Highlight Sales in the Command Centres menu. A submenu will appear; choose Find Transaction from the submenu. The Find Transaction window will appear.

2.	When you want to find a customer payment, you’ll first need to look for the sale on which the payment was made. If you know the number of the sale on which the payment was made, click the Invoice tab, then enter the sale’s number in the Invoice # field.

If you can’t remember the number of the sale, click the Card tab, then enter the name of the customer whose sale you’re looking for.

3.	The payment you’re looking for appears in the scrolling list. If you want to view detail about the payment, click the zoom arrow next to the payment’s number. The transaction will appear in the Customer Payments window.


Removing customer payments

There may be times when you want to remove a customer payment. When this is the case, you can quickly remove the effects of such a transaction from your records.

 Note: Use this section only if your transactions are changeable

 Note: Why can’t I change a payment?

To remove a customer payment

1.	Display the payment you want to remove in the Customer Payments window. (If you need help doing this, see Finding customer payments.)

2.	Choose Delete Payment from the Edit menu.


Note: Why can't I change a payment?

If you wish to change a customer payment you’ve already applied to a sale, you can’t simply change the payment. You’ll need to remove the payment first - using the instructions in this topic - then re-create and re-apply the payment.


Reversing customer payments

There may be times when you need to change or remove a transaction you’ve entered into the MYOB FirstAccounts system. When this is the case, you can quickly remove the effects of the transaction from your records by reversing the transaction. Then, if you want, you can enter a new, correct transaction to replace the transaction you reversed.

 Note: Use this procedure only if your transactions are unchangeable

 Note: Why can’t I change a payment?

 To reverse a customer payment


Note: Why can't I change a payment?

If you wish to change a customer payment you’ve already applied to a sale, you can’t simply change the payment. You’ll need to reverse the payment first - using the instructions in this topic - then re-create and re-apply the payment.


To reverse a customer payment

1.	Display the customer payment you want to reverse in the Customer Payments window. (If you need help doing this, see Finding customer payments.)

2.	Choose Reverse Payment from the Edit menu. After a few moments, a transaction with the exact opposite amount of the payment will be displayed in the Customer Payments window.

If you want, you can make a few changes to the transaction (such as the date and the memo), but you can’t change the amounts that are associated with it.

If you’re reversing a payment from a previous accounting period, consider assigning a date from that period to the transaction you just created. This will allow your reports for that accounting period to reflect the proper amounts.

3.	Click Record to record the reversed customer payment.

If the customer payment you reversed was originally used to fully pay a sale, a message will appear if any discounts applied to the sale. If this message appears on your screen, continue to step 4.

If no discount applied to the transaction you originally applied the payment to, you’re done - the payment is reversed.

4.	If a discount applied to the transaction you originally applied the payment to, you also need to reverse the discount. To do this, follow steps 5 and 6.

5.	Display the discount in the Customer Payments window. (You can find discount transactions the same way as you find customer payments; look for a transaction labeled “Discount” in the Find Transaction window.)

6.	Choose Reverse Payment from the Edit menu, then click the Record button to reverse the discount.


Tracking bounced cheques from customers

If a customer’s payment cheque bounces, follow the steps below to reverse the bounced payment and, if you wish, charge a penalty for the transaction.

To track a customer’s bounced cheque

1.	Display the bounced customer payment in the Customer Payments window. (If you need help doing this, see Finding customer payments.)

2.	Choose Reverse Payment from the Edit menu. (If you don’t have Reverse Payment showing in the Edit menu, set your transactions to ‘changeable’ by going to the Setup menu and selecting Preferences > Security).

A transaction with the exact opposite amount of the payment will be displayed in the Customer Payments window.

If you want, you can make a few changes to the transaction (such as the date and the memo), but you can’t change the accounts and amounts that are associated with it.

If you’re reversing a payment from a previous accounting period, consider assigning a date from that period to the transaction you just created. This will allow your reports for that accounting period to reflect the proper amounts. If you have started a new year, you can only assign a date in the current year, so you may want to enter the date as the first day of the current financial year.

3.	Click Record to record the reversed customer payment.

4.	If you want to charge a penalty for the bounced cheque, continue to steps 5 and 6. If you don’t want to charge a penalty, you’re done - the bounced cheque payment is reversed.

5.	The easiest way to charge a penalty for the bounced cheque is to create a miscellaneous sale or service invoice for the amount of the penalty. You may want to consult your accountant to determine the account you should use to track the penalty amount.

6.	When you receive a payment for the penalty, apply the payment using the Customer Payments window.


Customer Credits

In MYOB FirstAccounts, a customer credit is a transaction that indicates you owe money to a customer. You can create a customer credit by either reversing a recorded sale for a customer or entering a sale with a negative balance owing, or by overapplying a payment to a sale.

You can choose from two ways of settling a customer credit:

By applying the customer credit to one or more of the customer’s unpaid sales, thereby reducing the amount of money the customer owes you

By writing a refund cheque for the amount of the customer credit

In this part:

 Applying customer credit notes

 Writing refund cheques to customers

 Finding customer credits

 Removing customer credits

 Reversing customer credits

 Using customer credits to remove customers’ bad debt


Applying customer credit notes

Use the topic below to locate the customer credit note you want and then apply the customer credit note to one or more of the customer’s sales balances.

To apply a customer credit note

1.	In the Sales command centre, click Settle Returns & Credit Notes. A search list appears; from this list, highlight the customer credit note you wish to apply and click the Apply to Invoice button. The Settle Returns & Credit Notes window appears, listing all sales (open, closed and pending) assigned to this customer.

The amount of the customer credit appears in the Credit Amount field in the top half of the window.

2.	Take a moment to review the Amount Applied column in the scrolling list. This column is the area where you designate the sales to which you want to apply the customer credit note.

You can apply the credit amount to any one transaction - or you can divide it among many transactions - in the list. Keep in mind, however, that the total amount you apply in the Amount Applied column must equal the amount that appears in the Credit Amount field.

3.	Locate the sale or sales to which you want to apply the customer credit note, then enter the amount you want to apply in the appropriate field in the Amount Applied column.

4.	You can also apply the customer credit note to any unpaid finance charges the customer may have accrued. To do this, enter the amount you want to apply in the Finance Charge field.

5.	If you wish to give a discount to the customer for a particular sale, you can enter the discount amount in the sale’s Discount column.

6.	When you’re finished making entries in the window, click Record. At this point, a number of situations may occur:

If the Settle Returns & Credit Notes window closes, you successfully applied the customer credit note, and you’re done!

If the total amount entered in the Amount Applied column doesn’t equal the amount displayed in the Credit Amount field at the top of the window, an alert message will appear, explaining that an unbalanced transaction can’t be recorded. Click OK to close the message, then continue to step 7.

If you applied an amount to a closed sale - that is, a sale that had already been fully paid - an alert message will appear, explaining that a credit invoice (a customer credit note) will be created. If this message appears, continue to step 8.

7.	To balance the transaction, you can change either the total amount in the Amount Applied column or the amount that’s displayed in the Credit Amount field.

If you change the Credit Amount field’s amount, keep in mind that you can enter an amount less than the original customer credit amount only. Also, if you choose to do this, remember that the customer credit note won’t be fully applied; the difference between the original customer credit note and the amount you entered in the Credit Amount field will remain in the FirstAccounts system as a customer credit note.

After you’ve balanced the transaction, click Record to apply the customer credit note. You’re done!

8.	Since you applied the customer credit note to a sale that doesn’t have an outstanding balance, the customer credit won’t be fully applied unless you want to apply the credit note to an open or pending sale.

If you wish to return to the Settle Returns & Credit Notes window and apply the customer credit to an open or pending sale, click Cancel in the alert message, then remove the amount you applied to the closed sale from the Amount Applied column and apply it to an open or pending sale. When you’re finished, click Record.

If you want to go ahead and apply the customer credit note to the closed sale anyway, click OK in the alert message; the Settle Returns & Credit Notes window closes, and you’re done! (Keep in mind that a customer credit note still exists for this customer; you’ll probably want to apply it or write a refund cheque for it sometime in the future.)


Writing refund cheques to customers

Use the topic below to locate a customer credit note and then write a refund cheque to the customer for the amount of the customer credit.

To write a refund cheque

1.	In the Sales command centre, click Settle Returns & Credit Notes. A search list appears; from this list, highlight the customer credit note for which you wish to write the refund cheque and click the Refund button. The Settle Returns & Credit Notes window appears, displaying a refund cheque in the amount of the customer credit.

2.	If you want, make changes to the information in the window.

If you change the Amount field’s amount, keep in mind that you can enter an amount less than the original customer credit amount only. Also, if you choose to do this, remember that the customer credit note won’t be fully settled; the difference between the original customer credit amount and the amount you entered in the Amount field will remain as a customer credit note.

3.	Click Print to print and record the refund cheque, or click Record to record the cheque without printing it.


Finding customer credit notes

There may be times when you want to view a customer credit note before or after you’ve applied it or written a refund cheque for it. The instructions in the topics below will help you find your customer’s credits.

To find a customer credit note before it’s settled

All customer credits that haven’t been applied to sales or written as refund cheques are located in the same place in MYOB FirstAccounts. To view a list of all unsettled customer credits, click Settle Returns & Credit Notes in the Sales Command Centre. A search list appears, displaying all your unsettled customer credits.

 To find a customer credit note after it’s applied

 To find a customer credit amount after you’ve written a refund cheque for it


To find a customer credit note after it's applied

Follow the steps below to find a customer credit note you applied to one or more sales in the Settle Returns & Credit Notes window.

1.	Highlight Sales in the Command Centres menu. A submenu will appear; choose Find Transaction from the submenu. The Find Transaction window appears with the Invoice tab selected.

2.	In the Invoice# field, enter or select the number of the sale whose applied customer credit note you’re looking for. A new list in the Find Transaction window appears, displaying all transactions assigned to the sale you entered in the Invoice# field.

If you don’t remember which sale the customer credit note is applied to, click the Card tab and enter the customer’s name in the Name field; a list of all the customer’s transactions, including the customer credit note, will appear in the list.

3.	Applied customer credit notes are recognised by their source journal code of SJ. Search the ID# column for transactions numbered with SJ prefixes and click the zoom arrow next to the customer credit note you want to view. The Settle Returns & Credit Notes window appears, displaying the original customer credit note.


To find a customer credit amount after you've written a refund cheque for it
To find a customer credit amount after you’ve written a refund cheque for it

Follow the steps below to find a customer credit amount for which you wrote a refund cheque in the Settle Returns & Credit Notes window.

1.	Highlight Sales in the Command Centres menu. A submenu will appear; choose Find Transaction from the submenu. The Find Transaction window appears with the Invoice tab selected. Click the Card tab.

2.	In the Name field, enter or select the name of the customer whose refund cheque you’re looking for. A list appears in the Find Transaction window, displaying all transactions, including the refund cheque transaction, assigned to the customer.

3.	Refund cheques to customers are identified by their source journal code of CD. Search the Src column for transactions assigned the CD prefix to find the transaction you want; when you find it, click the zoom arrow next to it. The Settle Returns & Credit Notes window appears, displaying the original refund cheque.


Removing customer credit amounts

There may be times when you simply want to remove, or “unapply,” a customer credit amount that you mistakenly applied to a sale, or when you want to remove a refund cheque you wrote to a customer. When this is the case, you can quickly remove the effects of such a transaction from your records.

 Note: Use this procedure only if your transactions are changeable

 Note: Why can’t I change a customer credit?

Use the following instructions to remove, or “unapply,” a customer credit that you mistakenly applied to a sale, or to remove a refund cheque that you wrote to a customer using a customer credit.

To remove an applied customer credit amount or a customer’s refund cheque

1.	Display the transaction you want to remove in the Settle Returns & Credit Notes window. (If you need help doing this, see Finding customer credits.)

2.	Choose Delete Credit from the Edit menu.


Note: Why can't I change a customer credit?

If you wish to change a customer credit note you’ve already settled, you can’t simply change the credit amount. You’ll need to unapply the credit amount or remove the refund cheque first - using the instructions in this topic - then re-apply the credit note or write a new cheque.


Reversing customer credit amounts

There may be times when you simply want to reverse, or “unapply,” a customer credit that you mistakenly applied to a sale, or when you want to remove a refund cheque you wrote to a customer. When this is the case, you can quickly remove the effects of the transaction from your records by reversing the transaction.

 Note: Use this procedure only if your transactions are unchangeable

 Note: Why can’t I change a customer credit amount?

 To reverse an applied customer credit amount

 To reverse a customer’s refund cheque


Note: Why can't I change a customer credit amount?

If you wish to change a customer credit note you’ve already settled, you can’t simply change the credit amount. You’ll need to unapply the credit amount or reverse the refund cheque first - using the instructions in this topic - then re-apply the credit note or write a new cheque.


To reverse an applied customer credit amount

Use the following instructions to reverse, or “unapply,” a customer credit amount that you mistakenly applied to a sale.

1.	Display the customer credit you want to reverse in the Settle Returns & Credit Notes window. (If you need help doing this, see Finding customer credit notes.)

2.	Choose Reverse Credit from the Edit menu. After a few moments, a new transaction, with an amount exactly opposite of the customer credit’s amount, will be displayed in the Settle Returns & Credit Notes window.

If you want, you can make a few changes to the new transaction (such as the date and the memo), but you can’t change the amounts that are associated with it.

If you’re reversing a customer credit amount from a previous accounting period, consider assigning a date from that period to the new transaction. This will allow your reports for that accounting period to reflect the proper amounts.

3.	Click Record to record the new transaction. The Settle Returns & Credit Notes window closes.

The applied customer credit is reversed, and the balance of the sale to which you originally applied the customer credit is returned to its previous amount.

4.	Keep in mind that an outstanding customer credit exists again for this customer. To settle the customer credit, you can either apply the amount of the customer credit to the customer’s outstanding sales balance, or you can write a refund cheque to the customer for the amount of the customer credit. To learn how to apply customer credits to outstanding sales balances, see Applying customer credits. To learn how to write a refund cheque, see Writing refund cheques to customers.


To reverse a customer's refund cheque
To reverse a customer’s refund cheque

Use the following instructions to reverse a refund cheque that you wrote to a customer using a customer credit note.

1.	Display the refund cheque you want to reverse in the Settle Returns & Credit Notes window. (If you need help doing this, see Finding customer credit notes.)

2.	Choose Reverse Credit from the Edit menu. After a few moments, a new transaction, with an amount exactly opposite of the refund cheque’s amount, will be displayed in the Settle Returns & Credit Notes window.

If you want, you can make a few changes to the new transaction (such as the date and the memo), but you can’t change the amounts that are associated with it.

If you’re reversing a refund cheque from a previous accounting period, consider assigning a date from that period to the new transaction. This will allow your reports for that accounting period to reflect the proper amounts.

3.	Click Record to record the new transaction. The Settle Returns & Credit Notes window closes. The refund cheque is reversed.

4.	Keep in mind that an outstanding customer credit amount exists again for this customer. To settle the customer credit amount, you can either apply the amount to the customer’s outstanding sales balance or write a new refund cheque to the customer for the amount of the customer credit. To learn how to apply customer credits to outstanding sales balances, see Applying customer credit notes. To learn how to write a refund cheque, see Writing refund cheques to customers.


Using customer credit notes to remove customers' bad debts
Using customer credit notes to remove customers’ bad debts

If you no longer expect payments from a delinquent customer, apply a bad debt credit to the customer’s open sales to close the customer’s account.

To use a customer credit note to remove a customer’s bad debt

1.	Create a new account named Bad Debts and assign it an expense account type. (See Creating accounts  to learn how to create an account.)

2.	Use the Enter Sales window to create a miscellaneous sale for the customer. For each of the customer’s outstanding debts, enter a line item with a negative value, using the Bad Debt account you created in step 1 in the Allocation Account column in each line item.

When you’re finished, click Record. The transaction you’ve recorded is called a customer credit note.

3.	Click Settle Returns & Credit Notes in the Sales Command Centre. From the search list that appears, highlight the customer credit note you created in step 2 and click Apply to Invoice. The Settle Returns & Credit Notes window appears.

4.	If the customer has only one open sale, the customer credit amount appears automatically in the Amount Applied field of the open sale. If the customer has more than one open sale, you may need to enter amounts in the Amount Applied fields of each of the open sales.

5.	When you’ve finished applying the customer credit to all the customer’s open sales, click Record. All the customer’s bad debt is cleared.


Purchases

In MYOB FirstAccounts, purchases are transactions that indicate that you bought services from a supplier. Purchases that are printed on documents you give to your suppliers are called purchase orders. You can create two types of purchases in FirstAccounts - service purchase orders or unprinted purchases called miscellaneous purchases.

In this part:

 Entering purchases

 Printing purchase orders

 Using pending purchases

 Creating and recording recurring purchases

 Finding purchases

 Reviewing your purchase information

 Changing purchases

 Removing purchases

 Reversing purchases


Entering purchases

To enter a purchase transaction, you’ll complete the steps below.

Checklist: How to enter a purchase

 Step 1: Choose the type of transaction you want

 Step 2: Enter supplier information

 Step 3: Enter line items

 Step 4: Complete the transaction

 Step 5: Choose what you want to do with the transaction


Step 1: Choose the type of transaction you want

The Enter Purchases window can be viewed in two ways; each way, or view, allows you to enter a particular type of purchase. Before you begin creating a purchase, be sure you’re using the view of the Enter Purchases window that matches the type of purchase you want to create.

To choose a particular type of purchase

1.	Click Enter Purchases in the Purchases Command Centre to open the Enter Purchases window.

2.	In the Enter Purchases window, click the Type button. The Type window appears, displaying the two types of purchases (service purchase orders and miscellaneous purchases) you can create in the Purchases window.

3.	Click the selection next to the type of transaction you want, then click the OK button. The Type window will disappear, and the Enter Purchases window will change to reflect the type of transaction you’re creating.

 Step 2: Enter supplier information


Step 2: Enter information about the supplier

Regardless of the type of purchase you’re creating, you should pay special attention to the top section of the Enter Purchases window. The information you enter here will determine a number of things about the supplier and the purchase itself, including the supplier’s terms for the purchase and the identification numbers assigned to the transaction.

To enter information about the supplier

Enter the supplier’s name, or click the search icon next to the Supplier field and choose a name from the search list of supplier names. When you enter the supplier’s name, many other fields at the top of the Enter Purchases window will be filled in for you automatically.

To enter a purchase for a new supplier

If you want to enter a purchase for a supplier who doesn’t exist in your Card File yet, you can quickly set up a new supplier record and get back to the business of creating the purchase.

1.	If you haven’t done so already, type the new supplier’s name in the Supplier field, then press TAB. A search list of existing suppliers appears.

2.	Click the Easy-Add button at the bottom of the search list. The new supplier’s name is added to your Card File, and the search list disappears.

You can now continue creating the purchase. Keep in mind, however, that you haven’t fully set up the record for the new supplier. When you have a spare moment, remember to use the Card File Entry window to complete the supplier’s record.

 Step 3: Enter line items


Step 3: Enter line items

The scrolling list in the middle of the Enter Purchases window is the main area where purchase orders and miscellaneous purchases are created. In this area, you’ll enter descriptions, account numbers and various other information that will serve as the detail for your transaction.

When you enter information in one row in the scrolling list, you enter one line item of the transaction. You can enter as many line items on a purchase as you want.

See Assigning transactions to jobs for more information about tracking reimbursable job expenses.

You can assign individual line items to jobs you’ve set up in FirstAccounts. If you’re tracking reimbursable expenses for your jobs, the line items you assign to jobs in the Enter Purchases window will be automatically marked for reimbursement.

The actual fields that appear in the scrolling list differ, depending upon the type of purchase you’re creating.

To enter line items on a service or miscellaneous purchase order

1.	Make entries in the line item area of the Enter Purchases window to enter details about the service purchase order.

2.	Enter a description, an account and an amount for each line item. You can also enter a tax code for each line item and allocate each line item to job. For more information on using GST tax codes, click here.

To assign a line item on a purchase to more than one job

If you need to assign one line item to more than one job, use multiple line items to record the transaction. For example, assume you want to include 100 gadgets on an purchase order, but you want to assign 30 gadgets to job 12 and 70 gadgets to job 43. To do this, you’d follow these steps:

1.	In the first line item of the transaction, enter the gadgets item number in the Item# field, then enter 30 in the Received field and 12 in the Job field.

2.	In the second line item of the transaction, enter the gadgets item number again in the Item# field, enter 70 in the Received field and 43 in the Job field.

 Step 4: Complete the transaction


Step 4: Complete the purchase

The actual fields that appear at the bottom of the Enter Purchases window differ, depending upon the type of purchase you’re creating.

To change tax amounts

When you assign tax codes to a purchase, all parts of the purchase (line items and freight charges) to which you’ve assigned tax codes will be taxed based on the tax codes’ tax rates.

If, after you’ve entered all your line items and freight charges, the tax amount that appears in the Tax field isn’t the amount you intend to be billed, be sure you’ve assigned tax codes to all the parts of the purchase you want to be taxed, and that you’ve assigned the proper tax codes to those parts. If the tax amount still isn’t correct, you can manually change the amount. For more information on GST tax codes, click here. Follow these steps to do so.

1.	Click the zoom arrow next to the Tax field to open the Tax Information window.

2.	Enter the new tax amounts in the Tax column.

3.	Click OK to close the Tax Information window. The total tax amount displayed in the Tax field will change to reflect the change you made.

 Warning: Tax amounts change automatically

 Step 5: Choose what you want to do with the transaction


Step 5: Choose what you want to do with the purchase

Now that you’ve finished making entries in the Enter Purchases window, there are a number of tasks you can perform with the transaction. Be sure to review all the following options before you choose what you want to do.

To see how the purchase will affect your financial records

Choose Recap Transaction from the Edit menu to view the accounting entries that will be made to your financial records when you record the purchase.

To print and record a purchase order

If the purchase you’ve created is a service purchase order, you can print and record the transaction at the same time.

1.	Click the Print button in the Enter Purchases window.

2.	A message appears, explaining that the transaction will be recorded before it’s printed. Click OK to begin.

3.	Choose Save from the File menu to permanently store the purchase in your financial records.

To record the purchase

To record the purchase without printing it, click the Record button. After you record the purchase, choose Save from the File menu to permanently store the purchase in your financial records.

See Printing and reprinting purchase orders for information about printing a purchase order after you’ve recorded it.

To store the purchase as a recurring purchase

If you want to store the purchase information so you can use it many times in the future, follow these steps.

1.	Click the Save Recurring button to open the Save Recurring Transaction window.

2.	Enter the necessary information about the transaction in this window.

3.	Click Record to close the Save Recurring Transaction window.

4.	If you want to record the purchase as an actual transaction now, click the Record button in the Enter Purchases window. If you don’t want to record the purchase at this time, click the Cancel button.

See Creating and recording recurring purchases for detailed information about performing more tasks with recurring purchases.

To place the purchase in the Pending File

To place the purchase in the Pending File, click the Pending button. After you place the purchase in Pending File, choose Save from the File menu to permanently store the purchase in your financial records.

See Using pending purchases for detailed information about performing more tasks with pending purchases.


Printing purchase orders

You can print and reprint individual purchase orders or you can print several purchase orders at the same time - the choice is yours. You can also customise the look of your printed purchase orders. See Customising forms for detailed information about customising your printed forms.

 Choosing the purchase orders you want to print

 Printing and reprinting purchase orders


Choosing the purchase orders you want to print

After you’ve recorded a purchase order, you can print it. You can also choose a specific set of purchase orders to print.

To choose the purchase orders you want to print

In the Purchases Command Centre, click Print Purchases to open the Forms Selection window for purchase orders.

To choose a form layout for your purchase orders

In the Forms Selection window, you can choose to print your purchase orders on pre-printed blank forms or on blank paper, and you can customise your forms so they’ll look the way you want them to look. Collectively, these choices are called form layouts in FirstAccounts See Choosing a form layout for information about choosing a form layout for your purchase orders.


Printing and reprinting purchase orders

Follow these steps to print your purchase orders. If you want to print some purchase orders you’ve already printed, be sure the Unprinted Orders Only selection is marked in the Forms Selection window before you use these instructions.

 Before you begin printing

To print and reprint your purchase orders

1.	Insert blank purchase order forms in your printer.

2.	After you’ve selected the forms you want to print in the Forms Selection window, click the OK button. The Review Orders Before Printing window will appear, listing the transactions you selected in the Forms Selection window. You can choose to print multiple copies of your purchase orders in this window.

3.	To begin printing the forms, click the Print button in the Review Orders Before Printing window. Depending upon how your computer is set up, the first form may begin to print immediately, or a print window may appear on your computer screen. If a print window appears, make your selections in the window, then click the button in the window that begins the printing process (the button is usually labeled “OK” or “Print”).

 Note: If you can’t make entries in your print selection window

To reprint a single purchase order

1.	Insert blank purchase order forms in your printer.

2.	Display the purchase order in the Enter Purchases window. (If you need help doing this, see Finding purchases.)

3.	Click the Print button.


Using pending purchases

In FirstAccounts, pending purchases are service purchase orders that you expect to occur sometime in the future. Pending purchases aren’t actual transactions that affect your financial numbers; they merely store purchase information in FirstAccounts’ Pending File until you’re ready to use them.

Pending purchases are handy to use when you want to see how much a purchase will cost you. You can create a pending purchase, verify the estimated price, then store the pending purchase until you decide whether to go ahead with the purchase. When you decide to buy, you simply open the pending purchase and record it as an actual purchase.

 Placing purchases in the Pending File

 Recording deposits on pending purchases

 To convert a pending purchase into an actual purchase order


Placing purchases in the Pending File

Creating a pending purchase is almost the same process as creating a “normal” purchase. Service purchase orders can be placed in the Pending File.

To place a purchase order in the Pending File

1.	Use the Enter Purchases window to create a purchase order as you usually create a service purchase order. Enter amounts the same way, as well.

2.	If you want to indicate that you made a deposit on the transaction, enter that amount in the Paid Today field.

3.	When you’re finished entering the purchase order information, click the Pending button. If you didn’t enter a deposit amount in step 2, the entire purchase order will be placed in the Pending File.

If you did enter a deposit in step 2, a message will appear, indicating that a cheque will be recorded for the deposit amount. Follow the instructions in the message.

 Note: When you record a deposit on a pending purchase


Note: When you record a deposit on a pending purchase

Deposit amounts that you record on purchases you place in the Pending File are automatically recorded in the Cash Disbursements Journal. To view the Cash Disbursements Journal and see the deposit for yourself, choose Chequebook/Transaction Journal from the Command Centres menu. The Transaction Journal window appears with the Disbursements tab selected. (If you can’t see the deposit in the list that appears, make sure the dates at the top of the window are correct.)


Recording deposits on pending purchases

If you put money down on a pending purchase, keep track of the deposit amount by assigning it to the pending purchase.

To record a deposit on a pending purchase when you’re creating the pending purchase

Follow the instructions in Placing purchases in the Pending File  to create the pending purchase; when you get to step 2 of those instructions, be sure to enter the amount of your deposit in the Paid Today field of the Purchases window.

To record a deposit on a pending purchase after you’ve already recorded the pending purchase

1.	In the Purchases command centre, click Supplier Payments to open the Supplier Payments window.

2.	In the Supplier field, enter the name of the supplier to whom you made the deposit.

3.	Search the list of transactions at the bottom of the Supplier Payments window for the pending purchase. (If you can’t remember the number assigned to the transaction, look for a transaction whose Status column shows the word “Pending.”) When you find the transaction, enter the amount of the deposit in the Amount Applied column of that transaction.

4.	Notice that the Amount field in the top half of the window is empty. Before you can record the deposit, you must enter the amount of the deposit in this field. To do this, simply click the empty field. The amount will automatically appear.

5.	Click Record.


To convert a pending purchase into an actual purchase order

When a pending purchase in your business becomes an actual purchase, you need to convert the pending purchase in FirstAccounts into an actual purchase order.

1.	In the Enter Purchases window, enter the name of the supplier whose pending purchase you want to convert. A search list appears, displaying all of your pending purchases with the supplier.

2.	Select the pending purchase you want to convert and click Use Pending P.O. The transaction appears in the Enter Purchases window.

3.	If you want, make any changes to the transaction.

 Idea: Changing the purchase order number

4.	When you’re ready, click the Record button. The pending purchase will be converted and recorded as an actual purchase order.


Idea: Changing the purchase order number

Before you continue, you might want to consider changing the purchase order’s number to indicate that it’s associated to an actual purchase order. This will make it easier to find the transaction in the future.


Creating and recording recurring purchases

If you plan to record the same purchase on a regular basis, you may want to consider creating a recurring purchase. When you create a recurring purchase, the transaction information is saved in a separate “holding area” where you can retrieve the transaction as many times as you want in the future.

Until you record them, recurring purchases have no effect on your financial records.

To create a recurring purchase

You can create as many recurring purchases as you want. Use the following instructions to create a recurring purchase.

1.	Use the Enter Purchases window to create a purchase as you normally do. (Don’t forget to click the Type button and choose the type of purchase you want.)

2.	Click the Save Recurring button. The Save Recurring Transaction window appears.

3.	Enter the necessary information about the transaction in this window, then click Record. The transaction is saved as a recurring transaction.

 Warning: You haven’t recorded the transaction yet

To record a recurring purchase

You can record a recurring purchase as many times and as often as you want.

1.	In the Enter Purchases window, click the Use Recurring button.

2.	A window will appear, displaying all recurring transactions you’ve set up. Double-click the transaction you want; the transaction’s information will appear in the Enter Purchases window.

3.	Be sure to review all the information that appears in the window to be sure that it’s correct. Pay particular attention to the date and purchase order number; if you need to find this transaction in the future, you’ll need to remember this information.

4.	To record the transaction, click Record. The recurring purchase will be recorded as an actual transaction, and will also remain available in the recurring transaction “holding area” for future use.


Finding purchases

After you record a purchase, you might want to view the transaction again sometime in the future. The instructions in the topics below will help you find individual purchases you’ve entered into the FirstAccounts system.

To find a purchase order or miscellaneous purchase

1.	Choose Purchases/Find Transaction from the Command Centres menu. The Find Transaction window appears with Purchases tab selected.

2.	If you know the number of the purchase you want to view, enter the purchase’s number in the Purchase# field.

3.	If you can’t remember the number of the purchase, click the Card tab, then enter the name of the supplier whose purchase you’re looking for.

4.	The purchase you’re looking for appears in the scrolling list. If you want to view detail about the purchase, click the zoom arrow next to the purchase’s number. The transaction will appear in the Enter Purchases window.

To find a pending purchase

1.	Open the Enter Purchases window.

2.	In the Supplier field, enter the name of the supplier whose pending purchase you’re looking for. A search list appears, displaying all of your pending purchases with the supplier.

3.	From the search list, select the pending purchase you want. The pending purchase will be displayed in the Enter Purchases window.

4.	You can also find a pending purchase order in the Pending tab of the To Do List.

To find a recurring purchase

1.	In the Enter Purchases window, click the Use Recurring button.

2.	A window will appear, displaying all recurring transactions you’ve set up. Double-click the purchase you want; the recurring purchase will be displayed in the Enter Purchases window.


Reviewing your purchase information

An important part of managing your business centres around collecting your purchase data and understanding its effects on your overall financial picture. FirstAccounts contains a number of tools that allow you to review your purchase information so you can make better decisions about your business.

 Viewing lists of your purchases

 Viewing the history of purchases

 To view the amounts you owe your suppliers


Viewing lists of your purchases

Depending upon your preference, you can either display or print lists of your purchase activity.

To display a list of all purchases on your computer screen

In the Transaction Journal window, you can view a list of all your purchases, as well as all other types of transactions you’ve entered in the FirstAccounts system. To open the Transaction Journal window, choose Purchases/ Transaction Journal from the Command Centres menu.

 To display a list of all open purchases on your computer screen

 To display a list of recurring purchases on your computer screen

 To display a list of pending purchases on your computer screen

 To print a list of all your purchase orders and miscellaneous purchases

 To print a list of all your pending purchases

 To print a list of all your recurring purchases


To display a list of all open purchases on your computer screen

Follow these steps to view a list of all your open purchases - that is, the purchases you’ve entered in FirstAccounts that you haven’t fully paid yet. These steps will also allow you to make your Supplier Payments automatically.

1.	Choose Purchases/To Do List from the Command Centres menu. The To Do List window appears. Alternatively, click Purchases in the command panel’s To Do List.

2.	Click the Accounts Payable tab to display a list of all your open purchases.

3.	If you want to view detail about a specific purchase, click the zoom arrow to the left of the purchase’s name.

4.	If you want to pay one or several of the outstanding balances of your open purchases, click the Action column for the purchases you want to pay off.

 Warning: Read this before you make supplier payments using the To Do List

2.	When you’ve marked the open purchases you want to pay off, click the Pay Bills button at the bottom of the To Do List window.

Another way of displaying open purchases is by using the Analyse Payables window in the MYOB Analyst (located in the command panel of any Command Centre).


Note: Setting up discounts

Use the Credit Terms window to set up the discounts that your suppliers make available to you.


Warning: Read this before you make supplier payments using the To Do List

If you choose to make supplier payments using the Action column in the To Do List window, keep in mind that the transactions will be recorded automatically; you won’t get a chance to review or change any of the payments before they’re recorded. If you need to review the purchases that will be paid or use a different cheque number for the payment, click the zoom arrow next to the transactions showing in the to do list and record the payment from there.

The cheque account that will be used for all supplier payments using the To Do List window is the account listed in the Cheque Account For Paying Bills field of the Accounts Payable Linked Accounts window.


To display a list of recurring purchases on your computer screen

Follow these steps to view a list of all your recurring purchases. These steps will also allow you to record recurring purchases automatically.

1.	Choose Purchases/To Do List from the Command Centres menu. The To Do List window appears. Alternatively, click Purchases in the command panel’s To Do List.

2.	Click the Recurring Purchases tab to display a list of all your recurring purchases.

3.	If you want to view detail about a specific purchase, click the zoom arrow to the left of the purchase’s name.

4.	If you want to record one or several of the recurring purchases in the list, click the Action column for the purchases you want to record.

 Warning: Read this before you record recurring purchases using the To Do List

5.	When you’ve marked the recurring purchases you want to record, click the Record button at the bottom of the To Do List window.


Warning: Read this before you record recurring purchases using the To Do List

If you choose to record recurring purchases using the Action column in the To Do List window, keep in mind that the transactions will be recorded automatically; you won’t get a chance to review or change any of the transactions before they’re recorded. If you need to review the recurring purchase, click the zoom arrow next to the transaction and press Record from the Purchases window.


To display a list of pending purchases on your computer screen

Follow these steps to view a list of all your pending purchases. These steps will also allow you to convert your pending purchases into actual purchases.

1.	Choose Purchases/To Do List from the Command Centres menu. The To Do List window appears. Alternatively, click Purchases from the command panel’s To Do List.

2.	Click the Pending tab to display a list of all your pending sales and purchases.

3.	If you want to view detail about a specific purchase, click the zoom arrow to the right of the purchase’s name.

4.	If you want to convert one or several of the pending purchases in the list to actual purchases, click the Action column for the purchases you want to convert.

 Warning: Read this before you convert pending purchases to actual purchases using the To Do List

5.	When you’ve marked the pending purchases you want to convert, click the Record As Actual button at the bottom of the To Do List window.


Warning: Read this before you convert pending purchases to actual purchases using the To Do List

If you choose to convert pending purchases to actual purchases using the Action column of the To Do List window, keep in mind that the conversion will occur automatically; you won’t get a chance to review or change any of the transactions before they’re converted. If you need to review the pending purchase before recording it, click the zoom arrow next to the transaction and record it from the Purchases window.


To print a list of all your purchase orders and miscellaneous purchases

A number of FirstAccounts reports are available for you to view your purchase activity. Use the Index to Reports window to print or display any of the following reports:

 Purchases (Supplier Summary)

 Purchases (Supplier Detail)

 Purchases & Payables Journal


To print a list of all your pending purchases

1.	Choose Index to Reports from the Reports menu to open the Index to Reports window, then click the Purchases tab.

2.	Locate either the Purchases (Supplier Summary) selection or the Purchases (Supplier Detail) selection in the scrolling list; highlight the report you want.

3.	Click the Filters button to open the Report Filters window for the report you selected.

4.	Be sure All Suppliers is selected at the top of the window, and that the Dated From/To fields reflect the range of dates you want to view on the report.

3.	Choose Pending from the PO Status list, then click OK. You now can either display the report on your computer screen or print it on your printer.


To print a list of all your recurring purchases

To view a list of all your recurring purchases, use the Index to Reports window to print or display a To Do List (Recurring Purchases) report, or click the Recurring Purchases tab in the To Do List, or go to the Recurring Purchases tab of the To Do List.


Viewing the history of purchases

Using the Find Transaction window, you can quickly gain a detailed picture of the activity related to a particular purchase. In this window, you can view the purchase itself, as well as any payments and other adjustments made to the transaction.

To view a purchase’s history

1.	To open the Find Transaction window, choose Purchases/Find Transaction from the Command Centres menu. The Find Transaction window appears with the Purchase tab selected.

2	In the Purchase# field, enter the number of the purchase whose history you want to view. You can also click the search icon and choose the purchase from the list that appears. When you enter the number of the purchase, a list of transactions related to that purchase appears in the scrolling list section of the window.

To change a purchase from the Find Transaction window

If you notice that there’s an error in one of the transactions you see in the Find Transaction window, you can immediately make a change to the transaction.

1.	In the Find Transaction window, click the zoom arrow next to the transaction you want to change. The window in which the transaction was originally entered will appear. (For example, if you click the zoom arrow next to a payment transaction, the Supplier Payments window will appear.)

2.	You can now change, remove or reverse the transaction as you normally do.


To view the amounts you owe your suppliers

One of the most vital activities of your business is the timely payment of the money that you owe your suppliers. In the Analyse Payables window, FirstAccounts provides you with the tools to evaluate the amounts and ages of your outstanding debts.

To open the Analyse Payables window, choose Purchases/Analyse Payables from the Command Centres menu, or click Payables from the command panel’s MYOB Analyst.


Changing purchases

Occasionally, you’ll find it necessary to make a change to a purchase you’ve already recorded. The instructions in the topics below will help you make your changes so your records are updated properly.

 Note: Use this section only if your transactions are changeable

To change a purchase

1.	Display the purchase you want to change in the Enter Purchases window. (If you need help doing this, see Finding purchases.)

2.	To change the purchase, change the information in the Enter Purchases window in the same way you normally enter information. When you’re finished, click Record.

 To change a recurring purchase’s name or frequency

 To change a recurring purchase’s line items and other information


To change a recurring purchase's name or frequency

1.	In the Enter Purchases window, click the Use Recurring button to open the Select a Recurring Transaction window.

2.	Highlight the recurring purchase you want to change and click Edit to open the Save Recurring Transaction window.

3.	Make your changes in the Save Recurring Transaction window, then click Record.

4.	 In the Select a Recurring Transaction window, click OK.


To change a recurring purchase's line items and other information

1.	Wait until the next time you need to record the purchase.

2.	When you’re ready to record the purchase, display it as you normally do in the Enter Purchases window and make your changes.

3.	When you’re finished changing the purchase, click Record. Your changes will be reflected in the transaction the next time you display it in the Enter Purchases window.


Removing purchases

There may be times when you simply want to remove a purchase. When this is the case, you can quickly remove the effects of such a transaction from your records.

 Note: Use this section only if your transactions are changeable

To remove a purchase with no payments applied to it

1.	Display the purchase you want to remove in the Enter Purchases window. (If you need help doing this, see Finding purchases.)

2.	Choose Delete Purchase from the Edit menu.

 To remove a purchase with a payment applied to it

 To remove a pending purchase with no deposits applied to it

 To remove a pending purchase with a deposit applied to it

 To remove a pending purchase with a deposit applied to it, and to enter a refund cheque from the supplier for the deposit amount

 To remove a recurring purchase


To remove a purchase with a payment applied to it

If you’ve already applied a payment to a purchase that you want to remove, you need to remove the payment before you remove the purchase. Follow these steps to do this.

1.	Display the payment you need to remove in the Supplier Payments window. (If you need help doing this, see Finding Supplier Payments or deposits on pending purchases.)

2.	Choose Delete Payment from the Edit menu.

3.	If more payments have been applied to the purchase, be sure to follow steps 1 and 2 for each payment until all the payments have been removed.

4.	When all payments applied to the purchase have been removed, display the purchase you want to remove in the Enter Purchases window.

5.	Choose Delete Purchase from the Edit menu.


To remove a pending purchase with no deposits applied to it

1.	Display the pending purchase you want to remove in the Enter Purchases window. (If you need help doing this, see Finding purchases.)

2.	Choose Delete Pending Order from the Edit menu.


To remove a pending purchase with a deposit applied to it

If you’ve already applied a deposit to a pending purchase that you want to remove, you need to remove the deposit before you remove the pending purchase. Follow these steps to do this.

 Note: If you want to record a refund cheque

1.	Display the deposit you need to remove in the Supplier Payments window. (If you need help doing this, see Finding Supplier Payments or deposits on pending purchases.)

2.	Choose Delete Payment from the Edit menu.

3.	In the Enter Purchases window, enter the supplier’s name in the Supplier field. A search list appears, displaying all of the supplier’s pending purchases.

4.	Highlight the pending purchase you want to remove, then click Use Pending P.O. to display the pending purchase in the Enter Purchases window.

5.	Choose Delete Pending Order from the Edit menu.


Note: If you want to record a refund cheque

If you want to indicate that you received a refund cheque for the deposit amount, see To remove a pending purchase with a deposit applied to it, and to enter a refund cheque from the supplier for the deposit amount instead.


To remove a pending purchase with a deposit applied to it, and to enter a refund cheque from the supplier for the deposit amount

Follow these steps if you want to indicate that you received a refund cheque from a supplier for a deposit you placed on a pending purchase. After you enter the refund cheque transaction, you can then remove the pending purchase.

1.	In the Enter Purchases window, enter the supplier’s name in the Supplier field. A search list appears, displaying all of the supplier’s pending purchases.

2.	Highlight the pending purchase you want to remove, then click Use Pending P.O. to display the pending purchase in the Enter Purchases window.

3.	Delete any items, amounts, tax and freight from the purchase order. When you’re finished doing this, the amount in the Balance Due field will appear as a negative number.

4.	Click Record.

5.	A message appears, asking whether you wish to record the purchase. Click OK.

You’ve just created a transaction, called a supplier debit or refund, that indicates that the supplier owes you the amount of your deposit. In the remaining steps of this task, you’ll indicate that you received a refund cheque from the supplier for the amount of the deposit.

6.	Click the Settle Returns & Refunds button in the Purchases command centre. A search list appears, displaying all supplier debits currently in your records.

7.	Highlight the supplier debit you recorded in step 5, then click the Refund button.

8.	The supplier debit appears in the Settle Returns & Refunds window. Click Record to record the transaction.


To remove a recurring purchase

When you remove a recurring purchase, the purchase is removed from your list of recurring purchases only. Any transactions you recorded using a recurring purchase you remove won’t be affected.

1.	In the Enter Purchases window, click the Use Recurring button to open the Select a Recurring Transaction window.

2.	Highlight the recurring purchase you want to remove and click Delete.


Reversing purchases

There may be times when you need to change or remove a transaction you’ve entered into the FirstAccounts system. When this is the case, you can quickly remove the effects of the transaction from your records by reversing the transaction. Then, if you want, you can enter a new, correct transaction to replace the transaction you reversed.

 Note: Use this section only if your transactions are unchangeable

Follow the steps in the instructions below to reverse a purchase. This process returns all account balances to their actual levels.

To reverse a purchase

1.	Display the purchase you want to reverse in the Enter Purchases window. (If you need help doing this, see Finding purchases.)

2.	Choose Reverse Purchase from the Edit menu. After a few moments, a supplier debit will be displayed in the Enter Purchases window.

If you want, you can make a few changes to the supplier debit (such as the date and the memo), but you can’t change the accounts and amounts that are associated with the supplier debit.

If you’re reversing a purchase from a previous accounting period, consider assigning a date from that period to the supplier debit. This will allow your reports for that accounting period to reflect the proper amounts.

3.	Click Record Reversal to record the supplier debit.

At this point, the purchase is reversed.

4.	Keep in mind that a supplier debit still exists for this supplier in the FirstAccounts system. To settle the supplier debit, you can either apply the amount of the supplier debit to your outstanding purchase balance with the supplier, or you can indicate that you received a refund cheque from the supplier for the amount of the supplier debit. To learn how to apply supplier debits to outstanding purchase balances, see Applying supplier debits. To learn how to record a refund cheque received from a supplier, see Receiving refund cheques from suppliers.


 Supplier Payments

In MYOB FirstAccounts, supplier payments are transactions you enter to indicate that you have made payments for the purchases you’ve made from suppliers. When you enter a supplier payment in FirstAccounts, you apply the payment to one or more of your outstanding purchase balances.

In this part:

 Entering supplier payments

 Finding supplier payments or deposits on pending purchases

 Removing supplier payments

 Reversing supplier payments

 Paying suppliers electronically


Entering supplier payments

To enter a supplier payment transaction, you’ll complete the steps below.

Checklist: How to enter a supplier payment

 Step 1: Identify where the money for the payment will be drawn from

 Step 2: Enter details about the supplier payment

 Step 3: Indicate which purchases will be affected by the supplier payment

 Step 4: Choose what you want to do with the supplier payment


Step 1: Identify where the money for the payment will be drawn from

The list in the upper left corner of the Supplier Payments window displays all the cheque accounts you’ve set up. Remember that cheque accounts can be used for any cash disbursement method. Credit cards, petty cash, electronic funds transfers and other methods for making payments may be displayed in this list.

 Note: If you want to add an account to the list

To identify where the money for the payment will be drawn from

1.	Choose the account that will be used to make this payment.

2.	Mark the Handwritten option if you’re recording a paper cheque that’s already been written, or if you’re recording another type of transaction (such as a petty cash payment) that doesn’t require a printed cheque at the end of the transaction.

 Step 2: Enter details about the supplier payment


Step 2: Enter details about the payment

Fill in the information in the top half of the Supplier Payments window.

To enter details about the supplier payment

1.	Enter or select the name of the supplier to whom you want to make the payment.

2.	After you enter a supplier name, some entries appear automatically in the top half of the window. These automatic entries - known as default entries in FirstAccounts - are merely suggestions to help you enter your data more quickly. You can make changes to these entries, if you wish.

If you’ve recorded purchases with the supplier, some entries will also appear in the scrolling list at the bottom of the window.

3.	In the Amount field, enter the amount you are paying to the supplier.

 Step 3: Indicate which purchases will be affected by the supplier payment


Step 3: Indicate which purchases will be affected by the payment

Next, you’ll indicate which purchases will be affected - what debt will be reduced or “paid off,” in effect - by the supplier payment. You’ll make these entries in the scrolling list in the bottom half of the Supplier Payments window.

To indicate which purchases will be affected by the payment

1.	Take a moment to review the Amount Applied column in the scrolling list. This column is the area where you designate which purchases are affected by the supplier payment.

2.	You can apply amounts to as many purchase transactions as you like. When you place the highlight in the Amount Applied column (using the TAB key - or the ENTER key, depending upon your entries in the Preferences window - or the mouse), an amount will be entered for you automatically. If the amount you’ve applied is enough to pay the entire transaction, that amount will be suggested; otherwise, whatever amount hasn’t been applied will appear. These entries, however, are merely suggestions; you can apply the payment to any transactions you want.

3.	Keep in mind that the total amount you apply in the Amount Applied column must equal the amount that appears in the Amount field before you can record the transaction.

4.	Locate the purchase or purchases to which you want to apply the supplier payment, then enter the amount you want to apply in the appropriate field in the Amount Applied column.

5.	You can also apply the supplier payment to any unpaid finance charges you may have accrued. To do this, enter the amount you want to apply in the Finance Charge field.

 Step 4: Choose what you want to do with the supplier payment


Step 4: Choose what you want to do with the supplier payment

Now that you’ve finished making entries in the Supplier Payments window, there are a couple tasks you can perform with the transaction.

To see how the supplier payment will affect your financial records

Choose Recap Transaction from the Edit menu to view the accounting entries that will be made to your financial records when you record the payment.

To record the supplier payment

To record the supplier payment, click the Record button. After you record the payment, choose Save from the File menu to permanently store the payment in your financial records.

 To pay your suppliers electronically


Finding supplier payments or deposits on pending purchases

After you record a supplier payment, you might want to view the transaction again sometime in the future. The instructions in the topic below will help you find the supplier payments you’ve entered into the MYOB FirstAccounts system.

To find a supplier payment or a deposit on a pending purchase

Follow these instructions to find a supplier payment or a deposit that was made on a pending purchase.

1.	Highlight Purchases in the Command Centres menu. A submenu will appear; choose Find Transaction from the submenu. The Find Transaction window will appear.

2.	When you want to find a supplier payment, you’ll first need to look for the purchase on which the payment was made. If you know the number of the purchase on which the payment was made, click the Purchase tab, then enter the purchase’s number in the Purchase or the Supplier Inv fields.

If you can’t remember the number of the purchase, click the Card tab, then enter the name of the supplier from whom you made the purchase.

3.	The payment you’re looking for appears in the scrolling list. If you want to view detail about the payment, click the zoom arrow next to the payment’s number. The transaction will appear in the Supplier Payments window.


Removing supplier payments

There may be times when you want to remove a supplier payment. When this is the case, you can quickly remove the effects of such a transaction from your records.

 Note: Use this procedure only if your transactions are changeable

 Note: Why can’t I change a supplier payment?

To remove a supplier payment

1.	Display the payment you want to remove in the Supplier Payments window. (If you need help doing this, see Finding supplier payments or deposits on pending purchases.)

2.	Choose Delete Payment from the Edit menu.


Note: Why can't I change a supplier payment?

If you wish to change a supplier payment you’ve already applied to a purchase, you can’t simply change the payment. You’ll need to remove the payment first - using the instructions in this topic - then re-create and re-apply the payment.


Reversing supplier payments

There may be times when you need to remove a transaction you’ve entered into the MYOB FirstAccounts system. When this is the case, you can quickly remove the effects of the transaction from your records by reversing the transaction. Then, if you want, you can enter a new, correct transaction to replace the transaction you reversed.

 Note: Use this procedure only if your transactions are unchangeable

 Note: Why can’t I change a supplier payment?

To reverse a supplier payment

1.	Display the supplier payment you want to reverse in the Supplier Payments window. (If you need help doing this, see Finding supplier payments or deposits on pending purchases.)

2.	Choose Reverse Payment from the Edit menu. After a few moments, a transaction with the exact opposite amount of the payment will be displayed in the Supplier Payments window.

If you want, you can make a few changes to the transaction (such as the date and the memo), but you can’t change the amounts that are associated with it.

If you’re reversing a payment from a previous accounting period, consider assigning a date from that period to the transaction you just created. This will allow your reports for that accounting period to reflect the proper amounts.

3.	Click Record to record the reversed supplier payment.

If the supplier payment you reversed was originally used to fully pay a purchase, a message will appear if you received a discount for paying off the purchase promptly. If this message appears on your screen, continue to step 4.

If no discount applied to the transaction you originally applied the payment to, you’re done - the payment is reversed.

4.	If a discount applied to the transaction you originally applied the payment to, you also need to reverse the discount. To do this, follow steps 5 and 6.

5.	Display the discount in the Supplier Payments window. (You can find discount transactions the same way as you find supplier payments; look for a transaction labeled “Discount” in the Find Transaction window.)

6.	Choose Reverse Payment from the Edit menu, then click the Record button to reverse the discount.


Note: Why can't I change a supplier payment?

If you wish to change a supplier payment you’ve already applied to a purchase, you can’t simply change the payment. You’ll need to reverse the payment first - using the instructions in this topic - then re-create and re-apply the payment.


Paying Suppliers Electronically

If you live in Australia, you can pay suppliers electronically. With FirstAccounts, you have the option to print cheques for suppliers or pay them by direct crediting from your bank.

To pay your suppliers electronically, first you'll need to enter bank information for each supplier you want to pay electronically in the Banking Information window for each supplier. You also must have entered information about the bank account your company will use to make the electronic payments.

Record your supplier payments transactions as you normally do, then, instead of printing cheques for your suppliers, you'll save all the transaction information in a special file that adheres to Australian bank standards for electronic banking. You can deliver the file to your bank on a DOS-formatted diskette or by means of your bank's electronic transfer facilities.

Note: You can only include supplier payments in a bank file. Cheques entered in the Spend Money window of the Chequebook command centre can not be included.

The actual processing of bank disk information by your bank will depend upon your arrangements with them. Contact your bank branch for more information.

If you've recorded your supplier payments transactions, follow the instructions below to create an electronic file containing those payments.

1.	Click Electronic Payments in the Chequebook command centre. The Electronic Payments Selection window appears.

2.	Choose the bank account from which you want to pay suppliers from the Account list.

3.	Enter other information about the payments you wish to make, including the account they will be drawn from, the date on which your bank should process the transactions, and the cheques you wish to pay.

4.	Click OK. The Review Cheques Before Printing window will appear.

5.	Review the list of payments that have been selected. If you don't want to pay a particular transaction, click the Include column next to the transaction to unmark it.

6.	Click the Process button. A Save As dialog box will appear.

7.	Use the Save As dialog box to verify the name that will be assigned to your electronic payments file and to specify the location where the file will be created. When you've done so, click OK to create the file.

8.	The ‘aba’ file that is created can be used in your bank’s electronic payments software, or you can transfer the file to diskette and deliver it to your bank. Contact your bank for the preferred method.


Supplier Debits

In MYOB FirstAccounts, a supplier debit is a transaction that indicates a supplier owes your company money. You can create a supplier debit by either reversing a purchase that has been recorded for a supplier, or entering a purchase with a negative balance owing, or overapplying a payment to a purchase.

You can choose from two ways of settling a supplier debit:

By applying the supplier debit to one or more of your unpaid purchases with the supplier

By indicating that you received a refund cheque from the supplier for the amount of the supplier debit

In this part:

 Applying supplier debits

 Receiving refund cheques from suppliers

 Finding supplier debits

 Removing supplier debits

 Reversing supplier debits


Applying supplier debits

Use the topic below to locate the supplier debit you want and then apply the supplier debit to one or more of your purchase balances with the supplier.

To apply a supplier debit

1.	Click Settle Returns & Refunds in the Purchases command centre. A search list appears; from this list, highlight the supplier debit you wish to apply and click the Apply to Purchase button. The Settle Returns & Refunds window appears, listing all purchases (open, closed and pending) that you conducted with the supplier.

Notice that the amount of the supplier debit appears in two places in this window: in the Debit Amount field in the top half of the window, and in the Amount Applied column at the top of the scrolling list.

2.	Take a moment to review the Amount Applied column in the scrolling list. This column is the area where you designate the purchases to which you want to apply the supplier debit.

You can apply amounts to as many purchase transactions as you like. When you place the highlight in the Amount Applied column (using the TAB key - or the ENTER key, depending upon your entries in the Preferences window - or the mouse), an amount will be entered for you automatically. If the amount you’ve applied is enough to pay the entire transaction, that amount will be suggested; otherwise, whatever amount hasn’t been applied will appear. These entries are merely suggestions; you can apply the payment to any transactions you want. Keep in mind, however, that the total amount you apply in the Amount Applied column must equal the amount that appears in the Debit Amount field.

 3.	Locate the purchase or purchases to which you want to apply the supplier debit, then enter the amount you want to apply in the appropriate field in the Amount Applied column.

4.	You can also apply the supplier debit to any unpaid finance charges you may have accrued. To do this, enter the amount you want to apply in the Finance Charge field.

5.	If the supplier gave you a discount for a particular purchase, you can enter the discount amount in the purchase’s Discount column.

6.	When you’re finished making entries in the window, click Record. At this point, a number of situations may occur:

If the Settle Returns & Refunds window closes, you successfully applied the supplier debit, and you’re done!

If the total amount entered in the Amount Applied column doesn’t equal the amount displayed in the Debit Amount field at the top of the window, an alert message will appear, explaining that an unbalanced transaction can’t be recorded. Click OK to close the message, then continue to step 7.

If you applied an amount to a closed purchase - that is, a purchase that had already been fully paid - an alert message will appear, explaining that a debit purchase (a supplier debit) will be created. If this message appears, continue to step 8.

7.	To balance the transaction, you can change either the total amount in the Amount Applied column or the amount that’s displayed in the Debit Amount field.

If you change the Debit Amount field’s amount, keep in mind that you can enter an amount less than the original supplier debit amount only. Also, if you choose to do this, remember that the supplier debit won’t be fully applied; the difference between the original supplier debit and the amount you entered in the Debit Amount field will remain in the FirstAccounts system as a supplier debit.

After you’ve balanced the transaction, click Record to apply the supplier debit. You’re done!

8.	Since you applied the supplier debit to a purchase that doesn’t have an outstanding balance, the supplier debit won’t be fully applied unless you want to apply the debit to an open or pending purchase.

If you wish to return to the Settle Returns & Refunds window and apply the supplier debit to an open or pending purchase, click Cancel in the alert message, then remove the amount you applied to the closed purchase from the Amount Applied column and apply it to an open or pending purchase. When you’re finished, click Record.

If you want to go ahead and apply the supplier debit to the closed purchase anyway, click OK in the alert message; the Settle Returns & Refunds window closes, and you’re done! (Keep in mind that a supplier debit still exists for this supplier; you’ll probably want to apply it or receive a refund cheque for it sometime in the future.)


Receiving refund cheques from suppliers

Use the topic below to locate the supplier debit you want and then indicate that you’ve received a refund cheque from the supplier for the amount of the supplier debit.

To receive a refund cheque from a supplier

1.	Click Settle Returns & Refunds in the Purchases command centre. A search list appears; from this list, highlight the supplier debit for which you wish to write the refund cheque and click the Refund button. The Settle Returns & Refunds window appears, displaying a transaction in the amount of the supplier debit.

2.	If you want, make changes to the information in the window.

If you change the Amount Received field’s amount, keep in mind that you can enter an amount less than the original supplier debit amount only. Also, if you choose to do this, remember that the supplier debit won’t be fully settled; the difference between the original supplier debit and the amount you entered in the Amount Received field will remain as a supplier debit.

3.	Click Record to record the receipt of the refund cheque.


Finding supplier debits

There may be times when you want to view a supplier debit before or after you’ve applied it or received a refund cheque for it. The instructions in the topics below will help you find your suppliers’ debits.

To find a supplier debit before it’s settled

All supplier debits that haven’t been applied to purchases or received as refund cheques are located in the same place in the FirstAccounts system. To view a list of all unsettled supplier debits, click Settle Returns & Refunds in the Purchases command centre. A search list appears, displaying all your unsettled supplier debits.

To find a supplier debit after it’s applied

Follow the steps below to find a supplier debit you applied to one or more purchases in the Settle Returns & Refunds window.

1.	Highlight Purchases in the Command Centres menu. A submenu will appear; choose Find Transaction from the submenu. The Find Transaction window appears with the Purchase tab selected.

2.	In the Purchase# field, enter or select the number of the purchase whose applied supplier debit you’re looking for. A new list in the Find Transaction window appears, displaying all transactions assigned to the purchase you entered in the Purchase# field.

If you don’t remember which purchase the supplier debit is applied to, click the Card tab and enter the supplier’s name in the Name field; a list of all your transactions with the supplier, including the supplier debit, will appear in the list.

3.	Applied supplier debits are recognised by their source journal code of PJ. Search the ID# column for transactions numbered with PJ prefixes and click the zoom arrow next to the supplier debit you want to view. The Settle Returns & Refunds window appears, displaying the original supplier debit.

To find a supplier debit after you’ve entered a refund cheque for it

Follow the steps below to find a supplier debit for which you indicated that you received a refund cheque in the Settle Returns & Refunds window.

1.	Highlight Purchases in the Command Centres menu. A submenu will appear; choose Find Transaction from the submenu. The Find Transaction window appears with the Purchase tab selected. Click the Card tab.

2.	In the Name field, enter or select the name of the supplier whose refund cheque you’re looking for. A list appears in the Find Transaction window, displaying all transactions, including the refund cheque transaction, assigned to the supplier.

3.	Refund cheques from suppliers are identified by their source journal code of CR. Search the Src column for transactions assigned the CR prefix to find the transaction you want; when you find it, click the zoom arrow next to it. The Settle Returns & Refunds window appears, displaying the original refund cheque transaction.


Removing supplier debits

There may be times when you simply want to remove, or “unapply,” a supplier debit that you mistakenly applied to a purchase, or when you want to remove a refund cheque you received from a supplier. When this is the case, you can quickly remove the effects of such a transaction from your records.

 Note: Use this procedure only if your transactions are changeable

 Note: Why can’t I change a supplier debit?

Use the following instructions to remove, or “unapply,” a supplier debit that you mistakenly applied to a purchase, or to remove a refund cheque that you received from a supplier using a supplier debit.

To remove an applied supplier debit or a supplier’s refund cheque

1.	Display the transaction you want to remove in the Settle Returns & Refunds window. (If you need help doing this, see Finding supplier debits.)

2.	Choose Delete Debit from the Edit menu.


Note: Why can't I change a supplier debit?

If you wish to change a supplier debit you’ve already settled, you can’t simply change the debit. You’ll need to unapply the debit or remove the refund cheque first - using the instructions in this topic - then re-apply the debit or record a new cheque.


Reversing supplier debits

There may be times when you need to remove a transaction in the MYOB FirstAccounts system. When this is the case, you can quickly remove the effects of the transaction from your records by reversing the transaction. Then, if you want, you can enter a new, correct transaction to replace the transaction you reversed.

 Note: Use this procedure only if your transactions are unchangeable

 To reverse an applied supplier debit

 To reverse a supplier’s refund cheque


To reverse an applied supplier debit

Use the following instructions to reverse, or “unapply,” a supplier debit that you mistakenly applied to a purchase.

1.	Display the supplier debit you want to reverse in the Settle Returns & Refunds window. (If you need help doing this, see Finding supplier debits.)

2.	Choose Reverse Debit from the Edit menu. After a few moments, a new transaction, with an amount exactly opposite of the supplier debit’s amount, will be displayed in the Settle Returns & Refunds window.

If you want, you can make a few changes to the new transaction (such as the date and the memo), but you can’t change the amounts that are associated with it.

If you’re reversing a supplier debit from a previous accounting period, consider assigning a date from that period to the new transaction. This will allow your reports for that accounting period to reflect the proper amounts.

3.	Click Record to record the new transaction. The Settle Returns & Refunds window closes.

The applied supplier debit is reversed, and the balance of the purchase to which you originally applied the supplier debit is returned to its previous amount.

4.	Keep in mind that an outstanding supplier debit exists again for this supplier. To settle the supplier debit, you can either apply the amount of the supplier debit to the your outstanding purchase balance with the supplier, or you can indicate that you’ve received a refund cheque from the supplier for the amount of the supplier debit. To learn how to apply supplier debits to outstanding purchase balances, see Applying supplier debits. To learn how to receive a refund cheque, see Receiving refund cheques from suppliers.


To reverse a supplier's refund cheque

Use the following instructions to reverse a refund cheque that you received from a supplier using a supplier debit.

1.	Display the refund cheque you want to reverse in the Settle Returns & Refunds window. (If you need help doing this, see Finding supplier debits.)

2.	Choose Reverse Debit from the Edit menu. After a few moments, a new transaction, with an amount exactly opposite of the refund cheque’s amount, will be displayed in the Settle Returns & Refunds window.

If you want, you can make a few changes to the new transaction (such as the date and the memo), but you can’t change the amounts that are associated with it.

If you’re reversing a refund cheque from a previous accounting period, consider assigning a date from that period to the new transaction. This will allow your reports for that accounting period to reflect the proper amounts.

3.	Click Record to record the new transaction. The Settle Returns & Refunds window closes. The refund cheque is reversed.

4.	Keep in mind that an outstanding supplier debit exists again for this supplier. To settle the supplier debit, you can either apply the amount of the supplier debit to your outstanding purchase balance with the supplier or indicate that you’ve received a refund cheque from the supplier for the amount of the supplier debit. To learn how to apply supplier debits to outstanding purchase balances, see Applying supplier debits. To learn how to receive a refund cheque, see Receiving refund cheques from suppliers.


Cheques

In FirstAccounts, cheques are transactions that affect your company’s cheque accounts, credit card accounts, petty cash accounts and other cash accounts.

In this part:

 Writing cheques

 Tracking credit card purchases

 Creating and recording recurring cheques

 Finding cheques

 Changing cheques

 Removing cheques

 Voiding cheque numbers

 Reversing cheques

 Entering withdrawals without writing cheques

Also see:

Reconciling your cheque account

Paying your suppliers electronically


Writing cheques

To write a cheque in FirstAccounts, you’ll complete the steps below.

Checklist: How to write a cheque

 Step 1: Identify where the money for the cheque will be drawn from

 Step 2: Enter details about the cheque

 Step 3: Indicate which accounts will be affected by the transaction

 Step 4: Choose what you want to do with the transaction


Step 1: Identify where the money for the cheque will be drawn from

The list in the upper left corner of the Spend Money window displays all the cheque accounts you’ve set up. Remember that cheque accounts can be used for any cash disbursement method. Credit cards, petty cash, money market accounts and other methods for making payments may be displayed in this list.

 Note: If you want to add an account to the list

1.	Choose the account that will be used for this cheque.

2.	Mark the Handwritten option if you’re recording a paper cheque that’s already been written, or if you’re recording another type of transaction (such as a petty cash payment) that doesn’t require a printed cheque at the end of the transaction.

 Step 2: Enter details about the cheque


Step 2: Enter details about the cheque

Fill in the information in the cheque form area of the Spend Money window, just as you would if you were writing a paper cheque.

1.	Enter or select the name of the supplier, employee or customer to whom you want to make the payment.

2.	After you enter a card name, some entries appear automatically in the top half of the window. These automatic entries - known as default entries in FirstAccounts - are merely suggestions to help you enter your data more quickly. You can make changes to these entries, if you wish.

 Note: Entering transactions in the 13th period

3.	You can use the Memo field to record the purpose of the cheque. We recommend that you make a detailed comment, so you’ll be able to identify the purpose of the cheque when you review your records later on.

4.	In the Amount field, enter the amount being paid.

 Step 3: Indicate which accounts will be affected by the transaction


Entering transactions in the 13th period
Note: Entering transactions in the 13th period

If you chose to use 13 accounting periods in your financial year, FirstAccounts still divides your Financial year into 12 calendar months. The 13th period doesn’t follow the 12 months chronologically; instead, you can use any date you want to enter transactions in the 13th period. To do so, however, you must enter transaction dates a little differently than you’re accustomed to.

To enter a transaction for the 13th period, enter an asterisk (*) in the Date field before you enter the transaction’s actual date. For example, if you want to place a transaction in the 13th period and want to indicate that the transaction was an adjustment for a transaction you originally entered on the 12th of December in 1999, enter *12/12/99. (If you simply want to place a transaction in the 13th period and the actual date doesn’t matter, you can enter whatever date you want following the asterisk). Regardless of the date you enter after the asterisk, that month’s accounting records won’t be affected by the entry.


Step 3: Indicate which accounts will be affected by the transaction

Next, indicate which General Ledger account or accounts will be affected - what debt will be reduced or “paid off,” in effect - by the transaction. You’ll make these entries in the scrolling list below the cheque form.

The entry on each line in the scrolling list is called a line item.

The line items you enter indicate which accounts will be affected by the cheque. To do enter line items, simply enter account numbers in the Allocation Account columns and amounts in the Amount column. Select the Tax code that applies to this line item. Note that you will need to have setup the linked Account for Tax Credits to be able to record the cheque with a tax code. For more information on selecting a Tax Code, click here.

The cheque amount you entered in the Amount field in the top half of the window is considered a credit amount, and the amounts you enter in this column are considered debit amounts. If you want an amount in the Amount column in the scrolling list to be used as a credit instead, enter the amount as a negative number.

Keep in mind that the total amount you apply in the Amount column must equal the amount that appears in the Amount field in the top half of the window before you can record the transaction.

 Step 4: Choose what you want to do with the transaction


Step 4: Choose what you want to do with the transaction

Now that you’ve finished making entries in the Spend Money window, there are a number of tasks you can perform with the transaction. Be sure to review all the following options before you choose what you want to do.

To see how the cheque will affect your financial records

Choose Recap Transaction from the Edit menu to view the accounting entries that will be made to your financial records when you record the cheque.

To print and record a cheque

1.	Click the Print button in the Spend Money window.

2.	A message appears, explaining that the transaction will be recorded before it’s printed. Click OK to begin the printing process.

3.	Choose Save from the File menu to permanently store the transaction in your financial records.

To record the cheque

To record the cheque without printing it, click the Record button. After you record the cheque, choose Save from the File menu to permanently store the cheque in your financial records.

See Printing and reprinting cheques for information about printing a cheque or batch of cheques after you’ve recorded them.

To store the cheque as a recurring cheque

If you want to store the cheque information so you can use it many times in the future, follow these steps.

1.	Click the Save Recurring button to open the Save Recurring Transaction window.

2.	Enter the necessary information about the transaction in this window.

3.	Click Record to close the Save Recurring Transaction window.

4.	If you want to record the cheque as an actual transaction now, click the Record button in the Spend Money window. If you don’t want to record the cheque at this time, click the Cancel button.

See Creating and recording recurring cheques for detailed information about performing more tasks with recurring cheques.


Tracking credit card purchases

You can use the Spend Money window to track purchases you make with your company’s credit cards. Use the instructions in the topics below to record your credit card purchases and payments.

Use the following procedures to track the balance due and expenses incurred on a company credit card.

 Idea: Create a credit card account first

To record purchases made using a company credit card

1.	In the Spend Money window, choose the credit card account you wish to use from the chequing accounts list.

2.	Enter the date, amount of the credit card purchase, payee and memo in the Spend Money window.

3.	In the scrolling list, enter the allocation account you want to use. This account usually is an expense account.

4.	Click Record to record the credit card purchase.

To record a payment on a credit card account

1.	In the Spend Money window, choose the cheque account you’ll use to make this payment from the cheque accounts list. Enter the credit card company’s name in the Payee field. Enter the amount you paid.

2.	For the principal amount of the bill, create a line item in the scrolling list. Enter the liability account you’ve created to track purchases made with this credit card in the Allocation Account column. For a finance charge amount, create another line item, using your finance charge expense account in the Allocation Account column.

3.	If you don’t have time to record credit card purchases as you make them, record your purchases when the statement arrives and allocate them to the appropriate expense accounts.

4.	As with cheque accounts, you can reconcile your credit card account using the Reconcile Accounts window. See Reconciling cheque accounts for more information.


Idea: Create a credit card account first

Before you begin recording credit card purchases, be sure to create a liability account to track the amount owed to each credit card provider. These accounts must be detail credit card accounts. For more information about creating credit card accounts, see Creating accounts.


Creating and recording recurring cheques

If you plan to record the same cheque on a regular basis, you may want to consider creating a recurring cheque. When you create a recurring cheque, the transaction information is saved in a separate “holding area” where you can retrieve the transaction as many times as you want in the future.

Until you record them, recurring cheques have no effect on your financial records.

To create a recurring cheque

1.	Use the Spend Money window to create a cheque as you normally do.

2.	Click the Save Recurring button. The Save Recurring Transaction window appears.

3.	Enter the necessary information about the transaction in this window, then click Record. The transaction is saved as a recurring transaction.

 Warning: You haven’t recorded the transaction yet

To record a recurring cheque

You can record a recurring cheque as many times and as often as you want.

1.	In the Spend Money window, click the Use Recurring button.

2.	A window will appear, displaying all recurring transactions you’ve set up. Double-click the transaction you want; the transaction’s information will appear in the Spend Money window.

3.	Be sure to review all the information that appears in the window to be sure it’s correct. Pay particular attention to the date and cheque number; if you need to find this transaction in the future, you’ll need to remember this information.

4.	To record the transaction, click Record. The recurring cheque will be recorded as an actual transaction, and will also remain available in the recurring transaction “holding area” for future use.


Finding cheques

After you record a cheque, you’ll probably want to view the transaction again in the future. You may also want to find a recurring cheque to record it. Use the instructions in the topics below to find your cheque transactions.

To find a cheque

1.	Choose Chequebook/Find Transaction from the Command Centres menu. The Find Transaction window appears with the Account tab selected.

2.	If you know one of the accounts affected by the transaction you want to view, enter the account number in the Account field.

3.	If you aren’t sure which account is affected, click the arrow next to the Account field to display a search list of all FirstAccounts accounts. Find the account you want in this list and click the Use Account button.

4.	The transactions recorded for the selected account this month appear in the scrolling list in the Find Transaction window.

5.	If the transaction you want was recorded in a previous month, change the dates in the Dated From and To fields to show the month (or months) you want. If you know the cheque number, enter it in the ID fields.

6.	The transaction you’re looking for should appear in the scrolling list. If you want to view detail about the transaction, click the zoom arrow next to the transaction’s ID number to open the Spend Money window.

 To find a recurring cheque


To find a recurring cheque

1.	In the Spend Money window, click the Use Recurring button.

2.	A window will appear, displaying all recurring transactions you’ve set up. Double-click the cheque you want; the recurring cheque will be displayed in the Spend Money window.

To display a list of recurring cheques

Follow these steps to view a list of all your recurring cheques. These steps will also allow you to record these transactions automatically.

1.	Choose Chequebook/To Do List from Command Centres menu. The To Do List window appears.

2.	Click the Recurring Transactions tab to display a list of all your recurring General Journal entries, recurring cheques and recurring deposits.

3.	If you want to view detail about a specific transaction, click the zoom arrow to the left of the transaction’s name.

4.	If you want to record one or several of the transactions in the list, click the Action column for the transactions you want to record.

 Warning: Read this before you record recurring cheques using the To Do List

5.	When you’ve marked the recurring cheques you want to record, click the Record button at the bottom of the To Do List window.


Warning: Read this before you record recurring cheques using the To Do List

If you choose to record recurring cheques using the To Do List window, keep in mind that the transactions will be recorded automatically if you use the Action column; you won’t get a chance to review or change any of the transactions before they’re recorded. If you’re not sure you want to record a particular transaction, we suggest you click the zoom arrow pointing to the transaction and record the cheque from there.

The cheque account that will be used for all cheques that are recorded using the To Do List window is the account listed in the Cheque Account For Paying Bills field of the Accounts Payable Linked Accounts window.


Changing cheques

Occasionally, you’ll find it necessary to make a change to a cheque you’ve already recorded. The instructions in the topics below will help you make your changes so your records are updated properly.

 Note: Use this section only if your transactions are changeable

To change a cheque

1.	Display the cheque you want to change in the Spend Money window. (If you need help doing this, see Finding cheques.)

2.	To change the cheque, change the information in the Spend Money window in the same way you normally enter information. When you’re finished, click Record.

 To change a recurring cheque’s name or frequency

 To change a recurring cheque’s line items and other information


To change a recurring cheque's name or frequency

1.	In the Spend Money window, click the Use Recurring button to open the Select a Recurring Transaction window.

2.	Highlight the recurring cheque you want to change and click Edit to open the Save Recurring Transaction window.

3.	Make your changes in the Save Recurring Transaction window, then click Record.

4.	In the Select a Recurring Transaction window, click OK.


To change a recurring cheque's line items and other information

1.	Wait until the next time you need to record the cheque.

2.	When you’re ready to record the cheque, display it as you normally do in the Spend Money window and make your changes.

3.	When you’re finished changing the cheque, click Record. Your changes will be reflected in the transaction the next time you display it in the Spend Money window.


Removing cheques

There may be times when you want to remove a cheque. When this is the case, you can quickly remove the effects of such a transaction from your records.

 Note: Use this section only if your transactions are changeable

To remove a cheque

1.	Display the cheque you want to remove in the Spend Money window. (If you need help doing this, see Finding cheques.)

2.	Choose Delete Cheque from the Edit menu.

Note: If the transaction you want to remove has been reconciled, it is advisable to reverse the cheque.

To remove a recurring cheque

When you remove a recurring cheque, the cheque is removed from your list of recurring cheques only. Any transactions you recorded using a recurring cheque you remove won’t be affected.

1.	In the Spend Money window, click the Use Recurring button to open the Select a Recurring Transaction window.

2.	Highlight the recurring cheque you want to remove and click Delete.


Voiding cheque numbers

When you void a cheque number, no amounts are assigned to the cheque; instead, VOID appears as the cheque’s amount in the Cash Disbursements Journal. You may want to void a cheque number if you don’t want a particular cheque number to be used again.

 Note: Voiding versus removing

To void a cheque number

1.	In the Spend Money window, change the cheque number to the number you wish to void. Change the date to the date you want to be displayed for the voided cheque. (The date, however, isn’t crucial, since no accounting transaction will be recorded.)

2.	You can make an entry in the Payee field, but it isn’t required.

3.	Don’t enter an account number or an amount on the cheque.

4.	Click Record. A dialog box appears, asking whether you wish to void the cheque number. Click OK.


Note: Voiding versus Removing

The process of voiding a cheque number shouldn’t be confused with the process of removing a cheque. When cheques are removed from FirstAccounts, their cheque numbers still exist, and can be used again; when cheque numbers are voided, they can’t be used again. You might want to consider voiding a cheque number after its cheque has been removed, if you’re certain you don’t want to use that cheque number again.


Reversing cheques

There may be times when you need to change or remove a transaction you’ve entered into the FirstAccounts system. When this is the case, you can quickly remove the effects of the transaction from your records by reversing the transaction. Then, if you want, you can enter a new, correct transaction to replace the transaction you reversed.

 Note: Use this section only if your transactions are unchangeable

To reverse a cheque

1.	Display the cheque you want to reverse in the Spend Money window. (If you need help doing this, see Finding cheques.)

2.	Choose Reverse Cheque Transaction from the Edit menu. After a few moments, a new transaction, containing amounts exactly opposite of the amount in the cheque will be displayed in the Spend Money window.

If you want, you can make a few changes to the new transaction (such as the date and the memo), but you can’t change the accounts and amounts that are associated with it.

If you’re reversing a cheque from a previous accounting period, consider assigning a date from that period to the new transaction. This will allow your reports for that accounting period to reflect the proper amounts.

3.	Click Record to save the reversed cheque.

At this point, the cheque is reversed. All account balances have been returned to their previous levels.


Entering withdrawals without writing cheques

Use the procedure below for entering a withdrawal from a cheque account by using the Spend Money window. See Writing cheques for more detailed information about writing cheques.

1.	In the Chequebook Command Centre, click Spend Money to open the Spend Money window.

2.	In the Cheque No. field, enter a non-numeric word or phrase to describe the withdrawal. That way, you’ll know the transaction isn’t an actual cheque when you view it in a transaction or journal window or on a report. This will also allow you to skip the transaction when you print a range of numbered cheques.

3.	Complete the other fields in the Spend Money window as you would for any other cheque transaction.

4.	Click Record to record the transaction.


Printing a batch of cheques
Printing cheques

You can print and reprint individual cheques, or you can print several cheques at the same time - the choice is yours.

You can also customise the look of your printed cheques. See Customising forms for detailed information about customising your printed forms.

 Choosing the cheques you want to print

 Printing and reprinting cheques


Choosing the cheques you want to print

After you’ve recorded a cheque, you can print it. You can also choose a specific set of cheques to print.

To choose the cheques you want to print

In the Chequebook  command centre, click Print Cheques to open the Forms Selection window for cheques.

To choose a form layout for your cheques

In the Forms Selection window, you can choose to print your cheques on pre-printed blank forms or on blank paper, and you can customise your cheques so they’ll look the way you want them to look. Collectively, these choices are called form layouts in FirstAccounts. See Choosing a form layout  for information about choosing a form layout for your cheques.


Printing and reprinting cheques

Follow these steps to print your cheques. If you want to print some cheques you’ve already printed, be sure the Unprinted Cheques Only selection is not marked in the Forms Selection window before you use these instructions.

 Before you begin printing

To print and reprint your cheques

1.	Insert blank cheque forms in your printer.

2.	After you’ve selected the cheques you want to print in the Forms Selection window, click the OK button. The Review Cheques Before Printing window will appear, listing the transactions you selected in the Forms Selection window. The Print column in the Review window contains a mark for each cheque that will be printed. If you don’t want to print a particular cheque in the list, click it’s mark in the Print column. You can also choose to print more than one copy of each cheque from this window.

3.	To begin printing the forms, click the Print button in the Review Cheques Before Printing window. Depending upon how your computer is set up, the first form may begin to print immediately, or a print window may appear on your computer screen. If a print window appears, make your selections in the window, then click the button in the window that begins the printing process (the button is usually labeled “OK” or “Print”).

 Note: If you can’t make entries in your print selection window

To reprint a single cheque

1.	Insert blank cheque forms in your printer.

2.	Display the cheque in the Spend Money window. (If you need help doing this, see Finding cheques.)

3.	Click the Print button.


Deposits

The deposits you enter in the Receive Money window in the Chequebook command centre can serve any cash-receipts purpose you want in FirstAccounts. In most cases, they will reflect actual payments to a bank that will increase your cheque account balance there. You could select a petty cash account, however, if you want to replenish your petty cash on hand amount.

In this part:

 Making deposits

 Creating and recording recurring deposits

 Finding deposits

 Changing deposits

 Removing deposits

 Reversing deposits


Making deposits

Checklist: How to make a deposit

 Step 1: Identify where the money from the deposit will go

 Step 2: Enter details about the deposit

 Step 3: Indicate which accounts will be affected by the transaction

 Step 4: Choose what you want to do with the transaction


Step 1: Identify where the money from the deposit will go

The list in the upper left corner of the Receive Money window displays all the cheque accounts you’ve set up. Remember that cheque accounts can be used for any method of receiving cash. Credit cards, petty cash, money market accounts and other methods for receiving money may be displayed in this list.

 Note: If you want to add an account to the list

Choose the account from the list that will be used to receive this deposit.

 Step 2: Enter details about the deposit


Step 2: Enter details about the deposit

At the top of the Receive Money window, you can enter information that will help you to identify this deposit in the future.

1.	Today’s date appears as the date of the deposit; if the deposit was made on a different date, enter that date instead, along with the amount being deposited.

 Note: Entering transactions in the 13th period

2.	In the Amount field, enter the amount being paid.

3.	In the Payor field, enter or select the name of the person or company from whom you received the payment.

4.	You can use the Memo field to record the purpose of the deposit. We recommend that you make a detailed comment, so you’ll be able to identify the purpose of the deposit when you review your records later on.

 Step 3: Indicate which accounts will be affected by the transaction


Step 3: Indicate which accounts will be affected by the transaction

In this step, you’ll enter the individual amounts that are included in this deposit, along with the account or accounts they affect. Typically these are income accounts.

To enter line items for a deposit

The scrolling list in the middle of the Receive Money window is the main area where deposits are created. When information is entered in a row in the scrolling list, the row is called a line item on the transaction. You can enter as many line items on a deposit as you want.

At this time, you can indicate which accounts will be affected by the deposit. To do this, simply enter account numbers in the Allocation Account columns and amounts in the Amount column. If a tax code applies to this transaction, enter it in the tax column. Note that you will need to have setup your linked Account for Tax Payable before you can enter a code in the tax column. For more information on tax codes, click here.

 Note: If you’re using a cash drawer account for daily bank deposits

The cheque amount you entered in the Amount field in the top half of the window is considered a debit amount, and the amounts you enter in the Amount column are considered credit amounts. If you want an amount in the Amount column in the scrolling list to be used as a debit instead, enter the amount as a negative number.

Keep in mind that the total amount you apply in the Amount column must equal the amount that appears in the Amount field in the top half of the window before you can record the transaction.

 Step 4: Choose what you want to do with the transaction


Note: If you're using a cash drawer account for daily bank deposits
Note: If you’re using a cash drawer account for daily bank deposits

If you’ve set up a cash drawer account to store all your daily cash receipts for a single deposit at your bank, be sure the account you enter in the Allocation Account columns is your cash drawer account. (To learn more about creating accounts, including a cash drawer account, see Creating accounts.)


Step 4: Choose what you want to do with the transaction

Now that you’ve finished making entries in the Receive Money window, there are a number of tasks you can perform with the transaction. Be sure to review all the following options before you choose what you want to do.

To see how the deposit will affect your financial records

Choose Recap Transaction from the Edit menu to view the accounting entries that will be made to your financial records when you record the deposit.

To record the deposit

To record the deposit, click the Record button. After you record the deposit, choose Save from the File menu to permanently store the deposit in your financial records.

 To store the deposit as a recurring deposit


To store the deposit as a recurring deposit

If you want to store the deposit information so you can use it many times in the future, follow these steps.

1.	Click the Save Recurring button to open the Save Recurring Transaction window.

2.	Enter the necessary information about the transaction in this window.

3.	Click Record to close the Save Recurring Transaction window.

4.	If you want to record the deposit as an actual transaction now, click the Record button in the Receive Money window. If you don’t want to record the deposit at this time, click the Cancel button.

See Creating and recording recurring deposits for detailed information about performing more tasks with recurring deposits.


Creating and recording recurring deposits

If you plan to record the same deposit on a regular basis, you may want to consider creating a recurring deposit. When you create a recurring deposit, the transaction information is saved in a separate “holding area” where you can retrieve the transaction as many times as you want in the future.

Until you record them, recurring deposits have no effect on your financial records.

To create a recurring deposit

1.	Use the Receive Money window to create a cheque as you normally do.

2.	Click the Save Recurring button. The Save Recurring Transaction window appears. Enter the necessary information about the transaction in this window, then click Record. The transaction is saved as a recurring transaction.

 Warning: You haven’t recorded the transaction yet

To record a recurring deposit

You can record a recurring deposit as many times and as often as you want.

1.	In the Receive Money window, click the Use Recurring button.

2.	A window will appear, displaying all recurring transactions you’ve set up. Double-click the transaction you want; the transaction’s information will appear in the Receive Money window.

3.	Be sure to review all the information that appears in the window to be sure it’s correct. Pay particular attention to the date and transaction number; if you need to find this transaction in the future, you’ll need to remember this information.

4.	To record the transaction, click Record. The recurring deposit will be recorded as an actual transaction, and will also remain available in the recurring transaction “holding area” for future use.


Finding deposits

After you record a deposit, you’ll probably want to view the transaction again in the future. You may also want to find a recurring deposit to record it. Use the instructions in the topics below find your deposit transactions.

To find a deposit

1.	Choose Chequebook/Find Transaction from the Command Centres menu. The Find Transaction window appears. Click the Account tab at the top of the window.

2.	If you know one of the accounts affected by the transaction you want to view, enter the account number in the Account field.

3.	If you aren’t sure which account is affected, click the arrow next to the Account field to display a search list of all FirstAccounts accounts. Find the account you want in this list and click the Choose Account button.

4.	The transactions recorded for the selected account this month appear in the scrolling list in the Find Transaction window.

5.	If the transaction you want was recorded in a previous month, change the dates in the Dated From and To fields to show the month (or months) you want.

6.	The transaction you’re looking for should appear in the scrolling list. If you want to view detail about the transaction, click the zoom arrow next to the transaction’s ID number to open the Receive Money window.

 To find a recurring deposit


To find a recurring deposit

1.	In the Receive Money window, click the Use Recurring button.

2.	A window will appear, displaying all recurring transactions you’ve set up. Double-click the deposit you want; the recurring deposit will be displayed in the Receive Money window.

To display a list of recurring deposits

Follow these steps to view a list of all your recurring deposits. These steps will also allow you to record these transactions automatically.

1.	Choose Chequebook/To Do List from the Command Centres menu. The To Do List window appears. Alternatively, select the To Recurring Transactions from the command panel’s To Do List.

2.	Click the Recurring Transactions tab to display a list of all your recurring General Journal entries, recurring cheques and recurring deposits.

3.	If you want to view detail about a specific transaction, click the zoom arrow to the left of the transaction’s name.

4.	If you want to record one or several of the transactions in the list, click the Action column for the transactions you want to record.

 Warning: Read this before you record recurring deposits using the To Do List

5.	When you’ve marked the recurring deposits you want to record, click the Record button at the bottom of the To Do List window.


Warning: Read this before you record recurring deposits using the To Do List

If you choose to record recurring deposits using the To Do List window, keep in mind that the transactions will be recorded automatically if you use the Action column; you won’t get a chance to review or change any of the transactions before they’re recorded. If you’re not sure you want to record a particular transaction, we suggest you click the zoom arrow next to the transaction and record the deposit from that window.

The cheque account that will be used for all deposits that are recorded using the To Do List window is the account listed in the Cheque Account For Customer Receipts field of the Accounts Receivable Linked Accounts window.


Changing deposits

Occasionally, you’ll find it necessary to make a change to a deposit you’ve already recorded. The instructions in the topics below will help you make your changes so your records are updated properly.

 Note: Use this section only if your transactions are changeable

To change a deposit

1.	Display the deposit you want to change in the Receive Money window. (If you need help doing this, see Finding deposits.)

2.	To change the deposit, change the information in the Receive Money window in the same way you normally enter information. When you’re finished, click Record.

 To change a recurring deposit’s name or frequency

 To change a recurring deposit’s line items and other information


To change a recurring deposit's name or frequency

1.	In the Receive Money window, click the Use Recurring button to open the Select a Recurring Transaction window.

2.	Highlight the recurring deposit you want to change and click Edit to open the Save Recurring Transaction window.

3.	Make your changes in the Save Recurring Transaction window, then click Record.

4.	In the Select a Recurring Transaction window, click OK.


To change a recurring deposit's line items and other information

1.	Wait until the next time you need to record the deposit.

2.	When you’re ready to record the deposit, display it as you normally do in the Receive Money window and make your changes.

3.	When you’re finished changing the deposit, click Record. Your changes will be reflected in the transaction the next time you display it in the Receive Money window.


Removing deposits

There may be times when you simply want to remove a deposit. When this is the case, you can quickly remove the effects of such a transaction from your records.

 Note: Use this section only if your transactions are changeable

To remove a deposit

1.	Display the deposit you want to remove in the Receive Money window. (If you need help doing this, see Finding deposits.)

2.	Choose Delete Deposit Transaction from the Edit menu.

Note that if the transaction has been reconciled, you should reverse the deposit instead of deleting it.

To remove a recurring deposit

When you remove a recurring deposit, the deposit is removed from your list of recurring deposits only. Any transactions you recorded using a recurring deposit you remove won’t be affected.

1.	In the Receive Money window, click the Use Recurring button to open the Select a Recurring Transaction window.

2.	Highlight the recurring deposit you want to remove and click Delete.


Reversing deposits

There may be times when you need to change or remove a transaction you’ve entered into the FirstAccounts system. When this is the case, you can quickly remove the effects of the transaction from your records by reversing the transaction. Then, if you want, you can enter a new, correct transaction to replace the transaction you reversed.

 Note: Use this section only if your transactions are unchangeable

To reverse a deposit

1.	Display the deposit you want to reverse in the Receive Money window. (If you need help doing this, see Finding deposits.)

2.	Choose Reverse Deposit Transaction from the Edit menu. After a few moments, a new transaction, containing amounts exactly opposite of the amount in the deposit will be displayed in the Receive Money window.

If you want, you can make a few changes to the new transaction (such as the date and the memo), but you can’t change the accounts and amounts that are associated with it.

If you’re reversing a deposit from a previous accounting period, consider assigning a date from that period to the new transaction. This will allow your reports for that accounting period to reflect the proper amounts.

3.	Click Record to save the reversed deposit.

At this point, the deposit is reversed. All account balances have been returned to their previous levels.


Jobs

You can use MYOB FirstAccounts to keep an accurate and detailed record of your jobs and profit centers. Specific job-tracking tasks you can accomplish include:

Organise jobs in a chart of accounts-like hierarchy

Set account-by-account budgets for each job

Link jobs to specific customers

Assign individual line items on transactions to jobs

Track reimbursable expenses for your jobs

Prepare reimbursement invoices with markup

Extensively analyse profit and loss for a job

In this part:

 Creating jobs

 Assigning transactions to jobs

 Reimbursing job expenses

 Finding jobs

 Reviewing your job information

 Changing jobs’ reimbursable expenses

 Removing jobs and reimbursable expenses


Creating jobs

To create a job in FirstAccounts, you’ll complete the steps below.

Checklist: How to create a job

 Step 1: Assign a number to the job

 Step 2: Link a customer to the job (optional)

 Step 3: Enter details about the job and save the job

 Step 4: Enter opening balances for the job (optional)

 Step 5: Create budgets for the job (optional)


Step 1: Assign a number to the job

If you already have jobs set up for your company, the number you assign to a new job is very important. When you print the Jobs List, Job Profit & Loss Report and a number of other job-related reports, you can select a range of jobs to include on the report. If you wish to print job reports for particular groups or types of customers, consider assigning job numbers that are similar for each of these groups. For example, you could begin job numbers for your wholesale customers with the letter W; then if you wished to see information about your wholesale customers’ jobs only, you could print reports for a range of jobs from W0001 to W9999.

We recommend that you review the Jobs List window to become familiar with the numbering scheme that you’ve assigned to your existing jobs.

To assign a job number

In the Job Number field, enter the number you want to use to identify this job.

 Step 2: Link a customer to the job (optional)


Step 2: Link a customer to the job (optional)

Take a moment to review the Linked Customer field. If you wish for the job to be associated with a particular customer, you can “link” that customer to the job.

To link a customer to the job

In the Linked Customer field, enter or select the customer you want to link to this job.

If you link a customer to the job, you also can track reimbursable expenses for the job if you like. Reimbursable expenses are those expenses you incur on behalf of a customer, and for which the customer ultimately will pay you. For example, if you buy building materials for a customer’s project and the customer will repay you for those materials, the cost of the materials is considered a reimbursable expense.

To track these expenses, mark the Track Reimbursables option.

 Step 3: Enter details about the job and save the job


Step 3: Enter details about the job and save the job

Once you’ve entered a job number and linked a customer to the job, you can fill in the remaining fields in the New Job window.  These fields are provided for your information only and may be left blank if tracking the information isn’t important to you.

When you’re finished making entries in the New Job window, click OK to enter the job into the FirstAccounts system.

 Step 4: Enter opening balances for the job (optional)


Step 4: Enter opening balances for the job (optional)

If you’ve been working on a job for some time before you enter its information into the FirstAccounts system, you can quickly update your FirstAccounts records by entering all the previous activity that’s occurred with the job on an account-by-account basis. Follow these instructions to enter a job’s opening balances:

To enter opening balances for the job

1.	From the Setup menu, choose Balances/Job Opening Balances to open the Job Opening Balances window.

2.	In the Job Number field, enter or select the number of the job. When you make an entry in this field, the scrolling list will display all of your company’s income and expense accounts.

3.	In the Opening Balances column, enter any opening balances that apply to the job.

1.	When you’re finished making entries in the Opening Balances column, click OK to close the window.

 Step 5: Create budgets for the job (optional)


Step 5: Create budgets for the job (optional)

You can enter a budget amount, by account, for every job in the FirstAccounts system. The budget information you enter for each job is used for analysis to help you assess your progress on a particular job and to determine the job’s effect on the state of your business. Follow these instructions to enter budgets for a job in the Job Budgets by Account window.

To create a budget for the job

1.	In the Jobs List window, highlight the job whose budgets you want to enter and click the Budgets button. The Job Budgets by Account window appears, displaying the number of the job you selected in the Job Number field; all of your company’s income and expense accounts appear in the scrolling list.

2.	In the Budgets column, enter the amounts you’ve budgeted for specific accounts for this job.

3.	When you’re finished making entries in the Budgets column, click OK to close the window.


Assigning transactions to jobs

Regardless of whether you’re tracking job expenses for customer reimbursement or you’re simply curious about how much revenue you’re receiving from your jobs, you need to be sure you’re properly assigning transaction activity to your jobs. This topics below provide a few tips on how to effectively track your job-related business.

Tip #1: Look for the Job column in transaction entry windows

Most transaction-entry windows in FirstAccounts consist of scrolling lists, where line item detail is entered for each transaction you record. In these scrolling lists - usually, at the far right end - is the Job column, where you can assign a particular job to each line item in the transaction.

The windows in which a Job column exists include:

General Journal Entry	Enter Purchases
Receive Money	Enter Sales

Spend Money

Tip #2: Don’t forget to assign all line items in a transaction to the appropriate jobs

Don’t forget that each line item in a transaction can be assigned to a specific job. If you assign only the top line item in a scrolling list to a job, the other line items below it will not be assigned to that job automatically. You’ll need to make an entry in the Job column for each line item.

Of course, if you don’t want to assign a line item to a job, you can leave that line item’s Job column blank.

Tip #3: Remember the jobs for which you’re tracking reimbursables

Unless you’ve set up an organised scheme of numbering your jobs so you can easily recognise those jobs for which you’re tracking reimbursable expenses, it might not be readily apparent which jobs in your system are your “reimbursement jobs.” Keep in mind, when you’re assigning expenses to jobs, that you may also be building up a list of expenses that need reimbursement sometime in the future.

You can assign reimbursable expenses to jobs in two windows:

Enter Purchases window  You can assign line items from any type of purchase to a job for reimbursement.

Spend Money window  You can assign line items on a cheque to a job for reimbursement, as long as the line items for which you want to be reimbursed are allocated to an expense account.

For information about creating invoices that bill for reimbursable expenses, see Billing the customer for reimbursable job expenses.


Getting reimbursed for job expenses

If you’ve set up a job to track reimbursable expenses, and you’ve linked that job to a customer, you can assign expense transactions to the job and quickly prepare invoices that bill the customer for the job’s reimbursable expenses.

Assigning reimbursable expenses to a job is easy; see Assigning transactions to jobs for information about how to make your assignments.

Creating a sale that includes reimbursable job expenses is nearly the same as the process of creating any other type of sale. See Entering sales to learn how to enter a sale; note that you’ll use Step 3 of that procedure to add your reimbursable expenses to a sale.

These topics focus solely on a couple of tips that will assist you when it’s time for you to bill the customer for reimbursable job expenses. Please read through these topics carefully; you might find it will save you a great deal of time.

Tip #1: Become familiar with how various sales types affect reimbursements

One important choice you’ll make will affect the method by which FirstAccounts tracks reimbursable expenses: the type of sale you choose to create to bill the customer. Specifically, if you normally create item invoices, your method of tracking reimbursable job expenses will differ from the method that’s used to track reimbursable job expenses on service invoices, professional invoices and miscellaneous sales.

When you’re reimbursing job expenses on sales, always keep in mind the type of sale you’ve selected. The following tips will help you understand how this choice will affect the way you work with reimbursements. (To acquaint yourself with how different types of sales affect reimbursable job expenses, we suggest you review the sample data file, Aardvark, that was installed when you installed your FirstAccounts system.)

 Tip #2: Use a placeholder item to track reimbursements on item invoices

 Tip #3: Use a special account to track reimbursements on other types of sales


Tip #2: Use a placeholder item to track reimbursements on item invoices

When you create an item invoice in the Enter Sales window and click the Reimburse button to open the Customer Reimbursable Expenses window, the field at the top of the window will be labeled Reimbursement Item. In this field, you’ll enter the number of an item that serves as a “placeholder item” on your item invoices, so you can enter any type of expenses - items or services - on the item invoice. This placeholder item isn’t a physical item at all; it merely exists so you can place any of your reimbursable expenses on item invoices.

To use a placeholder item, you’ll first need to create it using windows in the Sales command centre.

An example of how the placeholder item works on item invoices

Let’s use an example to further clarify the purpose of the placeholder item. Say you’ve already entered some reimbursable expenses for Job 0412, and you’ve already created a placeholder item named “Job Item.”

You’ve also opened the Enter Sales window and begun creating an item invoice, and you’ve clicked the Reimburse button in the Enter Sales window. The Customer Reimbursable Expenses window appears.

Enter your Job Item in the Reimbursement Item field, then click the Action column for the two reimbursable expenses in the scrolling list. When you’re finished, click the Reimburse button at the bottom of the window.

The Enter Sales window reappears, displaying the two line items that were previously in the Customer Reimbursable Expenses window. Each line item is assigned to your Job Item, as well as to Job 0412.

When you click Record in the Enter Sales window, the reimbursable expenses will be recorded on the item invoice. That’s it!

To create a placeholder item

See Creating items for detailed instructions about creating items.

1.	In the Sales command centre, click Invoice Items, then click New to open the Invoice Item Information window.

2.	When you create the item, enter an item number and name (we suggest you give the item a name and number of “Job Item” so the purpose of the item is easy for you to remember).

3.	Enter the income account you use for reimbursable expenses.

4.	Leave the remainder of the fields in the Invoice Item Information window blank, then click OK.

You can now use the placeholder item to track your reimbursable job expenses on item invoices.


Tip #3: Use a special account to track reimbursements on other types of sales

When you create a service invoice, professional invoice or miscellaneous sale in the Enter Sales window and click the Reimburse button to open the Customer Reimbursable Expenses window, the field at the top of the window will be labeled Reimbursement Account. In this field, you’ll enter the number of an income account that will track your reimbursed expense amounts.

If you wish, you can create a special account to track your reimbursed expenses. Keep in mind that this account should be an income account. To learn how to create an account, see Creating accounts.

One note about your reimbursement account, however. When you create a sale other than an item invoice, you can include reimbursements for the purchase of actual items on the sale. (In effect, then, you can include items on a service invoice.) When you do this, however, the balance of the account you enter in the Reimbursement Account field will NOT be affected by the actual items in the transaction; instead, the normal income accounts that were assigned to the items in the Item Information window will be affected.


Finding jobs

After you create a job and begin assigning transactions to it, you’ll probably want to view the job again in the future. Follow the steps below to find one of your FirstAccounts jobs.

To find a job

1.	In the General Ledger command centre, click Jobs List to open the Jobs List window.

2.	All the jobs in your company appear in the scrolling list, along with summaries of their income, cost of sales, expenses and net profit or loss.

3.	If you want to view more detailed information about a particular job, click the zoom arrow next to the job’s number in the scrolling list. The Edit Job window will appear, where you can view or change details about the job.

If you’re tracking reimbursable expenses for a job, you can also click the Reimburse button to open the Job Reimbursable Expenses window, which shows all the reimbursable expenses that have accumulated for the job.


Reviewing your job information

An important part of managing your job activity revolves around reviewing the data that you’ve entered for your jobs and understanding its effects on your overall financial picture. FirstAccounts contains a number of tools that allow you to review your job information so you can make better decisions about your business.

To print lists that contain job-related information

A number of FirstAccounts reports are available for you to view your job activity. Use the Index to Reports window to print or display any of the following reports:

Job Activity (Detail)	Job Reimbursable Expenses
Job Activity (Summary)	Jobs (Budget Analysis)
Job Inquiry	Jobs List
Job Profit & Loss

Analysing your job activity

Understanding the “big picture” of your job activity will help you identify income trends, recognise possible cost overruns and anticipate your company’s future revenues. The Analyse Jobs window will help you perform this important task by providing various illustrations - in graphs or in lists - of your job activity.

To analyse your job activity

1.	Choose General Ledger/Analyse Jobs from the Command Centres menu. The Analyse Jobs window will appear. Alternatively, select Jobs from the command panel’s MYOB Analyst.

2.	In the Job Number field, enter or select the number of the job whose information you want to review.


Changing jobs' reimbursable expenses

Occasionally, you’ll find it necessary to make changes to specific job information, including the reimbursable expenses that are assigned to jobs. The instructions in this topic will help you make your changes so your records are updated properly.

Changing the reimbursement status of expenses

The Job Reimbursable Expenses window displays all the reimbursable expenses assigned to individual jobs. This window is divided into two lists; one contains expenses that are reimbursed, and one contains expenses that aren’t reimbursed yet. It’s possible that you might experience a situation where you want to move an expense from one of these lists to the other. To do this, follow these steps.

To change the reimbursement status of an expense

1.	In the General Ledger command centre, click Jobs List to open the Jobs List window.

2.	All the jobs in your company appear in the scrolling list. Highlight the job whose expenses you want to change, then click Edit to open the Edit Jobs window.

3.	Click the Reimburse button to open the Job Reimbursable Expenses window, which shows all the reimbursable expenses that have accumulated for the job. Notice that the top of the window shows two tabs, labeled To Be Reimbursed and Reimbursed/Removed. When you click a tab, the transactions with the appropriate status fill the scrolling list.

4.	Find the expense whose status you want to change, then mark the expense’s Remove column at the right end of the scrolling list.

5.	Click the Remove From List button at the bottom of the window to move the expense to the other list in the window.

Keep in mind that when you click the Remove From List button, the expense is merely moved to a different list; it isn’t actually removed from your financial records. If you want to completely remove an expense from your records, see Removing jobs and reimbursable expenses.

To change the transaction detail of a reimbursable expense

Reimbursable expenses are transactions that can be changed just like any other transactions in the FirstAccounts system. If you want to change a reimbursable expense’s transaction detail, use the topics below that describe how to change the transaction you want to alter:

Changing purchases

Changing cheques

Remember, if your transactions are unchangeable, you’ll need to reverse an incorrect transaction and create an entirely new transaction to correct your records.


Removing jobs and reimbursable expenses

There may be times when you simply don’t need the record of a particular job’s activity anymore. When this is the case, you can quickly remove the effects of the job from your FirstAccounts records.

To remove a job

1.	All reimbursable transactions assigned to the job must be removed from the To Be Reimbursed list in the Job Reimbursable Expenses window before you can remove the job from the FirstAccounts system. You can do this in one of two ways:

Simply change the status of all the job’s expenses to “Reimbursed.” Choose this method if you only want to remove the job - not all the transactions that are associated with it. See Changing the reimbursement status of expenses to learn how to change the reimbursement status of an expense.

Completely remove the expenses that appear in the To Be Reimbursed list of the Job Reimbursable Expenses window from your FirstAccounts records. Choose this method if you want to remove both the job and all transactions that are associated with it. See Removing jobs and reimbursable expenses to learn how to remove entire expense transactions.

Once all the transactions are removed from the To Be Reimbursed list of the Job Reimbursable Expenses window, you’re ready to remove the job.

2.	In the Jobs List window, highlight the job you want to remove and click Edit to open the Edit Job window.

3.	From the Edit menu at the top of your computer screen, choose Delete Job.

To remove a reimbursable expense transaction

Reimbursable expenses are transactions that can be removed just like any other transactions in the FirstAccounts system. If you want to completely remove a reimbursable expense from your records, use the instructions in this manual that describe how to remove the transaction:

Removing purchases

Reversing purchases

Removing cheques

Reversing cheques


Items

In MYOB FirstAccounts terms, the word invoice item is used to describe:

A physical unit that your company sells.

One of your company’s services that you’d like to include on item invoices. Such an item is often referred to as a service item.

In this part:

 Creating items

 Changing items

 Removing items


Creating items

To create an invoice item in FirstAccounts you’ll complete the steps below.

Checklist: How to create an invoice item

 Step 1: Create the type of item record you need

 Step 2: Enter the item’s sales history (optional)

 Step 3: Add the item to your records


Step 1: Create the type of item record you need

You can create many types of item records. Read the following information carefully, so you’re sure you’re creating the item record you need.

Many, if not all, of your items are probably items that you buy from suppliers and sell to customers.

 To create a record for an invoice item you sell

If your business provides various services, you can create item records for each service, and then enter the “service items” on item invoices. This is particularly helpful if you bill your customers for both physical items and services; using this strategy, you can include all your billable costs on the same type of invoice.

 To create a record for a service item

If you want to create more than one line of text to describe a line item on an item invoice, or if you want to include a blank line between line items on an item invoice, you can set up a special “item” in the Sales command centre to give you the space you need.

 To create a record for an item that serves a special purpose on an invoice

You can create a special “placeholder item” for tracking reimbursable job expenses on your item invoices.

 To create a “placeholder item” to track reimbursable job expenses on item invoices

 Step 2: Enter the item’s sales history (optional)


To create a record for an item you sell

1.	In the Sales command centre, click Invoice Items to open the Invoice Items window.

2.	Click the New button at the bottom of the window to open the Invoice Item Information window.

3.	In the Item # field, enter a unique number to assign to the new item. You can use numbers, letters and symbols in the item number.

 Idea: Organise your items into groups

4.	Enter the name of the new item in the Name field.

5.	In the Income Account field, enter the account number you want to use to track the income you receive from the sale of this item.

Many businesses also use a single account to track the income they receive from all their physical items. If you’d like to do this, be sure you enter the same account number in this field for every item you record in the FirstAccounts system.

6.	In the Selling Price field, enter the price at which you usually sell one selling unit of measure of this item.

The selling price is the normal price for one selling unit on an item invoice. For example, if you sell cans of soda in cases, enter the price of one case of soda.

7.	In the Selling Unit of Measure field, enter the item’s selling unit of measure - that is, the method by which this item is packaged when you sell it. The selling unit of measure is printed on item invoices.

Some typical units of measure include Each, Pair, Case, Gross and Hour. For example, assume one of your items is a lamp set that’s always sold in pairs; this item could be assigned the selling unit of measure of Pair. Therefore, you’d enter Pair in the Selling Unit of Measure field.

8.	If you collect sales tax when you sell the item, choose the tax code you want to assign to the item from the Tax Code When Sold list. For more information on GST tax codes, click here.

9.	At this point, you’ve entered the item’s basic information. Continue to Step 2: Enter the items sales history.


Idea: Organise your items into groups

If you want to organise items into groups, you can do so by incorporating identifiers when assigning item numbers. If you construct your item numbers with additional letters or characters, when reporting on items, you can use the wild card characters to select a desired sub-group of items.

For example, if your business has two locations, append a location identifier to the end of every item number. Item number 12324-A could be used for an item in one location and 12324-B could identify the same item in the other location. When you want to print a report with items from location A only, a search for *-A would allow you to report on only those items in location A. (The process of using an asterisk to limit the information on a report is called wildcarding. Wildcarding is described in more detail in To use wildcards to filter reports.)


To create a record for a service item

1.	In the Sales command centre, click Invoice Items to open the Invoice Items window.

2.	Click the New button at the bottom of the window to open the Invoice Item Information window.

3.	In the Item # field, enter a unique number to assign to the new item. You can use numbers, letters and symbols in the item number.

4.	Enter the name of the new item in the Name field.

5.	In the Income Account field, enter the account number you want to use to track the income you receive from the sale of this service item.

Many businesses use a single account to track the income they receive from sales. If you’d like to do this, be sure you enter the same account number in this field for every item you record in the FirstAccounts system.

6.	In the Selling Price field, enter the price at which you usually sell one selling unit of measure of this service.

The selling price is the normal price for one selling unit on an item invoice. For example, if you perform consultation services on an hourly basis, enter the price of one hour of consulting.

7.	In the Selling Unit of Measure field, enter the item’s selling unit of measure - that is, the method by which this service is “packaged” when you sell it.

Some typical units of measure for services are Hour and Day.

8.	If you collect sales tax  when you sell the item, choose the tax code you want to assign to the item from the Tax Code When Sold list. For more information on GST tax codes, click here.

9.	At this point, you’ve entered the item’s basic information. Continue to Step 2: Enter the items sales history.


To create a record for an item that serves a special purpose on an invoice

1.	In the Sales command centre, click Invoice Items to open the Invoice Items window.

2.	Click the New button at the bottom of the window to open the Invoice Item Information window.

3.	In the Item # field, enter a unique number to assign to the new item, using a backslash (\) as the first character of the item’s number.

The backslash character indicates that the item number will not appear on printed forms. (The item number, will, however, appear on reports.)

4.	Enter the name of the new item in the Name field.

5.	In the Income Account field, enter the number of any income account. (You won’t be using this account to actually track any dollar amounts, so it doesn’t matter which account you use.)

6.	Make sure the other fields in the window are blank.

7.	You’ve made all the entries you need to make to this item, so you can skip the other steps in the process of creating an item. Click the OK button in the Invoice Item Information window to add the item to your records.

8.	To put the new item on an item invoice, see To use two or more line items to describe one item on an item invoice, or to create a blank line between line items.


Step 2: Enter the item's sales history

FirstAccounts can track sales figures for an item on a monthly basis. FirstAccounts tracks the total sales for an item. Sales history is kept for the current year and the previous year.

To enter the item’s sales history

You can enter historical sales amounts for the months that occurred before you began using FirstAccounts. To do this, follow these steps:

1.	Be sure the item is displayed in the Invoice Item Information window.

2.	Click the History button at the bottom of the window to open the Invoice Item Sales History window.

3.	Enter the dollar sales for the months that occurred before you began using FirstAccounts

4.	When you’re finished entering amounts, click OK in the Invoice Item Sales History window.

 Note: How an item’s sales history accumulates

 Step 3: Add the item to your records


Note: How an item's sales history accumulates

If you change an item’s sales history in the Invoice Item Sales History window, keep in mind that the change you make may not accurately reflect your actual sales totals. If you make a change and then want to use the previous amount, FirstAccounts cannot automatically reconstruct the monthly totals.


Step 3: Add the item to your records

Once you’ve entered the item’s basic information, and you’ve made a decision to enter any sales history, you’re ready to add the item to the FirstAccounts system.

To add the item to your records

1.	Be sure the item is displayed in the Item Information window.

2.	Click the OK button to add the item to your records and close the Invoice Item Information window. The Invoice Items window will appear; the new item will be displayed in the list.


Changing items

Occasionally, you might need to make a change to an item in your FirstAccounts records. You can make your changes easily using windows in the Sales command centre.

Changing basic item information

Depending upon whether you’ve used an item in a transaction, you can change most of the basic information you originally set up for the item. When you change an item’s number or name, all the information that was recorded using the item’s previous number or name will change to reflect the new information you entered.

To change an item’s basic information

1.	In the Sales command centre, click Invoice Items to open the Invoice Items window.

2.	In the list that appears in this window, click the zoom arrow next to the item whose information you want to change. The Invoice Item Information window appears, displaying the basic information assigned to the item.

3.	Make the changes you want in the Invoice Item Information window or in the Invoice Item Sales History windows.

4.	When you’re finished making changes, click OK in the Invoice Item Information window.


Removing items

If you have an item that hasn’t been assigned to any invoices, you can quickly remove its record from the FirstAccounts system.

You can’t delete an item until all open, closed and pending invoices that use the item are purged. If you’d like to get the item out of your way, change its name and number to something like “ZZZ-Delete” to move it to the end of your invoice items list. When there are no invoices in the data file linked to that item, you can then delete it as shown below.

To remove an item

1.	In the Sales command centre, click Invoice Items to open the Invoice Items window.

2.	In the list in the Invoice Items window, click the zoom arrow next to the item you want to remove. The Invoice Item Information window appears, displaying the basic information assigned to the item.

3.	From the Edit menu, choose Delete Invoice Item to remove the item.


General Journal Entries

In MYOB FirstAccounts, General Journal Entries are simple transactions you can use to track business activity that you wouldn’t want to track with other kinds of FirstAccounts transactions, such as sales or purchases. Usually, General Journal entries are used for special situations only, such as when you need to record depreciation of your company’s assets, or when you need to enter year-end adjustments to your financial records.

In this part:

 Making General Journal entries

 Recording depreciation

 Creating and recording recurring General Journal entries

 Finding General Journal entries

 Changing General Journal entries

 Removing General Journal entries

 Reversing General Journal entries


Making General Journal entries

To make a General Journal entry in MYOB FirstAccounts, you’ll complete the steps below.

Checklist: How to make a General Journal entry

 Step 1: Identify the purpose for the transaction

 Step 2: Enter the debits and credits for the transaction

 Step 3: Choose what you want to do with the transaction


Step 1: Identify the purpose for the transaction

The first step in the process of creating a General Journal entry is to identify the purpose of the transaction. By doing this, you’ll be able to find and comprehend the nature of the transaction much easier in the future.

1.	From the General Ledger command centre, click General Journal Entry to open the General Journal Entry window.

When you open the window, you’ll notice that the General Journal number and transaction date will be filled in for you automatically. These entries - called default entries in FirstAccounts - can be changed if necessary, but in most instances, you’ll probably want to keep the default entries.

 Note: Entering transactions in the 13th period

1.	To describe the transaction, enter a comment in the Memo field. Your comment should be short but detailed, so you can differentiate the transaction from other, similar transactions. For example, you might enter “Depreciation for July” or “Reversing entry for GJ000100.”

 Step 2: Enter the debits and credits for the transaction


Step 2: Enter the debits and credits for the transaction

Next, you’ll make the accounting entries that comprise the General Journal entry.

To enter the debits and credits for the transaction

Use the scrolling list in the middle of the General Journal Entry window to select the accounts that are affected by the transaction, and enter the amounts by which these accounts have been changed.

Each row of information entered in the scrolling list is called a line item. You can enter as many line items for a General Journal entry as you want, but you must have at least two line items - a debit entry and a credit entry to offset it. The entry cannot be recorded until the debit and credit totals displayed beneath the scrolling list are equal.

To assign a line item on a General Journal entry to more than one job

If you need to assign one line item to more than one job, use multiple line items to record the transaction. For example, assume you want to record the depreciation of your equipment, but you want to assign $100 of the depreciation to job 12 and $200 to job 43. To do this, you’d follow these steps:

1.	In the first line item of the transaction, enter the account you use to track depreciation, $100 in the Credit field and 12 in the Job field.

2.	In the second line item of the transaction, enter the depreciation account again, $200 in the Credit field and 43 in the Job field.

2.	Don’t forget to balance the transaction with the appropriate entries in the Debit column before you record the transaction.

 Step 3: Choose what you want to do with the transaction


Step 3: Choose what you want to do with the transaction

When you’ve finished entering debits and credits for the General Journal entry, the Out of Balance field should be blank. If it is, you’re ready to record the transaction.

To see how the transaction will affect your financial records

Choose Recap Transaction from the Edit menu to view the accounting entries that will be made to your financial records when you record the General Journal entry.

To record the transaction

To record the General Journal entry, simply click the Record button. After you record the General Journal entry, choose Save from the File menu to permanently store the transaction in your financial records.

To store the transaction as a recurring General Journal entry

If you want to store the transaction’s information so you can use it many times in the future, follow these steps.

1.	Click the Save Recurring button to open the Save Recurring Transaction window.

2.	Enter the necessary information about the transaction in this window.

3.	Click Record to close the Save Recurring Transaction window.

4.	If you want to record the transaction as an actual General Journal entry now, click the Record button in the General Journal Entry window. If you don’t want to record the transaction at this time, click the Cancel button.

See Creating and recording recurring General Journal entries for detailed information about performing more tasks with recurring General Journal entries.


Recording depreciation

Your company’s vehicles and equipment deteriorate and lose value each year. Part of the cost of vehicles and equipment can be allocated as an expense to your company each year you benefit from its use. The allocation of the cost of a piece of equipment over its useful life is called depreciation. There are several methods of depreciation, which can be used to lessen your company’s tax liability. Consult your accountant to see whether you should be depreciating vehicles and equipment and, if you should, which method is best for you.

FirstAccounts doesn’t calculate depreciation automatically, but you can quickly record your depreciation figures using a General Journal entry.

To record depreciation

1.	Create one new asset account for each of the accounts you depreciate. Add the words “Accumulated Depreciation” at the end of each new account’s name. Give the new accounts numbers that directly follow their corresponding asset accounts.

For example, say you have two accounts, Company Van, numbered 1-4200, and Computer Equipment, numbered 1-4300. For these two accounts, you’d create two new asset accounts, one called Company Van-Accumulated Depreciation, numbered 1-4201, and another called Computer Equipment-Accumulated Depreciation, numbered 1-4301.

2.	Next, create a new expense account called “Depreciation Expense.”

3.	Once you’ve determined your depreciation amounts, make General Journal entries to credit the new Accumulated Depreciation asset accounts and debit the new Depreciation Expense account. The asset accounts will always have a negative balance to show a reduction in the value of the depreciable assets.

 Note: You’ll probably perform this step often


Note: You'll probably perform this step often

This step must be repeated on a periodic basis. Many businesses depreciate assets on a monthly or quarterly basis; consult your accountant for advice about timing depreciation transactions for your company. Set the depreciation journal as a recurring entry if you plan to record the same entry on a regular basis.


Creating and recording recurring General Journal entries

If you plan to record the same General Journal entry on a regular basis, you may want to consider creating a recurring General Journal entry. When you create a recurring General Journal entry, the transaction information is saved in a separate “holding area” where you can retrieve the transaction as many times as you want in the future.

Until you record them, recurring General Journal entries have no effect on your financial records.

To create a recurring General Journal entry

1.	Use the General Journal Entry window to create a General Journal entry as you normally do.

2.	Click the Save Recurring button. The Save Recurring Transaction window appears. Enter the necessary information about the transaction in this window, then click Record. The transaction is saved as a recurring transaction.

 Warning: You haven’t recorded the transaction yet

To record a recurring General Journal entry

You can record a recurring General Journal entry as many times and as often as you want.

1.	In the General Journal Entry window, click the Use Recurring button.

2.	A window will appear, displaying all recurring transactions you’ve set up. Double-click the transaction you want; the transaction’s information will appear in the General Journal Entry window.

3.	Be sure to review all the information that appears in the window to be sure it’s correct. Pay particular attention to the date and transaction number; if you need to find this transaction in the future, you’ll need to remember this information.

4.	To record the transaction, click Record. The recurring General Journal entry will be recorded as an actual transaction, and will also remain available in the recurring transaction “holding area” for future use.


Finding General Journal entries

After you record a General Journal entry, you’ll probably want to view the transaction again in the future. You may also want to find a recurring General Journal entry to record it. Use the topics below to find your General Journal entry transactions.

To find a General Journal entry

1.	Highlight General Ledger in the Command Centres menu. A submenu appears; choose Find Transaction from the submenu. The Find Transaction window appears with the Account tab selected.

2.	If you know one of the accounts affected by the transaction you want to view, enter the account number in the Account field.

3.	If you aren’t sure which account is affected, click the arrow next to the Account field to display a search list of all your accounts. Find the account you want in this list and click the Use Account button.

4.	The transactions recorded for the selected account this month appear in the scrolling list in the Find Transaction window.

5.	If the transaction you want was recorded in a previous month, change the dates in the Dated From and To fields to show the month (or months) you want.

6.	The transaction you’re looking for should appear in the scrolling list. If you want to view detail about the transaction, click the zoom arrow next to the transaction’s ID number to open the window in which the transaction was originally entered.

 To find a recurring General Journal entry


To find a recurring General Journal entry

1.	In the General Journal Entry window, click the Use Recurring button.

2.	A window will appear, displaying all recurring transactions you’ve set up. Double-click the journal entry you want; the recurring journal entry will be displayed in the General Journal Entry window.

To display a list of recurring General Journal entries

Follow these steps to view a list of all your recurring General Journal entries. These steps will also allow you to record these transactions automatically.

1.	Highlight General Ledger in the Command Centres menu. A submenu will appear; choose To Do List from the submenu. The To Do List window appears.

2.	Click the Recurring Transactions tab to display a list of all your recurring General Journal entries, recurring cheques and recurring deposits.

3.	If you want to view detail about a specific transaction, click the zoom arrow to the left of the transaction’s name.

4.	If you want to record one or several of the transactions in the list, click the Action column for the transactions you want to record.

 Warning: Read this before you record recurring General Journal entries using the To Do List

5.	When you’ve marked the recurring General Journal entries you want to record, click the Record button at the bottom of the To Do List window.


Warning: Read this before you record recurring General Journal entries using the To Do List

If you choose to record recurring General Journal entries using the To Do List window, keep in mind that the transactions will be recorded automatically; you won’t get a chance to review or change any of the transactions before they’re recorded. If you’re not sure you want to record a particular transaction, we suggest you use the General Journal Entry window to manually enter the transaction so you have better control over the transaction than you would if you used the To Do List.


Changing General Journal entries

Occasionally, you’ll find it necessary to make a change to a General Journal entry you’ve already recorded. The topics below will help you make your changes so your records are updated properly.

 Note: Use this procedure only if your transactions are changeable

To change a General Journal entry

1.	Display the General Journal entry you want to change in the General Journal Entry window.

2.	To change the entry, change the information in the General Journal Entry window in the same way you normally enter information. When you’re finished, click Record.

 To change a recurring General Journal entry’s name or frequency

 To change a recurring General Journal entry’s line items and other information


To change a recurring General Journal entry's name or frequency

1.	In the General Journal Entry window, click the Use Recurring button to open the Select a Recurring Transaction window.

2.	Highlight the recurring General Journal entry you want to change and click Edit to open the Save Recurring Transaction window.

3.	Make your changes in the Save Recurring Transaction window, then click Record.

4.	 In the Select a Recurring Transaction window, click OK.


To change a recurring General Journal entry's line items and other information

1.	Wait until the next time you need to record the General Journal entry.

2.	When you’re ready to record the General Journal entry, display it as you normally do in the General Journal Entry window and make your changes.

3.	When you’re finished changing the General Journal entry, click Record. Your changes will be reflected in the transaction the next time you display it in the General Journal Entry window.


Removing General Journal entries

There may be times when you simply want to remove a General Journal entry. When this is the case, you can quickly remove the effects of such a transaction from your records.

 Note: Use this procedure only if your transactions are changeable

To remove a General Journal entry

1.	Display the General Journal entry you want to remove in the General Journal Entry window.

2.	Choose Delete General Journal Entry from the Edit menu.

To remove a recurring General Journal entry

1.	In the General Journal Entry window, click the Use Recurring button to open the Select a Recurring Transaction window.

2.	Highlight the recurring General Journal entry you want to remove and click Delete.


Reversing General Journal entries

There may be times when you need to change or remove a transaction you’ve entered into the MYOB FirstAccounts system. When this is the case, you can quickly remove the effects of the transaction from your records by reversing the transaction. Then, if you want, you can enter a new, correct transaction to replace the transaction you reversed.

 Note: Use this procedure only if your transactions are unchangeable

To reverse a General Journal entry

1.	Display the General Journal entry you want to reverse in the General Journal Entry window.

2.	Choose Reverse General Journal Entry from the Edit menu. After a few moments, a new transaction, containing amounts exactly opposite of the amount in the General Journal entry will be displayed in the General Journal Entry window.

If you want, you can make a few changes to the new transaction (such as the date and the memo), but you can’t change the accounts and amounts that are associated with it.

If you’re reversing a General Journal entry from a previous accounting period, consider assigning a date from that period to the new transaction. This will allow your reports for that accounting period to reflect the proper amounts. If you have started a new year in the meantime, you can only assign a date from the current year, so you may want to use the first day of the financial year as the date.

3.	Click Record to record the reversed General Journal entry.

At this point, the General Journal entry is reversed. All account balances have been returned to their previous levels.


Business Contacts

In addition to being a superior accounting system, MYOB FirstAccounts can be an effective business management tool. Using the Contact Log, you can maintain a comprehensive list of business contacts - which include sales, purchases, phone calls, mailings and so on - for every person and company that exists in your Card File. You can even use the business contacts you enter in FirstAccounts to create a system of billing for the time you spend with your customers.

Use your business contacts and the Contact Log as your business “diary.” When a customer or supplier calls, you can use the Contact Log as a tool to document a complete history of your business relationship with that contact.

In this part:

 Creating business contacts

 Finding business contacts

 Suggestions for using the Contact Log

 Removing business contacts


Creating business contacts

To create an entry in your Contact Log, you can either manually make the entry or you can set up FirstAccounts so entries are made automatically when you perform specific tasks in the program.

The only prerequisite for either method is that a card exists for the person or company for whom you want to make a business contact - and, even if a card doesn’t exist, you can quickly add one to your records while you’re in the process of making the business contact.

 Creating business contacts manually

 Creating business contacts automatically


Creating business contacts manually

If you want to create business contacts for common contact events, such as meetings or telephone calls, you’ll need to manually enter those business contacts. To do this, you’ll use the Contact Log Entry window.

To manually create a business contact

1.	In the Card File command centre, click Contact Log to open the Contact Log window. In this window, you can display all the business contacts assigned to a particular card.

2.	Click the New button to open the Contact Log Entry window.

3.	Make entries in the Contact Log Entry window to specify the details of the business contact you made.

If you want to make a business contact for a person or company that doesn’t exist in your Card File yet, click the search icon next to the Name field to open a search list. At the bottom of the list, click the New button to open the Card File Entry window. Enter the details about the person or company, then click OK. You can then enter the new card’s name in the Name field.

 Idea: Setting recontact dates

4.	When you’re finished making entries in the Contact Log Entry window, click the Record button.


Idea: Setting recontact dates

Use the Recontact Date field in the Contact Log Entry window to note the next time you should contact a card. You can use this date to:

view a list of people you need to contact in the Contact Alert section of the To Do List

designate which mailing labels you’ll print in the Mailing Labels window

choose the cards for which you’ll export information in the Create Mail Merge File window


Creating business contacts automatically

If you want to create a business contact for each sale, purchase, cheque or deposit you record, you can set up FirstAccounts to create an entry in the Contact Log automatically. You’ll do this using the Preferences window.

To automatically create a business contact

1.	From the Setup menu, choose Preferences to open the Preferences window.

2.	If you want FirstAccounts to make an automatic business contact every time you record a cheque or deposit, click the Chequebook tab in the Preferences window, then mark the Make a Contact Log Entry for Every Cheque selection and the Make a Contact Log Entry for Every Deposit selection.

If you want FirstAccounts to make an automatic business contact every time you record a sale, click the Sales tab and mark the Make a Contact Log Entry for Every Sale selection.

If you want FirstAccounts to make an automatic business contact every time you record a purchase, click the Purchases tab and mark the Make a Contact Log Entry for Every Purchase selection.

3.	When you’re finished making your selections, click OK. From this point on, a business contact will be made automatically for each type of transaction you marked in step 2.


Finding business contacts

After you record a business contact, you might want to view the record again sometime in the future. The topics below will help you find individual business contacts you’ve made in the FirstAccounts system.

You can use the Contact Log window to view a summary list of all contacts you’ve made with a person or company in the Card File, regardless of whether those contacts have a recontact date assigned to them. Follow these steps to view a summary list of all contacts you’ve made with a person or company.

To find any business contact

1.	In the Card File command centre, click Contact Log to open the Contact Log window.

2.	In the Name field, enter the name of the card for whom you want to view a summary list of contacts. The list in the middle of the window will display all the contacts assigned to that card.

3.	To view details you entered about a contact in the list, such as the length of a call, a description of a meeting or the amount of a transaction, select the contact and then click Edit. The Contact Log Entry window for the contact appears.

To find a list of people you need to recontact

1.	Choose Card File/To Do List from the Command Centres menu. The To Do List window appears. The Contact Alert tab is selected.

2.	The list in the middle part of the window contains the cards for the people and companies with recontact dates on or previous to the recontact date you entered in their original Contact Log entries.

3.	To retrieve the details about a particular business contact, click the zoom arrow on the left end of the entry you want to view. The Contact Log Entry window appears, displaying the entry’s information.

4.	When you actually recontact the person or company, or if you just want to delete an overdue contact from the To Do List, mark the Action column in the To Do List window for that particular contact, then click the Remove button at the bottom of the window.


Suggestions for using the Contact Log

You can use the Contact Log to do much more than simply provide a list of business contacts you’ve made. With a little imagination, your Contact Log can help you perform many important, timesaving tasks. The topics below contain a few ideas for how you might want to use your Contact Log.

 Idea: Learn what you can do with the Card File, too

 To remind yourself to do a task

 To track the usage of a company car

 To track business travel

 To bill for time at a single rate

 To bill for time for an entire project

 To report work that you performed on retainer


Idea: Learn what you can do with the Card File, too

Many of the suggestions presented here discuss how you can create special cards to track your business. If you need to learn how to create cards, see Creating cards.


To remind yourself to do a task

Create a computerised list of things you need to do using the Contact Log.

1.	Use the Card File Entry window to create a card called “Reminder.”

2.	Whenever you want to remind yourself to perform a task, record a business contact in the Contact Log Entry window for the Reminder card. In the Recontact Date field, be sure to enter the date you want to do the task.

3.	When you want to see your list of reminders, open the To Do List window and click the Contact Alert tab. All your reminders will appear in the list in the window.


To track the usage of a company car

A company car can be a substantial business expense that you may be able to track for tax purposes. You can use the Contact Log to track your automobile usage.

1.	Use the Card File Entry window to create a card called “Company Car.”

2.	Whenever you use your company car for business purposes, record a business contact in the Contact Log Entry window for the Company Car card. Be sure to provide a detailed description of the use of the car, including the kilometres you drove and the time you spent driving the car.

3.	When you want to see how much you’ve used the company car for business, enter the Company Car card in the Name field of the Contact Log window.


To track business travel

If you want to keep a detailed description of your travel expenses, meetings and other events, the Contact Log may be a good place for you to start.

1.	Use the Card File Entry window to create a card called “Travel.” (If you want your expenses detailed, you might want to create several cards, such as “Travel - Lodging,” “Travel - Transportation,” “Travel - Meals,” and so forth. You might also consider creating a separate card for each trip you take, to get a better picture of each trip.)

2.	Whenever you take a business trip, record business contacts in the Contact Log Entry window for the Travel card. You can create contacts that describe all the events you attended, people you met and expenses you incurred. (Keep in mind, however, that you might also want to record your expenses as purchases in the Purchases window.)

3.	When you want to see a detailed description of your travel activity, enter the Travel card in the Name field of the Contact Log window.


To bill for time at a single rate

If you bill your time at a single rate, use the Contact Log to keep track of elapsed time with each of your clients.

1.	If you haven’t already done so, create a customer card in the Card File Entry window for your client.

2.	Whenever you spend billable time with the client, record a business contact for the client in the Contact Log Entry window. Be sure to enter the amount of time you spent with the client in the Notes field of that window.

3.	When it’s time to send an invoice to the client for your time, use the Index to Reports window to print a Contact Log Report for the client, using the appropriate range of dates. The report will show the total elapsed time for all the business contacts you made with the client during that time period.

4.	Multiply the total elapsed time on the Contact Log Report with your hourly rate.

5.	Record an invoice for the client using the Enter Sales window, using the result you calculated in step 4. To learn how to record an invoice, see Entering sales.

 Idea: Use service invoices or item invoices for time billing


Idea: Use service invoices or item invoices for time billing

Many people use FirstAccounts service invoices for time billing. However, you can also create “service items” in the Invoice Item Information window, so you can include the services you perform on item invoices, as well. See To create a record for a service item to learn how to create these special “service items.”


To bill for time for an entire project

If you plan to include all your time billing on a single invoice at the end of a project, or after specific time periods, you might consider creating a pending invoice for your time billing.

1.	If you haven’t already done so, create a customer card in the Card File Entry window for your client.

2.	At the beginning of the project or billing period, enter a blank pending service invoice for the client. See Placing sales in the Pending File to learn how to create a pending invoice.

3.	Whenever you perform a billable service during the course of the project, display the pending service invoice in the Enter Sales window. Enter a line item in the scrolling list of the window for the billable service. When you finish entering the line item, click the Pending button to put the transaction back in the Pending File.

4.	When the project is done or the billing period ends, record the pending invoice as an actual service invoice, print it and send it to your client.


To report work that you performed on retainer

Many clients on retainer are interested in receiving a description of the work you’ve performed from time to time.

1.	If you haven’t already done so, create a customer card in the Card File Entry window for your client.

2.	Whenever you spend billable time with the client, record a business contact for the client in the Contact Log Entry window. Be sure to enter the amount of time you spent with the client in the Notes field of that window.

3.	When it’s time to report your activity to the client, use the Index to Reports window to print a Contact Log Report for the client, using the appropriate range of dates. The report will show the total elapsed time for all the business contacts you made with the client during that time period.


Removing business contacts

To remove entries you’ve made in the Contact Log, you’ll need to clear, or purge, your data file of business contacts.

To remove business contacts

1.	Print all the reports that you wish to keep that show the business contacts you’ll be purging. You might consider printing a copy of the Contact Log Report, which contains detailed information about all contacts.

2.	Make a backup of your data file. Clearly mark this backup and put it in storage as part of your permanent records.

3.	Open the Card File command centre.

4.	Choose Purge Contact Logs from the File menu. The Purge Contact Logs window will appear.

5.	From the list, enter the first month from which you do NOT want to remove business contacts. All business contacts dated prior to the month you select will be marked for purging.

6.	Choose to purge business contacts for customers, suppliers, employees or personal contacts only, or to purge business contacts for all people and companies in the Card File.

7.	If you’ve assigned identifiers to people and companies in the Card File and wish to purge business contacts for contacts with the same identifier(s), enter the identifier(s). We suggest you assign a common identifier (P for “purge” may be fitting) to each person or company whose contact log you routinely purge, so you can enter that identifier in this window.

8.	If you don’t want to remove business contacts that have recontact dates assigned to them, indicate this in this window, as well.

9.	Click the Continue button. Another Purge Contact Logs window will appear, listing all the people and companies in the Card File that match the criteria you entered in the first Purge Contact Logs window.

10.	From the list, select the people and companies whose business contacts you want to purge.

11.	Click the Purge Contact Logs button. The business contacts for the time frame you specified and for the people and companies you selected in this window are purged.


Reports

In MYOB FirstAccounts, reports are documents that provide various types of reference about the information you’ve entered in the FirstAccounts system. Using reports, you can view detailed or summary lists of your information and examine related information that allows you to analyse your business activity. Typical reports include balance sheets, account lists and sales analysis reports.

In this part:

 	Finding reports

 	Customising reports

 	Filtering reports

 	Formatting reports

 	Printing, displaying and saving reports


Printing

If you’ve properly set up your printer and computer, printing reports and forms using MYOB FirstAccounts usually takes only a few clicks of your mouse. These topics contain important information about setting up your printing environment so you can successfully print your FirstAccounts information.

 To prepare your printer

 Preparing your computer


To prepare your printer

If you plan to print documents on paper using a printer, keep in mind that your printer must be configured properly before the information can be printed. MYOB FirstAccounts is compatible with most popular printers, but each type of printer on the market today is different from the next. If you’re unsure about how your computer works with your printer, or if you’ve had printing problems in the past, be sure you understand the capabilities of your printer before you attempt to print FirstAccounts documents.

1.	Be sure that your printer is properly hooked up to your computer.

2.	Turn your printer on.

3.	Load the paper you want to use, and be sure it’s loaded properly.


Preparing your computer

A great deal of the printing process is controlled by software used to send information to your printer. This software, commonly known as printer driver software, is normally supplied by your printer’s manufacturer. Printer drivers play a large part in determining how - and whether - information is printed using your printer. In many cases, printer drivers are already installed on your computer when you purchase it, or are supplied on diskettes when you purchase your printer. Printer drivers are not included in the MYOB FirstAccounts package.

Printer drivers are often the cause of printing problems. If a printer driver isn’t working properly, any number of situations may occur. Some results of printer driver problems include incorrect-looking documents, missing pages, the inability to print multiple copies of a document, and a complete lack of printing altogether.

Occasionally, printer manufacturers update their printer driver software. FirstAccounts is designed to take advantage of the most recent printer drivers; as a result, if you experience printing problems, your printer’s printer driver may not be up-to-date.

 Idea: Another possible culprit: your fax software

Some tips for checking your printer driver software appears in the following topics. More information about setting up your printer with your computer is located in the documentation for your computer and printer.

 To prepare your Windows computer

 To prepare your Macintosh


Idea: Another possible culprit: your fax software

If you send faxes using your computer, the software used to send those faxes may cause printing problems. If you’re sure your printer drivers are installed and up-to-date, contact your fax software’s manufacturer for information about possible incompatibilities between their software and your printer driver software.


To prepare your Windows computer

If you use MYOB FirstAccounts for Windows, check your Printers control panel; the printer drivers currently installed on your computer are shown here. If you’re having printing problems, check the Printers control panel to be sure your printer exists there, and that no problems appear to be occurring.

If your printer is displayed in the Printers control panel, you should consider contacting your printer’s manufacturer for information about their printer driver software for your printer.

If your printer isn’t displayed in the list, click the Add Printer icon to begin the process of installing a printer driver for your printer.


To prepare your Macintosh

If you use MYOB FirstAccounts for Macintosh, printer drivers are located in the Extensions folder inside your Macintosh’s System Folder. If you’re having printing problems, check the Extensions folder to be sure a printer driver for your printer exists.

If a printer driver exists, check the Chooser to be sure your printer is selected. If printing problems still occur, you should consider contacting your printer’s manufacturer for information about their printer driver software for your printer.

If a printer driver doesn’t exist, you probably need to reinstall the printer driver.


Preparing MYOB FirstAccounts for printing

You’ve got a number of options within MYOB FirstAccounts with which you can personalise your printed documents, as well as the process by which you print reports and forms. The following topics describe those options.

 Choosing page setup options

 Choosing fonts

 Choosing preferences for reports and forms


Choosing page setup options

The selections you make in the Print Setup window (if you use FirstAccounts for Windows) or Page Setup window (if you use FirstAccounts for Macintosh) determine how your documents will look on paper.

The Print Setup and Page Setup windows vary, depending upon the printer and printer driver software you use. Usually, however, these windows allow you to choose options such as your page orientation, paper size and print quality.

 Note: A word about page orientation

To choose page setup options

Before you attempt to print an FirstAccounts document, take a moment to review your page setup information. From the File menu, choose Print Setup (Windows) or Page Setup (Macintosh).


Note: A word about page orientation

All MYOB FirstAccounts reports are designed to fit in portrait mode - that is, on a piece of paper whose height is greater than its width - on your printer. If you change some report settings, such as page orientation, font or font size, an alert message may appear, explaining that you can’t print the report using the current report settings. To print the report, you must make some changes to the report. Usually, this situation is remedied by changing the page orientation in the Print Setup or Page Setup window.


Choosing fonts

You can choose to use any fonts that are installed on your computer for your MYOB FirstAccounts reports and forms. If you wish, you can set up a single font to use for all reports and forms you print, or you can designate specific fonts for individual parts of each report or form.

Every report and form in FirstAccounts is assigned a default font - that is, a font that’s automatically designated for your use by FirstAccounts - when you begin using a new FirstAccounts data file. The default font that’s assigned depends upon whether you’re using a Windows computer or a Macintosh. Until you change the default font, the default font assigned when you created the data file will be the default font for all your reports and forms.

 Warning: Onscreen fonts may look different when they’re printed

To choose a font for a specific report or form

If you wish to assign a font to a specific report or form, see Formatting reports (reports) or Customising forms  (forms).

To choose a default font for all your reports and forms

If you wish, you can change the default font for reports, forms or both. Default fonts are selected using the Change Default Font windows.

If you’ve already customised some reports and forms, any changes you make in the Change Default Font windows won’t affect the customised documents.

 Warning: Default fonts and MYOB FirstAccounts for Windows

1.	From the File menu, choose Default Fonts to open the Default Font Selection window.

2.	In the Default Font Selection window, click either the Reports button or the Forms button, depending upon the type of document whose default font you want to change.

3.	Choose the font style and size for the printed characters on your documents. When you choose a font style and size, use the box in the bottom half of the window to preview how the font looks.

4.	When you’ve chosen your new default font, click OK.


Warning: Onscreen fonts may look different when they're printed
Warning: Onscreen fonts may look different when they’re printed

Keep in mind that some fonts appear less clear on printed documents than when they’re displayed on your computer screen. In most MYOB FirstAccounts windows where fonts are chosen, information about a font’s probable print quality is provided when you select a font.


Warning: Default fonts and MYOB FirstAccounts for Windows

If you’re using FirstAccounts for Windows and you don’t change your default fonts after you create a new data file, your default fonts may automatically change each time you print a report or form. To ensure your documents are printed the way you want, review the selections in the appropriate Change Default Font windows before you attempt to print a report or form.


Choosing preferences for reports and forms

Using the Preferences window, you can make a few settings that can make working with reports and forms easier.

To choose preferences for reports and forms

1.	From the Setup menu, choose Preferences to open the Preferences window.

2.	Click the Reports & Forms tab to display the preferences available for reports and forms.

Mark the Include Currency Symbols option if you wish to display currency symbols next to the financial amounts on your reports. Mark the Include Currency Symbols in Forms option if you wish to display currency symbols next to financial amounts on statements, invoices, cheques and other forms. Mark the Always Display Filters Before Printing Reports option if you want the Report Filters window to appear each time you click the Print or Display buttons in the Index to Reports window. This feature eliminates the need for clicking the Filters button to determine the information you want on your reports.

If you wish to choose a different default font for your reports or forms, click the Reports button or the Forms button at the bottom of the window. Make your changes in the window that appears, then click OK to redisplay the Preferences window.

3.	Make the selections you want, then click OK to record the changes you made.


Finding reports

Over 80 MYOB FirstAccounts reports provide you with comprehensive information about your business. FirstAccounts reports encompass detailed lists of your business’s records as well as valuable comparative analysis reports of your transaction activity. Be sure to explore the capabilities of FirstAccounts’ reports when you need up-to-the-minute information about your business.

To find a report

1.	From the Reports menu, choose Index to Reports to open the Index to Reports window.

The Index to Reports window provides a single location for you to work with your MYOB FirstAccounts reports. Using the Index to Reports window, you can:

View lists of all the reports in the FirstAccounts system

View a short description of each report

Print reports on your printer or your computer screen

Save report information as files on your computer’s hard disk

Modify the look of the reports you print

Determine the information you want to include on your reports

2.	At the top of the window, click the name of the command centre that applies to the report you’re looking for. The report will appear in the list in the middle of the window.


Customising reports

MYOB FirstAccounts gives you complete control of the content and appearance of your FirstAccounts reports. Your can customise your reports in two different ways:

Filtering:   Determining the amount of information to include on a report

Formatting:  Determining the appearance of a report

You can use either or both of these methods to customise a report. You can customise a report and print it immediately; when you’ve finished, the report reverts back to its original settings.

Note that you can change the way your ‘Aged’ reports display by setting the User-defined aging preferences in the Preferences window. Click here to find out how to change these settings.

The topics below contain detailed information about filtering and formatting reports.

 Filtering reports

 Formatting reports


Filtering reports

You can control the amount of information that appears on your reports by using MYOB FirstAccounts’ filters feature. Filters allow you to choose specific pieces or ranges of data that can be included on a single report. For example, if you want to print a Customer Payment History Report for customer Eileen Kartoffel for the months of July through September, you can use FirstAccounts’ filters to select those criteria only.

You can use filters for reports you print on your printer, as well as reports you display on your computer screen.

 To filter a report

 To use wildcards to filter reports


To filter a report

Filters are set up using the Report Filters window for each report in the MYOB FirstAccounts system.

1.	From the Reports menu, choose Index to Reports to open the Index to Reports window.

2.	Locate the report whose filters you want to change. When you find it, highlight it, then click the Filters button at the bottom of the window.

3.	The Report Filters window appears. The Report Filters window varies, depending upon the report you’re filtering.

4.	Make entries and selections in the Report Filters window, then click OK to close the window. You can now print or display the report with the filters you selected.

 Warning: Filters aren’t saved!


Warning: Filters aren't saved!

Filters you set up for an individual report are used only if you print or display the report immediately after you set up the filters. If you don’t print or display a report after you set up its filters and then change a different report’s filters, the first report’s filters won’t be saved. You’ll need to set up the filters again before you attempt to print the report.


To use wildcards to filter reports

Wildcards are special characters that give you more flexibility in selecting various records, such as account numbers and invoice numbers, to print on reports that use that type of information.

You can use two wildcard characters, the asterisk (*) and the question mark (?), in the Report Filters window. Each character is described below.

The asterisk

Using the asterisk in the Report Filters window allows you to print a report for a specific group of records. For example, if you want to print an Account Inquiry Report for all accounts whose account numbers begin with 1, you can use the asterisk wildcard to do so. (Without the asterisk wildcard, you could print the report only for a single account or for all your accounts.)

To select only the accounts whose numbers begin with 1, enter 1* in the Selected field in the Report Filters window for the Account Inquiry Report.

When you print the report, only the accounts whose numbers begin with 1 will be included on the report.

You can use the asterisk in other locations in an account or job number in the Selected field, as well. For example, if you have several job numbers whose numbers end in GOV (to indicate the jobs are associated with government contracts), you can enter *GOV in the Selected field to print a report that includes only the jobs whose numbers end in GOV.

The question mark

The question mark wildcard allows you to restrict a report even further than the asterisk. Using the question mark, you can limit your report to elements that contain only a specific number of characters.

For example, say you want to print a Job Inquiry Report for the Cadwell Corporation. All Cadwell job numbers are three characters long and begin with the letter C. However, you have other jobs that start with the letter C, and you don’t want those jobs to appear on the report. In the Selected field of the Job Inquiry Report’s Report Filters window, enter C?? to limit the report to three-character jobs that begin with C.

Similar to the asterisk wildcard, the question mark can be used in other locations of account, purchase order, invoice and card names, as well.


Formatting reports

You can modify the look of individual reports by using different font styles, sizes, colours, alignments and effects, and by changing the reports’ page margins.

 To format a report

 To change a report back to its original format


To format a report

1.	From the Reports menu, choose Index to Reports to open the Index to Reports window.

2.	Locate the report you want to design. When you find it, highlight it, then click the Format button at the bottom of the window.

3.	The Report Format window appears.

4.	The left side of the Report Format window contains a representation of the sections that will be printed on your report. If you’re formatting a report that doesn’t use a particular section (for example, if you’re formatting a list of items, the Subtotals section won’t be used), the unused section won’t appear in the Report Format window. You can make separate changes to each section that’s available for the report.

To make changes to a section of a report, click the section in the left side of the window to highlight the section, then make selections from the lists and boxes in the top half of the right side of the window. Depending upon the type of computer you’re using, you can set a variety of font styles, sizes, colours, alignments and effects.

 Note: How to work with formatted reports’ page settings

5.	If you want to include the name of your company and the current date on the report, mark the Company Name and the Report Date selections.

6.	If you wish to change the printed area of your report, make changes to the Left Margin and Top Margin fields in the bottom right corner of the Report Format window. If you use FirstAccounts for Macintosh, you can also click the Page Setup button at the bottom of the window to make further changes to your page settings. (If you’re using FirstAccounts for Windows, you’ll need to close the Report Format window and choose Print Setup from the File menu to make additional page settings changes.)

7.	After you’re satisfied with the changes you’ve made to a report, click OK to save the report’s changes and close the Report Format window.


Note: How to work with formatted reports' page settings
Note: How to work with formatted reports’ page settings

If you wish to use fonts other than the default font on individual reports, keep in mind that the new fonts may dramatically change the appearance of your reports.

When you choose a font in the Report Format window, FirstAccounts calculates the approximate number of columns that will fit on a printed page, using the fonts you’ve selected and your current page setup selections.

The widest FirstAccounts report is 106 columns. If your font and page setup selections cause a report’s calculated number of columns to be greater than 106, it may not fit on a printed page. When this happens, you must either change your page settings, using the Print Setup (Windows) or Page Setup (Macintosh) window to accommodate a wider page, or choose a font that fits better from the Report Format window. (If you’re using FirstAccounts for Windows, consider using the 8-point Arial font; if you’re using FirstAccounts for Macintosh, consider using the 9-point Geneva font, and scale your report at 86%.)


To change a report back to its original format

If you’ve formatted a report and want to change it back to its original format, follow these steps.

1.	Display the report in the Report Format window again.

2.	Click the Default button (if you use FirstAccounts for Windows) or the Use Default button (if you use FirstAccounts for Macintosh).

3.	The report’s format will revert to its original format. Click OK to close the Report Format window.


Printing, displaying and saving reports

Once you’ve chosen the report you want to print and have made the customisations you need, you’re ready to see the finished product. In MYOB FirstAccounts, there are three ways to work with a report:

Print the report on your printer

Display the report on your computer screen

Save the report as a file on your computer’s hard disk

These options are described in the following topics.

 To print reports on your printer

 To display reports on your computer screen

 To save reports as files on your hard disk


To print reports on your printer

Once you’ve properly set up your MYOB FirstAccounts system, your computer and your printer, and you’ve filtered, designed and formatted the report you want to print, printing the FirstAccounts report is a simple task: Click the Print button!

There are a number of Print buttons available in windows throughout FirstAccounts; only in the Index to Reports window, however, will you have the ability to print all the reports in the FirstAccounts system.

 Idea: Save paper by displaying reports on your computer screen

See To display reports on your computer screen to learn how to preview your report before you print it.

Regardless of the window in which you find a Print button, clicking Print will probably open the standard Print window for your computer and printer, unless you set up your computer to print documents immediately. (If, however, you marked the Always Display Filters Before Printing Reports selection in the Preferences window, the Report Filters window for the report will appear before the standard Print window appears.) The Print window varies, depending upon the type of computer and printer you use; however, many Print windows allow you to choose a range of pages to print and the number of copies of the report you wish to print.

 Note: If you can’t make entries in your print selection window


Idea: Save paper by displaying reports on your computer screen

If you’re not sure whether a particular report is the report you want, we suggest that you display the report on your computer screen before you attempt to print the report. If you decide that you want to print the report when you’re viewing it on-screen, you’ll be able to print the report immediately. This feature allows you to preview a report and avoid wasting paper if you decide you don’t want the report.


To display reports on your computer screen

Using the Display button in the Index to Reports window, you can display an on-screen version of any report in the MYOB FirstAccounts system.

1.	From the Reports menu, choose Index to Reports to open the Index to Reports window.

2.	Locate the report you want to display. When you find it, highlight it, then click the Display button at the bottom of the window.

3.	The Screen Reports window appears, containing the report you selected to view in the middle part of the window.

4.	Similar to printing a report on paper, displaying a report on your computer screen is affected by your entries and selections in the Print Setup window (if you’re using FirstAccounts for Windows) or Page Setup window (if you’re using FirstAccounts for Macintosh). If necessary, use the scroll bars in the Screen Reports window to view the entire report.

 Note: Only one report at a time can be on your screen

5.	If you want to make changes to the report that’s displayed, you can use the Screen Reports window to do so. The Disk button allows you to save the currently displayed report as a file on your hard disk; the Filters button allows you to determine how much information you want to print; and the Format button allows you to change a report’s appearance.

6.	You can also view more detail about a particular report by “zooming” to the detail from the Screen Reports window. To do this, move your mouse pointer over a piece of information in the Screen Reports window about which you want to see more detail. The mouse pointer will change into a magnifying glass.

When you see this magnifying glass, click your mouse button; the appropriate window will appear, displaying the report information in more detail. When you’re finished viewing the detailed information, close the window to return to the Screen Reports window.


Note: Only one report at a time can be on your screen

You can display only one report on your computer screen at a time. If you attempt to display a report when a report already is displayed on-screen, the first report’s Screen Reports window will close before the second report is displayed.


To save reports as files on your hard disk

If you don’t want to print a report on your printer or display it on your computer screen, you can save it as a file on your computer’s hard disk. When you save a report as a file, you have the flexibility to do whatever you want with the report: you can further modify it using a word-processing program, move it to another computer for printing or simply save it for your permanent records.

1.	From the Reports menu, choose Index to Reports to open the Index to Reports window.

2.	Locate the report you want to display. When you find it, highlight it, then click the Disk button at the bottom of the window.

3.	A window appears, listing three formats in which you can save the file. These formats are described below.

Tab-Delimited Text File  When you save a report in tab-delimited format, the individual pieces of information in the report are separated by tab characters. For example, if the last name Martin and the address 300 Roundhill Drive appears in a report of customer names, a tab character will appear between Martin and 300 Roundhill Drive in the file.

Comma-Separated Text File  When you save a report in comma-separated format, the individual pieces of information in the report are separated by commas. For example, if the last name Martin and the address 300 Roundhill Drive appears in a report of customer names, a comma will appear between Martin and 300 Roundhill Drive in the file. (Individual pieces of information that actually contain commas are surrounded by quotation marks.)

Text  When you save a report in text format, the individual pieces of information are separated by spaces so the appearance of the report is as similar as possible to a printed version of the report. (The amount of similarity between the file’s appearance and the report’s printed appearance depends upon the type of computer and fonts you’re using in the report.)

4.	When you’ve selected the format you wish to use, click Save; the Save As window appears.

5.	In the Save As window, enter a name for the file you’re creating and specify a location for the file.

6.	When you’re finished using the Save As window, click OK (Windows) or Save (Macintosh) to save the report as a file.


Forms

In MYOB FirstAccounts, forms are documents that you’ll often use in your day-to-day business. Usually, forms are used to track transaction activity, such as the sales and purchases you make. Typical forms include invoices, purchase orders and cheques. In FirstAccounts, administrative documents such as mailing labels and personalised letters are also considered forms.

FirstAccounts provides you with a great deal of flexibility as you work with forms. You can choose which information you want to print, as well as customise the look of the documents so they use the text styles you prefer.

 Idea: Get ready to print forms

In this part:

 	Finding forms

 	Printing forms

 	Customising forms

 	Tips for customising cheques

 	To print two or more lines of text on an item invoice

 	Tips for customising mailing labels


Idea: Get ready to print forms

Before you begin working with and printing your MYOB FirstAccounts forms, we suggest that you review Preparing your printer and computer for printing  and Preparing MYOB FirstAccounts for printing.


Finding forms

Each MYOB FirstAccounts form can be found in the command centre in which the form’s associated transaction was entered. Here’s a list of the FirstAccounts Command Centres and their forms.

Chequebook Command Centre

Type of form	To find the form, click:

Cheques	Spend Money

Sales Command Centre

Type of form	To find the form, click:

Invoices
(item, service and professional)	Print Invoices

Packing slips
(item, service and professional)	Print Invoices

Shipping labels
(item, service and professional)	Print Invoices

Statements
(invoice and activity)	Print Statements

Cheques	Settle Returns & Credit Notes

Purchases Command Centre

Type of form	To find the form, click:

Service purchase orders	Print Purchases

Cheques	Supplier Payments

Card File Command Centre

Type of form	To find the form, click:

Mailing labels	Print Mailing Labels

Personalised letters	Create Mail Merge File


Printing forms

Once you’ve found the form you want to print, you’re ready to make some important decisions about how you want to print the form. Before you begin printing, you can choose form types, choose the specific information you want to display on the form, and choose the type of paper you intend to print the form on. You can also print alignment forms to ensure your FirstAccounts information prints properly on the paper in your printer, and you can personalise the look of your forms.

The topics below describe the forms-printing process in general; if you want detailed information about how to print a specific type of form, refer to the part of this online guide that discusses that specific form.

Checklist: How to print a form

In general, there are seven steps you need to follow to print a form:

 Step 1: Acquire the paper forms you need

 Step 2: Choose the information you want to print

 Step 3: Choose a form layout

 Step 4: Customise the form (optional)

 Step 5: Print alignment forms (optional)

 Step 6: Review the forms you’ve selected for printing

 Step 7: Print the forms


Step 1: Acquire the paper forms you need

Before you print your MYOB FirstAccounts forms, you should be sure that you have all the paper forms you need to print your FirstAccounts forms information.

It’s important that you choose the right paper forms to use with FirstAccounts, because FirstAccounts is set up to print information in particular places on your forms. If you don’t use forms that are compatible with FirstAccounts, your information may not be printed in the locations you want if you’re not using the right forms.

 Step 2: Choose the information you want to print


Step 2: Choose the information you want to print

You have a great deal of flexibility in choosing the information you want to appear on your forms. You’ll choose this information in the Forms Selection window for the form you’re printing.

To choose the information you’ll print

1.	Open the Forms Selection window for the form. (If you don’t know how to find the form you want to print, see Finding forms for help.)

2.	In the top portion of the Forms Selection window, choose the various elements that you want to appear on your forms, including the type of form you want to print, the status of the transactions you want to print, as well as ranges of transaction dates and transaction numbers that apply to the form you plan to print.

 Step 3: Choose a form layout


Step 3: Choose a form layout

The bottom section of all Forms Selection windows (except for personalised letters) allows you to choose the layout you wish to use when you print your forms. MYOB FirstAccounts provides a number of layout choices, depending upon the type of form you’re currently working with. Each of the form layouts are described below; make the selection that best fits your needs.

Click the down arrow next to the “Selected Form” list, and

Select the pre-printed form layout if you want to print a form’s information onto paper that already contains lines, columns and headings. The pre-printed layout is designed to match most commonly used forms provided by third-party forms suppliers.

Select the plain paper form layout if you want to print a form’s information onto blank paper. Lines, columns and headings are automatically printed with the form’s information.

Select a customised form layout if you want to print a form you’ve customised using the form’s Customise window. Depending upon the form layout you customised, lines, columns and headings may be automatically printed with the customised form’s information. See Customising forms to learn how to use the Customise window to personalise the look of your printed forms.

If you’re viewing the Forms Selection window for cheques, choose either the Continuous Feed Cheque form layout or the Laser Cheque form layout. The Continuous Feed Cheque form layout allows you to print cheques on connected sheets of cheque forms; the Laser Cheque form layout allows you to print cheques one page at a time on a laser printer. The Laser Cheque form layout is also set up so two cheque stubs are printed after the cheque form. (See Customising forms to learn more about customising your cheques and cheque stubs.)

If you’re viewing the Forms Selection window for mailing labels or shipping labels, choose from a list of measured form layouts. Measured form layouts are determined by a variety of factors on your computer. For example, if you’re using metric settings on your computer, you’ll be able to choose between label form layouts that use metric measurements.

 Step 4: Customise the form (optional)


Step 4: Customise the form (optional)

Each of MYOB FirstAccounts’ forms is unique in the information they provide and the specific layouts they reflect. Depending upon the needs of your business, the FirstAccounts forms that are already set up when you begin using FirstAccounts may fully serve your needs.

You may, however, occasionally find the need to make changes to specific forms to better accommodate your business needs. If you’re in this situation, see Customising forms  to learn about FirstAccounts’ comprehensive set of forms-customisation tools.

 Step 5: Print alignment forms (optional)


Step 5: Print alignment forms (optional)

Since it’s important that your printed information appears correctly on paper forms, MYOB FirstAccounts allows you to print alignment forms to ensure the information you’ll print is aligned in the proper locations. When you print an alignment form, no actual information is printed on the form in your printer; instead, generic information will appear on the page where actual information would appear if you were printing an actual form.

To print an alignment form

1.	Load the paper you intend to use for your documents into your printer. If you’re using a continuous-feed printer, be sure the paper is as straight as possible.

2.	Click the Print Alignment button. (This button will also display the name of the type of form you’re printing.)

3.	Depending upon the type of computer you use and the settings you’ve established for your printer, the alignment form may begin to print immediately, or a print window may appear on your computer screen. If a print window appears, make your selections in the window, then click the button in the window that begins the printing process (the button is usually labeled “OK” or “Print”).

4.	After the form is finished printing, review the document to see whether the generic text was printed in the proper locations on the paper. If the information isn’t displayed the way you want, you may need to either change the position of the paper in your printer or customise the form layout so the information is printed where you want it on the paper.

5.	You can print as many alignment forms as you want. If your first attempt at aligning the information on the page wasn’t correct, make the necessary changes, then follow steps 1 through 4 until you’re satisfied with the way the information will be printed.

 Step 6: Review the forms you’ve selected for printing


Step 6: Review the forms you've selected for printing

Before you begin printing, MYOB FirstAccounts allows you to review the information that’s about to be printed on your forms. This review process allows you to view summaries of the information that will be printed on your forms, choose specific forms to print, and, if you’re reviewing invoices, choose to print packing slips and shipping labels immediately after you print your invoices. Depending on the form you’re working with, you can also zoom to transaction or card detail while you’re reviewing your forms.

To review forms before you print them

1.	To begin the review process, click the OK button in the Forms Selection window after you’re satisfied with the entries and selections you’ve made in the window.

2.	A window appears, displaying the information that fit the criteria you specified in the Forms Selection window. The name of this window begins with the word “Review,” and is followed by the name of the form you’re working with.

3.	If there are any transactions in the list that you don’t want to print a form for, be sure to remove the mark from that transaction’s Print column.

 Step 7: Print the forms


Step 7: Print the forms

When you’re finished reviewing the information that appears in the Review window, you’re ready to print!

1.	To begin printing the forms, click the Print button in the Review window.

2.	Depending upon how your computer is set up, the first form may begin to print immediately, or a print window may appear on your computer screen. If a print window appears, make your selections in the window, then click the button in the window that begins the printing process (the button is usually labeled “OK” or “Print”).

 Note: If you can’t make entries in your print selection window


Customising forms

You can modify the look and content of individual forms in many ways. You can choose the types of information you want on your forms, design the way you want your forms to look, add graphics to enhance the appearance of your forms, change fonts and styles, draw lines and shapes, and select the size of the paper you’ll print your forms on. In other words, there’s little you can’t do if you’re customising your forms.

Checklist: How to customise a form

 Step 1: Decide whether you need to customise the form

 Step 2: Open the form in the Customise window

 Step 3: Add elements to the form (optional)

 Step 4: Change the elements on the form (optional)

 Step 5: Move the elements around on the form (optional)

 Step 6: Remove elements from the form (optional)

 Step 7: Preview the customised form (optional)

 Step 8: Save the customised form

 Step 9: Print the customised form


Step 1: Decide whether you need to customise the form

MYOB FirstAccounts provides an extensive set of well-designed form layouts so you can begin printing professional-looking documents immediately. This set of forms is designed to print properly on FirstAccounts-compatible business forms. If the FirstAccounts form layouts match your preprinted forms, you don’t need to customise your forms.

If the preprinted forms you currently use don’t match the form layouts provided in FirstAccounts, you’ll need to customise FirstAccounts form layouts for each form that doesn’t match your preprinted forms.

 Step 2: Open the form in the Customise window


Step 2: Open the form in the Customise window

To customise your forms, you’ll use the Customise window. To begin the process of customising the form, you’ll need to open the form in this window.

To open the form in the Customise window

1.	Open the Forms Selection window for the form you want to customise. See Finding forms to learn how to do this.

2.	In the Forms Selection window, make the selections and entries you need to make to choose the type of form you want to customise. For example, if you want to customise an item sale, you’ll need to be sure that Item is selected from the Order Type list in the Forms Selection window for invoices.

3.	Select the form type you want to customise from the “Selected Form for …” list. If you have previously customised a form, select it to customise it further, or select one of the default options – Plain Paper or Pre-Printed.

4.	When you’re finished making selections in the Forms Selection window, click the Customise button at the bottom of the window to open the Customise window.

 Step 3: Add elements to the form (optional)


Step 3: Add elements to the form (optional)

You can add new elements - data fields, text fields, lines, rectangles and pictures - to your form in the Customise window in a variety of ways. The following procedures explain how you can add these elements to the Customise window.

 To add a text field to a form

 To draw a line on a form

 To draw a rectangle on a form

 To add a picture or logo to a form (Windows)

 To add a picture or logo to a form (Macintosh)

 To add a data field to a form

 To activate a data field

 To copy and paste a data field

 Step 4: Change the elements on the form (optional)


To add a text field to a form

1.	Click the text tool (the icon with the letter A that appears at the bottom of the Customise window), then click the location on the form where you want the new text field to appear. A new text field, labeled “Text Field,” appears.

2.	Double-click the new field to open the Field Information window.

3.	In the Text field of the Field Information window, enter the characters you want to use in the text field you created

4.	Click OK to close the Field Information window. The new field will be displayed in the Customise window.

If the text you entered is longer than the size of the new text field, you may need to change the size of the text field. See To change the size of a data field, text field, rectangle or picture to learn about changing the size of a text field.


To draw a line on a form

1.	Click the line tool (the icon with a cross that appears at the bottom of the Customise window), then click the location on the form where you want the line to begin; a cross appears on your computer screen.

2.	Drag the cross to where you want the line to end, then release the mouse button.


To draw a rectangle on a form

1.	Click the rectangle tool (the icon with a plain rectangle that appears at the bottom of the Customise window), then click the location on the form where you want the top left corner of the rectangle to appear; a cross appears on your computer screen.

2.	Drag the cross to where you want the bottom right corner of the rectangle to appear, then release the mouse button.


To add a picture or logo to a form (Windows)

If you use MYOB for Windows, you can paste or load a bitmap file graphic (typically assigned the extension .BMP) in an MYOB form. Either of the procedures below can be used to add a picture to a FirstAccounts form; both will produce the same results. If you want to use a picture that is not a bitmap image, use the ‘Paste’ procedure below.

To paste a picture into a form

1.	Use the following procedure to paste a picture using FirstAccounts for Windows:

2.	Using whatever graphics program you normally use, copy the graphic to the Clipboard.

3.	In FirstAccounts, click the picture tool in the Customise window (it’s an icon with a picture frame; it appears at the bottom of the window). Then click the location on the form where you want the picture to appear. A picture field appears.

4.	Double-click the picture field to open the Field Information window. Click the Paste Picture button; the graphic appears.

5.	If the Paste Picture button in the Field Information window is inactive, be sure the graphic has been copied to the Clipboard.

6.	Click OK to close the Field Information window. The picture will be displayed in the Customise window.

To load a picture into a form

1.	In FirstAccounts, click the picture tool in the Customise window (it’s an icon with a picture frame; it appears at the bottom of the window). Then click the location on the form where you want the picture to appear. A picture field appears.

2.	Double-click the picture field to open the Field Information window. Click the Load Picture button; the Open dialog box appears.

3.	Using the Open dialog box, locate the bitmap image you want to use. Highlight it, and click OK. The image appears in the Customise window.


To add a picture or logo to a form (Macintosh)

If you use FirstAccounts for Macintosh, you can paste a graphic in the PICT or JPEG file format onto a FirstAccounts form. Either of the procedures below can be used to add a picture to a FirstAccounts form; both will produce the same results. If you want to use a picture that is not a PICT or JPEG image, use the ‘Paste’ procedure below.

To paste a picture into a form

1.	Use the following procedure to paste a picture using FirstAccounts for Macintosh:

2.	Using whatever graphics program you normally use, copy the graphic to the Clipboard.

3.	In FirstAccounts, click the picture tool in the Customise window (it’s an icon with a picture frame; it appears at the bottom of the window). Then click the location on the form where you want the picture to appear. A picture field appears.

4.	Double-click the picture field to open the Field Information window. Click the Paste button; the graphic appears.

5.	If your graphic doesn’t appear, be sure the graphic has been copied to the Clipboard.

6.	Click OK to close the Field Information window. The picture will be displayed in the Customise window.

To load a picture into a form

1.	In FirstAccounts, click the picture tool in the Customise window (it’s an icon with a picture frame; it appears at the bottom of the window). Then click the location on the form where you want the picture to appear. A picture field appears.

2.	Double-click the picture field to open the Field Information window. Click the Load button; the Open dialog box appears.

3.	Using the Open dialog box, locate the PICT image you want to use. Highlight it, and click Open. The image appears in the Field Information window.

4.	Click OK to close the Field Information window. The picture will be displayed in the Customise window.


To add a data field to a form

Each MYOB FirstAccounts form is supplied with an extensive array of data fields that apply to the form’s purposes. As a result, you can’t - and probably don’t need to! - add data fields to a form. However, you might be able to serve your needs by activating or pasting a copy of a data field on a form. To do this, see To activate a data field and To copy and paste a data field.


To activate a data field

1.	In the Customise window, double-click the field you want to activate; the Field Information window appears.

2.	If you’re using a Windows computer, mark the Field Is Active selection on the right side of the window. If you’re using a Macintosh, mark the Active selection in the left side of the window.

3.	Click OK.


To copy and paste a data field

1.	Click the data field once to select it.

2.	Choose Copy from the Edit menu.

3.	If you want to paste the data field onto another form, display that form in the Customise window.

 Note: Pasting data fields onto other forms

4.	Choose Paste from the Edit menu. A copy of the data field will appear in the window.


Note: Pasting data fields onto other forms

You can copy a data field and paste it onto another form, but only if the form onto which you’re pasting is the same type of form as the form from which you copied the field. For example, you can copy a data field from a plain-paper item invoice to a customised item invoice, but you can’t copy a data field from an invoice form to a statement form.


Step 4: Change elements on the form

You can make changes to the data fields, text fields, lines, rectangles and pictures on your form in the Customise window.

  To change the size of a data field, text field, rectangle or picture

 To change the length of a line

 To change the text in a text field

 To change the font characteristics of a data field or text field

 To change the orientation of a line

 To change the thickness of a line or rectangle

 To change a picture or logo

 Step 5: Move the elements around on the form (optional)


To change the size of a data field, text field, rectangle or picture

There are two ways to change the size of a data field or text field in the Customise window. They are:

Use the pointer. To do this, follow these steps:

1. 	Highlight the field you want to change; a solid line appears around it.

2. 	A small square, called a “handle,” appears in the bottom right corner of the field. To change the size of the field, simply drag the handle.

Change the field’s exact size. To do this, follow these steps:

1.	Double-click the field you want to change. The Field Information window appears.

2.	In the two Field Size boxes in this window, enter the vertical and horizontal sizes of the field.

3.	Click OK.

 Note: The actual picture’s size won’t change


Note: The actual picture's size won't change

When you change the size of a picture field, the size of the picture itself isn’t changed. If you want to change the size of the picture, you’ll need to change it in your graphics program first, then re-paste it into MYOB FirstAccounts


To change the length of a line

There are two ways to change the length of a line in the Customise window:

Use the pointer. To do this, follow these steps:

1.	Select the line you want to change.

2.	Two small squares, called “handles”, appear on each end of the line. To change the length of the line, simply drag either handle.

Change the line’s exact length. To do this, follow these steps:

1.	Double-click the line you want to change. The Field Information window appears.

2.	If you’re using FirstAccounts for Windows, change the bottom Field Location box to the length you want. If you’re using FirstAccounts for Macintosh, change the Line Ends boxes so they reflect the length you want.

3.	Click OK.


To change the text in a text field

1.	Double-click the text field in the Customise window to open the Field Information window.

2.	Change the text in the Text field of the Field Information window.

3.	Click OK.


To change the font characteristics of a data field or text field

1.	Double-click the field you want to change. The Field Information window appears.

2.	Make your choices in the Justify, Font, Size and Style fields in this window.

3.	Click OK.

 Idea: Use default fonts


Idea: Use default fonts

You can change the default font that appears on every non-customised form by choosing Default Fonts from the File menu, or by clicking the Forms button in the Reports & Forms section of the Preferences window. See Preparing MYOB FirstAccounts for printing to learn more about default fonts.


To change the orientation of a line

1.	Double-click the line in the Customise window to open the Field Information window.

2.	If you’re using FirstAccounts for Windows, select either Horizontal or Vertical in the Orientation field. If you’re using FirstAccounts for Macintosh, make entries in the Line Begins and Line Ends boxes.

3.	Click OK.


To change the thickness of a line or rectangle

1.	Double-click the line or rectangle in the Customise window to open the Field Information window.

2.	Choose a thickness in the Line Size or Frame Size section of the Field Information window.

3.	Click OK.


To change a picture or logo

Although you can’t edit a picture in MYOB FirstAccounts, you can replace an existing picture with a different picture. If you need to edit a picture, you’ll need to use a graphics program to do so; after the picture is edited, you can then replace the old picture with the edited picture.


Step 5: Move elements around on the form

You can change the position of the data fields, text fields, lines, rectangles and pictures on your form in the Customise window.

 To move a data field or text field

 To move a line

 To move a rectangle or picture

 Step 6: Remove elements from the form (optional)


To move a data field or text field

There are two ways to move a data field or a text field in the Customise window. They are:

Use the pointer to select the fields you want and drag them to the new location; or

Change the field’s exact coordinates. To do this, follow these steps:

1.	Double-click the field you want to move. The Field Information window appears.

2.	In the two Field Location boxes in this window, enter where you want the top and left edges of the field to be located on the form.

3.	Click OK.


To move a line

There are two ways to move a line in the Customise window:

Use the pointer to select the lines you want and drag them to the new location; or

Change the line’s exact coordinates. To do this, follow these steps:

1.	Double-click the line you want to move. The Field Information window appears.

2.	If you use FirstAccounts for Windows, enter the distance from the top and left edges of the form where you want the line to begin in the top two Field Location boxes. If you use FirstAccounts for Macintosh, enter the distance from the top and left edges of the form where you want the line to begin in the two Line Begins boxes.

3.	Click OK.


To move a rectangle or picture

There are two ways to move a rectangle or picture in the Customise window:

Use the pointer to select the elements you want and drag them to the new location; or

Change the element’s exact coordinates. To do this, follow these steps:

1.	Double-click the element you want to move. The Field Information window appears.

2.	Enter the distance from the top and left edges of the form where you want the element to begin in the Field Location boxes.

3.	Click OK.


Step 6: Remove elements from the form

You may want to remove some of the data fields, text fields, lines, rectangles and pictures on your form in the Customise window.

To remove a text field, line, rectangle or picture from a form

To remove a text field, line, rectangle or picture, select the element you want to remove and press the BACKSPACE or DELETE key on your keyboard.

To remove a data field from a form

You can’t remove data fields from a form. If you don’t want a particular data field to print on a form, you can inactivate the data field (see below).

If you have more than one copy of the same data field on a form, however, you can remove the copies. To do so, select the duplicate field you want to remove and press the BACKSPACE or DELETE key on your keyboard.

To inactivate a data field

1.	In the Customise window, double-click the field you want to inactivate; the Field Information window appears.

2.	If you’re using a Windows computer, unmark the Field Is Active selection on the right side of the window. If you’re using a Macintosh, unmark the Active selection in the left side of the window.

4.	Click OK.

 Step 7: Preview the customised form (optional)


Step 7: Preview the customised form

At any time during the customisation process, you can display an on-screen preview of your work.

To preview the customised form

1.	In the Customise window, click the Preview button to open the Print Preview window, displaying the form.

2.	If you wish to view the form in more detail, click the zoom buttons on the left side of the Print Preview window.

3.	If you want to check your current printer and page settings, click the Print Setup button (Windows) or the Page Setup button (Macintosh).

5.	When you’re finished previewing the form, click OK in the Print Preview window.

 Step 8: Save the customised form


Step 8: Save the customised form

If you wish to save changes to a custom form you created previously, click the Save Form button.

If you wish to create a new custom form layout that contains the changes you've made, click the Save Form As button. The Save As window appears; enter a name and a brief description for the new layout and click OK.

Important: Forms are stored in a special folder on your hard disk.

 Step 9: Print the customised form


Customised Forms and the Forms folder

Important: All customised forms are saved in a special folder within your FirstAccounts folder on your hard drive, called Forms. If you make changes to forms, you should backup this folder onto floppy disk. If you need to use these customised forms on another computer, you will need to copy the customised forms into the Forms folder on the other computer.


Step 9: Print the customised form

Printing a customised form is the same task as printing an unchanged MYOB FirstAccounts form.

To print the customised form

1.	Open the Forms Selection window for the form you customised.

2.	In the bottom section of the window, mark the User-Customised selection.

3.	Click OK to begin the printing process.


Tips for customising cheques

Cheques differ slightly from other MYOB FirstAccounts forms because cheque stubs are attached to them. Cheque stubs typically contain data fields that summarise the information that appears on the main part of the cheque that the stub is attached to. In FirstAccounts, three types of cheque stubs exist:

The Regular Stub layout is automatically assigned to cheques that are written using the Spend Money window.

The Payable Stub layout is automatically assigned to cheques that are written using the Supplier Payments window.

The Refund Cheque Stub layout is automatically assigned to cheques that are written using the Settle Returns & Credit Notes window.

In the following topics, you’ll learn how to make changes to cheque forms and stubs. You’ll also learn how to add two stubs to one cheque form.

 Customising the cheque form

 Customising the stub form


Customising the cheque form

To customise an entire cheque, you’ll need to perform two separate tasks: customising the cheque form and customising the stub form. You’ll start by making changes to the cheque form itself.

 To customise the cheque form

 To customise the stub form


To customise the cheque form

1.	Open the cheque form in the Customise window. Notice that only the fields for the cheque, not for the stub, appear in the window.

2.	Open the Form menu at the top of your computer screen; notice that the Cheque Layout command is selected. This indicates that you’re currently viewing the layout for the cheque form only.

3.	Customising the cheque form is the same process as customising any other form: you can move, activate and inactivate data fields and add, remove and change the characteristics of text fields, lines, rectangles and pictures.

Make any changes to the cheque form at this time. If you need help, see Customising forms for more information about making basic changes to your forms.


Customising the stub form

Once your cheque form is customised, you can make changes to the stub that’s attached to the cheque form.

To customise the stub form

1.	From the Form menu, choose the type of stub you want to customise. When you select a stub type, the cheque form’s fields will be dimmed, and the appropriate stub form’s fields will appear at the bottom of the Customise window. (You may need to use the scroll bar on the right side of the Customise window to view the stub’s fields.)

 Note: Getting back to the cheque form

2.	After you’ve selected the stub you want, customising the stub form is the same process as customising any other form: you can move, activate and inactivate data fields and add, remove and change the characteristics of text fields, lines, rectangles and pictures.

Make any changes to the cheque stub at this time. If you need help, see Customising forms for more information about making basic changes to your forms.

3.	If you want, you can make changes to all three available cheque stubs at this time; however, the changes you make to one stub won’t be made to the other stubs. You’ll have to change each stub individually if you want the same change to apply to all three stubs.

 Idea: Preview your forms

4.	When you’re finished making changes to the cheque form and stub forms, click OK in the Customise window. All changes you’ve made will be saved.

 Idea: Don’t waste your cheque forms!

 Adding two stub forms to a cheque form


Note: Getting back to the cheque form

When a stub form is displayed in the Customise window, the fields and other items that make up the cheque form aren’t accessible. If you need to make changes to the cheque form again, choose Cheque Layout from the Form menu.


Idea: Preview your forms

Remember that you can preview the changes you make at any time by clicking the Preview button in the Customise window.


Idea: Don't waste your cheque forms!

After you’re satisfied with the changes you’ve made to your cheques and cheque stubs, consider printing some alignment cheques to verify whether the changes you made print correctly on your printer. Print alignment cheques by clicking the Print Alignment Cheques button in the Forms Selection window.

When you’re printing alignment cheques, though, don’t waste the valuable preprinted paper forms you normally use for cheques - use plain paper instead. You should be able to easily compare the alignment text on the plain paper with a preprinted form.


Adding two stub forms to a cheque form

Some companies prefer to include two cheque stubs with each cheque. Sometimes, when this type of form layout is used, the cheque form is located between the two cheque stubs. In a few steps, you can customise your cheque layout to incorporate two stubs in this manner. Follow the steps below to customise a cheque with a stub above it and a stub below it.

 Note: If you want two stubs below a cheque

 To add two stub forms to a cheque form


Note: If you want two stubs below a cheque

If you want two stubs to be printed after the cheque form is printed, you simply need to choose the Laser Cheque selection at the bottom of the Forms Selection window for cheques before you print the cheque forms. You don’t need to follow these instructions.


To add two stub forms to a cheque form

1.	In the Chequebook command centre, click Print Cheques to open the Forms Selection window for cheques.

2.	In the Forms Selection window, choose the Laser Cheque selection at the bottom of the window, then click the Customise button. The Customise window appears.

3.	From the Form menu, choose the stub form you want to include with the cheque. The stub’s fields will appear in the window (you may need to use the scroll bar on the right side of the window to view the stub’s fields.) Since you’re customising the Laser Cheque form layout, two stubs appear in the Customise window - that’s okay; you’ll be using both stubs.

4.	Select all the items on the first cheque stub, including all active and inactive data fields, text fields and any drawing objects on the stub.

 Warning: Be careful selecting items on the stub!

5.	Drag the selected stub’s items to the proper position in the Customise window. Use the rulers and the dimmed cheque form’s fields to find the location on the form where you want the stub to print. When you’re satisfied with the location you’ve dragged the fields to, release the mouse button. (You’ll probably place the stub’s items directly on top of the cheque form, and the Customise window will look a little confusing for the time being.)

6.	Choose Cheque Layout from the Form menu. Both stubs will disappear, leaving the cheque form’s fields alone in the Customise window.

7.	Choose Select All from the Edit menu to select all the cheque form’s items.

8.	Using the rulers as a guide, drag the cheque form’s items into the proper position in the center of the Customise Cheques window. (You may find it handy to verify the location of the cheque stub you moved in step 5. To do so, choose the appropriate stub from the Form menu. After you determine the location of the stub, choose Cheque Layout from the Form menu again.)

9.	After you’ve positioned the cheque form correctly, choose the stub layout you’re customising from the Form menu, then click the Preview button. The layout of the cheque form and the two stubs will appear in the Print Preview window. When you’re finished viewing the layout, click OK to close the Print Preview window.

10.	Continue moving the cheque stubs or cheque form until all items on the entire form are positioned the way you want, then click OK in the Customise window to save your changes.

 Warning: You can’t print alignment cheques now


Warning: Be careful selecting items on the stub!

Don’t use the Select All command to select all the items on the first cheque stub; you’ll mistakenly select all the fields on both the stubs.


Warning: You can't print alignment cheques now
Warning: You can’t print alignment cheques now

If you’ve followed the above steps, you won’t be able to print alignment cheques to verify the accuracy of your changes. The only way to verify the customised layout on paper is to print actual cheques and then void the cheque transactions.

If you use this strategy, we recommend that you set up a fictional payee card and create “dummy” cheque transactions for that “card.” That way, you won’t accidentally affect the actual records of one of your business contacts. (Keep in mind, however, that the cheques you write to the fictional payee are still actual cheques, and, if amounts appear on the cheques, the cheques should be voided when you’re finished verifying the accuracy of the changes you made to your cheque form.)

See Creating cards for information about setting up cards; Writing cheques to learn about writing cheques; and Voiding cheque numbers to learn about voiding cheques.


To print two or more lines of text on an item invoice

If you need to use more than one line of text for a line item on an item invoice, see To create a record for an item that serves a special purpose on an invoice  for information about creating a special text-only item record that you can print on the item invoice form.


Tips for customising mailing labels

MYOB FirstAccounts’ mailing label forms are set up so they can be printed easily on popular mailing labels. In the Form Currently Used for Mailing Labels section of the Forms Selection window, the top selection is set up so you can print three mailing labels per row on your paper. Labels printed in this manner are often known as “3-Up” labels.

The middle selection in the Form Currently Used for Mailing Labels section is set up so you can print two mailing labels per row on your paper. Labels printed in this manner are often known as “2-Up” labels.

FirstAccounts’ 3-Up and 2-Up label formats are designed to be printed on standard A4-sized pages of labels.

 Changing the size of your labels

 Changing the position of your labels

 Duplicating mailing labels


Changing the size of your labels

Changing the size of your labels is the same process as changing the size of any MYOB FirstAccounts form.

 Warning: Changes may affect the way you print

To change the size of your labels

1.	In the Forms Selection window, choose the form layout of the mailing labels you want to change, then click the Customise button to open the Customise window.

2.	Choose Forms Info from the Form menu to open the Forms Information window.

3.	In the Forms Information window, change the entries in the Form Size fields.

4.	When you’re finished, click OK.


Changing the position of your labels

Some printers aren’t capable of printing information on the top row of mailing label paper. If this is your situation, you’ll need to customise your mailing label form so the form’s top margin matches the printing capabilities of your printer.

 Warning: Changes may affect the way you print

To change the position of your labels

1.	In the Forms Selection window, choose the form layout of the mailing labels you want to use, then click the Customise button to open the Customise window.

2.	Choose Forms Info from the Form menu to open the Forms Information window.

3.	In the Forms Information window, change the top Margins field so it matches the location where your printer begins printing. For example, if your printer begins printing 2cm from the top edge of the page, enter 2.0 in the top Margins field.

4.	When you’re finished, click OK.


Warning: Changes may affect the way you print

Keep in mind that the changes you make to your forms’ margins will most likely affect other aspects of how your printer will print your labels.


Duplicating mailing labels

Use these instructions to quickly set up your mailing labels so you print the same type of label on a sheet full of labels of the same size.

 Note: Modify these instructions to fit your needs

To duplicate mailing labels

1.	On the label sheet in your printer, measure the size of each label on the first row, as well as the distance between each of the labels on the first row. Write these measurements down; you’ll need to know them later in this procedure.

2.	In the Card File command centre, click Mailing Labels to open the Forms Selection window for mailing labels.

3.	From the Card Type list, choose the type of card - customer, supplier, employee, personal - you want to include on the mailing labels, or choose All to include all your cards.

4.	Make any other selections you want, then click the Customise button at the bottom of the window to open the Customise Labels window.

5.	From the Form menu at the top of your computer screen, choose Forms Info to open the Forms Information window.

6.	Enter 1 in both the Rows per Page field and the Columns per Page field at the top of the window.

7.	Enter 0 (zero) in both fields that appear below the word “Margins.”

8.	In the top Form Size field, enter 29.7. In the bottom Form Size field, enter 21.001.

9.	When you’re finished making entries in the Forms Information window, click OK to display the Customise Labels window again.

10.	The information that you don’t want printed on the labels (for example, a second address) must be made inactive, removed or dragged outside the label’s margin. At this time, do one of these three tasks to each field you don’t want on the labels.

 Note: Only elements you’ve created can be removed

In this example, we’ll include only the Name and First Address fields on the label.

11.	When only the Name and First Address fields are on the label, choose Select All from the Edit menu at the top of your computer screen, then choose Copy from the Edit menu.

12.	In the Customise Labels window, drag the Name and First Address fields to the location of the first label on the first row that you wrote down in step 1. Use the ruler on the edges of the Customise Labels window to guide yourself to the exact location.

13.	Once the Name and First Address fields are placed in the correct spot, move the mouse pointer away from the fields and click your mouse button to deselect the fields.

14.	From the Edit menu at the top of your computer screen, choose Paste to paste the fields you copied in step 11 into the Customise Labels window.

15.	When the newly pasted fields appear in the window, drag them to the location of the second label on the first row.

16.	Repeat steps 13 through 15 for the third label on the first row.

17.	After all the labels are placed correctly in the row, choose Select All from the Edit menu, then choose Copy from the Edit menu.

18.	On the label sheet in your printer, measure the distance between the first row and second row of labels. Write this measurement down.

19.	Choose Paste from the Edit menu to paste the row of labels you copied in step 17 into the Customise Labels window, then drag the new row of labels to their appropriate place in the window.

20.	Repeat steps 17 through 19 for each row on your label sheet until you’ve organised all the rows properly. When you’ve filled the entire Customise Labels window with rows of labels, you’re ready to print!


Note: Modify these instructions to fit your needs

To describe this procedure simply, we use an example throughout these instructions. The example uses a label sheet with three columns; if your situation is different (for example, if you want to use a label sheet with four columns instead of three columns), don’t forget to modify these instructions to fit your specific needs.


Note: Only elements you've created can be removed
Note: Only elements you’ve created can be removed

You can remove an element from the mailing label only if you previously created the element on the mailing label at some other time. If you can’t remove an element, try inactivating it (if it’s a data field) or simply dragging the field off the printable area of the Customise Labels window. See Removing elements from the form or Moving elements around on the form to learn more about inactivating or moving elements on a form.


Graphs

Staying in touch with your company’s financial activity must be one of your most important tasks. Using the full-featured graphs in MYOB FirstAccounts’ Analyse Balance Sheet, Analyse Profit & Loss and Analyse Sales windows, you can gain a quick and accurate picture of your company’s financial health.

This part provides you with the information you need to display, print and modify the look of your FirstAccounts graphs.

In this part:

 Displaying graphs

 Using advanced graph tools

 Modifying your Macintosh graphs


Displaying graphs

Displaying a graph in MYOB FirstAccounts is as easy as opening any other type of FirstAccounts window. When you display a graph, you can also specify a number of criteria to show the data you want.

To display a graph

1.	Open the window in which the graph can be displayed:

Analyse Sales graph  Choose Sales from the Command Centres menu; a submenu will appear. Choose Analyse Sales from this submenu. You can also select this from the command panel’s MYOB Analyst.

Analyse Profit & Loss graph  Choose General Ledger from the Command Centres menu; a submenu will appear. Choose Analyse Profit & Loss from this submenu. You can also select this from the command panel’s MYOB Analyst.

Analyse Balance Sheet graph  Choose General Ledger from the Command Centres menu; a submenu will appear. Choose Analyse Balance Sheet from this submenu. You can also select this from the command panel’s MYOB Analyst.

2.	You can select a range of dates to appear in the graph, as well as other criteria, to group the data that appears on the graph. To do this, click the Filters button at the bottom of the window. You’ll open the Analysis Selection window for the graph you’re viewing. Use this window to select the information that will be displayed in the graph and click OK

 Note: If a pie graph doesn’t show every item or account


Note: If a pie graph doesn't show every item or account

MYOB FirstAccounts pie graphs can be divided into 13 sections only. The 12 largest amounts are shown individually. Everything else is represented by a 13th section.

If you use FirstAccounts for Macintosh, the 13th section is labeled “Other.”


Using advanced graph tools

If you use MYOB FirstAccounts for Windows, your graph capabilities are strongly enhanced by a series of specialised tools that allow you to view your graph information more closely, change the appearance of your graphs on your computer screen and print your graphs.

 Note: You can use these graph tools using MYOB FirstAccounts for Windows only

Viewing details in a graph

1.	Display the graph you want to view.

2.	Double-click the element in the graph you want to view. A “balloonful” of additional information about that slice of the graph will be displayed.

You can highlight important parts of a pie graph by separating slices of the pie graph from the rest of the graph.

1.	Position the mouse pointer over the slice of the pie graph you want to separate from the rest of the graph.

2.	Hold down the mouse button, then drag the slice of the graph away from the rest of the graph.

 Using the graph toolbar


Note: You can use these graph tools using MYOB FirstAccounts for Windows only

You can display graphs in both the Windows and Macintosh versions of FirstAccounts, and you can choose the types and quantities of information you view in your graphs in both versions. However, you can print graphs and use advanced graph tools only if you use FirstAccounts for Windows.


Using the graph toolbar

You can change the appearance of a graph and work with the information in a graph using the graph toolbar at the top of the graph window. The following topics describe the buttons in the graph toolbar.

 Idea: Use the right mouse button

 To use the graph toolbar

 To adjust the three-dimensional characteristics of a graph


Idea: Use the right mouse button

You can also learn the purpose of each button in the graph toolbar by clicking and holding down the right mouse button when the mouse pointer is over a button on the toolbar.


To use the graph toolbar

Read the descriptions of the buttons on the toolbar below to learn what tasks you can perform with the toolbar.

	Export Chart  Click this button to create an export file of the data in the graph you’re viewing.
	Copy as Bitmap  Click this button to copy the graph you’re viewing as a bitmap graphic onto the Clipboard.
	Copy as Data  Click this button to copy the data represented by the graph you’re viewing onto the Clipboard.
	Print  Click this button to print the graph you’re viewing. If you’re viewing a graph and its legend, you’ll print the legend and the graph.  Warning: Be mindful of the colours in your graph
	Change Colour  To change the colour of a portion of the graph you’re viewing, click the Change Colour button and select a colour from the palette that appears; then drag the colour from the Change Colour box to the portion of the graph you want to change. You can change the colour of any part of the graph you’re viewing, including the graph’s background and the legend’s background.
	3D-2D  Click this button to toggle between a two-dimensional and three dimensional view of the graph.
	Rotate  Click this button to open the 3D View Properties window, where you can choose your perspective of a three-dimensional graph. You can also add depth and shadow to a three-dimensional graph using this window. See To adjust the three-dimensional characteristics of a graph for more information about these features.
	Z-Clustered Series  Click this button to add a Z axis to a three-dimensional bar graph.
	Zoom  Click this button and then drag a rectangle around the section of the graph you want to view in greater detail. Click the Zoom button again to return to normal view.
	Show/Hide Legend  Click this button to either show or hide the graph’s legend box.
	Vertical Grid  Click this button to display a bar graph with a vertical grid.
	Horizontal Grid  Click this button to display a bar graph with a horizontal grid.
	Edit Titles  Click this button to open the Titles window, where you can enter, edit or delete titles for the graph you’re viewing. Click the Apply button in the Titles window to apply your changes to the graph titles. Click OK in the Titles window to apply your changes to the graph titles and close the Titles window.
	Change Text Fonts  Click this button to change the font characteristics of text in the graph window. When you click the button, choose the text you want to change from the menu that appears, then change the font characteristics in the Font dialog box and click OK.
	Tools  The Tools menu appears when you click this button. By choosing commands from the Tools menu, you can show or hide the legend box, the Palette Bar, the Pattern Bar or the Data Editor.  The legend box is a key that identifies the sections of the graph according to colour and pattern. To show the legend box, click the Tools button and choose Legend from the Tools menu. You can also show and hide the legend box clicking the Show/Hide Legend button on the graph toolbar. You can drag the legend box to any location on your computer screen. You can resize the legend box by dragging its edges. The Palette Bar allows you to change the colour of a portion of the graph you’re viewing. To show the Palette Bar, click the Tools button and choose Palette Bar from the Tools menu. Drag the colour from the Palette Bar to the portion of the graph you want to change. You can change the colour of any part of the graph you’re viewing, including the graph’s background and the legend’s background. Use the arrows at the left of the Palette Bar to scroll through the available colours. You can double-click a colour on the Palette Bar to open the Colour window, where you can define custom colours. The Pattern Bar allows you to add a pattern to the graph you’re viewing. To show the Pattern Bar, click the Tools button and choose Pattern Bar from the Tools menu. Drag the pattern from the Pattern Bar to the portion of the graph you want to change. To edit a pattern, double-click the pattern in the Pattern Bar to open the Pattern Editor window. Click a pixel in the Pattern Bitmap section of the window to activate or deactivate it. When you’re satisfied with the changes you’ve made, click OK.  The Data Editor allows you to change the information represented by the graph you’re viewing so you can plot projected goals, predicted sales, and so on. To show the Data Editor, click the Tools button and choose Data Editor from the Tools menu. When you’re satisfied with your changes, click the Tools button and choose Data Editor from the Tools menu to return to graph view. Using the Data Editor, you can change amounts represented in the graph and the legend names. Any changes you make to the graph using the Data Editor won’t affect your data file.


Warning: Be mindful of the colours in your graph

If you plan to print a graph, keep in mind that some colours don’t print well on white paper. Lighter colours, such as yellow, may not show up well at all, regardless of whether you’re printing with a black-and-white printer or a colour printer.


To adjust the three-dimensional characteristics of a graph

The 3D View Properties window allows you to adjust the way you view a three-dimensional graph.

	Click the Rotate button, shown to the left, on the graph toolbar to open the 3D View Properties window.


Modifying your Macintosh graphs

If you use FirstAccounts for Macintosh, you can change the appearance of your graphs by altering the colours and patterns of the “pie slices” in the graphs. The instructions the topic below show you how to do this.

To modify your Macintosh graphs

1.	From the Setup menu at the top of your computer screen, choose Preferences to open the Preferences window.

2.	Be sure the System tab is selected, then click the Pies button at the bottom of the window to open the Pie Slice Patterns window.

3.	The Pie Slice Patterns window allows you to choose the patterns and colours you wish to apply to the pie slices in all the FirstAccounts graphs you view on your computer screen.

Take a few moments to understand how this window works. First, notice the row of 14 coloured boxes in the middle of the window. These boxes represent the pie slices that can appear in any one graph in FirstAccounts.

If you want to change the colours or pattern of one of the slices, you first must click the box that represents the slice you want to change.

4.	To change the pattern of a particular pie slice, click the box representing that slice, then choose the pattern you want from the rows of patterns at the top of the window. You’ll notice that the box changes to display the choice you made.

5.	To change the colours of a particular pie slice, click the box representing that slice, then choose the colours you want by clicking the buttons labeled Foreground Colour and Background Colour. These two buttons open a window from which you can choose any colour that your Macintosh supports.

6.	If you want to review the changes you’ve made to your pie slices, click the Sample Pie button at the bottom of the window. A sample graph, displaying your choices, will appear in a dialog box.

7.	When you’re finished in the Pie Slice Patterns window, click the OK button to record your changes.


Month-end Procedures

Month-end procedures usually are performed at the end of every month, but they can be done at any time during the month. The key to success is to perform these tasks regularly.

 Idea: Check with an accountant before performing month-end tasks

In This Part:

 	Reviewing your trial balance

 	Reviewing and adjusting budgets

 	Reconciling cheque accounts

 	Reviewing cash flow

 	Other month-end procedures

 	Closing an accounting period


Idea: Check with an accountant before performing month-end tasks

Some tasks need to be performed at a specified time every month. Consult your accountant if you’re unsure which of these tasks are required for your business.


Reviewing your trial balance

Reviewing a trial balance report - also known to accountants as a general ledger - regularly is an optional month-end task, but it can make your job easier in the future. If you regularly review your trial balance, you’ll spot incorrectly recorded amounts quickly and will be able to fix them without much effort. If you decide to skip this procedure, however, and an error appears, you may find yourself sifting through several month’s worth of transactions trying to find the one that’s incorrect.

To print a trial balance

Printing a detailed trial balance is easy with MYOB FirstAccounts. The following procedure will explain how to print the report.

1.	From the Reports menu, choose Index to Reports to open the Index to Reports window.

2.	Select the General Ledger tab to display a scrolling list of reports that are associated with the General Ledger Command Centre. Scroll to the bottom of the list to display the Trial Balance selection; highlight this selection.

3.	Click the Filters button at the bottom of the Index to Reports window. The Report Filters window appears. Check to be sure that the proper period has been selected for the report. When you’re satisfied with the selections in this window, choose OK to redisplay the Index to Reports window.

4.	Choose the Print button.

To review your trial balance

Because each company’s business practices are unique, we can’t tell you precisely what you should look for when reviewing the trial balance. The following list offers some ideas, though, and your accountant can give you additional ideas based on the way your company does business.

When you review the report, look for:

Entries that seem unusually high or low for the account that’s been affected

Debit amounts for accounts that normally have credit entries, and vice versa

Unusually high or low ending balances


Reviewing and adjusting budgets

Reviewing the monthly amounts you’ve budgeted for your accounts will help you keep your fingers on the pulse of your business. The best way to do this in MYOB FirstAccounts is to consult a special balance sheet that’s designed specifically for budget analysis.

For more information about setting up an initial budget for your accounts, see Entering budgets for an account.

 To print a balance sheet for budget analysis

 To review your budget

 To change a budgeted amount


To print a balance sheet for budget analysis

Use the following procedure to print the Analyse Balance Sheet report, which lists your accounts’ actual balances for the current month, along with the amounts you budgeted for them. If you want information about customising the Analyse Balance Sheet report, see Customising reports. Please note, though, that you don’t need to make any modifications to print the balance sheet in its standard format.

1.	From the Reports menu, choose Index to Reports to open the Index to Reports window.

2.	Select the General Ledger tab to display a scrolling list of reports that are associated with the General Ledger Command Centre. Scroll through the list until you see the Balance Sheet (Budget Analysis) selection; highlight this selection.

3.	Click the Filters button at the bottom of the Index to Reports window. The Report Filters window appears. Cheque to be sure that the correct month has been selected for the report; also be sure that level 4 is selected, so you can see comparison information for all the accounts in your chart of accounts. When you’re satisfied with the selections in this window, choose OK to redisplay the Index to Reports window.

4.	Choose the Print button.


To review your budget

After you’ve printed your budget, you’re ready to review it. Follow the steps below for some suggestions on how to do this.

When reviewing the Analyse Balance Sheet report, begin by looking at the $ Difference column on the right side of the report. This column shows the difference between the amount you budgeted to spend during the month and the amount you actually recorded for each account in your chart of accounts. Many accounts will have a slight variation from the amount you’ve budgeted - that’s normal. What you’re concerned with is an unusually large departure from the amount you’ve budgeted.

Here are some differences that should be of particular concern to you:

Sales accounts that are lower than projected.

Expenses that are higher than you’d planned. If your expenses often exceed your expectations, you may need to put spending controls in place.

Wage or salary expenses that are different than you’d planned. This could mean you’re paying more overtime than you’d planned to, for example.

Accounts payable that are higher than expected. Accounts payable need careful management to ensure that you’re not paying your bills before you have to, but also aren’t losing discounts and paying unnecessary interest charges.

Accounts receivable that are higher than expected. This may mean that your customers are taking longer than anticipated to pay off their accounts with you.

Any significant variation from the amount you’ve budgeted deserves further investigation, but these are key areas for you to consider.

 Idea: If you need to change your budgets


Idea: If you need to change your budgets

Make a note on the report of any changes that are needed to your budgets for future periods. That will make your next task - adjusting the budgets - easier.


To change a budgeted amount

If you’ve determined that changes need to be made to the amounts you’ve budgeted for the coming months, you can use the following procedure to do so.

You’ll use the History and Budgets window to make changes to your budgets.

1.	From the General Ledger Command Centre, choose Chart of Accounts to open the Chart of Accounts window.

2.	In the Chart of Accounts window, highlight an account you want to change, then click Edit. The Edit Accounts window appears, displaying information about the account. In this window, click the Budgets button to display the History and Budgets window.

3.	Make any needed changes to the amounts displayed in the Budget column.

Remember to enter only the expected change (increase or decrease) in the account’s balance; don’t enter the expected balance for the account during the month in question. Also be sure to enter a positive amount if you expect the account’s balance to rise. Even if the amount represents an expense to your company, it should be positive if it causes the account’s balance to rise.

4.	When you’ve made all the changes you want for the account that’s currently displayed, click OK. Then click OK in the Edit Accounts window to redisplay the Chart of Accounts window. You can select another account if you need to make additional budget changes, or click Close if you don’t have any more changes to make.


Purging information that's no longer needed
Purging information that’s no longer needed

After you’ve used MYOB FirstAccounts for a long time, you’ll notice that the size of your data file has grown considerably. Information such as journal entries, invoices, purchase orders, business contacts and sales history figures build up over time. When your data file has grown larger than you want it to, you can remove the parts of the data that are no longer needed from the file. The process of removing data from your data file is called purging.

 Warning:	Purging information will change the way you view your financial activity

When you purge information from your records, you should plan out a strategy to do so. We strongly recommend that you purge your information in the following order:

1.	Closed sales

2.	Closed purchases

3.	Journal entries

Business contacts can be purged at any time.

 To purge closed sales

 To purge closed purchases

 To purge journal entries

 To purge business contacts


Warning: Purging information will change the way you view your financial activity

Various types of information, including journal entries, closed sales and purchasing transactions and contact logs, can be removed from a data file. The information you can remove won’t prevent you from keeping accurate financial records, but removing some types of information could change the way you analyse your information. We suggest you carefully consider the results of purging data from your data file before you do so. Although you can recover the information from a backup copy of the data file, the process may take more time and effort than you’re willing to invest.

Normally purging is not required until you receive a message that FirstAccounts’ Cash File or Dictionary File is almost full.


To purge closed sales

1.	Print all the reports that you wish to keep that show the closed sales you’ll be purging. You might consider printing a copy of the Sales Journal, which contains detailed information about all sales.

2.	Make a backup of your data file. Clearly mark this backup and put it in storage as part of your permanent records.

3.	Open the Sales command centre.

4. 	Choose Purge Closed Sales from the File menu. The Purge Closed Sales window appears.

5.	From the list, enter the first month from which you do NOT want to remove closed sales. Be especially careful when you select a month - don’t include an accounting period that isn’t completely closed. All closed sales dated prior to the month you select are marked for purging.

6.	Choose to purge detailed information about closed sales only, or to purge entire closed sales. If you choose to purge detail only, the sales ID number, date, customer, memo, ship-to address, comment, shipping date, shipping method, tax, freight amounts, salesperson and customer purchase order number for each closed sale will remain. If you choose to purge entire closed sales, all information about the closed sales will be removed.

7.	Click the Continue button. Another Purge Closed Sales window appears, listing all customers in the Card File.

8.	From the list of customers, select the customers whose closed sales you want to purge.

9.	Click the Purge Closed Sales button. The closed sales for the time frame you specified and for the customers you selected in this window are purged.

If you purged only the detailed information about your closed sales, you can still view the remaining information about each closed sale in the Sales Journal. When you click a zoom arrow next to a closed sale whose detail has been purged, the original window in which the transaction was entered will appear, displaying only the information that wasn’t purged.

If you purged entire closed sales, you can still use the Sales Journal to view the transactions that were previously assigned to the closed sales. Since these transactions’ sales records have been removed, however, you won’t be able to view any details about the transactions, other than those that appear on the Sales Journal.


To purge closed purchases

1.	Print all the reports that you wish to keep that show the closed purchases you’ll be purging. You might consider printing a copy of the Purchases Journal, which contains detailed information about all purchases.

2.	Make a backup of your data file. Clearly mark this backup and put it in storage as part of your permanent records.

3.	Open the Purchases command centre.

4.	Choose Purge Closed Purchases from the File menu. The Purge Closed Purchases window appears.

5.	From the list, enter the first month from which you do NOT want to remove closed purchases. Be especially careful when you select a month - don’t include an accounting period that isn’t completely closed. All closed purchases dated prior to the month you select will be marked for purging.

6.	Choose to purge detailed information about closed purchases only, or to purge entire closed purchases. If you choose to purge detail only, the purchase ID number, date, supplier, shipping method, comment, shipping date, tax, freight, memo and supplier invoice number for each closed purchase will remain. If you choose to purge entire closed purchases, all information about the closed purchases will be removed.

7.	Click the Continue button. Another Purge Closed Purchases window appears, listing all suppliers in the Card File.

8.	From the list of suppliers, select the suppliers whose closed purchases you want to purge.

9.	Click the Purge Closed Purchases button. The closed purchases for the time frame you specified and for the suppliers you selected in this window are purged.

If you purged only the detailed information about your closed purchases, you can still view the remaining information about each closed purchase in the Purchases Journal. When you click a zoom arrow next to a closed purchase whose detail has been purged, the original window in which the transaction was entered will appear, displaying only the information that wasn’t purged.

If you purged entire closed purchases, you can still use the Purchases Journal to view the transactions that used to be assigned to the closed purchases. Since these transactions’ purchasing records have been removed, however, you won’t be able to view any details about the transactions, other than those that appear on the Purchases Journal.


To purge journal entries

1.	Print all the reports that you wish to keep that show the transactions you’ll be purging. Account inquiry reports contain most of the information you may want to retain.

2.	Make a backup of your data file. Clearly mark this backup and put it in storage as part of your permanent records.

3.	Open the General Ledger command centre.

4.	Choose Purge Journal Entries from the File menu. The Purge Journal Entries window will appear.

5.	From the list, enter the first month from which you do NOT want to remove journal entries. Be especially careful when you select a month - don’t include an accounting period that isn’t completely closed. All journal entries dated prior to the month you select will be marked for purging.

6.	Click the Continue button. Another Purge Journal Entries window will appear, listing all the accounts in your chart of accounts.

7.	From the list of accounts, select the accounts whose unreconciled journal entries you don’t want to purge. Typically, you should select the accounts you regularly reconcile in the Reconcile Accounts window.

8.	Click the Purge Journal Entries button. The journal entries for the time frame you specified and for the accounts you didn’t select in this window will be purged.


To purge business contacts

1.	Print all the reports that you wish to keep that show the business contacts you’ll be purging. You might consider printing a copy of the Contact Log Report, which contains detailed information about all contacts.

2.	Make a backup of your data file. Clearly mark this backup and put it in storage as part of your permanent records.

3.	Open the Card File command centre.

4.	Choose Purge Contact Logs from the File menu. The Purge Contact Logs window will appear.

5.	From the list, enter the first month from which you do NOT want to remove business contacts. All business contacts dated prior to the month you select will be marked for purging.

6.	Choose to purge business contacts for customers, suppliers, employees or personal contacts only, or to purge business contacts for all people and companies in the Card File.

7.	If you’ve assigned identifiers to people and companies in the Card File and wish to purge business contacts for contacts with the same identifier(s), enter the identifier(s). We suggest you assign a common identifier (P for “purge” may be fitting) to each person or company whose contact log you routinely purge, so you can enter that identifier in this window.

8.	If you don’t want to remove business contacts that have recontact dates assigned to them, indicate this in this window, as well.

9.	Click the Continue button. Another Purge Contact Logs window will appear, listing all the people and companies in the Card File that match the criteria you entered in the first Purge Contact Logs window.

10.	From the list, select the people and companies whose business contacts you want to purge.

11.	Click the Purge Contact Logs button. The business contacts for the time frame you specified and for the people and companies you selected in this window are purged.


Reconciling cheque accounts

To ensure the accuracy of your business records, you should keep your MYOB FirstAccounts records of your cheque accounts’ balances matched up with your bank’s records. This task, called reconciling accounts, can be performed with any account that’s assigned cheque privileges; that is, any account for which you’ve selected Detail Cheque Account in the Edit Accounts window.

 Before you begin reconciling

 To reconcile an account

 To reconcile an account for the first time


Before you begin reconciling

Reconciling an account is simple if you keep a few things in mind before you begin reconciling. Be sure that:

All the cheques and deposits that appear on your bank statement are entered in FirstAccounts (Be sure the amounts on the statement are exactly the same as the amounts in the FirstAccounts transactions.)

You’ve entered bounced cheque and finance charges you owe and any interest that you received. (These entries should be made in the General Journal Entry window.)

The current balance of the account you want to reconcile is correct.

You’ve chosen Save from the File menu after you entered all your transactions.


To reconcile an account

Once you’ve met all the criteria in the Before you begin reconciling section, you’re ready to reconcile your account. Follow these steps to reconcile.

 Note: If you’re reconciling for the first time

1.	In the Chequebook command centre, click Reconcile Accounts to open the Reconcile Accounts window.

2.	Select the Account you want to Reconcile from the Account drop down field.

3.	In the Bank Statement Date field, enter the closing date that appears on your bank statement. Only the transactions dated on or before that date will appear in the scrolling list.

4.	In the New Statement Balance field, enter the ending balance that appears on your bank statement.

 Note: Be sure to enter the ending balance!

5.	Mark each transaction in the scrolling list that appears on your bank statement. Be sure to mark all bank charges and interest you’ve received.

6.	When you’ve marked all the transactions that appear on your statement, click the Reconcile button. A window appears, indicating whether your account is reconciled or is out of balance.

7.	If your account is reconciled, you can either reconcile the account or print the Reconciliation Report.

To reconclie, click the Reconcile button; the transactions you marked are considered “cleared”, and won’t show up in the Reconcile Accounts window the next time that you open it. To print the report, click Print Report; if you print the report, be sure to click Reconcile again to complete the reconciliation process after the report’s been printed.

If your account is out of balance, the window will indicate the amount by which your account is out of balance, and will provide you with a few ideas of how the out-of-balance situation might have occurred. Here are some additional things you might want to verify:

Are all the cheques and deposits that appear on your bank statement marked in the Reconcile Accounts window?

Did you mistakenly mark a transaction that doesn’t appear on your bank statement?

Did you make the correct entry in the New Statement Balance field? (Be sure you entered the ending balance from your statement, not your beginning balance.)

If you decide to exit the Reconcile Accounts window without successfully reconciling a cheque account, the transactions marked as cleared remain marked. You can pick up where you left off at any time.


Note: If you're reconciling for the first time
Note: If you’re reconciling for the first time

If you’ve never used MYOB FirstAccounts’ Reconcile Accounts window before, there are some special steps that you should perform before you begin the reconciliation process. If this is your situation, see To reconcile an account for the first time.


Note: Be sure to enter the ending balance!

Many bank statements have more than one balance on them. Be sure to enter the balance of your account at the end of the period.


To reconcile an account for the first time

At the time you started your data file it is most likely that you had many unpresented cheques and uncleared deposits that will appear on future bank statements.

This is why you need to enter into FirstAccounts your unpresented cheques and deposits that existed as at your conversion month. These cheques will then appear in your 'Reconcile Accounts' function ready to be ticked off as they appear on subsequent Bank statements.

Step 1. Enter the Cheque Account Opening Balance

•	Go to the Setup menu and select Balances and then Account Opening Balances.

•	Enter your Cash Book/Cheque Book balance next to the Cheque account number. Remember: DO NOT enter the statement balance. The amount should be the statement balance less unpresented cheques as at your conversion month plus any deposits not yet credited.

Step 2. Entering Unpresented Cheques

•	Select the Chequebook Command Centre and select Spend Money.

•	Enter each Unpresented Cheque dated as the 1st of your Conversion month. (i.e. if your conversion month was September, enter 1/9/99)

•	The 'allocation account' must be the same cheque account that is also selected in the top left drop down box. We are deliberately forcing MYOB to create an equal debit and credit back to the bank account. This ensures that the opening balance you entered for the Cheque account remains the same.

Step 3. Entering Uncleared Deposits

•	Select the Chequebook Command Centre and select Receive Money.

•	Enter each Uncleared deposit dated as the 1st of your Conversion month. (i.e. if your conversion month was September, enter 1/9/99).

•	Allocate the deposit back to the same cheque account that is selected in the top left drop-down box. We are deliberately forcing FirstAccounts to create an equal debit and credit back to the bank account, that way the opening balance you entered for the Cheque Account remains the same.

Step 4. Performing the Initial Bank Reconciliation

•	Select Reconcile Accounts from the Chequebook Command Centre.

•	Enter the account number of your Cheque account, eg 1-1110.

•	Enter the date as the 1st day of your Conversion month eg 1/9/99

•	Enter the balance from the bank statement. ( last statement prior to Conversion month. i.e. If you Conversion month was September, your required Statement balance would be as at 30th September).

•	Mark the Deposits side of every unpresented cheque.

•	Mark the Withdrawals side of every deposit.

•	Click Reconcile.You account should now reconcile, click reconcile again and remember to save your work.


Other month-end procedures

Many procedures in MYOB FirstAccounts can also be considered month-end procedures. The following procedures might be performed at the end of the month at your company; we suggest you refer to the topics mentioned below to learn how to perform these tasks.

 Printing customer statements

Most businesses send statements of sales activity to their customers at the end of each month. See Printing statements for information about customer statements.

 Analysing sales

It’s a good idea to be aware of your company’s sales activity and trends on a month-by-month basis. FirstAccounts’ Analyse Sales window can provide you with a graphical representation of your monthly sales. See Reviewing your sales information for information about analysing your sales activity.

 Analysing purchases

Likewise, tracking your company’s monthly expenses is a wise business practice. See Reviewing your purchase information for information about analysing your purchase activity.


Closing accounting periods

The process of closing an accounting period in MYOB FirstAccounts doesn’t include changing any of your accounting records. The things you do to “close” an accounting period are more for the sake of keeping track of your periodic business activity, so you have accurate historical records to refer to in the future. As a result, the tasks in the following procedure are merely suggestions - but they’re suggestions that may help you out a great deal someday.

To close an accounting period

1.	If you’ve received statements from your bank, use the Reconcile Accounts window to reconcile amounts in FirstAccounts with the amounts on the statements. Refer to Reconciling cheque accounts for more information about this task.

2.	Print a Trial Balance Report for the period. Check to see whether the activity that appears in the report is what you expected; for example, zero amounts in accounts that usually have regular activity may indicate a problem. Refer to Reviewing your trial balance for more information about this task.

3.	If the information in the trial balance reports is acceptable, print the reports you want to keep as part of your permanent business records. Suggested reports include the balance sheet, profit and loss statement, Aged Payables Report, Aged Receivables Report and all journal reports.

4.	Make a backup of your data file. Clearly mark this backup and put it in storage as part of your permanent records.

 Idea: Check your data file for errors before proceeding

5.	When you’ve performed the previous steps, choose Preferences from the Setup menu to open the Preferences window. When the Preferences window appears, select the Security tab.

6.	Change your selection in the Lock Periods list to the period you’re closing. This will prevent you from inadvertently making an entry in a month in which you don’t want new entries. This selection merely places a temporary “lock” on the month you select and all months before it. If, at a later time, you need to make an entry in a month that occurs before the month you selected here, simply change your selection here so that month is “unlocked” and available for transaction entry again.


Idea: Check your data file for errors before proceeding

To be completely sure that your data file is sound, we recommend that you use MYOB FirstAccounts’ data verification feature before you continue. You can check your data for errors during the backup process, if you wish. For more information about data verification, see Checking data files for errors.


Reviewing Cash Flow

Having an acceptable supply of available cash can often make a huge difference in determining how well your company performs next month. In FirstAccounts, you can use the Cash Flow Worksheet window to estimate your short-term cash needs by using information you’ve entered throughout FirstAccounts to create a forecast of your cheque accounts’ future.

The information used in the Cash Flow Worksheet window to forecast cash needs comes from recurring transaction information that you’ve entered throughout the FirstAccounts system.

To Review your Cash Flow

1.	Choose Index to Reports from the Reports menu; The Index to Reports window will appear.; click the Chequebook tab. Choose Cash Flow Analysis. A message appears telling you that you must first set up the Cash Flow Worksheet before printing a report. Click OK. The Cash Flow Worksheet window appears.

2.	Choose the cheque account you want to analyse from the Cheque Account list.

3.	Enter the number of days for which you want to analyse your cash needs in the Days To Look Ahead field. When you make your entry here, the list in the middle of the window will display all the transactions your company is due to perform during the time period you specified. Any transactions that are overdue also appear here.

4.	You can change any of the information that appears in the list to better estimate your cash flow needs. For example, if one of the transactions that’s displayed indicates you’ll be spending $1,000 for June’s commission payments, but you know you’ll spend only $500, you can change that amount. If no commission payment was needed for June, you could delete the amount entirely.

You can also add transactions to the list. To do this, scroll to the bottom of the list and add transaction information in the blank line. When you’re finished, press TAB to create a new blank line, where you can enter additional transaction information.

Note: The Cash Flow Worksheet does not affect your data file. Changes, deletions and additions you make in the list are used for the purposes of the Cash Flow Worksheet window only. The changes you make here won’t be reflected anywhere else in the FirstAccounts system.

5.	After you’ve made the necessary changes to the list, click the Analyse Cash Needs button at the bottom of the window.

6.	A new view of the Cash Flow Worksheet window appears, listing all the transactions that appeared in the previous list. Their corresponding amounts appear in the Amount column. The running balance of the account as it is affected by each transaction appears in the Cash Available column. You can simply view the information here if you like, or you can click the Print button to print a copy of the Cash Flow Analysis Report that contains the information displayed on your computer screen.

7.	If you wish, you can click the Return to Worksheet button and make more changes to the list of transactions. Experiment with the two views of the window to make different forecasts of your account.

8.	When you’re finished using the Cash Flow Worksheet window, click the Cancel button.


Year-end Procedures

At the end of each fiscal year, you’ll need to perform a few extra tasks to prepare your MYOB FirstAccounts system for the coming year.

In this part:

 Preparing to close a fiscal year

 Closing your fiscal year and starting a new one


Preparing to close a fiscal year

Although we refer to the activities in this part as “year-end” tasks, you could also think of them as “year-beginning” tasks, since they usually are performed in the first month of the new year and are meant to prepare you for the new year. This topic provides a small amount of background information about the tasks that you should perform before you begin closing a fiscal year.

When you close the fiscal year, you must perform these tasks:

Month-end procedures

Fiscal year-end procedures

The month-end tasks must be completed before you perform any year-end procedures. Complete the monthly tasks at the times you normally would, then go on to the year-end procedures. See Month-end Procedures to learn about performing month-end tasks.

 Note: Making entries in a new fiscal year before the old year is closed


Note: Making entries in a new fiscal year before the old year is closed

You can make entries in a new fiscal year before the previous fiscal year is completed. For example, if your fiscal year ended on 30 June, but today is 15 July and you still need to make entries in the old fiscal year, you can enter July transactions if you need to. When you finally close the previous year, the transactions you entered for the new year won’t be affected.

However, we recommend that you try to make all your previous fiscal year’s entries as soon as possible.


Closing a fiscal year and starting a new one

Closing a fiscal year is an important process in MYOB FirstAccounts, in which a number of tasks are performed to officially close the year that’s just ended and to prepare for the new year. Fortunately, FirstAccounts takes care of nearly all these processes automatically.

When you’ve entered all the information you need to enter in a fiscal year, you’re ready to close the year and start a new fiscal year. Note that you should start a new fiscal year only after the accountant has checked your data and made any necessary adjustments.

Things that happen when you start a new fiscal year include:

The previous fiscal year’s monthly totals for all accounts are changed to “last year” categories. If “last year” amounts already existed, those amounts will be replaced.

All closed sales, closed purchases and journal entries assigned to closed sales and closed purchases are purged.

The balance of your current-year earnings account is transferred to your retained earnings account.

The balances of your income and expense accounts are returned to zero.

If you wish, the new fiscal year can be changed so it ends in a different month than the previous fiscal year. (If you choose to make this change, check with an accountant about how to report information for a “short” fiscal year.)

If you wish, the new fiscal year can be changed so it contains 13 accounting periods. If your previous fiscal year used 13 periods but you didn’t make any entries in the 13th period, you can also change your new fiscal year so it contains only 12 accounting periods

Things that DON’T happen when you start a new fiscal year include:

Journal entries assigned to open or pending invoices or purchase orders aren’t purged.

Journal entries assigned to reimbursable expenses that haven’t been reimbursed aren’t purged.

Transactions that haven’t been reconciled using the Reconcile Accounts window aren’t purged.

Business contacts aren’t purged.

Any information dated in the new fiscal year isn’t changed.

 To close a fiscal year


To close a fiscal year

1.	Print all the reports that you wish to keep that show the previous year’s transaction activity. You might consider printing a copy of each FirstAccounts journal, because they show all transaction activity for a specified period.

2.	Make a backup of your data file. Clearly mark this backup and put it in storage as part of your permanent records.

3.	Choose Start a New Year from the File menu.

4.	Follow the instructions that appear on your computer screen.

 Warning: Fiscal years should probably not be changed


Warning: Fiscal years should probably not be changed

Once you’ve established your fiscal year, you are legally limited in your ability to make changes to it. For example, if your fiscal year begins on July 1st, you may not be able to move it to August 1st. Consult your accountant before considering any such change.

When your fiscal year is different from the calendar year, it usually takes the name of the calendar year in which it ends. For example, if your fiscal year is from July 1st, 1999, to June 30th, 2000, that year is referred to as “fiscal year 2000.”


Your FirstAccounts Data File

An important task in the course of your regular work in MYOB FirstAccounts is managing the information, or data, you enter in the FirstAccounts system. Your business’s financial records will remain accurate and useful to you only if you take a few moments occasionally to be sure you’re properly working with your FirstAccounts data.

This part discusses the concepts you should know to work with your FirstAccounts data, including information about FirstAccounts data files, backing up, checking and restoring your data, and importing and exporting data.

In this part:

 Creating data files

 Opening data files

 Changing the names of data files

 Changing the location of data files on your computer

 Backing up and restoring data files

 Checking data files for errors

 Importing data into FirstAccounts

 Exporting FirstAccounts data

 Purging information that’s no longer needed


Creating data files

Before you can begin using FirstAccounts, you must create a data file to store your company’s business information. When you create a new data file, you’ll follow a few automated steps called the FirstAccounts New Data File Assistant. The New Data File Assistant asks you a few important questions about your company and creates your data file.

After you’ve created a new data file, you can then use the FirstAccounts Easy Setup Assistant, which will assist you in entering the beginning financial information for your company.

 Note: If you haven’t created your first data file yet

 To create a data file while FirstAccounts is running

 To create a data file when FirstAccounts is not running


Note: If you haven't created your first data file yet

If you haven’t created your first data file yet, you need to complete the FirstAccounts setup process. The following instructions assume that you have created your first data file already; if you haven’t created your first data file yet, please refer to Using MYOB FirstAccounts for information about creating your first data file.


To create a data file while FirstAccounts is running

1.	Choose New from the File menu.

2.	An alert message appears, asking you whether you want to save the changes you’ve made to the current data file. Click either Yes or No.

3.	Another alert message may appear, asking you whether you want to back up the current data file. Make the choice you want; if you choose Yes, FirstAccounts begins the backup process.

4.	After these messages are complete, the current data file will close and the first step in the FirstAccounts New Data File Assistant appears.

5.	Follow the steps that appear on your computer screen.

6.	When the New Data File Assistant is complete, your new data file will be created, and you’ll be ready to set up your company’s records in the data file.


To create a data file when FirstAccounts is not running

1.	Locate the FirstAccounts icon on your computer.

(Windows 95/8) The icon you’re looking for is named MYOB FirstAccounts, and it’s located in the folder that was created in the Programs folder of your Start menu when you installed FirstAccounts.

If you chose all the suggested options during the installation process, your FirstAccounts system will be installed in the MYOB FirstAccounts folder contain a number of icons.

(Macintosh) The icon you’re looking for is named MYOB FirstAccounts, and it’s located in the folder that was created when you installed FirstAccounts.

If you chose all the suggested options during the installation process, your FirstAccounts system will be installed in the MYOB FirstAccounts folder and contain a number of icons.

2.	Once you’ve located the MYOB FirstAccounts icon, double-click it. (Or, if you’re using Windows 95/8, choose the icon from the Start menu.) The Welcome to FirstAccounts window appears.

3.	Click the button labeled “Create a FirstAccounts Data File.” The first step in the FirstAccounts New Data File Assistant appears.

4.	Follow the steps that appear on your computer screen.

5.	When the New Data File Assistant is complete, your new data file will be created, and you’ll be ready to set up your company’s records in the data file.


Opening data files

After you create a data file for your company, you can open it in the same manner as you open files and documents that you’ve created with other software programs, such as spreadsheets and word processing programs.

 To open a data file (Windows)

 To open a data file (Macintosh)

 To open a different FirstAccounts data file while FirstAccounts is running


To open a data file (Windows)

1.	In the Windows Start menu, locate the MYOB FirstAccounts icon. (This icon was created when you installed FirstAccounts.)

(Windows 95) The icon you’re looking for is named MYOB FirstAccounts, and it’s located in the folder that was created in the Programs folder of your Start menu when you installed FirstAccounts.

If you chose all the suggested options during the installation process, your FirstAccounts system will be installed in the MYOB FirstAccounts folder and contain a number of icons.

2.	Double-click the MYOB FirstAccounts icon or choose the icon from the Start menu. The Welcome to FirstAccounts window appears.

3.	Click the button labeled “Open your FirstAccounts Data File”. The Open window appears, allowing you to locate and select the data file you want to open. The Open window works similar to other “open file” windows in other Windows programs; if you need more information about using “open file” windows, refer to your Windows documentation.

4.	Locate the FirstAccounts data file you want to open, then highlight it and click the OK button. The MYOB FirstAccounts Command Centre window appears, displaying the name of your company in the upper left corner.


To open a data file (Macintosh)

1.	In the Finder, locate the MYOB FirstAccounts icon. (This icon was created when you installed FirstAccounts.)

If you chose all the suggested options during the installation process, your FirstAccounts system will be installed in the MYOB FirstAccounts folder and contain a number of icons.

2.	Double-click the MYOB FirstAccounts icon. The Welcome to FirstAccounts window appears.

3.	Click the button labeled “Open your FirstAccounts Data File”. The Open window appears, allowing you to locate and select the data file you want to open. The Open window works similar to other “open file” windows in other Macintosh programs; if you need more information about using “open file” windows, refer to your Macintosh documentation.

4.	Locate the FirstAccounts data file you want to open, then highlight it and click the Open button. The MYOB FirstAccounts Command Centre window appears, displaying the name of your company in the upper left corner.


To open a different FirstAccounts data file while FirstAccounts is running

1.	Choose Open from the File menu. When you use the Open command to open a different data file, the current data file will close first. (Two data files can’t be open at the same time.)

2.	An alert message may appear, asking you whether you want to save the changes you’ve made to the current data file. Click either Yes or No.

3.	Another alert message may appear, asking you whether you want to back up the current data file. Make the choice you want; if you choose Yes, FirstAccounts begins the backup process.

4.	After these messages are complete, an “open file” window appears, allowing you to select the data file you want to open. Locate the data file, select it and click OK (Windows) or Open (Macintosh) to open it.


Changing the names of data files

You can change the name of your data file at any time. Follow the instructions below that apply to the type of computer you use.

To change the name of your data file (Windows)

1.	Exit FirstAccounts.

2.	Using Windows Explorer, click once on the data file you want to rename.

3.	Select Rename from the File menu.

4.	Enter the new name you want to use for the file and then press ENTER. The new name is assigned to the file. Remember that MYOB data files should not have more than 8 characters, or spaces or symbols.

5.	Click OK. The new name is assigned to the file.

To change the name of your data file (Macintosh)

1.	Quit FirstAccounts.

2.	In the Finder, click once on the name of the data file you want to rename. The name is highlighted.

3.	Enter the new name you want to use for the file and press RETURN. The new name is assigned to the file.


Changing the location of data files on your computer

You can move your FirstAccounts data file to another location on your computer at any time. Follow the instructions below that apply to the type of computer you use.

To move a data file (Windows)

1.	Exit FirstAccounts.

2.	Open Windows Explorer.

3.	Open the folder containing the file you want to move. A list of the files in that folder appears.

4.	Drag the icon of the data file you want to move to the folder you want to move it to. Your data file is placed in that folder.

To move a data file (Macintosh)

1.	Exit FirstAccounts.

2.	Open the folder containing the file you want to move.

3.	Drag the icon of the data file you want to move to the folder you want to move it to. The data file is placed in that folder.


Backing up and restoring data files

As reliable as computers are these days, they can’t be fully trusted to provide you with trouble-free recordkeeping. As is the case with all machines, computers are capable of failure. In addition, interruptions in your power supply can seriously damage the hardware and software you use to keep track of your business. In short, you need to ensure the information you enter into your computer is safe; without this security, all the information you’ve ever entered into your computer could disappear in a moment, never to be recovered.

As a result, we strongly recommend that you preserve your FirstAccounts information in another location regularly - and very often. The process of preserving your information in another location is called making a backup. The “other location” you preserve your information is a file called a backup.

You can use FirstAccounts’ Backup command to automatically create a backup of your data file, and the Restore command to use a backup file. Before we discuss how to use the Backup and Restore commands, however, please read the following information about backups.

 Some facts about backups

 Some facts about making backups

 Following a system of making backups

 Making backups of data files

 Restoring backed-up data files


Some facts about backups

A backup typically takes the form of a diskette, removable hard disk or tape backup system, depending upon the size of the information that’s being preserved. You can get information about these systems from most computer manuals, as well as the person who sold you your FirstAccounts package.

If your backup file is less than 800 kilobytes (K) in size, it can easily be backed up onto a double-sided diskette.

If your backup file is less than 1.4 megabytes (MB) in size, it can be easily backed up onto a high-density diskette.

If your backup file is more than 1.4MB in size and you are backing up to floppy disks, MYOB FirstAccounts for Windows will automatically ask you to insert another floppy disk to continue backing up (known as Disk Spanning). If you are using FirstAccounts for Macintosh, you will require third-party backup software that allows you to compress your data file over a number of high-density diskettes. MYOB FirstAccounts for the Macintosh cannot backup to multiple floppy disks. An alternative is to use Zip disks or high capacity disks to store your backups.


Some facts about making backups

The process of making a backup of your FirstAccounts data file is usually as easy as copying the data file to another location - a standard task that’s quickly performed on any computer.

The time you spend making backups of your data file pales in comparison to the amount of time you may need to spend reentering data lost as a result of a damaged data file.

If you don’t want to use FirstAccounts’ Backup and Restore commands, other software programs are available that automate the entire process of making backups - not only for your FirstAccounts data file, but for your entire hard disk, as well. If you don’t want to take the time to make backups yourself, consider purchasing such a product.

We also recommend that you make multiple backups of your FirstAccounts data file - that is, more than one copy of your data file at different locations, at different times. The purpose of multiple backups is simple: backups can fail as easily as computers. If you’ve made one backup of your data file and your computer damages the data file on your hard disk, your sole insurance is the backed-up file. If the backed-up file is damaged, as well, you’re in just as much trouble as you would be without any backup at all.

 Warning: We usually can’t help if you don’t have a backup


Warning: We usually can't help if you don't have a backup

Not everyone makes backups of their FirstAccounts data file, and we at MYOB often hear from these people as they attempt to recover from damaged data files. As much as we’d like to help, the most common way to regain lost data - if a backup doesn’t exist - is to reenter the lost data, which may take hours, days or even weeks. Since you don’t have time to waste, we suggest that you strongly consider making a commitment to making regular backups of your data file.


Following a system of making backups

It’s important that you follow a system of making and storing your backups properly so you’re always covered in event of an emergency. Here are some suggestions for making backups:

Make a backup each time you exit FirstAccounts. To make this easy to remember, mark the Prompt for Data Backup When Closing selection in the Security section of the Preferences window. Then, each time you exit FirstAccounts, an alert message will appear, asking whether you want to create a backup of your data file.

Store your backups in places other than the hard disk where your company’s data file exists. If your hard disk is damaged, a backup file could become as damaged as any other file on your computer. We recommend that as soon as you make a backup, copy that backup to a diskette or to a network location.

Keep more than one backup from different time periods, such as days or weeks. Say, for example, you use FirstAccounts every day; keep five backup diskettes - one for each business day of the week. At the end of each day, copy your backup onto the appropriate day’s diskette. The next week, copy Monday’s backup onto the diskette that contained the previous Monday’s backup, and so on for the rest of the week. This will ensure that you’ll always have a reliable backup from a recent past time period.

After you’ve made all entries for an accounting period - which typically happens a few days into the next accounting period - make an official “end-of-the-month” backup and store it in a safe place. We suggest you label this backup clearly with the name of the month. At the end of the 12-month Financial year, then, you should have 12 monthly backups.


Making backups of data files

FirstAccounts’ Backup command creates a backup of the data file you’re currently using, and compresses it to a smaller, more manageable size. Use the topic below to use FirstAccounts’ Backup command.

To make a backup

1.	Be sure you’ve made all the accounting entries you want to include in the backup, and you’ve chosen Save from the File menu.

2.	Choose Backup from the File menu.

If you’ve chosen to check your data file for errors during the backup process, continue to step 3. If you’ve chosen not to check your data file for errors, skip to step 4.

3.	If you’ve chosen to check your data file for errors during the backup process, a message will appear, describing the data verification process. Click OK in the message to begin the process of checking your data file for errors. (For more information about FirstAccounts’ data verification feature, see Checking data files for errors.)

 Note: Data verification will take some time

When the data verification process is complete, a message will appear, describing the results of the test. If the process was successful, continue to step 4.

If the process discovered errors in your data file, the backup process will end at this point. Since this data file has errors in it, you should strongly consider restoring the most recent backup of your data file and using that data file instead. (We recommend that you check that data file for errors, as well.)

4.	A window appears, allowing you to enter a name and select a location for the backup file you’re about to create.

 Note: If the backup process doesn’t work

3.	Enter the name you want to assign to the backup, or accept the default name, and select the location you want to create the backup. If a diskette is in your diskette drive, you can create the backup on the diskette, if you want. (Note: MYOB FirstAccounts for the Macintosh cannot backup to multiple floppy disks.)

4.	Click Save to create the backup.


Note: Data verification will take some time

The process of checking your data file for errors is complex and time-consuming. Depending upon the size of your data file, the process may take several minutes.


Note: If the backup process doesn't work

When you installed FirstAccounts, special software used for the backup process was also installed. If an alert message appears when you try to use the Backup command, this software may have been removed from the location where it needs to exist. Contact MYOB Technical Support for information about reinstalling this software.


Restoring backed-up data files

FirstAccounts’ Restore command closes the data file you’re currently using, decompresses a FirstAccounts. backup file so you can use it, and opens the decompressed file. Follow the steps below to use FirstAccounts’ Restore command.

 Note: You can use other programs to restore backups

To restore a backup

1.	Be sure you’ve made all the accounting entries you want to include in the data file you’re currently using, and you’ve chosen Save from the File menu.

2.	Choose Restore from the File menu.

If you marked the Prompt for Data Backup When Closing selection in the Preferences window, an alert message appears, asking you whether you want to back up the data file you’re currently using. Make the choice you want.

 Note: If the backup process doesn’t work

3.	A dialog box appears. In this box, locate the backup you want to restore. When you’ve found the backup, click Open.

4.	Another dialog box appears, allowing you to select the location of the decompressed backup. Select a location and click Restore.

5.	An alert message appears, showing you what the decompressed file will be named and where it will be located after it’s decompressed. Click OK to decompress the backup. When the restore process is done, FirstAccounts will reappear, with the decompressed backup as the current data file.


Note: You can use other programs to restore backups

If you want, you can use other software programs, such as WinZip, to decompress a backup instead of the Restore command. Many other popular decompression programs will restore your backup files, as well.


Checking data files for errors

One of the most proactive things you can do for your business is to spend a few minutes each day to create a daily backup of your company’s FirstAccounts data file. By doing so, you’ll keep yourself out of trouble if an unexpected calamity occurs, such as total computer failure or a damaging lightning storm.

Another weapon you can use in your battle to keep your accounting information safe is FirstAccounts’ data verification feature. By checking your data file for errors, data verification can catch minor inconsistencies in your company’s data file before they cause serious problems.

 Note: What errors, exactly, does the data verification feature look for?

To make data verification a daily routine, the verification process can occur at the same time as the process of making a backup, if you wish. Or, if you wish to check your data file for errors immediately, you have that option, as well.

 To automatically check your data file for errors during the backup process

 To manually check your data file for errors


Note: What errors, exactly, does the data verification feature look for?

Generally speaking, FirstAccounts’ data verification feature scans everything inside your data file - from the transaction entries you’ve made into the FirstAccounts system to the computer code that makes up the basic foundation of any FirstAccounts data file.


To automatically check your data file for errors during the backup process

1.	From the Setup menu at the top of your computer screen, choose Preferences to open the Preferences window.

2.	In the Preferences window, click the Security tab.

3.	Mark the box labeled Check Data File for Errors During the Backup Process, then click OK.

4.	The next time you begin to back up your data file, the data verification process will begin.


To manually check your data file for errors

1.	From the File menu at the top of your computer screen, choose Verify Data File. A message will appear, describing the data verification process. Click OK in the message to begin the process of checking your data file for errors.

 Note: Data verification will take some time

2.	When the data verification process is complete, a message will appear, describing the results of the test. If the process was successful, congratulations! Click the OK button to end the data verification process.

If, on the other hand, data verification discovered errors in your data file, you should strongly consider restoring the most recent backup of your data file and using that data file instead of this one. (Once you restore the backup, we recommend that you check that data file for errors, as well.)


Importing data into FirstAccounts

FirstAccounts allows you to take various information entered in other software programs and incorporate it into your company’s data file. You can also incorporate information entered in one FirstAccounts data file into another FirstAccounts data file. This process is called importing data.

You can import the following types of information into the FirstAccounts system:

Accounts

Items

All types of cards

General Journal entries

All types of sales

All types of purchases

Quicken® Interchange Format (QIF) account names and journal transactions

Refer to the topics below that describe how to import the type of information you want.

 To import account, item, card, General Journal entry, sales and purchase information

 To import QIF information


To import account, item, card, General Journal entry, sales and purchase information

Follow the instructions below to import data into your data file.

1.	Export the data you want from the software program you’ve used to create the data. For example, if you’ve used a spreadsheet program to track your data in the past, you should use that spreadsheet program to export the information you want to use in FirstAccounts.

The data you export must be stored in a file, known as an import file, that uses either the tab-delimited or comma-separated file format. These formats are described below:

Tab-delimited files contain fields that are separated by tab characters. For example, if a tab character appears between Brewster and 300 Roundhill Drive in a file of customer information, the file counts Brewster and 300 Roundhill Drive as two separate fields in a record.

Tab-delimited files are often used by popular spreadsheet and worksheet programs.

Comma-separated files contain records that are separated by commas. For example, if a comma appears between Brewster and 300 Roundhill Drive in a file of customer information, the file counts Brewster and 300 Roundhill Drive as two separate fields in a record.

Comma-separated files are often used by popular database programs.

2.	Make a backup of your FirstAccounts data file.

3.	Choose Import Data from the File menu and select the type of information you want to import from the Import Data sub-menu. The Import File window will appear.

4.	In the Import File Format field, select the file format of the import file you created in step 1.

5.	In the First Record Is field, select whether the first record in the import file is a header record or a data record.

Header records are usually used as titles in import files; for example, some header records in an import file of customers might be titled “Customer Name,” “Address” and “Telephone Number.” If you indicate that your import file’s first record is a header record, that record won’t be imported into FirstAccounts.

Data records are actual information that you want to include in your FirstAccounts data file. If you indicate that your import file’s first record is a data record, that record will be imported into FirstAccounts.

6.	Depending upon the type of information you’re importing, more fields may appear in the Import File window. These fields will appear in either of the following two circumstances:

If you’re importing accounts or item records, select whether to reject duplicate records or update existing records in the Duplicate Records field.

In FirstAccounts, you can’t have accounts or items with identical numbers. If you attempt to import an account or item with a duplicate number, FirstAccounts will either reject the number or add the record’s unique information to your data file, depending upon your selection here.

For example, say Item #100 already exists in your data file and you select Update Existing Record here. When you import information about a different Item #100, the information about Item #100 in your data file will be changed to reflect the information that’s in the import file.

If you choose to reject duplicate records, the information that’s rejected will be placed in the Import Log report, which is created at the time you import.

If you’re importing customer, supplier, employee or personal card records, select whether to reject duplicate records, update existing records or add duplicate records.

In FirstAccounts, you can have customers, suppliers, employees or personal cards with the same name. If you attempt to import a duplicate number or name, FirstAccounts will either reject the name, add the record’s unique information to the record with the same name or add a new record to your data file, depending upon your selection here.

For example, say Sam Iam already exists in your data file and you select Update Existing Record here. When you import information about another Sam Iam, the information about Sam Iam in your data file will be changed to reflect the information that’s in the import file. If you select Add Them instead, a new Sam Iam record will be included in your data file when you import.

If you choose to reject duplicate records, the information that’s rejected will be placed in the Import Log report, which is created at the time you import.

7.	After you’ve made your selections in the Import File window, click Continue. A dialog box appears, allowing you to locate your import file. Locate the file and click OK (Windows) or Open (Macintosh).

8.	The Import Data window appears. In this window, you’ll match the information in the import file with its corresponding fields in FirstAccounts. To do this, highlight the name of a field in your import file from the Import Fields column.

Then click the FirstAccounts. field in the FirstAccounts Fields column that you want to match the import field with. When you click the FirstAccounts Fields column, the import field you selected will appear in the Matching Import Field column.

If you want to remove an import field’s name from the Matching Import Field column, simply click the import field’s name.

 Note: Some fields must be imported

If all the fields in the import file match the fields in the FirstAccounts Fields column, you can match all the fields at one time by clicking the Match All button at the bottom of the window.

9.	When you’re done matching fields, click the Import button to begin the importing process.

During the importing process, the Import Log report is created. This report, titled MYOBLOG.TXT, lists information about any problems that occurred during the importing process, as well as information about rejected duplicate records. This report is created as a file, and is located in the same place on your computer as your data file.

Each time you import, the Import Log report is created, using the same name. If an Import Log report already exists when you create another one, the existing report will be removed.


Note: Some fields must be imported

FirstAccounts fields whose names have asterisks (*) next to them must have matching import file fields assigned to them.


To import QIF information

Follow the instructions below to import Quicken Interchange Format (QIF) data into your data file.

1.	Using Quicken, export the data you want to use in FirstAccounts. See your Quicken documentation to learn how to do this.

2.	Make a backup of your FirstAccounts data file.

3.	Choose Import Data from the File menu, then choose Quicken® (QIF) File from the Import Data sub-menu.

4.	A dialog box appears, allowing you to locate the QIF file you want to import. Locate the file and click OK (Windows) or Open (Macintosh). The import process begins.

5.	If you receive an alert message during the import process  Only banking information from Quicken (account names and journal transactions) can be imported into FirstAccounts. If other information, such as information about investments, is included in the file you attempted to import, an alert message appears, explaining that the file can’t be imported into FirstAccounts. Click OK to clear this message and cancel the import process.

To properly import QIF information, you’ll need to create a QIF file that contains banking information only. Refer to your Quicken documentation for information about creating QIF files. After you’ve created a new QIF file, begin these instructions at step 2 again.

If the file you attempted to import contained valid information only, this alert message won’t appear. Continue to the next step.

6.	If the import process proceeds without an alert message When FirstAccounts determines that the QIF file contains the proper data, two situations may occur:

If all your QIF account information corresponds with FirstAccounts accounts, a window will appear, describing the number of records that were imported. This window probably won’t appear the first time you import a QIF file; however, when this window appears, the import process is complete.

If your QIF account information doesn’t correspond with FirstAccounts accounts, the Choose an Account window will appear. Use the following instructions to work with this window.

7.	FirstAccounts checks each account in the QIF file when you import the file. If FirstAccounts finds an account in the QIF file that doesn’t match any FirstAccounts account, the Choose an Account window appears. In this window, you’ll need to choose a FirstAccounts account, or create a new FirstAccounts account, to track the information about the QIF account.

When FirstAccounts finds an account in the QIF file that doesn’t match a FirstAccounts account, the Choose an Account window will display the name of the account in the QIF Account field or QIF Category field. (The QIF Account field will appear if this is the first time you’ve seen the Choose an Account window; the QIF Category field will appear after the first time you’ve seen the Choose an Account window.)

In the FirstAccounts Account field, enter the FirstAccounts account that best matches the account displayed in the QIF Account field or QIF Category field. If you wish, you can click the search icon next to the FirstAccounts Account field to open a search list of accounts to choose from. You can also use the Easy-Add function in the search list to create a new account to track the information.

8.	When the account you want to use is displayed in the FirstAccounts Account field, click OK.

If additional QIF accounts need to be matched with FirstAccounts accounts, the Choose an Account window will appear for each QIF account that needs to be matched. Follow the instructions in step 7 for each QIF account until all the accounts are matched.

9.	When all QIF accounts are matched to FirstAccounts accounts, a window will appear, describing the number of records that were imported.

If some records were skipped during the import process, or some other event occurred, a message will appear in this window, indicating that the Import Log report was created. This report, labeled FIRSTACC.LOG on your hard disk, lists information about any problems that occurred during the importing process, as well as information about rejected records. This report is created as a file, and is located in the same place as your data file on your hard disk.

Each time you import, the Import Log report is created, using the same name. If an Import Log report already exists when you create another one, the existing report will be removed.


Exporting FirstAccounts data

You can take various information entered in FirstAccounts and use in other software programs or in other FirstAccounts data files. This process is called exporting data.

You can export the following types of information from the FirstAccounts system:

Accounts

Items

All types of cards

General Journal entries

All types of sales

All types of purchases

Journal entries in Cee Data format

Journal entries in Solution 6 MAS ormat

*Although FirstAccounts exports all types of journals, when importing all journal entries go into the general journal.

The following instructions describe how to export your FirstAccounts data.

 To export FirstAccounts data

 Creating mail merge files with exported data


To export FirstAccounts data

1.	Make a backup of your FirstAccounts data file.

2.	Choose Export Data from the File menu, and select the type of information you want to export from the Export Data sub-menu. The Export File window will appear.

3.	In the Export File Format field, select the file format you want to use for the export file. You can choose either the tab-delimited or comma-separated file format. These file formats are described below.

Tab-delimited files contain fields that are separated by tab characters. For example, if a tab character appears between Brewster and 300 Roundhill Drive in a file of customer names, the file counts Brewster and 300 Roundhill Drive as two separate fields in a record.

Tab-delimited files are often used by popular spreadsheet and worksheet programs.

Comma-separated files contain records that are separated by commas. For example, if a comma appears between Brewster and 300 Roundhill Drive in a file of customer names, the file counts Brewster and 300 Roundhill Drive as two separate fields in a record.

Comma-separated files are often used by popular database programs.

4.	In the First Record Is field, select whether you want the first record in the export file to be a header record or a data record.

Header records are usually used as titles in import files; for example, some header records in an export file of customers might be titled “Customer Name,” “Address” and “Telephone Number.”

Data records are pieces of actual FirstAccounts information.

5.	Depending upon the type of information you’re exporting, more fields will appear in the Export File window. These fields will appear in the following circumstances:

If you’re exporting accounts, select to export account balances from the current or the previous financial year, then select the period whose ending balances you want to export.

If you’re exporting customer, supplier, employee or personal cards, you can restrict the people whose records you export by entering identifiers and post codes. Additionally:

-	If you enter more than one identifier in the Identifier field, the people whose records you export will only be those who match all the identifiers you entered.

-	If you enter a partial post code in the Post Code field, the people whose records you export will be those whose post codes match the numbers you entered.

If you’re exporting journal entries in any format, choose the journal you want to export from. You can also select a time period to restrict the journal entries to export.

If you’re exporting sales or purchases, you can restrict the transactions you export by the identifiers assigned to the customers and suppliers you conducted the transactions with. You can also select a time period to restrict the miscellaneous sales and miscellaneous purchases to export. Additionally, if you’re exporting item, service or professional invoices or service purchase orders, you can choose the status of invoice or purchase order you want to export.

6.	After you’ve made your selections in the Export File window, click Continue. The Export Data window opens.

7.	In the Export Data window, choose the FirstAccounts fields you want to export, and the order in which you want to export them. To do this, click on the first field you want to export in the FirstAccounts Fields column. The title Field 1 will appear in the Export Order column next to the field you selected, and the field name will also appear at the top of the Export Fields column in the left-hand side of the window.

Follow this process for each field you want to export.

 Note: Some fields must be exported

If you want to remove a field’s name from the Export Fields column, click on the field’s name in the FirstAccounts Fields column.

If you want to export all the fields in the order they’re shown in the FirstAccounts Fields column, click the Match All button. If you want to clear the entire Export Fields column, click the Unmatch All button.

8.	When you’re done selecting fields, click the Export button. A window appears, allowing you to name the export file that will be created, as well as assign a location to the file.

9.	Name your export file, select a location for it and click OK. The exporting process begins.


Note: Some fields must be exported

FirstAccounts fields whose names have asterisks (*) next to them must be included in the Export Fields column before you can export any data.


Creating mail-merge files with exported data

Communication with your business contacts is essential to the success of your business. Personalised business letters and mailers show your business contacts that you really appreciate their business, which can generate more sales for your company.

Using FirstAccounts’ Mail Merge feature, you can export card information from FirstAccounts and import it into word-processing software to create personalised correspondence for the people you do business with.

 Idea: Assign a contact name and salutation to cards

 To export data for use in mail-merging

 To create personalised letters using exported FirstAccounts data


Idea: Assign a contact name and salutation to cards

Two fields in the Card File Entry window, Contact Name and Salutation, can be helpful if you intend to create personalised letters using your word-processing software.

If a card is indexed by a company name rather than an individual name, you can enter the name of a contact person in the Contact Name field. Then, when you import the card’s data, you can send letters to a specific person at that company.

Similarly, by using the Salutation field, you can enter the name that a contact person prefers to be called, instead of their formal name.


To export data for use in mail-merging

The files you export from the Card File in FirstAccounts contain the information you enter in the Card File Entry window. They include the card’s name, addresses, phone and fax numbers, contact name, salutation and, if applicable, balance and overdue balance amounts. Use the following instructions to export Card File information from FirstAccounts:

1.	Click Create Mail Merge File in the Card File command centre. The Forms Selection/Create Mail Merge File window appears.

2.	In the Create Mail Merge File window, make selections about the data you want to export and then click OK. The Review Cards Before Exporting window appears.

3.	In the Review Cards Before Exporting window, all cards whose data fit the criteria you entered in the Create Mail Merge File window appear in the list with a mark in their Export field.

If you don’t want to export the data for a card, click the mark in its Export field to remove the mark.

4.	When you’ve marked all cards whose data you want to export, click Export. In the window that appears, name the export file that will be created and assign a location to the file.

FirstAccounts will create a tab-delimited mail-merge file from your Card File information. A tab-delimited file is a text file that uses the TAB character to separate fields. This file format works with most word processors. Check your word processor’s user’s guide to see whether it supports tab-delimited files.

You’re now ready to merge your Card File data with letters and mailers.


To create personalised letters using exported FirstAccounts data

To import your personalised letters data into your word-processing program, you’ll need to refer to the documentation that accompanied your word-processing software.

 Idea: Try searching for “mail-merge”


Idea: Try searching for "mail-merge"
Idea: Try searching for “mail-merge”

The process of importing data into a word-processing program’s document is often referred to as “mail-merging” a document. If you’re having trouble finding help, check for that term in your word-processing program’s documentation.


Glossary

Allocation account	Highlight	Purchase order
Applying	Historical balance	Purchases Journal
Backing up	Historical purchase	Purging
Backup	Historical sale	Recap Transaction
Cash Disbursements Journal	Icon	Reconciling
Cash Receipts Journal	Identifier	Record
Changeable	Importing	Recurring transaction
Closed period	Invoice	Reversing
Command Centre	Invoice Item	Sales history
Command Panel	Job	Sales Journal
Conversion month	Journal	Sample company
Credit terms	Journal entry	Service invoice
Data	Linked account	Service item
Data file	Locked period	Service purchase order
Default	Miscellaneous purchase	Session Report
Exporting	Miscellaneous sale	Source journal
Field	Opening balance	Source journal number
File	Password	Transaction
Footer	Pending purchase	Unchangeable
Form	Pending sale	Wildcard
General Journal	Professional invoice	Zoom arrow
Header	Profit and Loss Statement	Zooming


Allocation account

An account - usually an expense or income account - used to automatically balance a transaction such as a cheque or deposit.

Allocation accounts sometimes are also referred to as accounts used to distribute parts of a transaction to various other accounts.


Applying

The process of distributing customer payments to outstanding sales transaction balances, and supplier payments to outstanding purchasing transaction balances.


Backing up

The process of storing computer files at a location other than the primary location, with the intent of easily recovering the files if damage occurs to the files at the primary location.


Backup

Computer files stored at a secondary location, copied during the backing-up process.


Cash Disbursements Journal

A collection of information about transactions, containing the debit and credit amounts for affected accounts.

The Cash Disbursements Journal contains information about supplier payments that affect (credit) cheque accounts.


Cash Receipts Journal

A collection of information about transactions, containing the debit and credit amounts for affected accounts.

The Cash Receipts Journal contains information about customer payments that affect (debit) cheque accounts.


Changeable

If your transactions are changeable, you did not mark the Transactions CAN’T be Changed selection in the Preferences window.


Closed period

An accounting period in which all activity is complete.

Transactions can be entered in a closed period until the period is “locked” from transactions using the Preferences window.


Command Centre

A location in which selections can be made to accomplish accounting tasks.


Conversion month

The month in which a business starts entering transactions in FirstAccounts.


Credit terms

The agreed-upon rules governing the number of days between delivery and payment, discounts for early payment and penalties for late payment.


Data

Information that’s entered by a user and stored in a company’s data file.


Data file

The medium by which data is stored. All the accounting information that’s entered in FirstAccounts for a single company is stored in one data file.


Default

A suggested entry that appears in a data entry field.


Exporting

The process of transferring data from FirstAccounts to another software program, or to a different FirstAccounts data file.


Field

A single location where one unit of information is entered, such as the phone number of a customer.


File

The medium by which accounting data is stored.


Footer

A report section that’s printed at the bottom of a page.


Form

Documents that are typically distributed to people or companies outside a business, such as cheques, invoices, statements, purchase orders and mailing labels.


General Journal

A collection of information about transactions, containing the debit and credit amounts for affected accounts.

The General Journal contains transactions that do not belong in the Sales, Purchases, Cash Disbursements, or Cash Receipts journals.


Header

A report section that’s printed at the top of a page. Also refers to the section containing the title of various lists in FirstAccounts windows.


Highlight

The current location on the computer screen where you can make an entry. The highlight is usually indicated by a blinking vertical line, or by a line of text or an icon that appears in a different colour or in reverse (black on white, for example). Also known as a cursor.


Historical balance

The balance of an account before it’s transferred to FirstAccounts.


Historical purchase

A purchase made before the Purchases command centre in FirstAccounts was used.


Historical sale

A sale made before the Sales command centre in FirstAccounts was used.


Icon

A graphic representation of an object that appears on a computer screen. Some of the icons in FirstAccounts include the zoom arrow and search icon.


Identifier

A character used to organise cards.


Importing

The process of receiving data into FirstAccounts that originated from a different software program, or from a different FirstAccounts data file.


Invoice

The written record of a sale.

Three types of invoices can be recorded: item invoices, which record the sale of invoice items; service invoices, which record the sale of services and items that aren’t invoice items; and professional invoices, which record the sale of services and items that aren’t invoice items, as well as the dates each individual service or item was sold.


Invoice Item

A physical unit sold to customers or a billable service provided by a company.


Job

A series of specific transactions for which income and expenses are tracked, and for which a separate profit and loss statement is desired.

A profit centre, a product line or a similar division of a business can be considered a job.


Journal

A collection of information about transactions, containing the debit and credit amounts for affected accounts.


Journal entry

A transaction consisting of equal debit and credit amounts.


Linked account

An account to which specific transaction amounts are assigned.


Locked period

An accounting period in which entries are no longer allowed. Periods are locked using the Preferences window.


Miscellaneous purchase

Purchases that don’t require a printed purchase order.


Miscellaneous sale

Sales that don’t require a printed invoice.


Opening balance

An account balance that’s entered during the setup of the FirstAccounts system.


Password

A set of characters used to restrict access to specific parts of the FirstAccounts system. A password can be set up using the Preferences window.


Pending sale

A sale for which the items or services sold haven’t been delivered yet.


Pending purchase

A purchase for which the items or services purchased haven’t been delivered yet.


Professional invoice

A service invoice that contains the dates each service was performed.


Profit and Loss Statement

A financial statement showing a company’s performance over a period of time. Also referred to as “Income Statement.”

A FirstAccounts profit and loss statement shows the income gained by a business, the cost of sales and expenses incurred by the business and the net profit or loss that results.


Purchase order

The written record of a purchase.

In FirstAccounts, you can record service purchase orders, which record the purchase of services.


Purchases Journal

A collection of information about transactions, containing the debit and credit amounts for affected accounts.

The Purchases Journal contains purchasing transaction information affecting accounts payable and purchase expense accounts.


Purging

The process of removing unnecessary or outdated data from a company’s data file. Information that can be purged from the data file includes journal entries, closed sales, closed purchases and business contacts.


Recap Transaction

A feature that allows users to review a journal entry before it’s saved. This feature, selected from the Edit menu, is helpful in viewing transactions such as invoices and purchase orders for which the journal entry isn’t apparent.


Reconciling

The process of verifying that a business’s recordkeeping of various accounts is consistent with a bank’s recordkeeping of the same accounts.


Record

A collection of information about individual parts of accounting data. For example, all information about a single customer is stored as a record.


Recurring transaction

An accounting entry that occurs repeatedly, such as monthly rent.


Reversing

The process of offsetting the effects of an incorrect transaction by entering a new transaction (called a “reversing transaction”) that reverses the debit and credit entries of the incorrect transaction.


Sales Journal

A collection of information about transactions, containing the debit and credit amounts for affected accounts.


Sales history

The chronological list of past monthly sales amounts recorded for an invoice item, customer or salesperson.


Sample company

The term used to describe Clearwater, a fictitious set of data that allows FirstAccounts users to experiment with FirstAccounts.


Service invoice

The written record of a sale of services or other items that aren’t invoice items.


Service item

A service performed by a company that’s entered in the Invoice Item Information window and can have item invoices written for it.


Service purchase order

The written record of a purchase of services.


Session Report

A report containing journal activity since the FirstAccounts system was last started, or since the last time changes in the FirstAccounts data file were saved.


Source journal

A recordkeeping tool used to categorise transactions into similar groups. When a transaction is saved, it’s assigned to the source journal that best applies to it. FirstAccounts’ five source journals are the General Journal, Sales Journal, Purchases Journal, Cash Receipts Journal, and Cash Disbursements Journal.


Source journal number

An identification number assigned to a transaction.


Transaction

An entry that affects the balance of an account or group of accounts.


Unchangeable

If your transactions are unchangeable, you marked the Transactions CAN’T be Changed selection in the Preferences window.


Wildcard

A character used to further define search criteria in reports. FirstAccounts uses an asterisk (*) and a question mark (?) as wildcards.


Zoom arrow

An icon in a window that allows a user to review, or “zoom,” to more detailed information about a specific topic, such as a transaction.


Zooming

The process of clicking a zoom arrow to review more detailed information about a specific topic, such as a transaction.


Command Panel

The command panel can be accessed from every command centre in FirstAccounts and is used to view your To Do List, find transactions, analyse your company’s activities, and run reports. It is located on the right hand side of the command centre, and all command panel selections are availabel in the Command Centres menu.


Windows and Menus in FirstAccounts

To find information about a particular window, click the icon below that represents the command centre to which the window you want belongs.

If you want to learn more about a particular selection on a menu, click the name of the menu in the illustration below to learn more about it.


File menu

Click each command below for a description of its function.


Edit menu

Click each command below for a description of its function.


Command Centres menu

Click each command below for a description of its function.


command centres_COMMAND CENTRE MENU
Command Centres

The Command Centres menu lists all the command centres in FirstAccounts, and provides you with an alternate method of navigating to the main windows in each command centre. Notice that keyboard equivalents for major FirstAccounts windows are shown in the Command Centres menu.


Setup menu

Click each command below for a description of its function.


Reports menu

Click each command below for a description of its function.


print session report command REPORTS MENU
Print Session Report

Print a report containing journal activity since the FirstAccounts system was last started, or since the last time changes in the FirstAccounts data file were saved.


Reports List REPORT MENU
Reports List

This list displays the reports found in the Index to Reports window. You can select a report to print quickly by using these drop-down menus.


Form menu

Click each command below for a description of its function.

Note: The Form menu is only accessible when viewing the Customise Form window.


Window menu

Click each command below for a description of its function.


Window menu contents

The Window menu lists the FirstAccounts windows that are currently open. Use the Window menu to quickly switch to a window that may have been obscured by other windows.


Help menu

Click each command below for a description of its function.


Help menu contents

The FirstAccounts Help files appear in the Help menu. Choose “Help Overview” to see a summary of the contents of each help file in the Help menu.


Send to Back command

Since a number of items may appear in the Customise window for a form, you may occasionally find that one item completely overlaps another. If this is your situation, the field "in front" will be selected when you click it, but the field "behind" the first field won't be selected. If you want to select the field behind the field "in front," choose Send to Back, then click the fields again.


Bring to Front command

Choose this command if you want the currently selected field to be placed "behind" a field it's overlapping.


Change Fonts command

Choose this command after selecting a field or many fields to open the Font window. When you make selections using the Font window, the selection will apply to all fields you selected in the Customise window.


General Ledger windows

Account Historical Balances

Accounts List

Analysis Selection:Analyse Balance Sheet

Analysis Selection:Analyse Profit & Loss

Analyse Balance Sheet

Analyse Jobs

Analyse Profit & Loss

Budget Shortcuts

Edit Accounts

Customer Reimbursable Expenses

Edit Job

General Journal Entry

General Ledger Command Centre

History and Budgets

Job Budgets by Account

Job Reimbursable Expenses

Jobs List

Markup Information

New Job


Chequebook windows

Chequebook Command Centre

Customise Cheques

Forms Selection: Print Cheques

Receive Money

Reconcile Accounts

Review Cheques Before Printing

Spend Money


Sales windows

Aging Date:Analyse Receivables

Analyse Receivables

Analyse Sales

Comments & Shipping Methods

Customer Payments

Customise Invoice Statements

Customise Item Invoices

Customise Packing Slips (Item)

Customise Packing Slips (Professional)

Customise Packing Slips (Service)

Customise Professional Invoices

Customise Service Invoices

Customise Shipping Labels (Item)

Customise Shipping Labels (Professional)

Customise Shipping Labels (Service)

Edit Comments

Edit Shipping Methods

Forms Selection: Print Invoices

Forms Selection: Print Statements

Review Invoices Before Printing

Review Packing Slips Before Printing

Review Shipping Labels Before Printing

Review Statements Before Printing

Sales

Sales Command Centre

Select from List:Settle Returns & Credits

Settle Returns & Credits

Tax Information window

Type (Sales window)


Purchases windows

Aging Date:Analyse Payables

Analyse Payables

Supplier Payments

Customise Item Purchases

Customise Professional Purchases

Customise Service Purchases

Forms Selection: Print Purchase Orders

Purchases

Purchases Command Centre

Review Orders Before Printing

Select from List:Settle Returns & Debits

Settle Returns & Debits

Tax Information window

Type (Purchases window)


Card File windows

Card File Command Centre

Card File Entry

Contact Log Entry

Credit Terms

Customise Labels

Forms Selection: Personalised Letters

Forms Selection: Print Mailing Labels

Identifiers

Review Cards Before Exporting

Review Labels Before Printing

Sales History

View Card File

View Contact Log


New command

The New command allows you to begin creating a new data file to store financial information in FirstAccounts If you want to learn more about creating a data file, click the button below.

To view the Help file for the New Data File Assistant, click here.

  To create a data file while MYOB is running


Open command

The Open command allows you to open a different data file while FirstAccounts is running. When you choose a different data file to open, the current data file will close. If you want to learn more about opening a data file, click the button below.

  To open a different data file while MYOB is running


Close Window command

Choose the Close Window command to close the current FirstAccounts window.

You can also close FirstAccounts windows by clicking each window's close box in their title bar.


Save command

After you've performed a task in FirstAccounts, it's a good idea to choose the Save command to ensure the task you performed will be saved in your data file. Until you choose Save, the transactions, cards, accounts, items and whatever else you enter in FirstAccounts won't be permanently saved in your data file. We suggest that you choose Save often.

If you don't want to take the time to choose Save yourself, you can also choose to have FirstAccounts save your data file automatically for you. To do this, mark the Automatic Save Every __ Minutes selection in the Preferences window.


Revert to Saved command

If you've made a mistake that hasn't been saved in your data file yet, choose the Revert to Saved command to remove all changes you've made since the last time your data file was saved.

Be careful choosing this command, however; if you've also made correct transactions since the last time your data was saved, those transactions will be removed when you choose this command, as well!


Print command

The Print command works differently, depending upon which FirstAccounts window is currently displayed. If you're viewing a window with a report displayed in it, choosing the Print command will begin the printing process for the report. If you're viewing a window with a transaction displayed in it, the appropriate form (if any) will be printed. If you're viewing any other type of FirstAccounts window, choosing the Print command will open the Index to Reports window.


Print Setup/Page Setup command

The Print Setup (Windows) and Page Setup (Macintosh) command open a window that allows you to choose the options you want for the printing of your paper reports and forms. The window that appears when you choose Print Setup or Page Setup depends upon the type of computer and printer you're using.


Default Fonts command

The Default Fonts command allows you to choose the fonts you want to use most often in your reports and forms (and, if you use FirstAccounts for Windows, in your FirstAccounts windows). When you choose this command, the Default Font Selection window will open.


Backup command

The Backup command allows you to automatically create a backup of your data file. If you want to learn more about making backups, click the button below.

  To make a backup


Restore command

The Restore command allows you to make a previously backed-up data file available for use. If you want to learn more about using the Restore command, click the button below.

  To restore a backup


Verify Data File command

The Verify Data File command allows you to check your data file for any computer-related errors that might have occurred due to a power fluctuation or other incident that might cause damage to your data file. It's a good idea to use this command often to ensure that your data file is sound. To learn more about checking your data file for errors, click the button below.

  To manually check your data file for errors


Purge commands

The Purge commands (Purge Closed Sales, Purge Closed Purchases, Purge Journal Entries and Purge Contact Logs) allow you to reduce the size of your data file by removing old, unneeded entries that you've made into your data file. Purging is a process you probably should perform on a regular basis. To learn more about the Purge commands, click the buttons below.

  Purging information that's no longer needed

  To purge closed sales

  To purge closed purchases

  To purge outdated journal entries

  To purge business contacts


Start a New Year commands
Start a New Year command

The Start a New Year command allows you to close the current financial year and start a new financial year. To learn more about these commands, click the button below.

  To close a financial year


Import Data, Export Data and Accountant Link commands

These commands allow you to copy data from other programs into FirstAccounts (importing data) and make a copy of FirstAccounts data to use in other programs (exporting data). The commands in the Accountant Link™ sub-menu allow you to export FirstAccounts data in special formats used by many accountants. If you want to learn more about importing and exporting data, click the buttons below.

  Importing data into MYOB

  Exporting MYOB data


Exit/Quit command

The Exit command (Windows) and Quit command (Macintosh) allows you to end your current session in the FirstAccounts system. Depending upon your selections in the Preferences window, you may be asked to save your data file, check your data file for errors, back up your data file and print a Session Report that describes your activity for the session you're about to end.


Editing commands (Undo, Cut, Copy, Paste, Erase, Select All)

These commands work similar to commands of the same name in other software programs.

The Undo command "undoes" the previous action you performed. In some cases, the Undo command won't be able to reverse the actions of what you did.

The Cut command removes any selected items (text, fields, graphics, and so on) and places it on the Clipboard.

The Copy command copies any selected items (text, fields, graphics and so on) and places it on the Clipboard.

The Paste command pastes any items currently on the Clipboard onto the place where your highlight currently resides.

The Clear command permanently removes any selected items (text, fields, graphics and so on).

The Erase command removes any entries you've recently made in the current window. For example, if you've typed all the information about an invoice in the Sales window, but you haven't recorded it yet, you can choose Erase to clear the Sales window of the information you typed without affecting your records.

The Select All command will select all the elements on the screen that can be selected.


Search command

The Search command allows you to view a list of cards, accounts or items to choose from. The Search command is available only if the highlight is positioned on a field in which a card, account or item can be entered.


Recap Transaction command

The Recap Transaction command opens the Recap Transaction window .


Easy Setup Assistant command

The Easy Setup Assistant command opens the main window of the Easy Setup Assistant, which allows you to enter beginning information for a new data file.

To view the Help file for the FirstAccounts Easy Setup Assistant, click here.


Balances command

Use the Balances commands (Account Opening Balances, Job Opening Balances, Receivable Opening Balances and Payable Opening Balances) to enter the beginning balances of your accounts, as well as the opening balances of your jobs, customers and suppliers. Each command opens a different window: the Account Opening Balances window, the Job Opening Balances window, the Receivable Balances window and the Payable Balances window .


Linked Accounts commands

The Linked Accounts commands (General Ledger, Receivable, Payable) allow you to choose the accounts you want to link to particular types of transactions you enter in the FirstAccounts system. Each command opens a different window: the General Ledger Linked Accounts window, the Accounts Receivable Linked Accounts window, and the Accounts Payable Linked Accounts window .


Preferences command

The Preferences command opens the Preferences window, where you can customise the way you work in the FirstAccounts system.


Company Information command

The Company Information command opens the Company Information window, where you can enter general information about your company.


Business Calendar command

The Business Calendar command opens the Business Calendar window, where you can establish your company's work week, holidays and other important events in a calendar format.


Tax Codes command

The Tax Codes command opens the Tax Codes window, where you can set up the tax codes used by your business.


Forms Info command

Choose this command to open the Forms Information window for the form you're customising. The Forms Information window contains summary information about the form you're customising. Depending upon the form you're customising, information such as the number of forms per page, paper size, margins and form size appears in the Forms Information window. You can make changes in this window, if you wish.

To find out more about the Forms Info window, click here.


Hide Inactive Fields command

Inactive data fields in the Customise window appear dimmed. If inactive fields are getting in the way while you're customising a form, choose Hide Inactive Fields to "hide" inactive data fields from the Customise window. The inactive fields won't be removed from your form; you just won't be able to see them.

Show Inactive Fields command

This command can also appear in the Form menu. Choose this command to view inactive data fields that you've hidden using the Hide Inactive Fields command.


Index to Reports command

The Index to Reports command opens the Index to Reports window.


Date

Enter the date of this transaction.

Transaction dates are used to sort your lists of transactions; the oldest transaction date appears first in the Transaction Journal window.

Dates that occur before your conversion date or in a prior financial year can't be used.


Save Recurring button

Click this button to open the Save Recurring Transaction window, where you can duplicate this transaction for repeated use in the future. This button appears only if you're not already using a recurring transaction.

To find out more about the Save Recurring Transaction window, click here.


Use Recurring button

Click this button to open the Select a Recurring Transaction window, where you can select, change or delete an existing recurring transaction. This button appears only if you're not already using a recurring transaction.

To find out more about the Use Recurring Transaction window, click here.


Don't Record button

Click this button if you don't want to use the recurring transaction you selected. The transaction won't be recorded, but will remain in the list of recurring transactions that you can use.


Pending button

Click this button if you want to save this transaction as a pending transaction. When you click this button, the transaction will be placed in the Pending File.


All button

Click this button to select everything in the list.


Dial button

Click this button to dial the telephone number associated with the card displayed in this window.

You can use this feature only if a modem is properly connected to your computer and if you've marked the I Have a Modem for Autodialing selection and selected the proper modem port in the Preferences window.


None button

Click this button to deselect everything in the list.


Print button

Click this button to print the contents of this window. If you are viewing a transaction, clicking Print will print a copy of the transaction. If you are viewing a list, clicking Print will print a report.


Journal button

Click this button to display the Transaction Journal window, which contains summary information about transactions you've entered in the FirstAccounts system.

To find out more about the Transaction Journal, click here.


New button

Click this button to begin creating a new entry in this window. If you have already started entering details in this window, and you click New, FirstAccounts will save your current details, and clear the window so you can begin entering new details.


Cancel button

Click this button to clear the entries you made in this window and close the window.


Close button

Click this button to close this window.


Record button

Click this button to record the transaction you've made in this window.


Record Reversal button

Click this button to record a reverse transaction.


OK button

Click this button to accept the entries you've made in this window.


Print XX Copies

Specify the number of copies of this form that you want to print.

Please note: If your operating system Print dialog box allows you to specify the number of copies you want to print, you generally should enter 1 if you've already specified the number of copies you want using FirstAccounts. If you specify multiple copies both in FirstAccounts and in the Print dialog box, you may end up with many more copies of the form than you'd planned. There are some cases, in which you may find it useful to enter amounts both in FirstAccounts and in the Print dialog box.

When you print multiple copies using FirstAccounts, all the copies for one form will be printed before the second form is printed; all copies of the second form will be printed, then all copies of the third form will be printed, and so on. If you print multiple copies using the Print dialog box, all the forms will be printed once, then a complete set of copies will be printed, followed by another full set of copies, and so on, until all the copies you requested have been printed.

This can be useful for printing groups of T4 statements, for example, if you print multiple T4 statements on a single page. By using FirstAccounts to print your multiple copies, you can print each employee's T4 statements on the same page. If you use the Print dialog box, the employee's statements won't be printed together.

You also can use this feature to your advantage when printing mailing labels. Say you're printing customer mailing labels, and you want three labels for each customer to be printed in succession in each set of labels, and you want two sets of labels to be printed. To do this, enter 3 in the Review Labels Before Printing window (to print three labels in a row for each customer), and enter 2 in the Print dialog box (to create two sets of labels). A total of six labels will be created for each customer.


Account Historical Balances window

The Account Historical Balances window allows you to view balances of the detail accounts in your chart of accounts for previous financial years. You can also enter the balances of detail accounts for the months of the current financial year before you began using FirstAccounts.

To find this window...

Click Chart of Accounts in the General Ledger Command Centre. The Accounts List window appears. Click the History button in the Accounts List window.

Fields in this window:

Balance Sheet: Choose this selection if you wish to work with historical balances for the balance sheet detail accounts (asset, liability and equity accounts) in your chart of accounts.

P &L: Choose this selection if you wish to work with historical balances for the profit and loss detail accounts (income, cost of sales, expense, other income and other expense accounts) in your chart of accounts.

Month Ending: This field displays the current month whose account balances are displayed in the scrolling list. Click the left arrow to change the Month Ending field to the previous month. Click the right arrow to change to the next month.

Acct# and Name Columns: These columns display the number and name of each balance sheet or profit and loss detail account in your chart of accounts.

Month-End Balance column:  This column displays the month-end balances of each balance sheet or profit and loss detail account in your chart of accounts for all time through the month displayed at the top of the window. If no amounts appear in this column, historical balances don't exist for this time period for this group of accounts.

Previous button: Click this button to change the Month Ending field to the previous month.

Next button: Click this button to change the Month Ending field to the next month.


Account Opening Balances window

The Account Opening Balances window allows you to enter the balance of each account in your chart of accounts as of the first day of your conversion month - the month in which you begin using FirstAccounts to track your business.

To find this window...

Choose Balances/Account Opening Balances from the Setup menu.

Fields in this window:

Acct# and Name columns: These columns display the numbers and names assigned to all accounts in your chart of accounts. The equity accounts assigned to track your company's current-year and retained earnings aren't included in this list. These accounts' amounts are determined automatically by FirstAccounts as you enter transactions into the FirstAccounts system.

Opening Balance column: Use this column to enter the balance of each account in your chart of accounts as of the first day of your conversion month.

Amount left to be allocated: This field displays the difference between the total balance of all your asset accounts and the total balances of all your equity and liability accounts.

To ensure your business records are set up properly, the amount that appears in this field should be zero. If, however, this amount isn't zero, that's okay; when you click the OK button, the difference will be assigned to your Historical Balancing account, which appears in the General Ledger Linked Accounts window.


Accounts List window

The Accounts List window allows you to set up and maintain the accounts that you use in your business.

This window contains a list of your accounts, displayed in a way that looks like file folder tabs. Each tab allows you to view a list of accounts for one of FirstAccounts' eight account types. To view the accounts assigned to a specific account type, click on that account type's tab.

To find this window...

Click Chart of Accounts in the General Ledger Command Centre.

Click the screenshot to learn more about this window.


Assets tab

Asset accounts track things a business owns, such as the money in a cheque account, computers and office buildings. Money owed to a business is also considered an asset.

Current assets can be converted into cash (including cash itself) within a relatively short period of time (usually less than a year).

Fixed assets usually take more than a year to convert into cash. An office building can be considered a fixed asset.

Asset accounts are assigned the prefix 1 in FirstAccounts, and normally have a debit balance.


Liabilities tab

Liability accounts track things a business owes, such as a working capital loan. Money owed by a business for purchases is also considered a liability.

Current liabilities are due within a relatively short period of time (usually less than a year).

Long-term liabilities usually aren't due for more than a year.

Liability accounts are assigned the prefix 2 in FirstAccounts, and normally have a credit balance.


Income tab

Income accounts, also known as "revenue accounts," track the increase in equity from the sale of items or services.

Income accounts are assigned the prefix 4 in FirstAccounts, and normally have a credit balance.


Expenses tab

Expense accounts track the cost incurred when a business attempts to create income.

Expense accounts are assigned the prefix 6 in FirstAccounts, and normally have a debit balance.


Equity tab

Equity accounts track a company's net worth. A company's equity, also known as "owners' equity" or "capital," is calculated by subtracting its liabilities from its assets. Some common equity accounts are current year earnings, retained earnings and shareholders' equity.

Equity accounts are assigned the prefix 3 in FirstAccounts, and normally have a credit balance.


Cost of Sales tab

Cost of sales accounts track the amount paid to sell an item or service. The amounts tracked by cost of sales accounts are sometimes referred to as "cost of goods sold" amounts.

Cost of sales amounts are subtracted from income amounts to determine gross profit.

Cost of sales accounts are assigned the prefix 5 in FirstAccounts, and normally have a debit balance.


Other Income tab

Other income accounts track the income that isn't directly related to a company's operations, such as interest income.

Other income accounts are assigned the prefix 8 in FirstAccounts, and normally have a credit balance.


Other Expense tab

Other expense accounts track the expenses that aren't directly related to a company's operations, such as loan interest and fines.

Other expense accounts are assigned the prefix 9 in FirstAccounts, and normally have a debit balance.


Account Name column

This column displays the accounts in the category you selected at the top of the window. If you want to view more detail about a specific account, click the zoom arrow next to the account's name.


Type column

This column displays the type of each account in the list. The three types of accounts are described below. These types are assigned to accounts in the Edit Accounts window.

HEADER: Header accounts are used as titles of groups of accounts.

Header accounts are used only for grouping accounts of a similar purpose. Typically, header accounts have detail accounts "under" them; that is, detail accounts are assigned to specific header accounts. In the list in the left-hand side of the Accounts List window, header accounts appear in bold type, and their detail accounts appear below them in plain type at the next level.

Transaction amounts can't be assigned (posted) to header accounts - only to detail accounts.

Header accounts aren't required in FirstAccounts, except for the eight Level 1 accounts (asset, liability, income, expense, equity, cost of sales, other income and other expense). Header accounts you create must be either Level 2 or Level 3.

DETAIL: Detail accounts are the FirstAccounts accounts that have transactions assigned to them.

Each detail account is assigned to the header account that appears directly above it in the list in the left-hand side of the Accounts List window. Detail accounts appear in plain type, and header accounts appear in bold type.

Transaction amounts can be assigned (posted) to detail accounts; that is, when you enter a transaction in FirstAccounts, you can enter the number of a detail account. The amount of the transaction will then be included in the balance of the detail account.

Detail accounts can be Level 2, Level 3 or Level 4.

Note: The equity account called Current Year Earnings is a detail account, but it can't have transactions assigned to it. This account, used by FirstAccounts to record your company's profit or loss, uses your year-to-date profit or loss as its current balance.

DETAIL CHEQUE: Detail cheque accounts are the FirstAccounts accounts whose funds you can use when you write cheques.

Accounts with cheque privileges appear in lists in transaction windows throughout the FirstAccounts system. Each time you write a cheque in FirstAccounts, you can select the cheque account you want to use.

Each detail cheque account is assigned to the header account that appears directly above it in the list in the left-hand side of the Accounts List window. Detail cheque accounts appear in plain type, and header accounts appear in bold type.

Detail cheque accounts can be Level 2, Level 3 or Level 4.

Only asset or liability accounts can be detail cheque accounts.


Linked column

This column displays a mark next to each account in the list that's linked - in other words, those accounts that are automatically affected when a particular type of transaction is entered in FirstAccounts. For example, one asset account is linked to all sales that result in money owed to you; each time you enter a sale that's not fully paid at the time of the sale, the amount you're owed will automatically be added to this account's balance.

To view the types of transactions an account is linked to, click the zoom arrow next to the account's name in the Account Name column. In the Edit Accounts window, the Linked Account for field describes what the account is linked to.


Balance column

This field displays the current balance of this account. If this is a header account, this field displays the sum of all the detail accounts assigned to it.

If this is an asset, liability or equity account, the amount shown here is the value of the account. If this is an income, expense, cost of sales, other income or other expense account, the amount shown here is the total of all activity with the account since the beginning of the current financial year.

Note: If you're viewing the equity account named Current Year Earnings, the current balance displayed is your company's year-to-date profit or loss amount.


Up button

Click this button to move the selected account up one level.

You can assign Level 2, Level 3 or Level 4 to detail accounts. Header accounts can be assigned either Level 2 or Level 3.

Level 1 is permanently assigned to each of the eight account types in FirstAccounts, and can't be assigned to any other account.

Depending upon the account that's currently displayed, you can change the level of an account. For example, if the account is a Level 3 section header account with detail accounts under it, you won't be able to change its level.


Down button

Click this button to move the selected account down one level.

You can assign Level 2, Level 3 or Level 4 to detail accounts. Header accounts can be assigned either Level 2 or Level 3.

Level 1 is permanently assigned to each of the eight account types in FirstAccounts, and can't be assigned to any other account.

Depending upon the account that's currently displayed, you can change the level of an account. For example, if the account is a Level 3 section header account with detail accounts under it, you won't be able to change its level. Similarly, if the account is a Level 3 detail account with a Level 2 section header account above it, you won't be able to change its level down to Level 4.


History button

Click this button to open the Account Historical Balances window, where you can view and enter balances of the detail accounts in your chart of accounts from previous months.

To find out more about the Account Historical Balances window, click here.


New button

Click this button to open the Edit Accounts window, which allows you to create a new account in your chart of accounts.

To find out more about the Edit Accounts window, click here.


Edit button

Click this button after highlighting an account in the list to open the Edit Accounts window, which allows you to make changes to the account you highlighted.

To find out more about the Edit Accounts window, click here.


Accounts Payable Linked Accounts window

The Accounts Payable Linked Accounts window allows you to review and change the linked accounts assigned to your FirstAccounts purchases.

These accounts are automatically linked when you create a new data file using the FirstAccounts Easy Setup Assistant. You may wish to review the linked accounts, to be sure they're the ones you want to use.

To find this window...

Choose Linked Accounts/Payable Accounts from the Setup menu.

Fields in this window:

Liability Account for Tracking Payables: Enter a liability account that tracks the money you owe people for purchases. This required account typically is an account named Accounts Payable or something similar. In FirstAccounts documentation, this account is referred to as your linked payables account.

Cheque Account for Paying Bills: Enter an account that tracks the money you've paid to people for purchases, and into which you deposit refund cheques from suppliers. This required account is usually named "Cheque Account" or something similar. In FirstAccounts documentation, this account is referred to as your payables cheque account.

Account for Tax Credits:  Enter an account that tracks the amount of tax paid on purchases. For more information on this linked account, click here.

Expense or Cost of Sales Account for Freight: Enter an account that tracks the money you spend for the transport of items you purchase. (The type of account you select in this field depends upon what purpose you consider freight charges serve in your business. If you think freight charges increase the cost of making a sale, enter a cost of sales account here. If you think freight charges are necessary expenses, enter an expense account here.) In FirstAccounts documentation, this account is referred to as your freight paid account.

Asset Account for Supplier Deposits: Enter an account that tracks deposit amounts you pay for pending purchase orders. In FirstAccounts documentation, this account is referred to as your linked supplier deposits account.

Expense (or Contra) Account for Discounts: Enter an account that tracks discount amounts that you've received from suppliers for paying your suppliers early. (The type of account you select in this field depends upon what purpose you consider discounts serve in your business. If you think discounts decrease the cost of making a sale, enter a cost of sales account here. If you think discounts decrease your expenses, enter an expense account here.) In FirstAccounts documentation, this account is referred to as your linked supplier discounts account.

Expense Account for Late Charges: Enter an account that tracks finance charge amounts that you've paid to suppliers who haven't received your Supplier Payments on time. In FirstAccounts documentation, this account is referred to as your linked supplier late charges account.

Terms button: Click this button to open the Credit Terms window, where you can create a set of default credit terms for all suppliers in the FirstAccounts system.

When you create a set of default terms using the Credit Terms window here, the terms you select will be automatically applied to every new supplier record you add to the Card File. (The terms of existing suppliers will remain the same.) If you wish, you can change the terms assigned to an individual supplier by displaying that person's or company's name in the Card File Entry window and clicking the Terms button in that window.

To find out more about the Credit Terms window, click here.


Accounts Receivable Linked Accounts window

The Accounts Receivable Linked Accounts window allows you to review and change the linked accounts assigned to your FirstAccounts sales.

These accounts are automatically linked when you create a new data file using the FirstAccounts Easy Setup Assistant. You may wish to review the linked accounts, to be sure they're the ones you want to use.

To find this window...

Choose Linked Accounts/Receivable Accounts from the Setup menu.

Fields in this window:

Asset Account for Tracking Receivables: Enter an asset account that tracks the money that people owe you for sales. This required account typically is usually named "Accounts Receivable" or something similar. In FirstAccounts documentation, this account is referred to as your linked receivables account.

Cheque Account for Customer Receipts: Enter an asset account that tracks the money you've received from people for sales, and from which you write refund cheques to customers. This required account is usually named "Cheque Account" or something similar. In FirstAccounts documentation, this account is referred to as your receivables cheque account.

Account for Tax Payable: Enter an account that tracks the amount of tax collected from Sales. For more information on this linked account, click here.

Income Account for Freight: Enter an income account that tracks the freight charges you collect in your sales. In FirstAccounts documentation, this account is referred to as your freight collected account.

Liability Account for Customer Deposits: Enter a liability account that tracks deposit amounts you collect for pending invoices. In FirstAccounts documentation, this account is referred to as your linked customer deposits account.

Expense or Cost of Sales Account for Discounts: Enter an account that tracks discount amounts that you've provided to your customers for paying their bills early. (The type of account you select in this field depends upon what purpose you consider discounts serve in your business. If you think discounts increase the cost of making a sale, enter a cost of sales account here. If you think discounts are promotional expenses, enter an expense account here.) In FirstAccounts documentation, this account is referred to as your linked customer discounts account.

Income Account for Late Charges: Enter an income account that tracks finance charge amounts that you've collected from customers who haven't paid their bills on time. In FirstAccounts documentation, this account is referred to as your linked customer late charges account.

Terms button: Click this button to open the Credit Terms window, where you can create a set of default credit terms for all customers in the FirstAccounts system.

When you create a set of default terms using the Credit Terms window here, the terms you select will be automatically applied to every new customer record you add to the Card File. (The terms of existing customers will remain the same.) If you wish, you can change the terms assigned to an individual customer by displaying that person's or company's name in the Card File Entry window and clicking the Terms button in that window.

To find out more about the Credit Terms window, click here.


Aging Date window (Analyse Payables)

The Aging Date window allows you to set the criteria for how information about the suppliers you owe money to will appear in the Analyse Payables window.

To find this window...

Choose Payables from the FirstAccounts Analyst list in any command centre. The Analyse Payables window appears. Click the Filters button.

Fields in this window:

Calculate Overdue Since Purchase Date: Choose this selection if you want to view information about the money you owe based upon the number of days that have passed since purchases were recorded.

Calculate Overdue Using Purchase Terms: Choose this selection if you want to view information about the money you owe based upon the number of days payments are overdue, as determined by your credit terms with suppliers.

Payables As Of: Enter a date FirstAccounts should use to calculate the age of your purchases.

Include $0.00 Balance Purchases: Mark this selection if you wish to include purchases with zero balances (sometimes known as "closed purchases") in the Analyse Payables window. This function can be handy if you're searching for a particular purchase and you're not sure whether you've paid its entire balance.


Aging Date window (Analyse Receivables)

The Aging Date window allows you to set the criteria for how information about the customers who owe you money will appear in the Analyse Receivables window.

To find this window...

Choose Receivables from the MYOB Analyst list in any command centre. The Analyse Receivables window appears. Click the Filters button.

Fields in this window:

Calculate Overdue Since Invoice Date: Choose this selection if you want to view information about the money owed to you based upon the number of days that have passed since sales were recorded.

Calculate Overdue Using Invoice Terms: Choose this selection if you want to view information about the money owed to you based upon the number of days payments are overdue, as determined by customers' credit terms.

Aging Date: Enter a date from which FirstAccounts can base the number of days since the invoice date.

Include $0.00 Balance Invoices: Mark this selection if you wish to include sales with zero balances (sometimes known as "closed sales") in the Analyse Receivables window.This function can be handy if you're searching for a particular sale and you're not sure whether its entire balance is paid.


Analyse Balance Sheet window

The Analyse Balance Sheet window allows you to view detailed information about your asset, liability and equity accounts - known collectively as your balance sheet accounts. This window, using criteria set in the Analysis Selection window (Analyse Balance Sheet), provides two different methods of viewing of your account activity.

To find this window...

Choose Balance Sheet from the MYOB Analyst list in the command panel.

Two views are available in this window: Ledger View and Graph View.


Analyse Balance Sheet window (Ledger View)

The Analyse Balance Sheet window allows you to view detailed information about your asset, liability and equity accounts - known collectively as your balance sheet accounts. This window, using criteria set in the Analysis Selection window (Analyse Balance Sheet), also provides a graph feature that allows you to view illustrated reports of your account activity.

To find this window...

Choose Balance Sheet from the MYOB Analyst list in any command centre. Then click the Ledger button.

Fields in this window:

Month: This field displays the month you selected in the Analysis Selection window. If you selected Last Year's Actuals Only in the Analysis Selection window, this month is from the previous financial year. All other selections in the Analysis Selection window will display a month in the current financial year.

List of accounts: The list displays the asset, liability and equity accounts in your chart of accounts. Choose a level with the Up and Down buttons at the bottom of the window to determine the account levels you wish to see in this list.

List of amounts and percentages: The list displays the amounts and percentages associated with each of the accounts in the list in the left-hand side of the window. The amounts and percentages that appear in this list depend upon the selections you made in the Analysis Selection window.

Filters button: Click this arrow to return to the Analysis Selection window, where you can change the type of information that's displayed in this window.

Up and Down buttons: Click these buttons to designate the depth of account levels you wish to view.

Ledger button: Click the Ledger button when you're in Graph View to return to Ledger View. This button appears only if you selected This Year's Actuals Only, Last Year's Actuals Only or Budgets Only in the Analysis Selection window.

Asset button: Click the Asset button to display a breakdown of your asset accounts in Graph View. This button appears only if you selected This Year's Actuals Only, Last Year's Actuals Only or Budgets Only in the Analysis Selection window.

Liability button: Click the Liability button to display a breakdown of your liability accounts in Graph View. This button appears only if you selected This Year's Actuals Only, Last Year's Actuals Only or Budgets Only in the Analysis Selection window.

Equity button: Click the Equity button to display a breakdown of your equity accounts in Graph View. This button appears only if you selected This Year's Actuals Only, Last Year's Actuals Only or Budgets Only in the Analysis Selection window.

Dollar: Click the Dollar button to display the difference, in dollars, between the amounts displayed in the list in the top half of the window. This button appears only if you selected Actuals vs. Budgets or This Year vs. Last Year in the Analysis Selection window.

Percent: Click the Percent button to display the difference, as a percentage, between the amounts displayed in the list in the top half of the window. This button appears only if you selected Actuals vs. Budgets or This Year vs. Last Year in the Analysis Selection window.


Analyse Balance Sheet window (Graph View)

The Analyse Balance Sheet window allows you to view detailed information about your asset, liability and equity accounts - known collectively as your balance sheet accounts. This window, using criteria set in the Analysis Selection window (Analyse Balance Sheet), also provides a ledger feature that allows you to view numeric reports of your account activity.

To find this window...

Choose Balance Sheet from the MYOB Analyst list in any command centre. Then click the Asset, Liability or Equity button.

Fields in this window:

Month: This field displays the month you selected in the Analysis Selection window. If you selected Last Year's Actuals Only in the Analysis Selection window, this month is from the previous financial year. The This Year's Actuals Only and Budgets Only selections in the Analysis Selection window will display a month in the current financial year.

Graph: The graph displays the accounts in the account type you selected at the bottom of the window. Use the Up and Down buttons at the bottom of the window to determine the account levels you wish to see in the graph.

List of accountsThe list displays the accounts in the account type you selected at the bottom of the window, along with their corresponding percentages of the entire account type and their patterns used in the graph. Use the Up and Down buttons at the bottom of the window to determine the account levels you wish to see in this list.

Filters buttonClick this arrow to return to the Analysis Selection window, where you can change the type of information that's displayed in this window.

Up and Down buttons: Click these buttons to designate the depth of account levels you wish to view.

Ledger button: Click the Ledger button when you're in Graph View to return to Ledger View. This button appears only if you selected This Year's Actuals Only, Last Year's Actuals Only or Budgets Only in the Analysis Selection window.

Asset button: Click the Asset button to display a breakdown of your asset accounts in Graph View. This button appears only if you selected This Year's Actuals Only, Last Year's Actuals Only or Budgets Only in the Analysis Selection window.

Liability button: Click the Liability button to display a breakdown of your liability accounts in Graph View. This button appears only if you selected This Year's Actuals Only, Last Year's Actuals Only or Budgets Only in the Analysis Selection window.

Equity button: Click the Equity button to display a breakdown of your equity accounts in Graph View. This button appears only if you selected This Year's Actuals Only, Last Year's Actuals Only or Budgets Only in the Analysis Selection window.

Click here for more information about using the graph toolbar


Analyse Jobs window

The Analyse Jobs window allows you to view information about your progress on a particular job, broken down by account.

To find this window:

Choose Jobs from the MYOB Analyst list in the command panel.

Fields in this window:

Job Number: Enter the number of the job whose information you want to view. You can also click the search icon and select the job from the list.

Percent Complete: The percentage of completion for the job you enter in the Job Number field appears in this field. If you're viewing a detail job, you can change the percentage of completion in this window, if you wish.

List of profit and loss accounts: All accounts affected by jobs appear in this list. Information about the progress of the job you're viewing is broken down according to account.

Budgets column: The budgets for this job appear in this column for each account. You entered the budgets in the Job Budgets by Account window for this job.

Adjusted Budgets column: Adjusted budgets for this job based upon the job's percentage of completion appear in this column for each account. (An adjusted budget is calculated by multiplying a budget amount by the job's percentage of completion.)

Actuals column: Each account's activity for this job appears in this column.

Difference column: The difference between the actual account activity for this job and the adjusted budgets for each account appears in this column.

Filters button: Click this button to open the Analysis Selection window. You can use this window to make more selections about the information you view in the Analyse Jobs window.

Up button: Click this button to view general job information that includes accounts at higher levels only.

Down button: Click this button to view more detailed job information that includes accounts at lower levels.

Dollar button: Click this button to view the amounts in the Difference column as dollar amounts.

Percent button: Click this button to view the amounts in the Difference column as percentages.


Analyse Payables window

The Analyse Payables window allows you to view detailed information about the suppliers you owe money to and how long you've owed it to them. The information in this window is based upon the entries you make in the Aging Date window.

To find this window...

Choose Payables from the MYOB Analyst list in the command panel.

Each view of the Analyse Payables window displays a different level of detail about the money you owe.

Three views are available for this window:

Summary View

Supplier Detail View

Purchase Detail View


Analyse Payables window (Summary View)

Summary View of the Analyse Payables window displays all the money that you owe to suppliers, totaled by supplier.

To find this window...

Choose Payables from the MYOB Analyst list in any command centre. Then be sure the Summary selection is marked.

Fields in this window:

Summary button: When this button is marked, you're viewing the Analyse Payables window in Summary View.

Supplier Detail button: When this button is marked, you're viewing the Analyse Payables window in Supplier Detail View.

Purchase Detail button: When this button is marked, you're viewing the Analyse Payables window in Purchase Detail View.

Analysis column: This column displays the suppliers in your Card File to whom your company owes money. To list the purchases for a particular supplier, click the zoom arrow next to the supplier's name.

Total column: This column displays the total outstanding balance for each supplier with whom your company has an outstanding balance.

Aging columns: These columns display the number of days the amount in the Total column has been due. Click this arrow to open the Aging Date window, where you can change the type of information that's displayed in this window.

Filters button: Click this arrow to open the Aging Date window, where you can change the type of information that's displayed in this window.


Analyse Payables window (Supplier Detail View)

Supplier Detail View of the Analyse Payables window displays all the money that you owe to the supplier whose name appears in the Supplier Detail field at the top of the window.

To find this window...

First, choose Payables from the MYOB Analyst list in any command centre. Then do one of two things:

 	Click the zoom arrow next to a supplier's name; OR

Click the Supplier Detail button and enter a supplier's name in the field next to the words Supplier Detail.

Fields in this window:

Summary button: When this button is marked, you're viewing the Analyse Payables window in Summary View.

Supplier Detail button: When this button is marked, you're viewing the Analyse Payables window in Supplier Detail View.

Purchase Detail button: When this button is marked, you're viewing the Analyse Payables window in Purchase Detail View.

Analysis column: This column displays the purchases assigned to the supplier displayed at the top of the window. To list the supplier payments and debits assigned to a particular purchase, click the zoom arrow next to the purchase's ID number.

Purchase Date column: This column displays the date of each transaction in the list.

Total column: This column displays the total outstanding balance of each transaction with the supplier displayed at the top of the window.

Aging columns: These columns display the number of days the amount in the Total column has been due. Click this arrow to open the Aging Date window, where you can change the type of information that's displayed in this window.

Filters button: Click this arrow to open the Aging Date window, where you can change the type of information that's displayed in this window.


Analyse Payables window (Purchase Detail View)

Purchase Detail View of the Analyse Payables window displays all the transactions assigned to the purchase that appears in the Purchase Detail field at the top of the window.

To find this window...

First, choose Payables from the MYOB Analyst list in any command centre. Then do one of two things:

 	Click the zoom arrow next to a supplier's name, then click the zoom arrow next to a specific transaction; OR

 	Click the Purchase Detail button and enter a transaction number in the field next to the words Purchase Detail.

Fields in this window:

Summary button: When this button is marked, you're viewing the Analyse Payables window in Summary View.

Supplier Detail button: When this button is marked, you're viewing the Analyse Payables window in Supplier Detail View.

Purchase Detail button: When this button is marked, you're viewing the Analyse Payables window in Purchase Detail View.

Analysis column: This column displays the supplier payments and debits assigned to the purchase displayed at the top of the window. To view a transaction in the window in which it was originally entered, click the zoom arrow next to the transaction's ID number.

Purchase Date column: This column displays the date of each transaction in the list.

Total column: This column displays the total of each transaction assigned to the transaction displayed at the top of the window.

Aging columns: These columns display the number of days the amount in the Total column has been due. Click this arrow to open the Aging Date window, where you can change the type of information that's displayed in this window.

Filters button: Click this arrow to open the Aging Date window, where you can change the type of information that's displayed in this window.


Analyse Profit & Loss window

The Analyse Profit & Loss window allows you to view detailed information about your income, cost of sales, expense, other income and other expense accounts - known collectively as your profit and loss accounts. This window, using criteria set in the Analysis Selection window (Analyse Profit & Loss), provides two different methods of viewing your net profit and loss.

To find this window...

Choose Profit and Loss from the MYOB Analyst list in the command panel.

Two views are available in this window: Ledger View and Graph View .


Analyse Profit & Loss window (Ledger View)

The Analyse Profit & Loss window allows you to view detailed information about your income, cost of sales, expense, other income and other expense accounts - known collectively as your profit and loss accounts. This window, using criteria set in the Analysis Selection window (Analyse Profit & Loss), provides two different methods of viewing of your net profit and loss.

Ledger View of the Analyse Profit & Loss window provides a list of your income, cost of sales, expense, other income and other expense accounts along with their corresponding amounts.

To find this window...

Choose Profit and Loss from the MYOB Analyst list in the command panel. Then click the Ledger button.

Fields in this window:

Month: This field displays the month or range of months you selected in the Analysis Selection window. If you selected Last Year's Actuals Only in the Analysis Selection window, months displayed are from the previous financial year. All other selections in the Analysis Selection window will display months in the current financial year.

List of accounts: The list displays the income, cost of sales, expense, other income and other expense accounts in your chart of accounts. Use the Up and Down buttons at the bottom of the window to determine the account levels you wish to see in this list.

List of amounts and percentages: The list displays the amounts and percentages associated with each of the accounts in the list in the left-hand side of the window. The amounts and percentages that appear in this list depend upon the selections you made in the Analysis Selection window.

Filters button: Click this arrow to open the Analysis Selection window, where you can change the type of information that's displayed in this window.

Up and Down buttons: Use these buttons to designate the depth of account levels you wish to view.

Ledger button: Click the Ledger button to return to Ledger view from Graph View. This button appears only if you've selected This Year's Actuals Only, Last Year's Actuals Only or Budgets Only in the Analysis Selection window.

Dollar button: Click the Dollar button to display the difference, in dollars, between the amounts displayed in the list in the top half of the window in Ledger View. This button appears only if you selected Actuals vs. Budgets or This Year vs. Last Year in the Analysis Selection window.

Percent button: Click the Percent button to display the difference, as a percentage, between the amounts displayed in the list in the top half of the window in Ledger View. This button appears only if you selected Actuals vs. Budgets or This Year vs. Last Year in the Analysis Selection window.

Sales button: Click the Sales button to display the amounts displayed in the top half of the window as a percentage of sales in Ledger View. This button appears only if you selected Actuals vs. Budgets or This Year vs. Last Year in the Analysis Selection window.

Net P & L button: Click the Net P&L button to display Profit & Loss information in Graph View. The bars in Graph View are arranged horizontally. They allow you to view profit and loss information by month. The length of a bar displays the amount of a month's profit and loss vertically. Profit and loss information is displayed by month in the current year unless you've selected Last Year's Actuals only or This Year vs. Last Year in the Analysis Selection window.

Bars appear in pairs if you've selected Actuals vs. Budgets or This Year vs. Last Year in the Analysis Selection window. If you've selected Actuals vs. Budgets, the left bar in a pair represents an actual amount and the right bar in a pair represents a budget amount. If you've selected This Year vs. Last Year, the left bar in a pair represents an amount for a month of the current year and the right bar in a pair represents an amount for a month of the previous year.


Analyse Profit & Loss window (Graph View)

The Analyse Profit & Loss window allows you to view detailed information about your income, cost of sales, expense, other income and other expense accounts - known collectively as your profit and loss accounts. This window, using criteria set in the Analysis Selection window (Analyse Profit & Loss), provides two different methods of viewing of your net profit and loss.

Graph View of the Analyse Profit & Loss window displays graphs of your net profit and loss.

To find this window...

Choose Profit and Loss from the MYOB Analyst list in the command panel. Then click the Net P&L button.

Fields in this window:

Filters button: Click this arrow to open the Analysis Selection window, where you can change the type of information that's displayed in this window.

Up and Down buttons: Use these buttons to designate the depth of account levels you wish to view.

Ledger button: Click the Ledger button to return to Ledger view from Graph View. This button appears only if you've selected This Year's Actuals Only, Last Year's Actuals Only or Budgets Only in the Analysis Selection window.

Dollar button: Click the Dollar button to display the difference, in dollars, between the amounts displayed in the list in the top half of the window in Ledger View. This button appears only if you selected Actuals vs. Budgets or This Year vs. Last Year in the Analysis Selection window.

Percent button: Click the Percent button to display the difference, as a percentage, between the amounts displayed in the list in the top half of the window in Ledger View. This button appears only if you selected Actuals vs. Budgets or This Year vs. Last Year in the Analysis Selection window.

Sales button: Click the Sales button to display the amounts displayed in the top half of the window as a percentage of sales in Ledger View. This button appears only if you selected Actuals vs. Budgets or This Year vs. Last Year in the Analysis Selection window.

Net P & L button: Click the Net P&L button to display Profit & Loss information in Graph View. The bars in Graph View are arranged horizontally. They allow you to view profit and loss information by month. The length of a bar displays the amount of a month's profit and loss vertically. Profit and loss information is displayed by month in the current year unless you've selected Last Year's Actuals only or This Year vs. Last Year in the Analysis Selection window.

Bars appear in pairs if you've selected Actuals vs. Budgets or This Year vs. Last Year in the Analysis Selection window. If you've selected Actuals vs. Budgets, the left bar in a pair represents an actual amount and the right bar in a pair represents a budget amount. If you've selected This Year vs. Last Year, the left bar in a pair represents an amount for a month of the current year and the right bar in a pair represents an amount for a month of the previous year.

If you're using FirstAccounts for Windows

If you're using FirstAccounts for Windows, you can use a special set of graph tools in the Analyse Profit & Loss window. Click here for more information about using the graph toolbar.


Analyse Receivables window

The Analyse Receivables window allows you to view detailed information about the customers who owe you money and how long they've owed it to you. The information in this window is based upon the entries you make in the Aging Date window.

To find this window...

Choose Receivables from the MYOB Analyst list in the command panel.

Each view of the Analyse Receivables window displays a different level of detail about the money owed to you.

Three views are available for this window:

Summary View

Customer Detail View

Invoice Detail View


Analyse Receivables window (Summary View)

Summary View of the Analyse Receivables window displays all the money that's owed to you, totalled by customer.

To find this window...

First, choose Receivables from the MYOB Analyst list in the command panel. Then be sure the Summary selection is marked.

Fields in this window:

Summary button: This selection is marked when you're viewing Summary View. If you wish to change to a different view, mark either the Customer Detail selection or Invoice Detail selection.

Customer Detail button: Choose this selection and enter or select a customer's name to switch to Customer Detail View.

Invoice Detail button: Choose this selection and enter or select a specific invoice number to switch to Invoice Detail View.

Analysis column: This column displays the customers in your Card File with an outstanding sales balance. To list the sales for a particular customer, click the zoom arrow next to the customer's name.

Total column: This column displays the total outstanding balance for each customer that has an outstanding balance.

Aging columns: These columns display the number of days the amount in the Total column has been due.

Filters button: Click this button to open the Aging Date window, where you can change the type of information that's displayed in this window.


Analyse Receivables window (Customer Detail View)

Customer Detail View of the Analyse Receivables window displays all the money that's owed to you by the customer whose name appears in the Customer Detail field at the top of the window.

To find this window...

First, choose Receivables from the MYOB Analyst list in the command panel. Then do one of two things:

 	Click the zoom arrow next to a customer's name; OR

 	Click the Customer Detail button and enter a customer's name in the field next to the words Customer Detail.

Fields in this window:

Summary button: Choose this selection to switch to Summary View, where you can view information about all customers who owe you money.

Customer Detail button: This selection is marked when you're viewing Customer Detail View. If you wish to change to a different view, mark either the Summary selection or the Invoice Detail selection.

Invoice Detail button: Choose this selection and enter or select a specific invoice number to switch to Invoice Detail View.

Analysis column: This column displays all sales assigned to the customer displayed at the top of the window. If you wish to view more information about a particular sale, click the zoom arrow next to its number.

Invoice Date column: This column displays the date of each sale in the list.

Total column: This column displays the balance of each of the customer's sales that has an outstanding balance.

Aging columns: These columns display the number of days the amounts in the Total column have been due.

Filters button: Click this button to open the Aging Date window, where you can change the type of information that's displayed in this window.


Analyse Receivables window (Invoice Detail View)

Invoice Detail View of the Analyse Receivables window displays all the transactions assigned to the sale that appears in the Invoice Detail field for the customer whose name appears in the Customer Detail field at the top of the window.

To find this window...

First, choose Receivables from the MYOB Analyst list in the command panel. Then do one of two things:

 	Click the zoom arrow next to a customer's name, then click the zoom arrow next to a specific transaction; OR

 	Click the Invoice Detail button and enter a transaction number in the field next to the words Invoice Detail.

Fields in this window:

Summary button: Choose this selection to switch to Summary View, where you can view information about all customers who owe you money.

Customer Detail button: Choose this selection and enter or select a customer's name to switch to Customer Detail View.

Invoice Detail button: This selection is marked when you're viewing Invoice Detail View. If you wish to change to a different view, mark either the Summary selection or the Customer Detail selection.

Analysis column: This column displays all transactions assigned to the sale displayed at the top of the window. If you wish to view the original window in which a transaction was entered, click the zoom arrow next to its number.

Invoice Date column: This column displays the date of each transaction in the list.

Total column: This column displays the amount assigned to each transaction in the list.

Aging columns: These columns display the number of days the amounts in the Total column have been due.

Filters button: Click this button to open the Aging Date window, where you can change the type of information that's displayed in this window.


Analyse Sales window

The Analyse Sales window allows you to view detailed information about your sales activity. This window, using criteria set in the Analysis Selection window, also provides a graph feature that allows you to view illustrated reports of your sales activity.

To find this window...

Choose Sales from the MYOB Analyst list in the command panel.

The information that's displayed in this window depends upon the selections you make in the Analysis Selection window.

Click the screenshot to learn more about this window.

If you're using FirstAccounts for Windows:

If you're using FirstAccounts for Windows, you can use a special set of graph tools in the Analyse Sales window. Click here for more information about using the graph toolbar.


Ledger button

Click this button to display the dollar sales, along with their percentage of total sales.


Sales (bar graph) button

Click this button to display sales totals in a bar graph.

The bars are arranged horizontally. They allow you to view sales totals by month. The length of a bar displays a month's total sales amount vertically.

If you are Analysing Item Sales you also have the option of displaying a pie graph.


Filters button

Click this arrow to open the Analysis Selection window, where you can change the type of information that's displayed in the Analyse Sales window.


Analysis Selection window (Analyse Balance Sheet)

The Analysis Selection window attached to the Analyse Balance Sheet window allows you to set the criteria for how your asset, liability and equity accounts will appear in the Analyse Balance Sheet window.

To find this window...

Choose Balance Sheet from the MYOB Analyst list in the command panel. The Analyse Balance Sheet window appears. Click the Filters button.

Fields in this window:

This Year's Actuals Only: Choose this selection if you want to view each account's balance and percentage of its account type in the Analyse Balance Sheet window. The balance and percentage will be for the month you select at the bottom of this window for the current financial year.

Last Year's Actuals Only: Choose this selection if you want to view each account's balance and percentage of its account type in the Analyse Balance Sheet window. The balance and percentage will be for the month you select at the bottom of this window for the previous financial year.

Budgets Only: Choose this selection if you want to view the budgeted amounts for each of your asset, liability and equity accounts in the Analyse Balance Sheet window. The budgeted amounts will include the balance of each account at the start of the financial year and budget amounts through the month you select at the bottom of the window.

Actuals vs. Budgets: Choose this selection if you want to view a comparison of actual and budgeted amounts for each of your asset, liability and equity accounts in the Analyse Balance Sheet window. The difference between actual amounts and budgeted amounts is the actual amount minus the budgeted amount. A positive difference for an asset or equity account is usually good news. A positive difference for a liability account is probably bad news.

This Year vs. Last Year: Choose this selection if you want to view a comparison of your current financial year's balance sheet accounts with the previous financial year's balance sheet accounts in the Analyse Balance Sheet window.

Selected Period: Choose a month by clicking its abbreviation in the panel. When you click the OK button to display the Analyse Balance Sheet window, the amounts displayed will reflect activity through the end of the month you select here. Remember, if you chose the Last Year's Actuals Only selection, the month you select here will be from the previous financial year. All other selections at the top of this window are for the current financial year.


Analysis Selection window (Analyse Profit & Loss)

The Analysis Selection window attached to the Analyse Profit & Loss window allows you to set the criteria for how your income, cost of sales, expense, other income and other expense accounts will appear in the Analyse Profit & Loss window.

To find this window...

Choose Profit and Loss from the MYOB Analyst list in the command panel. The Analyse Profit & Loss window appears. Click the Filters button.

Fields in this window:

This Year's Actuals Only: Choose this selection if you want to view each account's balance and percentage of its account type in the Analyse Profit & Loss window. The balance and percentage will be for the month you select at the bottom of this window for the current financial year.

Last Year's Actuals Only: Choose this selection if you want to view each account's balance and percentage of its account type in the Analyse Profit & Loss window. The balance and percentage will be for the month you select at the bottom of this window for the previous financial year.

Budgets Only: Choose this selection if you want to view the budgeted amounts for each of your income, cost of sales, expense, other income and other expense accounts in the Analyse Profit & Loss window. The budgeted amounts will include the balance of each account at the start of the financial year and budget amounts through the month you select at the bottom of the window.

Actuals vs. Budgets: Choose this selection if you want to view a comparison of actual and budgeted amounts for each of your income, cost of sales, expense, other income and other expense accounts in the Analyse Profit & Loss window. The difference between actual amounts and budgeted amounts is the actual amount minus the budgeted amount. A positive difference for an income or other income account is usually good news. A positive difference for an cost of sales, expense or other expense account is probably bad news.

This Year vs. Last Year: Choose this selection if you want to view a comparison of your current financial year's profit and loss accounts with the previous financial year's profit and loss accounts in the Analyse Profit & Loss window.

Selected Period: Choose a month by clicking its abbreviation in the panel, or select a range of months by dragging through the months required. When you click the OK button to display the Analyse Profit & Loss window, the amounts displayed will reflect activity through to the end of the month you select here. Remember, if you chose the Last Year's Actuals Only selection, the month you select here will be from the previous financial year. All other selections at the top of this window are for the current financial year.


Analysis Selection window (Analyse Sales)

The Analysis Selection window attached to the Analyse Sales window allows you to set the criteria for how your sales information will appear in the Analyse Sales window.

To find this window...

Choose Sales from the MYOB Analyst list in the command panel. The Analyse Sales window appears. Click the Filters button.

Fields in this window:

This Year's Actuals Only: Choose this selection if you want to view sales information for the current financial year in the Analyse Sales window. The information will be for the month you select at the bottom of this window for the current financial year.

Last Year's Actuals Only: Choose this selection if you want to view sales information for the previous financial year in the Analyse Sales window. The information will be for the month you select at the bottom of this window for the previous financial year.

This Year vs. Last Year: Choose this selection if you want to view a comparison of your current financial year's sales activity with the previous financial year's sales activity in the Analyse Sales window.

All Items: Choose this selection if you want to view sales activity by item in the Analyse Sales window.

All Customers: Choose this selection if you want to view sales activity by customer in the Analyse Sales window.

All Salespeople: Choose this selection if you want to view sales activity by salesperson in the Analyse Sales window.

Selected Period: Choose a month by clicking its abbreviation in the panel. If you want to view information about more than one month, click the first month and hold the mouse button down as you drag the mouse to the last month you want to view. When you click the OK button to display the Analyse Sales window, the amounts displayed will reflect activity through the end of the last month you select here. Remember, if you chose the Last Year's Actuals Only selection, the month or months you select here will be from the previous financial year. All other selections at the top of this window are for the current financial year.


Budget Shortcuts window

The Budget Shortcuts window allows you to quickly set an account's budget amounts for all months in the current financial year.

To find this window...

Click Chart of Accounts in the General Ledger Command Centre. In the Chart of Accounts window, click the zoom arrow next to an account in the Account Name column. In the Edit Accounts window, click Budgets. In the History and Budgets window, click Shortcuts.

Fields in this window:

Amount: Enter an amount to use in the shortcut calculation of this account's budgets. When you click OK, this amount will be multiplied by the annual number of occurrences selected in the Frequency list, then divided by 12 to produce a monthly budget amount. For example, if you have a $2,000 fortnightly payroll expense, enter 2,000 in this field and select Fortnightly from the Frequency list. When you click OK, FirstAccounts will multiply 2,000 by the number of times the Bi-Weekly frequency occurs in a year (26), then divide the product by 12.

Frequency: Select a frequency  - Weekly, Fortnightly, Semi-Monthly or Monthly  - from the list to use in the shortcut calculation of this account's budgets. When you click OK, the annual number of occurrences in this frequency will be multiplied with the amount entered in the Amount field, then divided by 12 to produce a monthly budget amount. For example, if you have a $2,000 bi-weekly payroll expense, enter 2,000 in the Amount field and select Fortnightly from this list. When you click OK, FirstAccounts will multiply 2,000 by the number of times the Fortnightly frequency occurs in a year (26), then divide the product by 12.

Monthly Dollar Increase: Enter an amount you wish each month's budget to increase. If you enter an amount in the Amount field and in this field, January's budget will be the amount in the Amount field, and each succeeding month will be incremented by the amount in this field. For example, if you enter $500 in the Amount field and $100 in this field, January's budget will be $500, February's $600, March's $700 and so on.

Monthly Percentage Increase: Enter a percentage you wish each month's budget to increase. If you enter an amount in the Amount field and a percentage in this field, January's budget will be the amount in the Amount field, and each succeeding month will be incremented by the percentage in this field. For example, if you enter $100 in the Amount field and 10% in this field, January's budget will be $100, February's $110 ($100 plus 10% of $100), March's $121 ($110 plus 10% of $110) and so on.


Business Calendar window

The Business Calendar window allows you to:

 	Establish the days in which your business is closed for the upcoming year, so reminders on your To Do List appear on open-for-business days

 	Note which days of the year contain important company events

To find this window...

Choose Business Calendar from the Setup menu.

Fields in this window:

Calendar: When you first open the Business Calendar window, the current month will be displayed in a calendar format. You can change the business status of any of the days of the month or change the display to a different month.

Important Dates: FirstAccounts provides a default list of various holidays observed in New Zealand. If you wish, you can edit these dates to reflect your business holidays.

Shortcut for Setting Average Business Week: This panel displays the business status of each of the days of the week for your company. If you wish, you can change the status of any of the days to accurately reflect your business week. Closed days are shaded; open days are clear.


Card File Command Centre

Click each button below for a description of its function.


Cards button

The Cards button opens the View Card File window, where you can display a list of the people and companies with whom you do business. From this window, you can open the Card File Entry window, where you can create a new Card File record or edit an existing Card File record.

To find out more about the View Card File window, click here.


Mailing Labels button

The Mailing Labels button opens the Forms Selection/Print Mailing Labels window, where you can set up and print mailing labels for individual people or companies in the Card File.

To find out more about the Mailing Labels window, click here.


Personalised Letters button

The Personalised Letters button opens the Forms Selection/Personalised Letters window, where you can create a mail merge file containing information about individual people or companies in the Card File, for the purpose of creating letters customised with each person's or company's name.

To find out more about the Personalised Letters window, click here.


Identifiers button

The Identifiers button opens the Identifiers window, where you can enter descriptions for the identifiers you use throughout the FirstAccounts system. For each letter of the alphabet, you can enter a line of text that can be used to group people or companies that exist in your Card File.

To find out more about the Identifiers window, click here.


Contact Log button

The Contact Log button opens the View Contact Log window, where you can display a summary list of all contacts made to a specific person or company in the Card File. You can also open the Contact Log Entry window using this window, where you can access more detailed information about the individual contacts that you've made.

To find out more about the View Contact Log window, click here.


To Do List button

The To Do List button allows you to open the To Do List window, where you can view the business tasks that affect your company on a regular basis. You can also use the To Do List to automatically act upon the tasks you need to achieve.

To find out more about the To Do List, click here.


Find Transaction button

The Find Transaction button opens the Find Transaction window, where you can view summary information about each of your company's accounts, sales, purchases, cards, and jobs. This window also allows you to zoom to the windows in which the individual items were entered.

To find out more about the Find Transaction window, click here.


Card File Entry window

The Card File Entry window allows you to add, change, delete and view information about individual customer, suppliers, employees and personal contacts - known as cards.

To find this window...

Click Cards in the Card File Command Centre. In the View Card File window, click New or select a card and click Edit.

Click the screenshot to learn more about this window.

Other fields in this window:

A/P Balance: This field displays the current outstanding balance of your purchases with the supplier displayed in this window. To view the Analyse Payables window, containing a list of the transactions that comprise this balance, click the zoom arrow. This field appears only if you're viewing a supplier card. To find out more about the Analyse Payables window, click here.

First Name: Enter the first name of a person you want to add to your Card File. This field appears only if the Individual selection is marked.

Last Name: Enter the last name of a person you want to add to your Card File.

Bank Info: Click this button to display the Banking Information window for your supplier. You will need to set up the bank information if you plan to pay supplier payments electronically for this supplier. To find out more about the Banking Information window, click here


Dial button

Click this button to dial a telephone or fax number for the card you're viewing.


A/R Balance

This field displays the current outstanding balance of the sales for the customer displayed in this window. To view the Analyse Receivables window, containing a summary list of the transactions that comprise this balance, click the zoom arrow. This field appears only if you're viewing a customer card.

To find out more about the Analyse Receivables window, click here.


Address

Enter the address for the card displayed in this window.

If you're viewing a supplier card, two Address fields appear in this window. The first Address field is the supplier's primary address; this address will be used on purchase orders you create. The second Address field is the supplier's secondary address, if you need to send purchase orders to an address other than the primary address.


Card Type

Choose a type of card - Customer, Supplier, Employee or Personal - from the list.

You don't have to track individual customers if you don't want to. However, if your company makes sales of any type, you'll need to set up at least one customer card. You may want to name this card "Cash Customer" or something similar to distinguish it as a card used to track sales.

Similarly, if you don't track individual suppliers, you'll need to set up at least one supplier card if you make purchases of any type. You may wish to set up a supplier card named "Cash Supplier" or something similar to distinguish it as a card used to track purchases.


City

Enter the city in which this person or company is located.

If you're viewing a customer card, two City fields appear in this window. The first City field is the customer's primary address; this city will be used in the address for invoices. The second City field is the customer's "ship-to" address; this city name will be used in invoices and shipping labels.

If you're viewing a supplier card, two City fields also appear in this window. The first City field is the supplier's primary address; this city will be used in the address for purchase orders. The second City field is the supplier's secondary address, if you need to send purchase orders to an address other than the primary address.


Company

Choose this selection if you wish to set up a card in the Card File for a company or organisation.


Company Name

Enter the name of a company you wish to add to the Card File. This field appears only if the Company selection is marked.


Contact Name

Enter the name of the person with whom you regularly do business for the person or company whose card is displayed in this window.

The name you enter here can be used as the addressee for personalised letters.


Fax #

Enter the fax number of the person or company whose card you're viewing.


History button

Click this button to open the Sales History window, which allows you to view and enter sales totals from the pervious and current financial years for the customer or employee card you're viewing. This button is available only if you're viewing a customer or employee card.

To find out more about the Sales History window, click here.


Identifiers

Enter up to 10 identifiers for the person or company whose card you're viewing. If you wish to view or add to the list of identifiers you can use, click the zoom arrow; the Identifiers window will appear.

To find out more about the Identifiers window, click here.


Individual

Choose this selection if you wish to set up a card in the Card File for an individual person or a specific company contact.


Log button

Click this button to open the View Contact Log window, which allows you to view a summary list of all contacts made to the person or company whose card you're viewing.

To find out more about the View Contact Log window, click here.


Notes

Use this field to enter additional information about the person or company whose card you're viewing.


Phone #1

Enter the telephone number of the person or company whose card you're viewing.


Phone #2

Enter a second telephone number of the person or company whose card you're viewing.


Salutation

Enter a name or title you wish to use in the greeting of a personalised letter for the person or company whose card you're viewing. For example, if you want to greet a customer named Kara Watanabe as "Kara," enter Kara in this field. The personalised letters you create for Kara Watanabe will begin with "Dear Kara."


Ship To

Enter the address to which items are delivered to the customer displayed in this window.

If this entry is the same as the entry you made in the Address field, you can leave this field blank.

This address will appear as a default on the customer's invoices. You can override the address on individual invoices, if you want.


State

Enter the state in which this person or company is located.

If you're viewing a customer card, two State fields appear in this window. The first State field is the customer's primary address; this state will be used in the address for invoices. The second State field is the customer's "ship-to" address; this state name will be used on invoices and shipping labels.

If you're viewing a supplier card, two State fields also appear in this window. The first State. field is the supplier's primary address; this state will be used in the address for purchase orders. The second State field is the supplier's secondary address, if you need to send purchase orders to an address other than the primary address.


Terms button

Click this button to open the Credit Terms window, where you can create a set of credit terms for the customer or supplier displayed in this window.

When you create a set of default terms using the Credit Terms window here, the terms you select will be applied only to the customer or supplier displayed in this window. If you wish, you can create a set of default terms for all new customers and suppliers in the FirstAccounts system. To do this, open the Credit Terms window by clicking the Terms button in the Preferences window.

To find out more about the Credit Terms window, click here.


Postcode

Enter the postcode in which this person or company is located.

If you're viewing a customer card, two postcode fields appear in this window. The first postcode field is the customer's primary address; this postcode will be used in the address for invoices. The second postcode field is the customer's "ship-to" address; this code will be used in invoices and shipping labels.

If you're viewing a supplier card, two postcode fields also appear in this window. The first postcode field is the supplier's primary address; this postcode code will be used in the address for purchase orders. The second postcode field is the supplier's secondary address, if you need to send purchase orders to an address other than the primary address.


Chequebook Command Centre

Click each button below for a description of its function.


Write Cheques button
Spend Money button

The Spend Money button opens the Spend Money window, where you can create records of your cheques drawn from any of your business's cheque accounts. You can also use the Spend Money window to set up recurring cheques of the same value.

To find out more about the Spend Money window, click here.


Electronic Payments button

The Electronic Payments button opens the Electronic Payments Selection window, where you can select the supplier payments that you want to pay electronically.

To find out more about the Electronic Payments Selection window, click here.


Electronic Payments Selection Window

The top section of the Electronic Payments Selection Window allows you to select the account where your supplier payments have been written out of. You also need to enter the date for bank processing, which is normally the current date.

The middle section of this window has three options:

Unprocessed Payments Only: If this option is checked, FirstAccounts will only process supplier payments that have not yet been processed.  Once a supplier payment has been processed, FirstAccounts marks the handwritten box of the payments, so checking the Unprocessed Payments Only option will display supplier payments that have the handwritten box unchecked.

Payments Dated From-To: You can select a specific date range for the supplier payments that you want to process. For example, if you want to process supplier payments made within the current week, enter the date range for this week, and FirstAccounts will ignore any transactions dated outside of this range.

Cheque Numbers Between-and: You can enter a range of cheques that you want included in the bank file. For example, cheques between 10045 and 10060.

When you click OK in this window, FirstAccounts will display a selection list where you can check the payments that will be included in the bank file, and deselect any that you do not want to include.


Print Cheques button

The Print Cheques button opens the Print Cheques window, where you can print the cheques you've created in the Spend Money, Settle Returns & Credit Notes and Supplier Payments windows. Using this window, you can also open a window where you can customise the printed cheques so they look like the cheques you use.

To find out more about the Print Cheques window, click here.


Reconcile Accounts button

The Reconcile Accounts button opens the Reconcile Accounts window, where you can verify that the balances of your FirstAccounts cheque accounts match the balances on your bank's statements. You can also verify whether balances of credit cards and loans are correct using this window.

To find out more about the Reconcile Accounts window, click here.


Receive Money button

The Receive Money button opens the Receive Money window, where you can record deposits into your FirstAccounts cheque accounts. You can also use this window to set up recurring deposits of the same value.

To find out more about the Receive Money window, click here.


MYOB Analyst

Use the MYOB Analyst field to open windows that allow you to analyse a number of keys aspects of your business. For example, you can analyse sales and profitability trends and chart your progress on jobs. You also can see which accounts in your chart of accounts have the highest balances, which customers owe you money, and other information that can help you to make informed business decisions. Many Analyse windows allow you to view your company's information in table form or in graphical form, as pie charts or bar graphs.

Click the arrow next to the MYOB Analyst field to display a list of all the areas that can be analysed, then choose the area you want, or click the analyst icon in this field to display an Analyse window for the command centre currently displayed.

To find out more about the MYOB Analyst, click here.


Transaction Journal button

The Transaction Journal button allows you to open the Transaction Journal window, where you can view information about all transactions that you've entered in the FirstAccounts system, for all journals. From the Transaction Journal window, you can also "zoom" to the original window in which transactions were entered.

To find out more about the Transaction Journal, click here.


To Do List

Use the To Do List field to open the To Do List window, where you can view the business tasks that affect your company on a regular basis. You can also use the To Do List to automatically act upon the tasks you need to perform. Click the arrow next to this field to display a list of all the tasks associated with the To Do List, then choose the task you want, or click the list icon in this field to display the task for the command centre currently displayed.

To find out more about the To Do List, click here.


Find Transaction

Use the Find Transaction field to open the Find Transaction window, where you can view summary information about each of your company's accounts, sales, purchases, cards, and jobs. This window also allows you to zoom to the windows in which the individual items were entered. Click the arrow next to this field to display a list of all the Find Transaction windows available with FirstAccounts, or click the book icon in this field to display the Find Transaction window for the command centre currently displayed.

To find out more about the Find Transaction window, click here.


Reports

Use the Reports field to open the Index to Reports window. You can use this window to print virtually all of the reports available with FirstAccounts; you also can display these reports on your computer screen if you like. Using selections in the Index to Reports window, you can customise and filter your reports.

Click the arrow next to this field to display a list of all the tabs in the Index to Reports window, then choose the tab for the command centre whose reports you want to view, or click the report icon in this field to display the tab for the command centre currently displayed.

To find out more about the Index to Reports window, click here.


Choose an Account window

The Choose an Account window allows you to choose an existing FirstAccounts account, or create a new account, to track QIF information that doesn't currently match your FirstAccounts accounts.

To find this window...

The Choose an Account window appears only when you're attempting to import Quicken Interchange Format (QIF) information into your data file. If FirstAccounts detects an account in your QIF file that doesn't match any account in your FirstAccounts data file, this window will appear.

Fields in this window:

QIF Category: This field displays the name of a QIF account that doesn't match any accounts in your FirstAccounts data file. To import your QIF information properly, you'll need to enter an account in the FirstAccounts Account field to track the information that's contained in the account shown in this field. This field appears only if this is the first time you've seen the Choose an Account window during the current import process. (The next time you see the Choose an Account window, the QIF Account field will appear here instead.)

QIF Account: This field displays the name of a QIF account that doesn't match any accounts in your FirstAccounts data file. To import your QIF information properly, you'll need to enter an account in the FirstAccounts Account field to track the information that's contained in the account shown in this field. This field appears only after the first time you've seen the Choose an Account window during the current import process. (The first time you see the Choose an Account window, the QIF Category field will appear here instead.)

FirstAccounts Account: Enter the FirstAccounts account that best matches the account displayed in the QIF Category field or the QIF Account field. If you wish, you can click the search icon next to this field to open a search list of accounts to choose from. You can also use the Easy-Add function in the search list to create a new account to track the information.


Comments & Shipping Methods window

The Comments & Shipping Methods window allows you to set up the ways items are typically shipped by you and to you, and to set up a standard list of greetings, memos, reminders and any other salutations you often include on invoices and purchase orders. The methods you enter in this window can be selected in the Sales and Purchases windows and printed on invoices and purchase orders, if you wish.

To find this window...

Click Comments & Ship Methods in the Sales Command Centre.

Fields in this window:

Comments tab: Click this tab to display all comments currently in the FirstAccounts system.

Shipping Methods tab: Click this tab to display all shipping methods currently in the FirstAccounts system.

Inquiry Source tab: Click this tab to display all the Inquiry Sources currently in the FirstAccounts system.

List of comments or shipping methods and Inquiry Sources: The list displays all the comments, shipping methods and inquiry sources in the FirstAccounts system, depending upon which tab you selected at the top of the list. If you want to change a comment, shipping method or inquiry source, highlight it and click Edit. If you want to delete a comment, shipping method or inquiry source, highlight it and select Delete Comment or Delete Shipping Method or Delete Inquiry Source from the Edit menu. If you want to create a new comment, shipping method or inquiry source, click New.

New button: Click this button to open either the New Comment window, New Shipping Method window, or New Inquiry Source, depending upon whether you're viewing comments, shipping methods or inquiry sources in this window.

Edit button: Click this button after highlighting a comment, shipping method or inquiry source in the list to display either the Edit Comment window, Edit Shipping Method window or Edit Inquiry Source window where you can change the name. If you want to delete a comment, shipping method or inquiry source, highlight it and select from the Edit menu.


Company Information window

The Company Information window allows you to enter general information about your company that affects various parts of the FirstAccounts system.

To find this window...

Choose Company Information from the Setup menu.

The entries in the Current Financial Year, Last Month in Financial Year, Conversion Month and Accounting Periods per Year fields were entered when you created your company's data file. These entries can't be changed.

Fields in this window:

Registration Number: This field displays the number assigned to you when you registered FirstAccounts. This number is your company's unique identifier with FirstAccounts, and can't be changed.

Company Name: Enter or change your company's name, using up to 40 characters. The name that's entered in this field is displayed in all command centre windows, and, if you wish, on your FirstAccounts reports and forms.

Address: Enter your company's address. The address you enter here will be displayed on FirstAccounts invoices and reports.

Phone Number: Enter your company's telephone number. Add hyphens and an extension, if you wish.

Australian Business Number: Enter or change your company's Australian Business Number. If this is the first time you've opened the Company Information window and an entry already appears in this field, this number was entered in the FirstAccounts Easy Setup Assistant. For more information on the ABN, click here.

Australian Company Number: Enter or change your company's A.C.N. If this is the first time you've opened the Company Information window and an entry already appears in this field, this number was entered in the FirstAccounts Easy Setup Assistant.

Current Financial Year: This field displays the name of your current financial year. This entry was made when you created your company's data file during the FirstAccounts Easy Setup Assistant, and can't be changed.

Last Month in Financial Year: This field displays the last month of your current financial year. This entry was made when you created your company's data file during the FirstAccounts Easy Setup Assistant, and can't be changed.

Conversion Month: This field displays the month in which you started using FirstAccounts to track your business. This entry was made when you created your company's data file during the FirstAccounts Easy Setup Assistant, and can't be changed.

Accounting Periods per Year: This field displays the number of accounting periods you have in your current financial year. This entry was made when you created your company's data file during the FirstAccounts Easy Setup Assistant, and can't be changed.

Bank Infobutton: Click this button to enter your company’s bank details in the Banking Information window. You need to enter this information if you intend paying suppliers electronically using FirstAccounts’ Electronic Payments function. To find out more about the Banking Information window for your company, click here.


Banking Information window

The options available in the Banking Information window depend on if you are viewing your company’s bank details, or your supplier’s bank details:

Banking Information window (for your company)

Enter your company’s bank details in the Banking Information window. You need to enter this information if you intend paying suppliers electronically using FirstAccounts’ Electronic Payments function.

Bank Code: Enter the three Bank Code issued by your bank, eg NAB for National Australia Bank.

Bank ID: Enter the Direct Credits User ID number issued by your bank. Contact your bank if you are not sure what your Bank ID is.

BSB Code: Enter the Bank-State-Branch code for your bank. You may find this on your bank statements, or you will need to contact your bank to find out your BSB Code.

Account Number: Enter the bank account number for the account you want the supplier payments to be withdrawn from.

Account Name: Enter the account name for the bank account you want the supplier payments to be withdrawn from.

Self Balancing Transaction: If your bank requires a self-balancing transaction in the bank file, check this option. If you are not sure if your bank requires a self balancing transaction, please contact them, otherwise your bank file may be rejected.

Banking Information window (for your suppliers)

This window displays the bank details for your supplier. Enter the Bank-State-Branch code for your supplier’s bank, as well as your supplier’s bank account number and account name. You will need to fill in all of these fields to be able to use FirstAccounts’ electronic payments function with this supplier.


Contact Log Entry window

The Contact Log Entry window allows you to note every time you call, meet, bill or otherwise contact a person or company in the Card File. You can also use this window to place a telephone call to a person or company in the Card File.

To find this window...

Click Contact Log in the Card File Command Centre. In the View Contact Log window, click the New button.

Fields in this window:

Date: Enter the date this contact was made.

Dial button: If you have a modem properly connected to your computer, click this button to dial the telephone number of the contact whose name appears in the Name field. FirstAccounts allows you to choose to dial the number you entered in the Phone #1, Phone #2 or Fax # fields of the Card File Entry window for this contact.

Elapsed Time: Enter the duration of the contact, up to 99 hours and 59 minutes. If you bill for time spent with customers, you can use this field to track your time billing. You can make your entry in either HH:MM format (where HH is the number of hours and MM the number of minutes), or by entering the total number of minutes the contact lasted. If the total number of minutes is 60 or larger, the field will convert the number to an hourly format (for example, 61 minutes will appear as 01:01).

Log button: Enter a card name in the Name field, then click this button to open the View Contact Log window, where you can view a summary list of all contacts made to the card. To find out more about the View Contact Log window, click here.

Name: If you wish to enter information about a contact made with a person or company that already exists in the Card File, enter the name in this field or click the search icon to display a list of cards to search from. If you wish to enter information about a contact made with a person or company not in the Card File, enter the name of the person or company, then press TAB or RETURN; a search list of all cards in the Card File will appear. Click New; the Card File Entry window will appear, where you can enter information about the person or company. When you click Record, the Contact Log Entry window will appear again, and you can enter the contact information.

Notes: Enter a description of the contact, using up to 255 characters.

Recontact Date: Enter the next date you should contact this person or company. This date will be stored in the To Do List, where a reminder will appear on the date you entered here.


Credit Terms window

The Credit Terms window allows you to set up various credit terms for customers and suppliers. Depending upon how you opened this window, you can set credit terms for individual customers and suppliers, or for all new customer and supplier records you create.

To find this window...

Click Cards in the Card File Command Centre. In the View Card File window, click the zoom arrow of the contact you want to view. In the Card File Entry window, click the Terms button.

If you're setting up default credit terms for all customers, choose Preferences from the Setup menu. Click the Sales tab in the Preferences window and click the Terms button.

If you're setting up default credit terms for all suppliers, choose Preferences from the Setup menu. Click the Purchases tab in the Preferences window and click the Terms button.

The functions and fields of this window differ, depending upon whether you're viewing the terms of a customer or a supplier.

Fields in this window:

Payment is Due: Choose either C.O.D., Prepaid, In a Given # of Days, On a Day of the Month, # of Days after EOM, or Day of Month after EOM from the list.

C.O.D.: The balance of the transaction is due at the time the items are delivered.

PREPAID: The balance of the transaction is due at the time the transaction occurs.

IN A GIVEN NUMBER OF DAYS: The payment due date and early payment discount date are based on a number of days since the transaction date.

ON A DAY OF THE MONTH: The payment due date and early payment discount date are based on the month in which the transaction was recorded and the selections you make in the Discount Date and Balance Due Date fields. For example, if the transaction was recorded in April, the discount date is 10th (the first of the month) and the balance due date is EOM, a discount would apply if the balance was paid by April 10 and the entire balance would be due April 30.

# OF DAYS AFTER EOM: The payment due date and early payment discount date are based on a number of days after the end of the month.

DAY OF MONTH AFTER EOM: The payment due date and early payment discount date are based on the month after which the transaction was recorded and the selections you make in the Discount Date and Balance Due Date fields. For example, if the transaction was recorded in April, the discount date is 1st (the first of the following month) and the balance due date is EOM, a discount would apply if the balance was paid by May 1 and the entire balance would be due May 31.

Discount Days: If you selected that the payment is due:

In a given # of days or # of Days after EOM

Enter the number of days for which the discount applies. For example, if the transaction date is April 20 and the number of discount days is 10, a discount would apply if the balance was paid on or before April 30.

On a Day of the Month or Day of Month after EOM,

Select the day of the month for which the discount applies. If you select a day in the month that comes before the transaction date, the discount will apply until that day in the next month. For example, if the transaction date is April 20 and the discount date is 19, a discount would apply if the balance was paid on or before May 19.

Balance Due Days: If you selected that the payment is due:

In a given # of days or # of Days after EOM

Enter the number of days from the transaction date that the balance of the transaction is due. For example, if the transaction date is April 20 and the number of balance due days is 10, the balance must be paid on or before April 30.

On a Day of the Month or Day of Month after EOM

Select the day of the month the transaction is due. If you select a day in the month that comes before the transaction date, the balance won't be due until that day in the next month. For example, if the transaction date is April 20 and the balance due date is 19, the balance must be paid on or before May 19.

% Discount for Early Payment: Enter the discount percentage offered if a transaction balance is paid on or before the discount due date.

% Monthly Charge for Late Payment: Enter the monthly charge percentage you assign to this customer's balance if their transaction balance isn't paid by the balance due date. This field appears only if you're viewing a customer's credit terms.

Credit Limit: Enter this customer's credit limit with your company, or your credit limit with this supplier.

Tax Status: Select the Tax Status that applies to this card. You have three options to choose from. The first two options are based on the first two tax codes set up in the Tax Codes list. The third option, Taxable, will display the  third tax code set up in the Tax Codes list, on service, miscellaneous and professional invoices. If you use Item invoices, selecting Taxable will result in the item’s tax code being used in the invoice. For more information on Tax Status, click here.

Tax ID No. : Enter the tax identification number of the customer or supplier whose terms you're viewing. You can print this number on invoices and purchase orders.

Volume Customer Discount %: Enter the discount percentage you offer to this customer when you make large volume sales to the customer. You can enter a number between 0 and 100. This field appears only if you're viewing a customer's credit terms.

Volume Supplier Discount % : Enter the discount percentage offered by this supplier when you make large volume purchases from this supplier. You can enter a number between 0 and 100. This field appears only if you're viewing a supplier's credit terms.


Customer Payments window

The Customer Payments window allows you to assign customer payments to their outstanding sales balances and record deposits on pending invoices.

To find this window...

Click Customer Payments in the Sales Command Centre.

Click the screenshot to learn more about this window.


Customer

Enter the name of the customer whose payment you wish to apply, or click the search icon to display a list of customers to choose from. If you wish to view detailed information about the customer, click the zoom arrow to display the Card File Entry window.

After you enter a customer name, all sales for the customer are displayed. Open sales are displayed at the top of the list, followed by pending invoices and then by closed sales.


ID #

Using up to eight characters, enter the journal number you want to assign to this transaction, or accept the default journal number. This number will be recorded in the Sales Journal.

We recommend that you use the default journal number, because it ensures that you don't use duplicate journal numbers, which may cause confusion in your record-keeping. If you want to assign a different number, consider leaving the SJ prefix assigned to the number, so it's easy for you to distinguish the transaction as a Sales Journal transaction.


Date field

Enter a date for this transaction or accept the default date.


Amount Received

Enter the amount of the payment.


Memo

Using up to 255 characters, enter a description of the transaction. This description will appear on various FirstAccounts reports, as well as the Sales Journal.


Invoice # column

This column displays the numbers assigned to the customer's sales, entered in the Enter Sales window.


Status column

This column displays the status of each of the sales in the list.

OPEN: Sales with a positive balance.

CLOSED: Sales with a zero balance.

PENDING: Invoices assigned a Pending status in the Sales window.

If you want to open the Find Transaction window to view more detailed information about a specific sale, click the zoom arrow next to the sale's status.

To find out more about the Find Transaction window, click here.


Date column

This column displays the date each of the sales in the list was recorded.


Amount column

This column displays the current amount due for each of the sales in the list.


Discount column

Enter early-payment discounts for each of the sales in this list, or accept the default amount, which was entered for this customer in the Credit Terms window.

Enter a discount amount only when you're settling the entire remaining balance of a sale. If you enter a discount on a partial payment of a sale's remaining balance, that discount won't be recorded. For example, if you enter a $2 discount on $100 sale, the total due amount is $98. However, if you apply only $75 to the sale, the discount won't be calculated; $25 will be the remaining balance of the sale.


Total Due column

This column displays the total amount due for each sale in the list. This amount is calculated by subtracting the amount in the Discount column from the amount in the Amount column.


Amount Applied column

Enter the amount of the payment you want to apply to each sale in the list, or accept the default amounts that appear in this column. The default amount that appears in this column is either the total amount of one sale's remaining balance or the remainder of the payment amount.

You can distribute the payment amount to more than one sale.

If you apply more payment to a sale than is due, a credit invoice will be created when you click Record.

If you do not completely apply the payment to invoices, you will receive a message that you cannot record an unbalanced transaction


Finance Charge

Enter the amount you wish to apply to the customer's finance charges.

When you click Record, the balance of the account you entered in the Income Account for Late Charges field of the Accounts Receivable Linked Accounts window will be increased.


Record button

Click this button to record the application of the payment amount in the Cash Receipts Journal, increase your linked receivables cheque account and decrease the customer's outstanding balance. If the payment was applied to a pending invoice, your linked receivables deposits account is increased.


Customer Reimbursable Expenses window

The Customer Reimbursable Expenses window enables you to view expense information for all jobs linked to a specific customer and prepare reimbursement invoices automatically.

To find this window:

This window is opened using the Enter Sales window. In the Customer field of the Enter Sales window, enter the customer's name whose reimbursement invoice you want to write. Click the Reimburse button.

Click the name of a tab below for information about the fields associated with that tab.

To Be Reimbursed

Reimbursed/Removed


Customer Reimbursable Expenses window (To Be Reimbursed View)

To Be Reimbursed View of the Customer Reimbursable Expenses window contains a list of all reimbursable expenses for a specific customer. Using this tab of the window, you can prepare reimbursement invoices automatically. You can prepare reimbursement invoices to include markup, if you wish.

To find this window:

The Customer Reimbursable Expenses window is opened using the Enter Sales window. In the Customer field of the Enter Sales window, enter the customer's name whose reimbursement invoice you want to write. Click the Reimburse button. Click the To Be Reimbursed tab.

Click the screenshot to learn more about this window.

Other fields in this window:

Reimbursement Account


Reimbursement Item

Enter the number of the "dummy" item you've set up to represent any services or items you don't normally sell. You can also click the search icon and select the item from the list. Any services or items you don't normally sell whose Action fields you've marked will appear on the reimbursement invoice with the "dummy" item number.

This field appears only if you open the Customer Reimbursable Expenses window by clicking the Reimburse button in the Sales window for item invoices.

Services and items you don't normally sell don't have item numbers, but they can appear in the To Be Reimbursed list. Line items without item numbers can't be included on item invoices. You must set up a "dummy" item to represent services or items you don't normally sell on reimbursement invoices for items.


Reimbursement Account

Enter an income account for the transaction that you're preparing. Any items you normally sell whose Action fields you've marked will be allocated to their customary linked accounts on the reimbursement invoice.

This field appears only if you open the Customer Reimbursable Expenses window by clicking the Reimburse button in the Sales window for service, professional or miscellaneous invoices.


Supplier column

This column displays the suppliers from whom you purchased the services that are considered reimbursable expenses for this customer.


Description column

This column displays the descriptions of the items or services that are considered reimbursable expenses for this customer. Click the zoom arrow next to an item or service for more information about the purchase of the item or service.


Date column

This column displays the dates of the transactions through which you incurred the reimbursable expenses for this customer.


Job column

This column displays the job numbers to which the reimbursable expenses you're viewing were allocated.


Cost column

This column displays the amounts of reimbursable expenses.


Action column

Mark the fields in this column for the reimbursable expenses you want to include on the reimbursement invoice you're preparing. If you want to remove a mark from this column, click the mark.


Reimbursable column

This column displays the reimbursement amounts for the expenses you've marked as they will appear in the Sales window. You can change these amounts in the Customer Reimbursable Expenses window, if you wish.


Customer

This field displays the name of the customer linked to the jobs for which you're viewing expenses. Click the zoom arrow to view the customer's card.


All button

Click this button to mark the Action field of every item in the list.


None button

Click this button to remove all marks from the Action column.


Markup button

Click this button to open the Markup Information window, where you can calculate a reimbursement amount that includes markup for all the expenses whose Action fields you've marked. After you've calculated prices with markup, the reimbursement amounts appear in the Reimbursable column in the Customer Reimbursable Expenses window.


Reimburse button

Click this button to return to the Enter Sales window and automatically enter the reimbursable expenses whose Action fields you've marked as line items in the Enter Sales window. All the expenses whose Action fields you've marked are considered reimbursed when you click this button.


Print button

Click this button to print a Customer Reimbursable Expenses - To Be Reimbursed report.


Customer Reimbursable Expenses window (Reimbursed/Removed View)

Reimbursed/Removed View of the Customer Reimbursable Expenses window contains a list of all reimbursed expenses for a specific customer.

To find this window:

The Customer Reimbursable Expenses window is opened using the Enter Sales window. In the Customer field of the Sales window, enter the customer's name whose reimbursement invoice you want to write. Click the Reimburse button. Click the Reimbursed/Removed tab.

Click the screenshot to learn more about this window.


Supplier column

This column displays the suppliers from whom you purchased the services that are considered reimbursed expenses for this customer.


Description column

This column displays the descriptions of the services that are considered reimbursed expenses for this customer. Click the zoom arrow next to an item or service for more information about the purchase of the item or service.


Date column

This column displays the dates of the transactions through which you incurred the reimbursed expenses for this customer.


Job column

This column displays the job numbers to which the reimbursed expenses you're viewing were allocated. Click the zoom arrow next to a job to open the Job Information window for that job.


Cost column

This column displays the amounts of reimbursed expenses.


Customer

This field displays the name of the customer linked to the jobs for which you're viewing expenses. Click the zoom arrow to view the customer's card.


All button

This button is active only if you're viewing the To Be Reimbursed tab of the Customer Reimbursable Expenses window.


None button

This button is active only if you're viewing the To Be Reimbursed tab of the Customer Reimbursable Expenses window.


Markup button

This button is active only if you're viewing the To Be Reimbursed tab of the Customer Reimbursable Expenses window.


OK button

Click this button to return to the To Be Reimbursed tab of this window.


Customise window (illustration)

All of FirstAccounts' Customise windows look exactly the same, except for the elements inside the layout area of the window. Shown below is a typical Customise window. Click the illustration to learn more about the individual parts of the window.

Click the screenshot to learn more about this window.


Inactive field

This field is inactive on this form; in other words, this field won't be printed on the form. Inactive fields are recognised by their "dimmed" field names.

You can change the location of any field by dragging the field to a new location. (To drag a field, click and hold the mouse button while the cursor is positioned on the field you want, then move the mouse so the field moves to the location you want it.)

To display information about an inactive field, or to make an inactive field active, double-click the field; the Field Information window will appear, where you can view and change information about the field.

To find out more about the Field Information window, click here.


Active field

This field is active on this form; in other words, this field will be printed on the form. Active fields' names appear in black on your computer screen.

You can change the location of any field by dragging the field to a new location. (To drag a field, click and hold the mouse button while the cursor is positioned on the field you want, then move the mouse so the field moves to the location you want it. When you have finished moving the field, release the mouse button.)

To display information about an active field, or to make an active field inactive, double-click the field; the Field Information window will appear, where you can view and change information about the field.

To find out more about the Field Information window for Data Fields, click here.

To find out more about the Field information window for Text Fields, click here.


Text field

This field is used as a label on this form. You can add text fields by clicking the text tool at the bottom of the window.

To display information about a text field, double-click the field; the Field Information window will appear, where you can view and change information about the field.

To find out more about the Field information window for Text Fields, click here.


Layout window

This part of the window is the area you use to add, change and move fields on the form.


Ruler

The ruler allows you to determine the position of the fields on the form.


Pointer tool

Use the pointer to select and move fields that appear in the layout part of this window.


Text tool

Use the text tool to create a text field on the form. Text fields are composed simply of static text that you type into the field in this window.

To create a new text field, select the text tool, then click anywhere on the layout part of the window. A new field will appear in the window, labelled "Text Field."

To enter or change the text you want to display in the text field, double-click the field. The Field Information window will appear, where you can enter the text you want to appear in the text field.

To delete a text field, select it and choose Delete from the Edit menu.

To find out more about the Field Information window for Text fields, click here.


Picture tool

Use the picture tool to place a graphic on the form. A typical use of the picture tool is for placing company logos on forms.

To create a new picture field, first select the picture tool and click anywhere on the layout part of the window. A new field will appear in the window, containing an icon of a picture frame.

To place or change a picture in the picture field, double-click the field. The Field Information window will appear, where you can paste or load the picture into the field.

To delete a picture field, select it and choose Delete from the Edit menu.

To find out more about the Field Information window for the Picture Tool, click here.


Line tool

Use the line tool to draw horizontal and vertical lines on your forms.

To create a new line, select the line tool, then drag a line across the layout part of the window until the line is the length you want. (To drag a line, click and hold the mouse button while the cursor is positioned in the layout window, then move the mouse so the line grows to the desired length. When the line is complete, release the mouse button.)

To change the thickness of a line, double-click the line. The Field Information window will appear, where you can change the thickness of the line.

To find out more about the Field Information window for the Line Tool, click here.


Rectangle tool

Use the rectangle tool to create four-sided shapes on your forms.

To create a new rectangle, select the rectangle tool, then drag the rectangle across the layout part of the window until the rectangle is the size you want. (To drag a rectangle, click and hold the mouse button while the cursor is positioned in the layout window, then move the mouse so the rectangle grows to the desired size. When the rectangle is complete, release the mouse button.)

To change the thickness of the lines that make up a rectangle, double-click the rectangle. The Field Information window will appear, where you can change the thickness of the lines.

To find out more about the Field Information window for the Rectangle tool, click here.


Preview button

Click this button to open the Print Preview window, where you can view how the form will look on paper before you actually print it.

To find out more about the Print Preview window, click here.


Save button

Click the Save button to save the changes you've made to a customised form. All customised forms are saved in a Forms folder within your FirstAccounts folder on your hard drive.

If you click this button after you've made changes to a form template, the Save As window will appear. In the Save As window, enter a name and description for the customised form and click OK to save the form.


Save As button

Click the Save As button to save the changes you've made to a form template. When you click this button, the Save As window will appear, allowing you to enter a name and a description for the customised form. After you make your entries, click OK to save the form. All customised forms are saved in a Forms folder within your FirstAccounts folder on your hard drive.


OK button

Click the OK button to save the changes you've made to a customised form.

If you click this button after you've made changes to a form template, the Save As window will appear. In the Save As window, enter a name and description for the customised form and click OK to save the form.


Cancel button

Click this button to leave the Customise window without saving any changes.


Customise Activity Statements window

The Customise Activity Statements window allows you to customise the look of the activity statements you send to your customers. Using this window, you can rearrange the layout of items that appear on the form, and add, change and remove elements on the form.

To find this window...

In the Sales Command Centre, click Print Statements to open the Forms Selection window for statements. From the Statement Type list at the top of the window, choose Activity. Click the Customise button at the bottom of the window.

Fields in this window:

All of FirstAccounts' forms customisation windows look exactly the same, except for the elements inside the layout area of the window. Click here to see an illustration of a typical Customise window.


Customise Cheques window

The Customise Cheques window allows you to customise the look of the cheques you write. Using this window, you can rearrange the layout of items that appear on the form, and add, change and remove elements on the form.

To find this window...

Since both cheques and paycheques can be customised using this window, there are two ways to open this window:

If you want to customise cheques: In the Chequebook Command Centre, click Print Checks to open the Forms Selection window for cheques, then click the Customise button at the bottom of the window.

Fields in this window:

All of FirstAccounts' forms customisation windows look exactly the same, except for the elements inside the layout area of the window. Click here to see an illustration of a typical Customise window.


Customise Invoice Statements window

The Customise Invoice Statements window allows you to customise the look of the invoice statements you send to your customers. Using this window, you can rearrange the layout of items that appear on the form, and add, change and remove elements on the form.

To find this window...

In the Sales Command Centre, click Print Statements to open the Forms Selection window for statements. From the Statement Type list at the top of the window, choose Invoice. Click the Customise button at the bottom of the window.

Fields in this window:

All of FirstAccounts' forms customisation windows look exactly the same, except for the elements inside the layout area of the window. Click here to see an illustration of a typical Customise window.


Customise Item Invoices window

The Customise Item Invoices window allows you to customise the look of the item invoices you send to your customers. Using this window, you can rearrange the layout of items that appear on the form, and add, change and remove elements on the form.

To find this window...

In the Sales Command Centre, click Print Invoices to open the Forms Selection window for invoices, packing slips and shipping labels. From the Invoice Type list at the top of the window, choose Item. Click the Customise button at the bottom of the window.

Fields in this window:

All of FirstAccounts' forms customisation windows look exactly the same, except for the elements inside the layout area of the window. Click here to see an illustration of a typical Customise window.


Customise Labels window

The Customise Labels window allows you to customise the look of the mailing labels you create with FirstAccounts. Using this window, you can rearrange the layout of items that appear on the form, and add, change and remove elements on the form.

To find this window...

In the Card File Command Centre, click Mailing Labels to open the Forms Selection window for labels. Click the Customise button at the bottom of the window.

Fields in this window:

All of FirstAccounts' forms customisation windows look exactly the same, except for the elements inside the layout area of the window. Click here to see an illustration of a typical Customise window.


Customise Packing Slips (Item) window

The Customise Packing Slips (Item) window allows you to customise the look of the item packing slips you send to your customers. Using this window, you can rearrange the layout of items that appear on the form, and add, change and remove elements on the form.

To find this window...

In the Sales Command Centre, click Print Invoices to open the Forms Selection window for invoices, packing slips and shipping labels. From the Invoice Type list at the top of the window, choose Packing Slip (Item). Click the Customise button at the bottom of the window.

Fields in this window:

All of FirstAccounts' forms customisation windows look exactly the same, except for the elements inside the layout area of the window. Click here to see an illustration of a typical Customise window.


Customise Packing Slips (Professional) window

The Customise Packing Slips (Professional) window allows you to customise the look of the professional packing slips you send to your customers. Using this window, you can rearrange the layout of items that appear on the form, and add, change and remove elements on the form.

To find this window...

In the Sales Command Centre, click Print Invoices to open the Forms Selection window for invoices, packing slips and shipping labels. From the Invoice Type list at the top of the window, choose Packing Slip (Professional). Click the Customise button at the bottom of the window.

Fields in this window:

All of FirstAccounts' forms customisation windows look exactly the same, except for the elements inside the layout area of the window. Click here to see an illustration of a typical Customise window.


Customise Packing Slips (Service) window

The Customise Packing Slips (Service) window allows you to customise the look of the service packing slips you send to your customers. Using this window, you can rearrange the layout of items that appear on the form, and add, change and remove elements on the form.

To find this window...

In the Sales Command Centre, click Print Invoices to open the Forms Selection window for invoices, packing slips and shipping labels. From the Invoice Type list at the top of the window, choose Packing Slip (Service). Click the Customise button at the bottom of the window.

Fields in this window:

All of FirstAccounts' forms customisation windows look exactly the same, except for the elements inside the layout area of the window. Click here to see an illustration of a typical Customise window.


Customise Professional Invoices window

The Customise Professional Invoices window allows you to customise the look of the professional invoices you send to your customers. Using this window, you can rearrange the layout of items that appear on the form, and add, change and remove elements on the form.

To find this window...

In the Sales Command Centre, click Print Invoices to open the Forms Selection window for invoices, packing slips and shipping labels. From the Invoice Type list at the top of the window, choose Professional. Click the Customise button at the bottom of the window.

Fields in this window:

All of FirstAccounts' forms customisation windows look exactly the same, except for the elements inside the layout area of the window. Click here to see an illustration of a typical Customise window.


Customise Reports window

The Customise Reports window allows you to determine how you want the printed output of individual reports to look.

To find this window...

Choose Index to Reports from the Reports menu. Select a report and click the Format button.

Items in this window:

The left side of this window contains seven sections - Company, Address, Report, Headers, Subtitles, Body and Subtotals - that correspond to the seven sections of each FirstAccounts report. If a section doesn't apply to a particular report, the section won't contain any information in this window. If you want to change the aspects of a specific section, click the section.

The right side of this window contains various characteristics that can be changed in the report, such as the font, font size, style and margins. After you've selected a section in the left-hand side of this window, you can change the section's characteristics using the right-hand side of the window.

Click the screenshot to learn more about this window.


Company section

This section contains your company's name as it will appear on reports. The company name was originally entered in the Company Information window. Click this section if you wish to change its characteristics.

The Company section will be printed on this report only if you mark the Company Name selection in the Include field in this window.


Address section

This section contains your company's address as it will appear on reports. The address was originally entered in the Company Information window. Click this section if you wish to change its characteristics.

The Address section will be printed on this report only if you mark the Company Name selection in the Include field of this window. If the selection is marked, the address will print on the first page of the report only.


Report section

This section contains the name of the report. The report name will appear at the top of each page of the report.

Click this section if you wish to change its characteristics.


Headers section

This section contains the header information for the report. Headers appear at the top of each page of the report, describing the columns in the report.

Click this section if you wish to change its characteristics.


Subtitles section

This section contains the subtitles that appear on the report. Subtitles indicate the beginning of new groups of information in the report, such as Accounts, Customers and Total.

Click this section if you wish to change its characteristics.


Body section

This section contains the detailed information of the report, such as transaction amounts, account numbers and customer names.

Click this section if you wish to change its characteristics.


Subtotals section

This section contains the subtotals that appear on the report. Subtotals indicate the results of calculations and will appear in various formats, such as dollars, units and percentages.

Click this section if you wish to change its characteristics.


Font

Choose the font you wish to apply to the section you selected in the left-hand side of this window, or accept the default font, which was automatically selected by FirstAccounts from the current supply of printer fonts on your computer. The default font will usually produce the highest-quality report when printed on your printer.

If the font you choose wasn't provided with your computer system (in other words, if the font isn't a "system font"), the characters that appear on screen reports will look as similar to the font as possible, but may not exactly match the font as it's printed on paper.


Size

Choose the font size you wish to apply to the section you selected in the left-hand side of this window.


Style

Choose the style (or a number of styles) you wish to apply to the section you selected in the left-hand side of this window. Depending upon the type of computer you're using, you can choose from the following styles: Regular, Bold, Italic, Bold Italic, Underline, Outline or Shadow.


Colour

Choose the colour you wish to apply to the characters in the section you selected in the left-hand side of this window.


Align

Choose the alignment you wish to apply to the section you selected in the left-hand side of this window.

This field appears only if you selected the Company, Address or Report fields in the left side of this window.


Negative

Choose the colour you wish to apply to negative amounts in this report.


Effects

Choose the effect, underline or strikeout, that you wish to apply to the section you selected in the left-hand side of this window.


Include

Mark the Company Name and Report Date selections in this field if you want to include the name of your company and the current date on this report.


Left Margin

Enter the amount of space, in inches, you wish to include on the left-hand side of the printed report.

The amount you enter here will be added to the default amount your printer already uses for a margin. For example, if your printer's default margin is .25 inches and you enter 1.5 in this field, 1.75 inches of space will appear on the left side of the report.


Top Margin

Enter the amount of space, in inches, you wish to include on the top of the printed report.

The amount you enter here will be added to the default amount your printer already uses for a margin. For example, if your printer's default margin is .25 inches and you enter 1.5 in this field, 1.75 inches of space will appear on the top of the report.


Use Default button

Click this button to restore the default characteristics to the selected report. Use this button if you don't want to use the customisations you've added.

A dialog box appears, explaining that all changes you've previously made to this report will be removed. Click OK to remove all your changes.


OK button

Click this button to accept the entries you've made in this window and return to the Index To Reports window.


Customise Service Invoices window

The Customise Service Invoices window allows you to customise the look of the service invoices you send to your customers. Using this window, you can rearrange the layout of items that appear on the form, and add, change and remove elements on the form.

To find this window...

In the Sales Command Centre, click Print Invoices to open the Forms Selection window for invoices, packing slips and shipping labels. From the Invoice Type list at the top of the window, choose Service. Click the Customise button at the bottom of the window.

Fields in this window:

All of FirstAccounts' forms customisation windows look exactly the same, except for the elements inside the layout area of the window. Click here to see an illustration of a typical Customise window.


Customise Service Purchases window

The Customise Service Purchases window allows you to customise the look of the service purchase orders you send to your suppliers. Using this window, you can rearrange the layout of items that appear on the form, and add, change and remove elements on the form.

To find this window...

In the Purchases Command Centre, click Print Purchases to open the Forms Selection window for purchase orders. From the Order Type list at the top of the window, choose Service. Click the Customise button at the bottom of the window.

Fields in this window:

All of FirstAccounts' forms customisation windows look exactly the same, except for the elements inside the layout area of the window. Click here to see an illustration of a typical Customise window.


Customise Shipping Labels (Item) window

The Customise Shipping Labels (Item) window allows you to customise the look of the item shipping labels you send to your customers. Using this window, you can rearrange the layout of items that appear on the form, and add, change and remove elements on the form.

To find this window...

In the Sales Command Centre, click Print Invoices to open the Forms Selection window for invoices, packing slips and shipping labels. From the Invoice Type list at the top of the window, choose Shipping Label (Item). Click the Customise button at the bottom of the window.

Fields in this window:

All of FirstAccounts' forms customisation windows look exactly the same, except for the elements inside the layout area of the window. Click here to see an illustration of a typical Customise window.


Customise Shipping Labels (Professional) window

The Customise Shipping Labels (Professional) window allows you to customise the look of the professional shipping labels you send to your customers. Using this window, you can rearrange the layout of items that appear on the form, and add, change and remove elements on the form.

To find this window...

In the Sales Command Centre, click Print Invoices to open the Forms Selection window for invoices, packing slips and shipping labels. From the Invoice Type list at the top of the window, choose Shipping Label (Professional). Click the Customise button at the bottom of the window.

Fields in this window:

All of FirstAccounts' forms customisation windows look exactly the same, except for the elements inside the layout area of the window. Click here to see an illustration of a typical Customise window.


Customise Shipping Labels (Service) window

The Customise Shipping Labels (Service) window allows you to customise the look of the service shipping labels you send to your customers. Using this window, you can rearrange the layout of items that appear on the form, and add, change and remove elements on the form.

To find this window...

In the Sales Command Centre, click Print Invoices to open the Forms Selection window for invoices, packing slips and shipping labels. From the Invoice Type list at the top of the window, choose Shipping Label (Service). Click the Customise button at the bottom of the window.

Fields in this window:

All of FirstAccounts' forms customisation windows look exactly the same, except for the elements inside the layout area of the window. Click here to see an illustration of a typical Customise window.


Default Font Selection window

The Default Font Selection window allows you to access the Change Default Font windows, where you can modify the look of various aspects of the FirstAccounts system.

To find this window...

Choose Default Fonts from the File menu.

Fields in this window:

Report font explanation: This section explains which font is currently established for use on your FirstAccounts reports. If you wish to change this font, click the Reports button at the bottom of the window. These fonts can be overridden by clicking the Format button in the Index to Reports window.

Form font explanation: This section explains which font is currently established for use on your FirstAccounts forms. If you wish to change this font, click the Forms button at the bottom of the window. These fonts can be overridden by customising the forms.

Window font explanation: This section explains which font is currently established for use in your FirstAccounts windows. If you wish to change this font, click the Windows button at the bottom of the window. Be very careful when changing font sizes, if you make them too big, you may have problems accessing certain windows in FirstAccounts.

Reports button: Click this button to open the Change Default Report Font window, where you can change the font that's used on your FirstAccounts reports. To find out more about the Default Report Font window, click here.

Forms button: Click this button to open the Change Default Forms Font window, where you can change the font that's used on your FirstAccounts forms. To find out more about the Change Default Forms Font window, click here.

Windows button: Click this button to open the Change Default Windows Font window, where you can change the font that's used in your FirstAccounts windows. To find out more about the Change Default Windows Font window, click here.


Easy Setup Assistant main window
Easy Setup Assistant

The Easy Setup Assistant allows you to begin following the necessary setup procedures to get your business up and running with FirstAccounts. From this window, you can open a number of step-by-step procedures to customise your FirstAccounts experience and set up your company's accounts, sales, and purchases.

To find this window...

Choose Easy Setup Assistant from the Setup menu.

Buttons in this window:

Customise button: Click this button to begin the Customise section of the Easy Setup Assistant. In the Customise section, you can personalise your FirstAccounts system by setting preferences that can simplify the way you work in FirstAccounts. These preferences can also be viewed and selected in the Setup/Preferences window.

Accounts button: Click this button to begin the Accounts section of the Easy Setup Assistant. In the Accounts section, you can create new accounts, and set up, change and remove existing accounts in the FirstAccounts system.

Sales button: Click this button to begin the Sales section of the Easy Setup Assistant. In the Sales section, you can create new customer cards and set up your FirstAccounts sales records to reflect the current status of your accounting records.

Purchases button: Click this button to begin the Purchases section of the Easy Setup Assistant. In the Purchases section, you can create new supplier cards and set up your FirstAccounts purchases records to reflect the current status of your accounting records.

Help button: Click this button to get help for the current step in the Easy Setup Assistant.


Easy Setup Assistant - Accounts steps

The Accounts steps of the Easy Setup Assistant help you set up your company's accounts in FirstAccounts in a number of ways, including:

 	Adding, changing and removing accounts in your chart of accounts

 	Assigning specific accounts to track the taxes you pay and collect

 	Entering the current balance of each of your accounts

To learn about the individual steps in this section, click the Help button in the lower left corner of the Assistant window, or click here.


Easy Setup Assistant - Customise steps

The Customisation steps in the Easy Setup Assistant help you personalise a variety of areas in the FirstAccounts system, including:

How you enter information into FirstAccounts

How you navigate around the FirstAccounts system

How you protect your accounting records

How you enter and maintain your sales and purchases

To learn about the individual steps in this section, click the Help button in the lower left corner of the Assistant window, or click here.


Easy Setup Assistant - Purchases steps

The Purchases steps of the Easy Setup Assistant help you set up various aspects of your company's purchases information, including:

Your typical purchase order form

Your suppliers' basic information, as well as their credit terms

The accounts you use to track your company's purchases

To learn about the individual steps in this section, click the Help button in the lower left corner of the Assistant window, or click here.


Easy Setup Assistant - Sales steps

The Sales steps of the Easy Setup Assistant help you set up various aspects of your company's sales information, including:

Your typical invoice form

Your customers' basic information, as well as their sales history and credit terms

The accounts you use to track your company's sales

To learn about the individual steps in this section, click the Help button in the lower left corner of the Assistant window, or click here.


Edit Accounts window

The Edit Accounts window allows you to add new accounts and make changes to existing accounts in your chart of accounts.

To find this window...

Click Chart of Accounts in the General Ledger Command Centre. In the Accounts List window, click New or select an account and click Edit.

Click the screenshot to learn more about this window.

Other fields in this window:

Detail Credit Card Account (Postable): Choose this selection if you intend to assign transactions to the account you're creating. If this selection is marked for an existing account, the account has already been designated as a detail credit card account. Accounts with credit card privileges appear in lists in transaction windows throughout the FirstAccounts system. Transaction amounts can be assigned (posted) to detail accounts; that is, when you enter a transaction in FirstAccounts, you can enter the number of a detail credit card account. The amount of the transaction will then be included in the balance of the detail credit card account. For more information about using credit card accounts, see Tracking credit card purchases

When Reporting, Generate a Subtotal for This Section: Mark this selection if you want to combine the amounts of all the detail accounts under this header account and print the total amount on reports. This selection appears only if a header account is displayed in this window.


Account Classification

If you're creating a new account, select the type of account you're creating. If you're viewing an existing account's information, the account's classification appears here.

Each account in an FirstAccounts chart of accounts is assigned a unique number that consists of a one-digit prefix and four-digit number. The prefix is a fixed number that's assigned to the account classification. Prefixes in FirstAccounts are assigned to account classifications in the following manner:

1	Asset accounts

2	Liability accounts

3	Equity accounts

4	Income accounts

5	Cost of sales accounts

6	Expense accounts

8	Other income accounts

9	Other expense accounts


Account Name

Enter up to 30 characters to describe this account.


Account Number

Enter the four-digit account number used to uniquely identify this account. Any four digits except 0000 can be used in the account number. If you enter fewer than four digits, zeros will be added to the end of the number. When you enter an account number, the number will be automatically placed in the chart of accounts list in numerical order.

You can change the number of an account at any time; however, we suggest you keep the same account numbers if you've used FirstAccounts for some time, because a new numbering system may be confusing to remember.


Budgets button

Click this button to open the History and Budgets window, where you can create monthly budgets for this account. This button is available only if a detail account is displayed in the window.

To find out more about the History and Budgets window, click here.


Current Balance

This field displays the current balance of this account. If this is a header account, this field displays the sum of all the detail accounts assigned to it.

If this is an asset, liability or equity account, the amount shown here is the value of the account. If this is an income, expense, cost of sales, other income or other expense account, the amount shown here is the total of all activity with the account since the beginning of the current financial year.

If this is a detail account and you want to view more information about the account balance, click the zoom arrow. The Inquiry Register window will appear, listing the transactions that make up the current balance.

If you're viewing the equity account named Current Year Earnings, the current balance displayed is your company's year-to-date profit or loss amount.


Detail Account (Postable)

Choose this selection if you intend to assign transactions to the account you're creating. If this selection is marked for an existing account, the account has already been designated as a detail account.

Each detail account is assigned to the header account that appears directly above it in the list in the left-hand side of the Accounts List window. Detail accounts appear in plain type, and header accounts appear in bold type.

Transaction amounts can be assigned (posted) to detail accounts; that is, when you enter a transaction in FirstAccounts, you can enter the number of a detail account. The amount of the transaction will then be included in the balance of the detail account.

If a detail account has cheque privileges - in other words, if the account is a "cheque account" - don't choose this selection. Instead, choose the Detail Cheque Account (Postable) selection.

Detail accounts can be Level 2, Level 3 or Level 4..

The equity account named Current Year Earnings is a detail account, but it can't have transactions assigned to it. This account, used by FirstAccounts to record your company's profit or loss, uses your year-to-date profit or loss as its current balance.


Detail Cheque Account (Postable)

Choose this selection if you intend to assign transactions to the account you're creating, and you want to write cheques using the funds in this account. If this selection is marked for an existing account, the account has already been designated as a detail cheque account.

Accounts with cheque privileges appear in lists in transaction windows throughout the FirstAccounts system. Each time you write a cheque in FirstAccounts, you can select the cheque account you want to use.

Each detail cheque account is assigned to the header account that appears directly above it in the list in the left-hand side of the Accounts List window. Detail cheque accounts appear in plain type, and header accounts appear in bold type.

Transaction amounts can be assigned (posted) to detail accounts; that is, when you enter a transaction in FirstAccounts, you can enter the number of a detail cheque account. The amount of the transaction will then be included in the balance of the detail cheque account.

Detail accounts can be Level 2, Level 3 or Level 4.

This selection should be used only if this is an asset or liability account.

Cheque numbers are entered in windows such as Spend Money, where you write your cheques. Each time you write a cheque in FirstAccounts, the next cheque's number will increment by one. If you change the number when you create a cheque, the next cheque's number will increment by one from the number you entered.


Header Account (Non-Postable)

Choose this selection if the account you're creating is intended to be used as a title of a group of accounts. If this selection is marked for an existing account, the account has already been designated as a header account.

Header accounts are used only for grouping accounts of a similar purpose. Typically, header accounts have detail accounts "under" them; that is, detail accounts are assigned to specific header accounts. In the list in the left-hand side of the Accounts List window, header accounts appear in bold type, and the detail accounts appear below them in plain type at the next level.

Transaction amounts can't be assigned (posted) to header accounts - only to detail accounts. You can, however, combine the amounts of all the detail accounts under a header account and display the total amount on reports. To do this, mark the selection in this window named When Reporting, Generate a Subtotal for This Section.

Header accounts aren't required in FirstAccounts, except for the eight Level 1 accounts (asset, liability, income, expense, equity, cost of sales, other income and other expense). Header accounts you create must be either Level 2 or Level 3.


Linked Account for

This field displays the types of transactions this account is linked to. When an account is linked to a particular type of transaction, that account's balance is automatically updated whenever a transaction of that transaction type is entered anywhere in FirstAccounts. For example, one asset account is linked to all sales that result in money owed to you; each time you enter a sale that's not fully paid at the time of the sale, the amount you're owed will automatically be added to that account's balance.

To view the window in which the account was linked to a transaction type, click the zoom arrow. If this field displays Unlinked, you can link the account to a transaction type using the Linked Accounts command in the Setup menu.


Opening Balance

Enter the balance of this account as of the first day of your conversion month. If an amount already appears in this field, you may have already entered an opening balance for this account in the Account Opening Balances window.


Edit Comments window

The Edit Comments window allows you to add, change or remove comments from the FirstAccounts system.

To find this window...

Click Comments & Ship Methods in the Sales Command Centre. Click the Comments tab. Click the New button or select a comment and click Edit.

Fields in this window:

Comment: Use this field to enter a new comment or edit an existing comment.

New: Click this button to begin creating a new entry in this window. Click this button to record the entry you've created and begin creating a new entry.


Edit Inquiry Source window

The Edit Inquiry Source window allows you to add, change or remove Inquiry Sources from the FirstAccounts system.

To find this window...

Click Comments & Ship Methods in the Sales Command Centre. Click the Inquiry Sources tab. Click the New button or select an Inquiry Source and click Edit.

Fields in this window:

Inquiry Source: Use this field to enter a new Inquiry Source or edit an existing Inquiry Source.

New: Click this button to begin creating a new entry in this window. Click this button to record the entry you've created and begin creating a new entry.


Edit Job/New Job windows

The Edit Job window allows you to change information about existing jobs in your company.

The New Job window allows you to set up information about a new job in your company.

Both of these windows are often collectively called the "Job Information window."


Edit Job window

The Edit Job window allows you to change information about existing jobs in your company.

To find this window...

Click Jobs List in the General Ledger Command Centre. In the Jobs List window, select a job and click Edit.

See also Delete Job (Edit menu).

Click the screenshot to learn more about this window.

To remove a job while it's displayed in this window,

Select Delete Job from the Edit menu.


Job Number

Enter a number for this job. You can use letters in your job numbers also. The jobs list is in alphanumeric order, therefore the position of this job in the jobs list is determined by the number you enter in this field.

Jobs with these numbers:	Will sort in this order:
5	005
055	055
06	05A
005	06
05A	0A5
0A5	5


Job Name

Enter a name for this job.


Description

Enter a short description of this job.


Contact

Enter the name of your contact person for this job.


Track Reimbursables

Mark this selection if you want to track reimbursable expenses for this job. You must enter a linked customer also if you want to track reimbursable expenses for this job.


Percent Complete

If you're viewing a detail job, enter a percentage of completion to represent your progress on this job. This percentage will be used for budget analysis.


Start Date

Enter a starting date for this job.


Finish Date

Enter the date on which you expect to finish this job.


Manager

Enter the name of the manager responsible for this job.


Linked Customer

Enter the customer you want to link to this job or click the search icon and select the customer from the list. You must enter a linked customer if you want to track reimbursable expenses for this job. Click the zoom arrow to view more information about the customer in this field.

Linking this job to a customer enables you to track reimbursable expenses for the job and prepare invoices for expense reimbursements automatically.


Budgets button

Click this button to open the Job Budgets by Account window, where you can view and enter budgets for this job.

To find out more about the Job Budgets by Account window, click here.


New button

Click this button to record the entries you've made in this window and begin creating a new job.


Reimburse button

Click this button to open the Job Reimbursable Expenses window, where you can view information about reimbursable transactions for this job. This button is active only if you marked the Track Reimbursables selection.


Edit Shipping Methods window

The Edit Shipping Methods window allows you to add, change or remove shipping methods from the FirstAccounts system.

To find this window...

Click Comments & Ship Methods in the Sales Command Centre. Click the Shipping Methods tab. Click New or select a shipping method and click edit.

Fields in this window:

Shipping Method: Use this field to enter a new shipping method or edit an existing shipping method.

New: Click this button to begin creating a new entry in this window. Click this button to record the entry you've created and begin creating a new entry.


Export Data window

The Export Data window allows you to select specific information to export from your FirstAccounts data file.

To find this window...

Choose Export Data from the File menu and choose the type of data you want to export. Make your selections in the Export File window and click Continue.

Fields in this window:

Export Fields column: This column displays all the fields that are designated for exporting. To include a field from the FirstAccounts Fields column in this column, click the field name in the FirstAccounts Fields column. To remove a field from this column, click the field's name in the FirstAccounts Fields column. Fields will be exported in the order (top to bottom) they appear in this column.

FirstAccounts column: This column displays the fields in FirstAccounts that match the type of information you've chosen to export. For example, if you chose to export accounts, all fields that pertain to accounts (such as Account Number, Account Name and Balance) appear in this column. If an asterisk appears next to a field's name, that field must be included in the export file for FirstAccounts to export information correctly.

To include a field for exporting, click on its name; the name will appear in the Export Fields column in the left-hand side of the window. To remove a field from the Export Fields column, click the field's name in this column again. Fields will be exported in the order (top to bottom) they appear in the Export Fields column. The order in which the fields will be exported also appears in the Export Order column.

Export Order column: This column displays the order in which fields will be exported. For example, if Field 1 appears next to the Account Number field, the Account Number field will be the first field that's exported. To designate a field from the FirstAccounts column for exporting, click the field name in the FirstAccounts column. This column will show when the field will be exported. To remove a field from this column, click the field's name in the FirstAccounts column.

Unmatch All button: Click this button to clear all fields from the Export Fields column. No fields will be selected for exporting if you click this button.

Match All button: Click this button to enter all fields from the FirstAccounts Fields column into the Export Fields column. All fields will be selected for exporting if you click this button.

Export button: Click this button to begin the exporting process. A dialog box appears, in which you can assign a name and location to the export file you're creating. After you've finished making entries in the dialog box, click the Save button; the exporting process begins.


Export File window

The Export File window allows you to select criteria for exporting information from your FirstAccounts data file. The fields that appear in this window vary depending upon the type of information you choose to export.

To find this window...

Choose Export Data from the File menu and choose the type of data you want to export, or choose one of the selections in the File menu's AccountantLink submenu.

Fields in this window:

Export File Format: Choose to create your export file using a tab-delimited or comma-separated file format. If you're creating an export file for one of FirstAccounts' AccountantLink selections, the correct export file format is selected for you automatically.

First Record Is: Choose whether you want the first record in the export file to be a header record or a data record. If you choose Header Record, FirstAccounts will create the first record in your export file automatically, using labels for each of the fields in that record. For example, if you're exporting customer records, the first record in the export file will contain labels such as "Customer Name," "Address" and "Telephone Number." A header record such as this example doesn't contain actual data, but will help you quickly understand the contents of the export file. If you choose Data Record, no labels will be assigned to the data you export.

Balances from: Select the year from which you want to export account balances, either the current financial year or the previous financial year. This selection appears only if you're exporting accounts.

Panel of months: After you've selected a year in the Balances from field, choose the month from that year whose ending balances you want to export. This selection appears only if you're exporting accounts.

Identifiers: Enter the identifiers by which you wish to select customers, suppliers, employees or personal contacts for exporting. The records that will be exported will be only those who are assigned all the identifiers you enter here. This field appears only if you're exporting customer, supplier, employee or personal contact records, or miscellaneous sales or miscellaneous purchases.

Postcode: Enter the Postcode by which you wish to select customers, suppliers, employees or personal contacts for exporting. The records that will be exported will be only those who are assigned the Postcode you enter here. (If you wish, you can enter a partial Postcode to select more records for exporting.) This field appears only if you're exporting customer, supplier, employee or personal contact records.

Source Journal: Choose the journal from which you want to export journal entries. This field appears only if you're exporting journal entries.

Dated From/To: Enter a range of dates from which you want to export journal entries, miscellaneous sales or miscellaneous purchases. This field appears only if you're exporting journal entries, miscellaneous sales or miscellaneous purchases.

Continue button: Click this button to open the Export Data window, where you can choose the specific data fields you want to export.


Field Information window - Data Field

The Field Information window for data fields allows you to determine various characteristics of individual data fields you select in the Customise window for forms such as cheques, invoices and customer statements.

To find this window...

Click the appropriate Print button in the Sales, Purchases, or Chequebook Command Centre. In the Forms Selection window, click Customise. Double-click an existing data field.

Fields in this window:

Field Name: This field displays the name of the data field you selected in the Customise window. This name is assigned in FirstAccounts and can't be changed.

Field Location – from top: This field allows you to enter coordinates to position the data field you selected in the Customise window at a specific location on the form. In this field, enter the number of inches, using up to three decimal places, that you want the data field to print from the top of the page.

Field Location – from left: This field allows you to enter coordinates to position the data field you selected in the Customise window at a specific location on the form. In this field, enter the number of inches, using up to three decimal places, that you want the data field to print from the left-hand side of the page.

Field Size – height: This field allows you to enter the vertical size of the data field you selected in the Customise window. Enter the height in inches, using up to three decimal places.

Field Size – width: This field allows you to enter the horizontal size of the data field you selected in the Customise window. Enter the width in inches, using up to three decimal places.

Justify: Select the method you want information to be displayed in the data field you selected in the Customise window. You can choose to display information flush left, flush right, centred, or based on the placement of decimal points.

Font: Choose the font you wish to apply to the data field you selected in the Customise window, or accept the default font, which was automatically selected by FirstAccounts from the current supply of printer fonts on your computer. The default font will usually produce the highest-quality text when printed on your printer.

If the font you choose wasn't provided with your computer system (in other words, if the font isn't a "system font"), the characters that appear on-screen will look as similar to the font as possible, but may not exactly match the font as it's printed on paper.

Style: Choose the style you wish to apply to the data field you selected in the Customise window. You can choose from the following styles: Regular, Bold, Italic and Bold Italic.

Size: Choose the font size you wish to apply to the data field you selected in the Customise window.

Effects: Choose the effects, Underline or Strikeout, you want to apply to the data field you selected in the Customise window.

Sample: This box shows a preview of the font, font size, style and effects you've chosen in this window.

Field is Active: Mark this selection if you want the data field you selected in the Customise window to be printed on the form. If you leave the selection unmarked, the data field will be inactive and won't be printed on the form.


Field Information window - Line

The Field Information window for lines allows you to determine various characteristics of individual lines you select in the Customise window for forms such as cheques, invoices and customer statements.

To find this window...

Click the appropriate Print button in the Sales, Purchases, or Chequebook Command Centre. In the Forms Selection window, click Customise. Double-click an existing line.

Fields in this window:

Field Location – from top: This field allows you to enter coordinates to position the line you selected in the Customise window at a specific location on the form. In this field, enter the number of inches, using up to three decimal places, that you want the line to print from the top of the page.

Field Location – from left: This field allows you to enter coordinates to position the line you selected in the Customise window at a specific location on the form. In this field, enter the number of inches, using up to three decimal places, that you want the line to print from the left-hand side of the page.

Field Location – line length: Enter the length of the line you selected in the Customise window.

Orientation: Choose either Horizontal or Vertical to assign an orientation to the line you selected in the Customise window. If the line you drew in the Customise window is horizontal and you select Vertical here, the line will change to a diagonal line.

Line Size: Choose a number next to a line to determine the width of the line you selected in the Customise window.


Field Information window - Picture

The Field Information window for pictures allows you to determine various characteristics of individual picture fields you select in the Customise window for forms such as cheques, invoices and customer statements.

To find this window...

Click the appropriate Print button in the Sales, Purchases, or Chequebook Command Centre. In the Forms Selection window, click Customise. Double-click an existing picture.

Fields in this window:

Field Location – from top: This field allows you to enter coordinates to position the picture field you selected in the Customise window at a specific location on the form. In this field, enter the number of inches, using up to three decimal places, that you want the picture field to print from the top of the page.

Field Location – from left: This field allows you to enter coordinates to position the picture field you selected in the Customise window at a specific location on the form. In this field, enter the number of inches, using up to three decimal places, that you want the picture field to print from the left-hand side of the page.

Field Size – height: This field allows you to enter the vertical size of the picture field you selected in the Customise window. Enter the height in inches, using up to three decimal places.

Field Size – width: This field allows you to enter the horizontal size of the picture field you selected in the Customise window. Enter the width in inches, using up to three decimal places.

Preview Picture: This box shows a sample of the picture you've chosen to include on the form. If the picture frame icon appears in this box, you haven't selected a picture yet.

Picture Size: This field displays the size, in kilobytes, of the picture you've chosen to include on the form.

Paste Picture button: Click this button to paste the picture you copied to the Clipboard into the picture field you selected in the Customise window. A sample of the picture will appear in the Preview Picture box. This button is available only if you previously copied a picture to the clipboard.

Load Picture button: Click this button to display the Open dialog box, which you can use to select a picture to include in your form layout. A sample of the picture will appear in the Preview Picture box. If you're using FirstAccounts for Windows, you must select a picture that's been saved in the bitmap (.BMP) format. If you're using FirstAccounts for Macintosh, you must select a picture that's been saved in PICT or JPEG format.


Field Information window - Rectangle

The Field Information window for rectangles allows you to determine various characteristics of individual rectangle fields you select in the Customise window for forms such as cheques, invoices and customer statements.

To find this window...

Click the appropriate Print button in the Sales, Purchases, or Chequebook Command Centre. In the Forms Selection window, click Customise. Double-click an existing rectangle.

Fields in this window:

Field Location – from top: This field allows you to enter coordinates to position the rectangle field you selected in the Customise window at a specific location on the form. In this field, enter the number of inches, using up to three decimal places, that you want the rectangle field to print from the top of the page.

Field Location – from left: This field allows you to enter coordinates to position the rectangle field you selected in the Customise window at a specific location on the form. In this field, enter the number of inches, using up to three decimal places, that you want the rectangle field to print from the left-hand side of the page.

Field Size – height: This field allows you to enter the vertical size of the rectangle field you selected in the Customise window. Enter the height in inches, using up to three decimal places.

Field Size – width: This field allows you to enter the horizontal size of the rectangle field you selected in the Customise window. Enter the width in inches, using up to three decimal places.

Line Size: Select a number next to a line to select the line width of the lines in the rectangle.


Field Information window - Text Field

The Field Information window for text fields allows you to determine various characteristics of individual text fields you select in the Customise window for forms such as cheques, invoices and customer statements.

To find this window...

Click the appropriate Print button in the Sales, Purchases, or Chequebook Command Centre. In the Forms Selection window, click Customise. Double-click an existing text field.

Fields in this window:

Text: Enter the text for the field you selected in the Customise window.

Field Location – from top: This field allows you to enter coordinates to position the text field you selected in the Customise window at a specific location on the form. In this field, enter the number of inches, using up to three decimal places, that you want the text field to print from the top of the page.

Field Location – from left: This field allows you to enter coordinates to position the text field you selected in the Customise window at a specific location on the form. In this field, enter the number of inches, using up to three decimal places, that you want the text field to print from the left-hand side of the page.

Field Size – height: This field allows you to enter the vertical size of the field you selected in the Customise window. Enter the height in inches, using up to three decimal places.

Field Size – width: This field allows you to enter the horizontal size of the text field you selected in the Customise window. Enter the width in inches, using up to three decimal places.

Justify: Select the method you want information to be displayed in the text field you selected in the Customise window. You can choose to display information flush left, flush right, centred, or based on the placement of decimal points.

Font: Choose the font you wish to apply to the text field you selected in the Customise window, or accept the default font, which was automatically selected by FirstAccounts from the current supply of printer fonts on your computer. The default font will usually produce the highest-quality text when printed on your printer.

If the font you choose wasn't provided with your computer system (in other words, if the font isn't a "system font"), the characters that appear on-screen will look as similar to the font as possible, but may not exactly match the font as it's printed on paper.

Size: Choose the font size you wish to apply to the text field you selected in the Customise window.

Style: Choose the style you wish to apply to the field you selected in the Customise window. You can choose from the following styles: Regular, Bold, Italic and Bold Italic.

Effects: Choose the effects, Underline or Strikeout, you want to apply to the text field you selected in the Customise window.

Sample: This box shows a preview of the font, font size, style and effects you've chosen in this window.


Forms Info window

The Forms Info window allows you to adjust various settings for your printed forms.

To find this window...

Be sure the Customise window for a form is displayed, and choose Forms Info from the Form menu.

Fields in this window:

# of (Invoices, P.O.’s, Statements, Cheques or Mailing Labels) per Page: Specify the number of documents (invoices, statements, cheques or purchase orders, depending upon the type of form you're printing) that you wish to print on a single page.

Paper: Select the size of the paper or forms loaded in your printer.

Margins – from top: This field allows you to enter coordinates to position the form at a specific location on the paper. In this field, enter the number of inches, using up to three decimal places, that you want the form to print from the top of the page.

Margins – from left: This field allows you to enter coordinates to position the form at a specific location on the paper. In this field, enter the number of inches, using up to three decimal places, that you want the form to print from the left-hand side of the page.

Form Size – height: This field allows you to enter the vertical size of the form. Enter the height in inches, using up to three decimal places.

Form Size – width: This field allows you to enter the horizontal size of the form. Enter the width in inches, using up to three decimal places.


Forms Selection window (Personalised Letters)

The Forms Selection window for personalised letters allows you to create a mail-merge file containing information about individual people or companies in the Card File, for the purpose of creating letters customised with each person's or company's name.

To find this window...

Click Personalised Letters in the Card File Command Centre.

Fields in this window:

Card Type: Select a type of card - Customer, Supplier, Employee, Personal or All - to restrict the list of cards you want to include in the mail merge file. If you select a type other than All, the All selection on the right will change to reflect the type you selected.

You can further restrict the list of cards by making entries in the Selected, Identifiers, Last Contact Before, Recontact On/Before and Postcode fields.

All: Choose this selection to create a mail merge file for all cards that match the selection criteria you entered in the Card Type, Selected, Identifiers, Last Contact Before, Recontact On/Before and Postcode fields.

Selected: Choose this selection if you wish to create a mail merge file for a single card. In the field next to this selection, enter the name of the card or click the search icon to display a search list of cards from which you can select the card you want.

The card you enter here must be assigned the card type you selected in the Card Type field.

Identifiers: Enter as many as 10 identifiers to restrict the list of cards you want to include in the mail merge file. You can create the mail merge file for all cards that are assigned the identifiers you enter and match the other search criteria you've entered.

Last Contact Before: Enter a date to restrict the list of cards for which you want to create mailing labels to the people and companies who haven't been contacted since that date. You can create labels for all cards that haven't been contacted since the date you enter and match the other search criteria you've entered.

Recontact On/Before: Enter a date to restrict the list of cards for which you want to create mailing labels to the people and companies whose recontact dates occur on or before that date. You can create labels for all cards with a recontact date on or before the date you enter and that match the other search criteria you've entered.

Postcode: Enter a postcode to restrict the list of cards for which you want to create mailing labels to the people and companies whose primary address (entered in the Address field of the Card File Entry window) is located in that postcode. You can create labels for all cards that match your entry and the other search criteria you've entered.

To broaden your search, you can enter a partial postcode in this field.


Forms Selection window (Print Cheques)

The Print Cheques window allows you to print the cheques you've created in three windows in FirstAccounts:

 	Spend Money window  (Chequebook Command Centre)

 	Settle Returns & Credit Notes window (Sales Command Centre)

 	Supplier Payments window (Purchases Command Centre)

To find this window...

Click Print Cheques in the Chequebook Command Centre.

Using this window, you can also open a window where you can customise the printed cheques so they look like the cheques you use.

Fields in this window:

Selected Cheque Account: Select the cheque account you normally use to write the cheques you want to print. The accounts in this list were assigned cheque privileges in the Chart of Accounts window. If an account you wish to use isn't listed here, mark the Cheque Privileges selection in the Chart of Accounts window for the account you want to use.

Number of First Cheque in Printer: Enter the number of the first cheque that's in your printer. This field is used to track each cheque you've printed in FirstAccounts.  Note that if you enter a number here, each cheque printed will be renumbered in sequence beginning with this number.

Unprinted Cheques Only: Mark this selection if you want to print only the cheques you haven't printed yet. If you marked the Handwritten selection for any cheques when you created them, those cheques won't be printed.

Cheques Dated From/to: Mark this selection and enter a range of dates if you wish to print cheques for a specific time period.

Cheque Numbers Between/and: Mark this selection and enter a range of cheque numbers if you wish to print a specific set of cheques.

Selected Form for Cheques: Select the form layout you use to print cheques. You can choose one of the following standard form layouts or any of the custom form layouts you may have created for your cheques using the Customise Cheques window.

CONTINUOUS FEED CHEQUE: Choose this selection if your cheques are printed on connected pages of cheques.

LASER CHEQUE: Choose this selection if your cheques are printed using a laser printer, where individual pages of cheques are printed at a time.

Print Alignment Cheque(s) button: Click this button to print a sample cheque (or page of cheques, if you selected Laser Cheque) that allows you to determine whether the cheques loaded in your printer are positioned correctly for printing.

Before you begin printing, remember to load the cheques in the appropriate printer. When you click this button, the Print dialog box for your computer will appear; click OK to print the alignment cheque or page of cheques. If the position of the cheques is incorrect, adjust the cheques and print another alignment cheque or page of cheques. You can print as many alignment cheques as you like.

Customise button: Click this button to display the Customise Cheques window, where you can adjust the location of various parts of your cheques. To find out more about the Customise window, click here.


Forms Selection window (Print Invoices)

The Print Invoices window allows you to print the invoices you've created in the Enter Sales window, as well as packing slips and shipping labels used in the delivery of items. Using this window, you can also open a window where you can customise the printed invoices so they look like the invoices you use.

To find this window...

Click Print Invoices in the Sales Command Centre.

Fields in this window:

Invoice Type: Select a type of invoice - Service, Item, Professional, Packing Slip (Service), Packing Slip (Item), Packing Slip (Professional), Shipping Labels (Service), Shipping Labels (Item) or Shipping Labels (Professional) - to restrict the list of invoices you want to print. You can further restrict the list of invoices by making entries in the other fields in this window.

Invoice Status: Select an invoice status - Pending, Open, Credit, Closed or All - to restrict the list of invoices you want to print. You can further restrict the list of invoices by making entries in the other fields in this window.

Unprinted Invoices Only: Mark this selection if you want to print only the invoices you haven't printed yet. If you marked the Handwritten selection in the Sales window for any invoices when you created them, those invoices won't be printed.

Invoices Dated From/to: Mark this selection and enter a range of dates if you wish to print invoices for a specific time period.

Invoice Numbers Between/and: Mark this selection and enter a range of invoice numbers if you wish to print a specific set of invoices.

Selected Form for… Select the form layout you use to print invoices, packing slips or shipping labels, depending upon your selection in the Invoice Type field. You can choose one of the standard form layouts or any of the custom form layouts you may have created for your documents using the Customise window for the type of document you've selected.

Print Alignment… Click this button to print a sample invoice, packing slip or page of shipping labels that allows you to determine whether the documents loaded in your printer are positioned correctly for printing.

Before you begin printing, remember to load the blank documents in the appropriate printer. When you click this button, the Print dialog box for your computer will appear; click OK to print the alignment documents. If the position of the documents is incorrect, adjust the documents and print another alignment document. You can print as many alignment documents as you like.

Customise Button: Click this button to display the Customise window for the document you selected in the Invoice Type field, where you can adjust the location of various parts of your documents. To find out more about the Customise window, click here.


Forms Selection window (Print Mailing Labels)

The Forms Selection window for mailing labels allows you set up and print mailing labels for individual people or companies in the Card File.

To find this window...

Click Mailing Labels in the Card File Command Centre.

Fields in this window:

Card Type: Select a type of card - Customer, Supplier, Employee, Personal or All - to restrict the list of cards for which you want to create mailing labels. If you select a type other than All, the All selection at the right  will change to reflect the type you selected. You can further restrict the list of cards by making entries in the Selected, Identifiers, Last Contact Before, Recontact On/Before and Postcode fields.

All: Choose this selection to create mailing labels for all cards that match the selection criteria you entered in the Card Type, Selected, Identifiers, Last Contact Before, Recontact On/Before and Postcode fields.

Selected: Choose this selection if you wish to create a mailing label for a single card. In the field next to this selection, enter the name of the card or click the search icon and select the card you want from the list. The card you enter here must be assigned the card type you selected in the Card Type field.

Identifiers: Enter as many as 10 identifiers to restrict the list of cards for which you want to create mailing labels. You can create labels for all cards that are assigned the identifiers you enter and match the other search criteria you've entered.

Last Contact Before: Enter a date to restrict the list of cards for which you want to create mailing labels to the people and companies who haven't been contacted since that date. You can create labels for all cards that haven't been contacted since the date you enter and match the other search criteria you've entered.

Recontact On/Before: Enter a date to restrict the list of cards for which you want to create mailing labels to the people and companies whose recontact dates occur on or before that date. You can create labels for all cards with a recontact date on or before the date you enter and that match the other search criteria you've entered.

Postcode: Enter a postcode to restrict the list of cards for which you want to create mailing labels to the people and companies whose primary address (entered in the Address field of the Card File Entry window) is located in that postcode. You can create labels for all cards that match your entry and the other search criteria you've entered. To broaden your search, you can enter a partial postcode in this field.

Selected Form for Mailing Labels: Select the form layout you use to print mailing labels. You can choose one of the standard form layouts or any of the custom form layouts you may have created for your forms using the Customise Labels window.

Print Alignment Label(s) button: Click this button to print a page of labels that allow you to determine whether the labels loaded in your printer are positioned correctly for printing. Before you begin printing, remember to load the labels in the appropriate printer. When you click this button, the Print dialog box for your computer will appear; click OK to print the alignment labels. If the position of the labels is incorrect, adjust the labels and print another alignment page. You can print as many alignment labels as you like.

Customise button: Click this button to display the Customise Labels window, where you can adjust the location of various parts of your mailing labels. To find out more about the Customise Labels window, click here.


Forms Selection window (Print Purchase Orders)

The Print Purchase Orders window allows you to print the purchase orders you've created in the Enter Purchases window. Using this window, you can also open a window where you can customise the printed purchase orders so they look like the purchase orders you use.

To find this window...

Click Print Purchases in the Purchases Command Centre.

Fields in this window:

Order Status: Select a purchase order status - Pending, Open, Debit, Closed or All - to restrict the list of purchase orders you want to print. You can further restrict the list of purchase orders by making entries in the other fields in this window.

Unprinted Orders Only: Mark this selection if you want to print only the purchase orders you haven't printed yet. If you marked the Handwritten selection in the Purchases window for any purchase orders when you created them, those purchase orders won't be printed.

Orders Dated From/to: Mark this selection and enter a range of dates if you wish to print purchase orders for a specific time period.

Orders Numbers Between/and: Mark this selection and enter a range of purchase order numbers if you wish to print a specific set of purchase orders.

Selected Form for P.O.: Select the form layout you use to print purchase orders. You can choose one of the standard form layouts or any of the custom form layouts you may have created for your forms using the Customise window for the purchase order you selected in the Order Type field.

Print Alignment Order: Click this button to print a sample purchase order that allows you to determine whether the forms loaded in your printer are positioned correctly for printing. Before you begin printing, remember to load the blank forms in the appropriate printer. When you click this button, the Print dialog box for your computer will appear; click OK to print the alignment purchase order. If the position of the forms is incorrect, adjust the forms and print another alignment purchase order. You can print as many alignment purchase orders as you like.

Customise button: Click this button to display the Customise window for the document you selected in the Order Type field, where you can adjust the location of various parts of your purchase orders. To find out more about the Customise window, click here.


Forms Selection window (Print Statements)

The Print Statements window allows you to print statements for customers with outstanding sales balances. Using this window, you can also open a window where you can customise the printed statements so they look like the statements you use.

To find this window...

Click Print Statements in the Sales Command Centre.

Fields in this window:

Statement Type: Select a type of statement - Invoice or Activity - to restrict the list of statements you want to print. Invoice statements display a search list of all open sales and their corresponding balances. Activity statements display a search list of all Sales Journal transactions since a specific date. You can further restrict the list of statements by making entries in the other fields in this window.

From/to: Enter a date from which you want to include all Sales Journal activity on a statement. This field appears only if you selected Activity from the Statement Type list.

All Customers: Choose this selection if you want to print statements for all customers in the Card File.

Selected: Choose this selection if you want to print a statement for a specific customer.

Identifiers: Enter as many as 10 identifiers to restrict the list of customers you want to print statements for. All customers that are assigned the identifiers you enter and match the other search criteria you've entered will be included in the list of statements.

Include Customers With Zero Balances: Mark this selection if you wish to print statements for customers that meet all the other search criteria in this window, regardless of whether they have a zero balance for the specified period.

Add Finance Charges to Amount Due: Mark this selection if you wish to include a finance charge amount in the total amount due on statements. The finance charge amount will be printed separately on the statement and included in the total amount due. Leave this selection blank if you don't want to include a finance charge amount in the total amount due on statements. The finance charge amount will still be printed on the statement, but it won't be included in the total amount due.

Selected Form for Statements: Select the form layout you use to print statements. You can choose one of the standard form layouts or any of the custom form layouts you may have created for your forms using the Customise window for the statement you selected in the Statement Type field.

Alignment Statement(s) button: Click this button to print a sample statement that allows you to determine whether the statement forms loaded in your printer are positioned correctly for printing. Before you begin printing, remember to load the blank forms in the appropriate printer. When you click this button, the Print dialog box for your computer will appear; click OK to print the alignment statement. If the position of the forms is incorrect, adjust the forms and print another alignment statement. You can print as many alignment statements as you like.

Customise button: Click this button to display the Customise window for the statement you selected in the Statement Type field, where you can adjust the location of various parts of your statements.

To find out more about the Customise window, click here.


General Journal Entry window

The General Journal Entry window allows you to enter transactions that aren't specific to the Chequebook, Sales and Receivables, Purchases and Payables and Inventory Command Centres.

To find this window...

Click General Journal Entry in the General Ledger Command Centre.

Click the screenshot to learn more about this window.


General Journal #

Using up to eight characters, enter the journal number you want to assign to this transaction, or accept the default journal number. This number will be recorded in the General Journal.

We recommend that you use the default journal number, because it ensures that you don't use duplicate journal numbers, which may cause confusion in your record-keeping. If you want to assign a different number, consider leaving the GJ prefix assigned to the number, so it's easy for you to distinguish the transaction as a General Journal transaction.


Memo

Using up to 255 characters, enter a description of the transaction. This description will appear on various FirstAccounts reports, as well as the General Journal.


Acct # column

Enter the number of the account you want to assign this transaction to.


Name column

This column displays the name of the account.


Debit column

If you want to assign a debit amount to the account you entered in the Acct # column, enter that amount in this column. If you wish to assign a credit amount for the account, press TAB to move the highlight to the Credit column.

For each line, you can enter an amount in either the Debit column or the Credit column only; you can't enter amounts in both columns in the same line. (In other words, you can't debit and credit the same account on one line.) You can, however, use the same account on multiple lines.

Negative numbers can't be entered in this window. If you want to record a negative debit amount, enter a positive amount of the same number in the Credit column. Likewise, if you want to record a negative credit amount, enter a positive amount of the same number in the Debit column.

If the Out of Balance field at the bottom of the window lists an amount other than $0.00, this field will display a default amount that matches the Out of Balance amount. You can change this amount, if you wish.

If you don't want to enter an amount in either the Debit or the Credit column, move to the next line. Keep in mind, however, that lines without amounts aren't saved as part of a journal entry.


Credit column

If you want to assign a credit amount to the account you entered in the Acct # column, enter that amount in this column. If you wish to assign a debit amount for the account, press TAB to move the highlight back to the Debit column.

For each line, you can enter an amount in either the Debit column or the Credit column only; you can't enter amounts in both columns in the same line. (In other words, you can't debit and credit the same account on one line.) You can, however, use the same account on multiple lines.

Negative numbers can't be entered in this window. If you want to record a negative debit amount, enter a positive amount of the same number in the Credit column. Likewise, if you want to record a negative credit amount, enter a positive amount of the same number in the Debit column.

If the Out of Balance field at the bottom of the window lists an amount other than $0.00, this field will display a default amount that matches the Out of Balance amount. You can change this amount, if you wish.

If you don't want to enter an amount in either the Debit or the Credit column, move to the next line. Keep in mind, however, that lines without amounts aren't saved as part of a journal entry.


Job column

Enter the number of the job to which you wish to assign this amount.

If you need to assign an amount from one account to more than one job, use multiple lines to record the transaction. For example, assume you want to credit your Gadget Sales account $100, but you want to assign $30 to job 12 and $70 to job 43. To do this, enter the Gadget Sales account number in the Acct # column, then enter $30 in the Credit column and 12 in the Job column. Move to the next line, enter the Gadget Sales account number again, enter $70 in the Credit column and 43 in the Job column.


Total

This field displays the total amounts of the Debit and Credit columns entered above. If the amounts are the same, you can click Record to save the transaction.


Out of Balance

This field displays the amount by which this journal entry is out of balance. If the amount appears below the Debit column, the debit amount is larger than the credit amount. If the amount appears below the Credit column, the credit amount is larger than the debit amount.

To save a journal entry, the total debit amount must equal the total credit amount - in other words, no amount should appear in the Out of Balance field if you want to save a journal entry.


General Ledger Command Centre

Click each button below for a description of its function.


Jobs List button

Using the windows opened from the Jobs List button, you can set up, change and analyse the activity surrounding your company's jobs.

To find out more about the Jobs List window, click here.


Chart of Accounts button

Using the windows opened from the Chart of Accounts button, you can work with the accounts in your business's chart of accounts. You can create new accounts, edit and remove existing accounts, establish budgets and enter historical account information in these windows.

To find out more about the Chart of Accounts window, click here.


General Journal Entry button

Using the windows opened from the General Journal Entry button, you can work with transactions in FirstAccounts' General Journal - transactions that aren't specific to any of the other command centres in FirstAccounts.

To find out more about the General Journal Entry window, click here.


Transaction Journal button

The Transaction Journal button allows you to open the Transaction Journal window, where you can view information about all transactions that you've entered in the FirstAccounts system, for all journals. From the Transaction Journal window, you can also "zoom" to the original window in which transactions were entered.

To find out more about the Transaction Journal, click here.


General Ledger Linked Accounts window

The General Ledger Linked Accounts window allows you to review and change the linked accounts assigned to the General Ledger.

These accounts are automatically linked when you create a new data file using the FirstAccounts Easy Setup Assistant. You may wish to review the linked accounts, to be sure they're the ones you want to use.

To find this window...

Choose Linked Accounts/General Ledger Accounts from the Setup menu.

Fields in this window:

Equity Account for Current Earnings: The Equity Account for Current Earnings field of the General Ledger Linked Accounts window displays the number of the account that tracks the increase in your business's equity during the current financial year. The amount assigned to this account is determined by subtracting the balances of all cost of sales and expense accounts from the balance of all income accounts (current earnings = income - cost of sales - expenses). In FirstAccounts documentation, this account is referred to as your Current Earnings account.

Equity Account for Retained Earnings: The Equity Account for Retained Earnings field of the General Ledger Linked Accounts window displays the number of the account that tracks the increase in your business's equity during its lifetime, not including the current financial year. When a new financial year is begun, the current earnings account's balance is added to the balance of this account. In FirstAccounts documentation, this account is referred to as your Retained Earnings account.

Equity Account for Historical Balancing: The Equity Account for Historical Balancing field of the General Ledger Linked Accounts window allows you to enter an account that tracks the difference in the opening balances you entered for your asset accounts and the opening balances you entered for your liability and equity accounts. If, for example, the opening balance of all your asset accounts is $100,000, and the total balance of all your liability and equity accounts is only $95,000, the remaining $5,000 will be assigned to this account. To ensure your business records are accurate, this account's balance should be zero. In FirstAccounts documentation, this account is referred to as your Historical Balancing account.


Historical Purchase window

The Historical Purchase window allows you to enter individual purchases that occurred before your conversion month. The balances of the transactions you enter here should equal the outstanding purchasing balance your company has with each supplier you do business with.

To find this window...

Choose Balances/Payable Balances from the Setup menu. Click Add Purchase in the Payable Balances window.

Fields in this window:

Supplier Name: In this field, enter the name of the supplier for whom you want to enter the historical purchase. Your outstanding balance with this supplier appears in the Balance field.

Purchase #: You can enter a journal entry number for the transaction in this field or accept the default.

Date: Enter a date for the transaction.

Memo: Enter a memo for the transaction. This will help identify the transaction in the Transaction journal.

Amount Due: Enter the amount due for the transaction. Remember to enter the amount you still owe (including tax), and not the amount of the original purchase.

Tax: Select the tax code that applied to this transaction (if applicable). Since the Amount Due you entered is the Gross Amount, FirstAccounts will track the tax that applied to the transaction. When a payment is made against this transaction, the tax paid/collected will be reflected in FirstAccounts’ tax (Cash) reports. For more information on GST tax codes, click here.


Historical Sale window

The Historical Sale window allows you to enter individual sales that occurred before your conversion month. The balances of the transactions you enter here should equal the outstanding sales balance each customer has with your business.

To find this window...

Choose Balances/Receivable Balances from the Setup menu. Click Add Sale in the Receivable Balances window.

Fields in this window:

Customer Name: In this field, enter the name of the customer for whom you want to enter the historical sale. The outstanding balance of this customer appears in the Balance field.

Sales #: You can enter a journal entry number for the transaction in this field or accept the default.

Date: Enter a date for the transaction.

Memo: Enter a memo for the transaction. This will help identify the transaction in the Transaction journal.

Amount Due: Enter the amount due for the transaction. Remember to enter the amount the customer still owes (including tax), not the amount of the original sale.

Tax: Select the tax code that applied to this transaction (if applicable). Since the Amount Due you entered is the Gross Amount, FirstAccounts will track the tax that applied to the transaction. When a payment is made against this transaction, the tax paid/collected will be reflected in FirstAccounts’ tax (Cash) reports. For more information on GST tax codes, click here.


History and Budgets window

The History and Budgets window allows you to create monthly budgets for a detail account selected in the Accounts List window. The budgets you enter in this window can be used to review the progress of your accounts in the Analyse Balance Sheet and Analyse Profit & Loss windows.

To find this window...

Click Chart of Accounts in the General Ledger Command Centre. In the Chart of Accounts window, click the zoom arrow next to an account in the Account Name column. In the Edit Accounts window, click Budgets.

Fields in this window:

Account Name: This field displays the name of the detail account you selected in the Chart of Accounts window.

List of historical balances; The list displays previous balances for this account. For asset, liability and equity accounts, these amounts are period-end balances; for income, cost of sales, expense, other income and other expense accounts, these amounts are the total value of each account's transaction activity. This list is for your information only; use it to help set up your current budgets.

Budget column: Enter budget amounts for each month in this column. The amount you enter should be the expected activity for each month. Be sure you properly indicate whether the amounts in this column should be positive or negative. "Positive" and "negative" may appear to mean the opposite of what you expect; for example, if you enter $100 for an expense account, you're indicating that you expect this account to cost you $100 for the month. You can also use the Budget Shortcuts window (opened by clicking the Shortcuts button) to enter amounts in this column.

Shortcuts button: Click this button to open the Budget Shortcuts window, where you can quickly set budget amounts for all months in the current financial year. To find out more about the Budget Shortcuts window, click here.


Identifiers window

The Identifiers window allows you to enter descriptions for the identifiers you use throughout the FirstAccounts system. For each letter of the alphabet, you can enter a line of text that can be used to group people or companies that exist in your Card File. When you print reports (including mailing labels), you can restrict the reports to print only cards that use a specific identifier or set of identifiers.

When you create a new card in the Card File Entry window, you can assign up to 10 identifiers to each card. For example, you could enter Cash for the letter C in this window; then, for each customer who should pay cash only for their transactions, you can enter C in the Identifiers field in the Card File Entry window.

To find this window...

Click Identifiers in the Card File Command Centre.

Fields in this window:

Identifiers list: Enter a description for each letter of the alphabet, or each identifier, in these fields.

Print button:  Prints a report listing all identifiers set up in your data file.


Import Data window

The Import Data window allows you to select specific information to import into your FirstAccounts data file. This window also works with the information you entered in the Import File window to import information from import files.

To find this window...

Choose Import Data and the type of data you're importing from the File menu. Make your selections in the Import File window and click Continue. Open the data file you're importing in the dialog box for your computer.

Fields in this window:

Import Fields column: This column displays all the fields that are designated for importing into FirstAccounts. To include a field from this column into your data file, click the field's name in this column, then click the field name in the FirstAccounts Fields column that matches the field you selected in this column. The name of the field you selected in this column will appear in the Matching Import Fields column, and the field is ready to be imported.

FirstAccounts column: This column displays the fields in FirstAccounts that may match the type of information you've chosen to import. For example, if you chose to import accounts, all fields that pertain to accounts (such as Account Number, Account Name and Balance) appear in this column.

You must match the information you're importing with the appropriate FirstAccounts fields. For example, if you're importing account information, you must designate which field in your import file contains account numbers, which field contains account names, which field contains account balances, and so on. To do this, click on the name of the field that contains the information you want to import in the Import Fields column (for example, Account #), then click the corresponding field name in the FirstAccounts list (for example,  Account Number). The fields in the import file and in FirstAccounts are then matched.

If an asterisk appears next to a field's name, you must import information that matches the type of information that's entered in that field. For example, if an asterisk appears next to the Account Number field name, you must import account number information for FirstAccounts to import information correctly.

Matching Import Field: This column displays the import file's fields you've matched with corresponding FirstAccounts fields. To include a field from the Import Fields column into your data file, click the field's name, then click the field name in the FirstAccounts column that matches the field you selected in this column. The name of the field will appear in this column, and the field is ready to be imported.

Match All button: Click this button to enter all fields from the Import Fields column into the Matching Import Field column. All fields in the import file will be selected for importing if you click this button.

Import button: Click this button to begin the importing process. When the process is complete, a window will appear, reporting on the success of the process. If errors occur during the importing process, you can view information about the errors in a report that's automatically printed. This report, titled MYOBLOG.TXT, is located on your computer in the same place as your FirstAccounts data file. Use a text editor such as Notepad to open the file.


Import File window

The Import File window allows you to select criteria for importing information into your FirstAccounts data file.

To find this window...

Choose Import Data and the type of data you want to import from the File menu.

Fields in this window:

Import File Format: Choose whether the file you're importing data from uses a tab-delimited or comma-separated file format.

First Record Is: Choose whether the first record in the import file is a header record or a data record.

If you choose Header Record, FirstAccounts will assume that the first record in the import file doesn't contain any valid FirstAccounts data, and won't attempt to import this information.

If you choose Data Record, FirstAccounts will assume that the first record in the import file contains valid data (regardless of whether it does or does not), and will attempt to import this information.

Duplicate Records: Select whether to reject duplicate records, update existing records with duplicate records' information, or add duplicate records to your FirstAccounts data file.

The options you have in this field depend upon the type of information you want to import. If you're importing accounts or item records, you can either reject any duplicate information that exists in the import file or update the existing FirstAccounts records' information with the import file's information. If you're importing customer, supplier, employee or personal contact records, you also have the option of adding the duplicate records to your data file.

Continue button: Click this button to open the Export Data window, where you can choose the specific data fields you want to export.


Index to Reports window

The Index to Reports window allows you to print reports, save report files and display reports on your computer screen. You can also open windows from this window that determine the information you include on reports and modify the look of your reports.

To find this window...

Choose Index to Reports from Reports menu.

Click the screenshot to learn more about this window.


General Ledger tab

Click this tab to display a list of all General Ledger reports in the FirstAccounts system.


Chequebook tab

Click this tab to display a list of all Chequebook reports in the FirstAccounts system.


Sales tab

Click this tab to display a list of all Sales & Receivables reports in the FirstAccounts system.


Purchases tab

Click this tab to display a list of all Purchases & Payables reports in the FirstAccounts system.


Card tab

Click this tab to display a list of all Card File reports in the FirstAccounts system.


To Do List tab

Click this tab to display a list of all reports that display To Do List information.


Name column

This column displays the names of all reports in the FirstAccounts system. Report names are organised alphabetically in the list for each tab.

When you double-click a report name, the Report Filters window for that report appears. (You can also open the Report Filters window by highlighting a report name and clicking the Filters button.) In the Report Filters window, you can establish criteria to determine the information that appears on the report.


Command Centre column

This column displays the names of the command centres typically associated with the reports displayed in the Name column.


Print button

Click this button to print the report that's highlighted in the scrolling list in the middle of the Index to Reports window. The print dialog box for your printer will appear.

Be sure you've made the selections you want for the report in the Report Filters window before you attempt to print a report. To open the Report Filters window, highlight the report you want to print and click the Filters button.


Disk button

Click this button if you wish to create a report file for the report that's highlighted in the scrolling list in the Index to Reports window. A dialog box will appear, allowing you to choose the file format in which you want to save the report. Make your choice, then click Save. Another dialog box will appear, allowing you to name the report file you're creating. Enter a name, then click Save.

Be sure you've made the selections you want for the report in the Report Filters window before you attempt to save a report. To open the Report Filters window, highlight the report you want to save and click the Filters button.


Filters button

Click this button to open the Report Filters window for the report that's highlighted in the scrolling list of the Index to Reports window. (You can also open the Report Filters window by double-clicking a report name in the scrolling list.) In the Report Filters window, you can establish criteria to determine the information that appears on the report.

To find out more about the Report Filters window, click here.


Format button

Click this button to open the Customise Reports window for the report that's highlighted in the scrolling list of the Index To Reports window. Using the Customise Reports window, you can modify the look of the report you've selected by using different font styles, sizes, colours, alignments and effects, and by changing the report's page margins.

To find out more about the Customise Reports window, click here.


Display button

Click this button to display the report that's highlighted in the scrolling list of the Index to Reports window on your computer screen. (This process is often known as printing to screen or sending a report to the screen.) The Screen Reports window will appear, showing the report information. If you wish, you can print the report on your printer using the Screen Reports window.

Be sure you've made the selections you want for the report in the Report Filters window before you attempt to display a report. To open the Report Filters window, highlight the report you want to display and click the Filters button.

To find out more about the Screen Reports window, click here.


Find Transaction window

The Find Transaction window allows you to view summary information about each of your company's accounts, sales, purchases, cards, and jobs. This window also allows you to zoom to the windows in which the individual topics were entered.

To find this window...

Click the arrow next to the Find Transaction button in the command panel to display a list of inquiry registers available in FirstAccounts, then choose the option you want to view.

Click the screenshot to learn more about this window.


Account tab

The Account View of the Find Transaction window allows you to view summary information about each of the transactions that makes up the current balance of individual accounts. This window also allows you to zoom to the transaction entry windows in which individual transactions were entered.


Card tab

The Card View of the Find Transaction window allows you to view summary information about each person and company in your Card File. This window also allows you to zoom to the Card File Entry window, where the card information was entered.


Invoice tab

The Invoice View of the Find Transaction window allows you to view summary information about activity for individual sales transactions. You can look up customer invoices using either the customer's purchase order number or the invoice number assigned to the sale in FirstAccounts. The Find Transaction window also allows you to zoom to the transaction entry windows in which individual transactions were entered.

You can also open this window by clicking the zoom arrow in the Status column of the Apply to Sale View of the Settle Returns & Credit Notes window, or in the Customer Payments window.


Purchase tab

The Purchase View of the Find Transaction window allows you to view summary information about activity for individual purchasing transactions. You can look up purchases using either the supplier's invoice number or the purchase number assigned to the transaction in FirstAccounts. The Find Transaction window also allows you to zoom to the transaction entry windows in which individual transactions were entered.

You can also open this window by clicking the zoom arrow in the Status column of the Apply to Purchase View of the Settle Returns & Debits window, or in the Supplier Payments window.


Job tab

The Job View of the Find Transaction window allows you to view summary information about transaction activity for individual jobs. This window also allows you to zoom to the transaction entry windows in which individual job-related transactions were entered.


Account

Enter the number of the account whose detail you wish to view, or click the search icon to display a search list of cards to choose from.

If an account number is displayed on this field and you want to view more information about the account, click the zoom arrow to open the Accounts List window.


Source Journal list

This list displays the current journal displayed. If you wish, you can select a different journal to view, or view entries in all journals in the FirstAccounts system.


Dated From/To

These fields display the date range in the current month. If you wish, you can enter different dates to view transactions from a different period of time.


ID# From/To

Enter a range of identifying numbers of the transactions you want to display in the list.


ID# column

This column displays the identifying numbers of the transactions in the list. These numbers were entered in the ID fields of the windows in which you entered the transactions, such as Cheque # and PO #.

If you wish to view the window in which a specific transaction was entered, click the zoom arrow next to the transaction's ID #.


Src column

This column displays the abbreviations of the source journals for the transactions in the list. The abbreviations that can appear in this column include:

CR 	Cash Receipts Journal

CD 	Cash Disbursements Journal

GJ 	General Journal

PJ 	Purchases Journal

SJ 	Sales Journal

This column appears only if you selected All from the Source Journal list.


Date column

This column displays the date each transaction in the list was recorded.


Memo column

This column displays the descriptions of each transaction in the list. This description is typically entered in a Memo field in transaction entry windows.


Debit/Credit columns

These columns display the amounts by which this account is debited and credited by the transactions in the list.


Job column

This column displays the jobs to which the transactions in the list are assigned.


Account activity amounts

This box contains a summary of the transaction activity that affect this account for the time period you specified at the top of the window.

The Beginning Balance field that appears here is from either the first day of your conversion month, the first day of your financial year (if you've used the Start a New Fiscal Year windows) or the day the transactions from this account were last purged.


Item Information window
Invoice Item Information window

The Invoice Item Information window allows you to set up information about the items sold by your business.

To find this window...

Click Invoice Items in the Sales Command Centre. In the Invoice Items window, click the New button, or select an item in the list and click Edit.

Click the screenshot to learn more about this window.


Item #

The number of the item you're viewing appears in this field. If you're creating a new item, enter a unique number to assign to the new item.

You can use numbers, letters and symbols in the item number.

If you're displaying an existing item record, you can change the item number.


Name

Enter the name of a new item.

If you're displaying an existing item record, you can change the item name.


Income Account for Tracking Sales
Income Account

Enter the account number you use for tracking the income you receive from the sale of items and service items.

A default account number may appear in this field. If so, make sure the default account number is the correct account you want to use.


Selling Price

Enter the price at which you usually sell one selling unit of measure of this item. For example, if you sell cans of cola in cases, enter the price of one case of cola.


Tax Code When Sold

Choose the tax code that applies to this item when you sell it.

When you create invoices that include this item, tax amounts for the item will be calculated automatically using the code that you select here.


Selling Unit of Measure

Enter the method by which this item is packaged when you sell it.

Some typical units of measure include Each, Pair, Case, Gross, Hour and Day. These descriptions are printed on invoices. For example, assume one of your items is a lamp set that's always sold in pairs; this item could be assigned a unit of measure of Pair. Then, if you sold four lamp sets, you'd sell four pair of lamps, or eight lamps.


History button

Click this button to display the Item Sales History window, where you can enter historical sales activity for the past financial year and current financial year for this item, including the current month.

To find out more about the Item Sales History window, click here.


Item Sales History window

The Item Sales History window is used to enter and view historical sales activity for the past calendar year and current calendar year for the item displayed in the Invoice Item Information window.

To find this window...

Click Invoice Items in the Sales Command Centre. Double-click an item and click History in that item's Item information window.

Fields in this window:

Item: This field displays the item number and name of the item currently displayed in the Item Information window.

List of historical sales figures: This list displays the number of units sold, total sales amount and total cost of sales amount for this item for the past calendar year and current calendar year. You can enter and change information for all months previous to the current month.


Items List window
Invoice Items window

The Invoice Items window allows you to view all the items you've created in FirstAccounts, to begin adding new item records and to change or remove existing items.

To find this window...

Click Invoice Items in the Sales Command Centre.

Fields in this window:

Edit button: Click this button after you've highlighted an item in the scrolling list to open the Item Information window, where you can change information about the item. To find out more about the Item Information window, click here.

Item column: This column displays the items set up in FirstAccounts. Both the name and number of each item are displayed. If you want to view more information about an item, click the zoom arrow next to the item's number.

New button: Click this button to open the Invoice Item Information window, where you can create a new item record.

Print button: Click this button to print the Invoice Items list, which contains summary information about all the items in the FirstAccounts system.

Search: Enter the number of an item you wish to find in the scrolling list. If you can't remember the entire item number, enter as much of the number as you can remember; the scrolling list will display the item whose number most closely matches the numbers you typed.

Sell Price column: This column displays the current price you're charging for one selling unit of measure for each item listed in the Item column. This amount is entered in the Selling Price field of the Item Information window.


Job Budgets by Account window

The Job Budgets by Account window allows you to enter or view budget amounts, by account, for every job in the FirstAccounts system. The budget information you enter for a job is used in the Analyse Jobs window to help you assess your progress on a particular job and to determine the job's effect on the state of your business.

To find this window:

Click Jobs List in the General Ledger Command Centre. In the Jobs List window, select the job whose budgets you want to enter or view and click the Budgets button. You can also open this window for a job by clicking the Budgets button in the job's Job Information window.

Fields in this window:

Job number: Enter the number of the job whose budgets you want to enter or view or click the search icon and choose the job from the list. You can click the zoom arrow next to this field to open the Job Information window for the job you enter.

Acc# and Name columns: The number and name of each of your income, cost of sales, expense, other income and other expense accounts appear in these columns.

Budgets column: Enter the budgets for the job you're viewing, by account, in the fields of this column. Any budgets you've entered previously appear in this column. You can change budget amounts in this window, if you wish.

Jobs List button: Click this button to open the Jobs List window. To find out more about the Jobs List, click here.


Job Opening Balances window

The Job Opening Balances window allows you to enter or view opening balances, by account, for every job in the FirstAccounts system. If you started using FirstAccounts while a particular job was in progress, you could use this window to enter any account activity generated by the job so far.

To find this window:

Choose Balances/Job Opening Balances from the Setup menu.

Fields in this window:

Job Number: Enter the number of the job whose opening balances you want to enter or view or click the search icon and choose the job from the list. You can click the zoom arrow next to this field to open the Job Information window for the job you enter.

Acc# and Name columns: The number and name of each of your income, cost of sales, expense, other income and other expense accounts appear in these columns.

Opening Balance column: Enter the opening balances for the job you're viewing, by account, in the fields of this column. Any opening balances you've entered previously appear in this column. You can change opening balance amounts in this window, if you wish.

Jobs List button: Click this button to open the Jobs List window. To find out more about the Jobs List window, click here.


Job Reimbursable Expenses window

The Job Reimbursable Expenses window enables you to view information about your expenses for a particular job. Using this window, you can determine which expenses have been reimbursed and those for which you still need to write invoices.

This window contains two lists: To Be Reimbursed and Reimbursed\Removed. The To Be Reimbursed list displays all reimbursable expenses for the selected job.

You can track reimbursable expenses for a job if you mark the Track Reimbursables selection and enter a linked customer in that job's Job Information window. The Reimbursed\Removed list displays all reimbursed expenses for the selected job. To view a list, click the appropriate tab.

To find this window:

Click Jobs List in the General Ledger Command Centre. Select the job whose expense information you want to view and click Edit. In the Job Information window, mark the Track Reimbursables selection, enter a customer name in the Linked Customer field and click the Reimburse button.

Click the screenshot to learn more about this window.


Supplier column

This column displays the suppliers from whom you purchased the services that are considered reimbursable or reimbursed expenses.


Description column

This column displays the descriptions of the services that are considered reimbursable or reimbursed expenses. Click the zoom arrow next to an item or service for more information about the purchase of the service.


Date column

This column displays the dates of the transactions through which you incurred the reimbursable or reimbursed expenses.


Job column

This column displays the job numbers to which the reimbursable or reimbursed expenses you're viewing were allocated.


Cost column

This column displays the amounts of reimbursable or reimbursed expenses.


Remove column

Mark the field in this column for each expense you want to move to the other list in this window. If you want to remove a mark from this column, click the mark.

If you want to move a reimbursable expense from the To Be Reimbursed list to the Reimbursed\Removed list without billing the customer, click the To Be Reimbursed tab, mark the expense's Remove field and click the Remove from List button. The expense will be considered reimbursed and appear in the Reimbursed\Removed list.

If you want to move an expense from the Reimbursed\Removed list to the To Be Reimbursed list so you can prepare a reimbursement invoice, click the Reimbursed\Removed tab, mark the expense's Remove field and click the Remove from List button. The expense will be considered reimbursable and appear in the To Be Reimbursed list.


Customer

This field displays the name of the customer linked to job for which you're viewing expenses. Click the zoom arrow to view the customer's card.


All button

Click this button to mark the Remove field of every item in the list.


None button

Click this button to remove all marks from the Remove column.


Remove from List button

Click this button to move all expenses whose Remove fields are marked from their present list to the other list in this window.

If you want to move a reimbursable expense from the To Be Reimbursed list to the Reimbursed\Removed list without billing the customer, click the To Be Reimbursed tab, mark the expense's Remove field and click the Remove from List button. The expense will be considered reimbursed and appear in the Reimbursed\Removed list.

If you want to move an expense from the Reimbursed\Removed list to the To Be Reimbursed list so you can prepare a reimbursement invoice, click the Reimbursed\Removed tab, mark the expense's Remove field and click the Remove from List button. The expense will be considered reimbursable and appear in the To Be Reimbursed list.

Note that this button is simply called "OK" until at least one item is selected in the Remove column.


Jobs List window

The Jobs List window allows you to view summary information about all the current jobs in your business. This window shows the jobs' total income, cost, expenses and net profit or loss.

To find this window..

Click Jobs List in the General Ledger Command Centre.

Click the screenshot to learn more about this window.


Job column

This column displays the names of all jobs in the FirstAccounts system. If you wish to view detail about a particular job, click the zoom arrow next to the job's name. The Edit Job window will appear, allowing you to view, change or delete job information.


Budgets button

Click this button to open the Job Budgets by Account window for the selected job. Using this window, you can view and enter budgets for a job.

To find out more about the Job Budgets window, click here.


New button

Click this button to open the New Job/Job Information window, where you can begin creating a new job.

To find out more about the New Job window, click here.


Revenue column
Income column

This column displays the total income gained from each job in the Job column.


Cost column

This column displays the total cost incurred by each job in the Job column. Amounts in this column are derived from Cost of Sales accounts.


Expenses column

This column displays the total expenses incurred from each job in the Job column.


Net Profit (Loss) column

This column displays the net profit or loss from each job in the Job column. This amount is calculated by subtracting the amounts in the Cost and Expenses columns from the amount in the Income column.


Edit button

Click this button after you've highlighted a job to open the Edit Job window, which allows you to view, change or remove an existing job in your company.

To find out more about the Edit Job window, click here.


Linked Accounts windows

FirstAccounts' Linked Accounts windows allow you to review and change the linked accounts assigned to your FirstAccounts transactions. These accounts are automatically linked when you create a new data file using the FirstAccounts Easy Setup Assistant. You may wish to review the linked accounts, to be sure they're the ones you want to use.

To find this window...

From the Setup menu, choose Linked Accounts, then choose the type of linked accounts you want to review.

Click a topic below for information about a specific Linked Accounts window.

General Ledger Linked Accounts window

Accounts Receivable Linked Accounts window

Accounts Payable Linked Accounts window


Receive_Money window
Receive Money window

The Receive Money window allows you to record deposits into your FirstAccounts cheque accounts. The top half of the window contains fields that allow you to enter deposit information. The bottom half of the window contains a scrolling list of the accounts and jobs affected by each deposit, as well as the amounts that comprise each deposit.

You can also use this window to set up recurring deposits of the same value and examine the Cash Receipts Journal.

To find this window...

Click Receive Money in the Chequebook Command Centre.

Click the screenshot to learn more about this window.


Cheque accounts list

Select the cheque account you wish to make a deposit into.

The accounts in this list were assigned cheque privileges in the Edit Accounts window.


Balance

This field displays the current balance of the cheque account you selected at the top of the window. If you wish to display the Inquiry Register window to view more detailed information about the cheque account, click the zoom arrow.


Payor

Enter the name of the person or company in the Card File from whom you received this deposit, or click the search icon to display a search list of the people and companies in your Card File that you can select from.

After a card name is entered in this field, you can click the zoom arrow to display the Card File Entry window and view detailed information about the person or company.


ID #

Using up to eight characters, enter the journal number you want to assign to this transaction, or accept the default journal number. This number will be recorded in the Cash Receipts Journal.

We recommend that you use the default journal number, because it ensures that you don't use duplicate journal numbers, which may cause confusion in your record keeping. If you want to assign a different number, consider leaving the CR prefix assigned to the number, so it's easy for you to distinguish the transaction as a Cash Receipts Journal transaction.

One instance where you might find duplicate journal numbers handy is when you include more than one deposit transaction on a single deposit slip you send to your bank. Use the same journal number for each deposit transaction so you can remember that the deposits were grouped together when you sent them to the bank.


Amount

Enter the total amount of the deposit.

When you save this deposit, the balance of the cheque account you selected at the top of the window will be increased by the amount you enter here. If you enter a negative amount here, the cheque account will be decreased by that amount.


Memo

Enter a description of the transaction. This description will appear on various FirstAccounts reports, as well as the Cash Receipts Journal.

We suggest you use the word "Deposit" in the memo to remind you of the nature of the transaction.


Allocation Account columns

Enter the number of the account(s) you want to assign this deposit amount to. Typically, deposits are assigned to income accounts. The name of the account you entered will also appear here.

The deposit amount you entered in the Amount field is considered a debit amount. When you enter accounts and positive amounts in this list, the accounts will be credited by the amounts you enter.


Amount column

Enter the amount that you wish to assign to this account for this deposit. If the total of the amounts in this column doesn't match the amount in the Amount field (in other words, if the transaction is out of balance), this field will display a default amount that balances the transaction. You can change the default, if you wish.

The deposit amount you entered in the Amount field is considered a debit amount, and the amounts you enter in this column are considered credit amounts. If you want an amount in this column to be used as a debit instead, enter the amount as a negative number.


Job column

You can assign a job to each account in the list. To do so, enter the job number here.

If you need to assign an amount from one account to more than one job, use multiple lines to record the transaction. For example, assume you want to credit your Gadget Income account $100, but you want to assign $30 to job 12 and $70 to job 43. To do this, enter the Gadget Income account number in the Acct # column, then enter $30 in the Amount column and 12 in the Job column. Move to the next line, enter the Gadget Income account number again, enter $70 in the Amount column and 43 in the Job column.


GST column
Tax column

Enter the tax code that applies to this transaction. If you need to change the tax amount showing, use the zoom arrow pointing to the tax amount above the Record button, or assign a different tax code in the Tax column.


GST arrow Chequebook
Tax Zoom Arrow

Click the zoom arrow to display the Tax Information window, where you can change the tax amount manually.

To find out more about the Tax Information window, click here.


Total Allocated

Displays the sum of the amounts entered in the Amount Column and the resulting tax on those amounts. The Total Allocated Amount must equal the “Amount:” value in the top section of the Receive Money window. FirstAccounts gives you the option of automatically changing the “Amount:” value to the “Total Allocated Amount” when you try to record an “unbalanced” deposit.


Record button

Click this button to record the transaction you've made in this window.

If the total of the amounts in the Amount column in the bottom half of this window don't equal the number you entered in the Amount field in the top half of the window, you won't be allowed to record the deposit. Change your entries in the Amount column so they total the number in the Amount field.


Markup Information window

This window enables you to calculate prices with markup automatically when preparing reimbursement invoices in the Customer Reimbursable Expenses window.

To find this window:

In the Customer field of the Sales window, enter the customer's name whose reimbursement invoice you want to write. Click the Reimburse button. In the Customer Reimbursable Expenses window, click the To Be Reimbursed tab. Mark the Action fields of the expenses whose reimbursement prices you want to calculate with markup. Click the Markup button.

Click the screenshot to learn more about this window.


Round Prices

Select the method by which you want to round prices, depending upon whether you choose the Use Calculated Price selection, the Make Price a Multiple of selection or the Make Price End in selection in this window.

DOWN: Calculated prices will be rounded down by a dollar.

TO NEAREST: Calculated prices will be rounded to the nearest dollar.

UP: Calculated prices will be rounded up by a dollar.


Use Calculated Price
Use Calculated Prices

Choose this selection if you want to use the exact prices that are calculated by the markup function for the expenses you marked. When you change prices by clicking one of the Update buttons at the bottom of the window, the selected expenses' prices will be the exact prices that were calculated.


Make Price a Multiple of
Make Prices a Multiple of

Choose this selection if you want to use a multiple of the prices that are calculated by the markup function for the expenses you marked. For example, if you want prices to end in either dollar or half-dollar amounts ($.00 or $.50), enter .50 in this field. When you change prices by clicking one of the Update buttons at the bottom of the window, the selected expenses' prices will end in either .00 or .50.


Make Price End in
Make Prices End in

Choose this selection if you want a specific amount to be used in the prices that are calculated by the markup function for the expenses you marked. For example, if you want prices to end in ".99", enter .99 in this field. When you change prices by clicking one of the Update buttons at the bottom of the window, the selected items' prices will end in .99.


Percent Markup

Choose this selection if you want to mark up reimbursement prices by a certain percentage. Enter the percentage in the field.


Amount Markup

Choose this selection if you want to mark up reimbursement prices by a specific amount. Enter the amount in the field.


Update All Items
Markup All Items

Click this button to mark up the prices of all reimbursable expenses you're viewing in the Customer Reimbursable Expenses window.


Update X Items Only
Markup X Items Only

Click this button to mark up the prices of all reimbursable expenses with a mark in their Action fields in the Customer Reimbursable Expenses window.


New Job window

The New Job window allows you to set up information about a new job in your company.

To find this window...

Click Jobs List in the General Ledger Command Centre. In the Jobs List window, click New.

See also Delete Job (Edit menu).

Click the screenshot to learn more about this window.


Delete Job (Edit menu)

To remove a job while it's displayed in this window, select Delete Job from the Edit menu.

Note: A job can't be removed until all transactions assigned to it are purged.


Job Name

Enter a name for the job, using up to 25 characters.


Description

Enter a description of the job, using up to 255 characters.


Delete Job (Edit menu)

To remove a job while it's displayed in this window, select Delete Job from the Edit menu.


Password Access window

The Password Access window allows you to prevent FirstAccounts users from accessing various parts of the program that may contain sensitive information you don't want others to view or change.

To find this window...

Choose Preferences from the Setup menu. In the Preferences window, click the Security tab, then click the Password button. In the dialog box that appears, enter a password.

Fields in this window:

Sub-password column: This column contains all the passwords in the FirstAccounts system, including the master password and all sub-passwords. (The master password won't actually be displayed; instead, **MASTER** appears in its place. You must remember the master password from the first time you entered it.)

Not Allowed column: This column allows you to prevent users from accessing the functions that appear in the Available Functions column. To prevent access for a function, select a password in the Sub-Password column, then click this column next to a function name. An X will appear in this column, indicating that anyone who uses the selected password won't be able to access that function.

Available Functions column: This column lists all functions you can prevent other users from accessing. To prevent access for a function, select a password in the Sub-Password column, then click the Not Allowed column next to a function name. An X will appear in the Not Allowed column, indicating that anyone who uses the selected password won't be able to access the function.

New button: Click this button to open the Set Up Passwords window, where you can create a new sub-password. To find out more about the Set Up Passwords window, click here.

Delete button: Click this button after selecting a password in the Sub-Password column to remove the password. If you want to remove the master password, all sub-passwords must be removed first.

Edit button: Click this button after selecting a password in the Sub-Password column to edit the password.


Payable Balances window

The Payable Balances window allows you to view the historical purchases whose amounts make up the balance of your linked payables account. You can also open the Historical Purchase window from this window, where you can enter individual historical purchases.

Before you use this window, you should enter an opening balance for your linked payables account in the Account Opening Balances window.

To find this window...

Choose Balances/Payable Balances from the Setup menu.

Fields in this window:

Supplier Detail: Choose this selection and enter a supplier name in the field next to this field if you want to view detailed historical purchase information about a specific supplier. You can also select or create a supplier record by clicking the search icon next to this field. If you choose this selection, the list in the middle of the window will contain information about the specific purchases that consist of your activity with the supplier.

Supplier Summary: Choose this selection if you want to view summary historical purchase information about all suppliers you've entered in the FirstAccounts system. If you choose this selection, the list in the middle of the window will contain information about your business activity with all suppliers.

Balances scrolling list: This list contains various information about your purchase activity with a specific supplier or all suppliers in the FirstAccounts system, depending upon whether you selected Supplier Detail or Supplier Summary at the top of the window.

Total Purchases: This field displays the total balance of all purchases for a specific supplier. This field appears only when Supplier Detail is selected at the top of the window.

Linked Payables Account Balance: This field displays the balance of your linked payables account. The total balance of the historical purchases you enter in the Historical Purchase window should match the amount that appears here.

Out of Balance Amount: This field displays the difference between the amount you entered for your linked payables account in the Account Opening Balances window (displayed in the Linked Payables Account Balance field) and the amount you've entered for all historical purchases (displayed in the Total Purchases field).

Add Purchase button: Click this button to open the Historical Purchase window, where you can enter individual historical purchases. To find out more about the Historical Purchase window, click here.


Preferences window

The Preferences window allows you to establish various settings that affect the entire FirstAccounts system.

To find this window...

Choose Preferences from the Setup menu.

Fields in this window:

The Preferences window has six views, each of which accessed by clicking a tab at the top of the window. Click the name of a view below for more information about the fields in the view.

System

Reports & Forms

Chequebook

Sales

Purchases

Security


Preferences window (System View)

Click the illustration below for a description of each field and button in the System View of the Preferences window.

Click the screenshot to learn more about this window.


Warn Before Recording Post-Dated Transactions

Mark this selection if you want an alert message to appear each time you enter a transaction that's assigned a date in the future.

If you mark this selection, an alert message will appear when you enter a date in a transaction entry window that hasn't occurred yet. This message is informational only; you can continue to enter the post-dated transaction if you want.

If you don't mark this selection, an alert message won't appear when you enter a date in the future.


Automatically Open My FirstAccounts Data File
Automatically Open My Data File

Mark this selection if you want to automatically open the last opened data file when you next start FirstAccounts.


I Have a Modem for Autodialing

Mark this selection if an external modem is connected to your computer and you wish to use FirstAccounts to dial telephone numbers.

If you mark this selection, select the external port to which your modem is connected from the list. On Windows computers, FirstAccounts supports COM1 through COM4.


Display To Do List When Starting MYOB
Display To Do List When Starting FirstAccounts

Mark this selection if you wish to view the To Do List immediately after you've opened your FirstAccounts data file.

If you mark this selection, the To Do List window will appear when you start FirstAccounts and open a data file, or when you choose Open from the File menu and select a data file.

If you don't mark this selection, the Command Centre window will appear when you open a data file.


Save Window Sizes and Locations

Mark this selection if you wish FirstAccounts windows to open in the same on-screen location they were in when you last closed them.

Regardless of your selection here, alert messages and other dialog boxes will always appear in the centre of your computer screen.


Show Currency Symbols in Windows

Mark this selection if you wish to display currency symbols next to amounts in windows throughout FirstAccounts.


Select Items by Item Name, not Item Number

Mark this selection if you wish to select items by their descriptive names.

If you mark this selection, you can enter item names in the Enter Sales window and Enter Purchases window when you're creating item invoices and item purchase orders. In addition, when you display a search list of items at any time, the items will be listed in alphabetical order.

If you don't mark this selection, you can enter item numbers in the Enter Sales window and Enter Purchases window when you're creating item invoices and purchase orders. Search lists of items will be listed in numerical order.


Use Easy-Fill When Selecting From a List

Mark this selection if you want FirstAccounts to recognise the entry you're making in a field and fill in the rest of the field automatically. This feature, known as Easy-Fill, allows you to do your work a little faster. Easy-Fill works for account number and card (customer number, supplier number, item number, employee number) fields only.


Use Expandable Data Entry Field in Windows

You can use Expandable Data Entry Fields in the Enter Sales and Enter Purchases windows to enter a long description and view it by clicking once in the field. If you turn off this option, you will not be able to see the full description unless you scroll through the field using your mouse or arrow keys.


The Enter Key Works Just Like the Tab Key When Entering Data

Mark this selection if you wish to use the ENTER key to perform the same functions as the TAB key.


Window button

Click this button to open the Change Default Windows Font window, where you can establish the default font you want to display in FirstAccounts reports.


Preferences window (Reports & Forms View)

Click the illustration below for a description of each field and button in the Reports & Forms View of the Preferences window.

Click the screenshot to learn more about this window.


Use Daily Aging Periods

Mark this options if you want to use aging periods that are based on a particular number of days for each period.  If you choose to use daily aging, you can use any number of days you like, up to 999 days. For example, if aging periods of 7, 14 and 21 days are common in your industry, enter 7 for the first aging period, 14 for the second aging period, and so on.

The entries you make here will be used to group transactions when you print statements and reports, including the Aged Receivables and Aged Payables reports, and the Receivables Reconciliation and Payables Reconciliation reports. In addition, aging periods are used to categorise information in FirstAccounts' analysis windows.


Use Monthly Aging Periods

Mark this option if you want to use aging periods that begin on the first day of each month and end on the last day of each month. If you mark this option, also choose whether your aging periods will be labeled with the name of the month (July, August and so on), or by month numbers (1 month, 2 months, 3 months and 3+ months).

The entries you make here will be used to group transactions when you print statements and reports, including the Aged Receivables and Aged Payables reports, and the Receivables Reconciliation and Payables Reconciliation reports. In addition, aging periods are used to categorise information in FirstAccounts' analysis windows.

Click here to see several examples of how monthly aging is used in FirstAccounts


Include Currency Symbols in Forms

Mark this selection if you wish to display currency symbols next to amounts in your printed forms, such as cheques, statements, invoices and purchase orders.


Include Currency Symbols in Reports

Mark this selection if you wish to display currency symbols next to amounts in your printed reports.


Always Display Filters Before Printing Reports

Mark this selection if you want the Report Filters window to appear each time you click the Print or Display buttons in the Index to Reports window. This feature eliminates the need for clicking the Filters button to determine the information you want on a report.


Reports button

Click this button to open the Change Default Reports Font window, where you can change the default font you use in your printed reports.


Forms button

Click this button to open the Change Default Forms Font window, where you can change the default font you use in your printed forms, such as cheques, invoices, statements, purchase orders and mailing labels.


Preferences window (Window view)
Preferences window (Windows view)

Click the illustration below for a description of each field and button in the Windows View of the Preferences window.


Preferences window (Chequebook View)

Click the illustration below for a description of each field and button in the Chequebook View of the Preferences window.


Make a Contact Log Entry for Every Cheque

Mark this selection if you want to record a contact in the Contact Log each time you record a cheque.

If you mark this selection, a contact will be entered in the Contact Log for each person or company who exists in the Card File and for whom you write a cheque.


Make a Contact Log Entry for Every Deposit

Mark this selection if you want to record a contact in the Contact Log each time you record a deposit.

If you mark this selection, a contact will be entered in the Contact Log for each person or company who exists in the Card File and for whom you record a deposit.


Default Cheque is Handwritten

Mark this selection if the cheques you write usually aren't printed using FirstAccounts.

If you mark this selection, the Handwritten selection in the Spend Money and Settle Returns & Credit Notes windows will be automatically marked each time you write a cheque. (You can unmark the selection, if you want.)

If you don't mark this selection, the Handwritten selection won't be automatically marked.


Display Payee, Rather Than Memo, in Registers

Mark this selection if you want to display the name of the people who receive your cheques in the Find Transaction windows.

If you mark this selection, the name that appears in the Payee field of the Spend Money and Settle Returns & Credit Notes windows will appear in the Find Transaction window next to the summary descriptions of the cheques written in those windows.

If you don't mark this selection, the text that appears in the Memo field of those windows will appear in the Find Transaction window instead.


Warn for Duplicate Cheque Numbers

Mark this selection if you want an alert message to appear each time you attempt to record a cheque whose number is already recorded from the cheque account you're using.

If you mark this selection, an alert message will appear when you attempt to record a cheque assigned a number that's already been used for this cheque account.

If you don't mark this selection, you can use the same cheque number multiple times for a cheque account.

Marking this selection will require that FirstAccounts scan all the cheques you've written; as a result, it will take more time to record your cheques. Therefore, be sure you want to use this feature before you mark this selection.


Use Notes from Card for Memo on Deposit

If you wish to use the Bank Deposit Slip report, mark this selection and be sure that the Drawer, Bank and Branch details of each debtor are stored on their customer card in the Notes field.

Marking this preference automatically uses the contents of the card's Notes field as the default memo in a deposit.


Preferences window (Sales View)

Click the illustration below for a description of each field and button in the Sales View of the Preferences window.


Print Invoices When They're Recorded

Mark this selection if you wish to print an invoice immediately after you record it.

If you mark this selection, the print dialog box for your computer will appear immediately after you create an item, service or professional invoice and click the Record button in the Enter Sales window.

If you don't mark this selection, select Print Invoices from the Sales Command Centre to print invoices you've created in the Sales window.


Print Packing Slips When Invoices are Printed

Mark this selection if you wish to print packing slips that accompany the invoices you're printing.

If you mark this selection, you'll have the option to print packing slips when you select Print Invoices in the Sales Command Centre.


Print Shipping Labels When Invoices are Printed

Mark this selection if you wish to print shipping labels that accompany the invoices you're printing.

If you mark this selection, you'll have the option to print shipping labels when you select Print Invoices in the Sales Command Centre.


Warn if Customer has an Outstanding Credit Before Applying a Payment

Mark this selection if you want an alert message to appear if you have outstanding debit purchases for a customer and you attempt to apply a payment for that customer.

If you mark this selection, an alert message will appear when you enter a customer name in the Customer field of the Customer Payments window, and that customer has outstanding debit purchases with you. This message is informational only; you can continue to enter the payment, if you wish.


Apply Customer Payments Automatically to Oldest Invoice First

Mark this selection if you want to automatically apply customer payments to the oldest outstanding sale they have with your business.

If you mark this selection, the amount you enter in the Amount field of the Customer Payments window will automatically be entered in the Amount Applied field of the oldest sale the customer has with your business.

If you don't mark this selection, you must manually distribute the amount you entered in the Amount field to the sale(s) you want to apply the payment to.


Make a Contact Log Entry for Every Sale

Mark this selection if you want to record a contact in the Contact Log each time you record a sale.

If you mark this selection, a contact will be entered in the Contact Log for each customer who exists in the Card File and for whom you record a sale.


Warn for Duplicate Invoice Numbers

Mark this selection if you want an alert message to appear each time you attempt to record a sale whose number is already recorded.

If you mark this selection, an alert message will appear when you attempt to record a sale assigned a number that's already been used.

If you don't mark this selection, you can use the same sale number multiple times.

Marking this selection will require that FirstAccounts scan all the sales you've recorded; as a result, it will take more time to record your sales. Therefore, be sure you want to use this feature before you mark this selection.


Terms button

Click this button to open the Credit Terms window, where you can create a set of default credit terms for all customers or suppliers (depending upon whether you're currently viewing Sales View or Purchases View of the Preferences window) in FirstAccounts.

When you create a set of default terms using the Credit Terms window here, the terms you select will be automatically applied to every new customer or supplier record you add to the Card File. (The terms of existing customers and suppliers will remain the same.) If you wish, you can change the terms assigned to an individual customer or supplier by displaying that person's or company's name in the Card File Entry window and clicking the Terms button in that window.

To find out more about the Credit Terms window, click here.


Preferences window (Purchases View)

Click the illustration below for a description of each field and button in the Purchases View of the Preferences window.


Print Purchases When They're Placed in the Pending File

Mark this selection if you want to print a purchase order at the time it's placed in the Pending File.

If you mark this selection, the print dialog box for your computer will appear when you create a purchase order and click Pending in the Purchases window.

If you don't mark this selection, select Print Purchases from the Purchases Command Centre to print purchase orders in the Pending File.


Warn if Supplier Owes Me Money Before Making a Supplier Payment

Mark this selection if you want an alert message to appear if you have outstanding debit purchases with a supplier and you attempt to apply a payment to that supplier.

If you mark this selection, an alert message will appear when you enter a supplier name in the Supplier field of Supplier Payments window, and you have debit purchases with that supplier. This message is informational only; you can continue to enter the payment, if you wish.


Apply Supplier Payments Automatically to Oldest Purchase First

Mark this selection if you want to automatically apply payments to suppliers to the oldest outstanding purchase you have with those suppliers.

If you mark this selection, the amount you enter in the Amount field of the Supplier Payments window will automatically be entered in the Amount Applied field of the oldest purchase you have with the supplier whose name you entered in the Supplier field.

If you don't mark this selection, you must manually distribute the amount you entered in the Amount field to the purchase(s) you want to apply your supplier payment to.


Make a Contact Log Entry for Every Purchase

Mark this selection if you want to record a contact in the Contact Log each time you record a purchase.

If you mark this selection, a contact will be entered in the Contact Log for each supplier who exists in the Card File and for whom you record a purchase.


Warn for Duplicate Purchase Order Numbers

Mark this selection if you want an alert message to appear each time you attempt to record a purchase whose number is already recorded.

If you mark this selection, an alert message will appear when you attempt to record a purchase assigned a number that's already been used.

If you don't mark this selection, you can use the same purchase number multiple times.

Marking this selection will require that FirstAccounts scan all the purchases you've recorded; as a result, it will take more time to record your purchases. Therefore, be sure you want to use this feature before you mark this selection.


Show Supplier's Invoice Number in Supplier Payments

The Supplier Payments window shows amounts owed for each purchase order.  If you wish to see your supplier's invoice number rather than your purchase order number in this list, mark this box.


Preferences window (Security View)

Click the illustration below for a description of each field and button in the Security View of the Preferences window.


Data File Records CANNOT be Changed; Saved Entries Must be Reversed
Transactions CAN’T be Changed; Saved Entries Must be Reversed

Choose whether your saved accounting information, such as individual transactions, can be changed.

If you mark this selection, entries you've made and saved in FirstAccounts can't be edited; instead, they must be reversed. If you wish to keep an audit trail of the errors and corrections made to your financial records, you should mark this selection. (Even if you mark this selection, you can still make changes to transaction entries until you choose Save from the File menu.)

If you don't mark this selection, all entries you make in FirstAccounts can be edited.


Lock Periods

Select an accounting period in the current year, or Current Year, from the list to disallow transaction entries from occurring in or before the period you select. This prevents you from inadvertently adding, changing or removing transactions in periods in which changes could disturb the accuracy of your financial records.

Making a selection here is a safeguard against entries being made in the incorrect period; it doesn't close the period, erase transactions or permanently prevent you from recording a transaction in or before the period you select. If you need to make entries in or before the period you select, you can change this selection to an earlier period. (Note, however, that if you record a transaction in an earlier period, your financial statements, such as your balance sheet and profit and loss statement, for that month and all succeeding months may be affected. You may want to reprint them after you make your transaction entries.)


Prompt for Data Backup When Closing

Mark this selection if you want the option of creating a backup of your data file.

If you mark this selection, an alert message will appear when you select Quit or Open from the File menu, asking whether you want to create a backup of your data. To automatically create a backup, click Yes.


Automatically Prompt for a Session Report
Prompt for a Session Report

Choose when you'd like a session report to print.

If you select Upon Saving, an alert message will appear each time you choose Save from the File menu, asking whether you'd like to print a session report.

If you select Upon Quitting, an alert message will appear each time you select Quit, Exit, Open or New from the File menu, asking whether you'd like to print a session report.

When you choose to print a session report, the command you chose (Save, Quit, Exit, Open or New) is cancelled. After the report is printed, choose your command again, then select No Report in the alert message.


Automatic Save Every XX Minutes

You can use FirstAccounts’ Auto-Save feature to automatically save changes to your data file after a certain amount of time has passed. If you want to use Auto-Save, mark this selection, then enter, in whole minutes, how often you want your data file to be saved. You can enter a maximum of 120 minutes in this field.


Check Data File for Errors before the Backup Process

Mark this selection if you want to check your data file for computer-related errors before you begin the backup process.


Password button

Click this button to open windows in which you can secure your FirstAccounts system with password protection.

To find out more about the Passwords windows, click here.


Print Preview window

The Print Preview window allows you to view how the form you're customising in the Customise window will look on paper before you actually print it.

To find this window...

Click Customise in the Forms Selection window. Click the Preview button in the Customise window.

Items in this window:

Print Preview section: This part of the Print Preview window displays how the form will look when you print it on paper.

Full-page icon: Click this button to display the form in full-page view, where you can see the entire form as it will appear on a page. This view will show the least level of detail.

1x icon: Click this button to display the form magnified once from full-page view.

2x icon: Click this button to display the form magnified twice from full-page view.

3x icon: Click this button to display the form magnified three times from full-page view. This view will show the greatest level of detail.

Print Setup button: Click this button to open the Print Setup window, where you can set various characteristics of the printer connected to your computer.


Purchases window
Enter Purchases window

The Enter Purchases window allows you to create transaction records for the services you buy.

To find this window...

Click Enter Purchases in the Purchases Command Centre.

Depending upon the type of transaction you're entering in this window (service purchase order or miscellaneous purchase), the fields in this window will change to allow you to enter appropriate information. These different sets of fields are known as views. Click the topics below for information about the Purchases window's views.

Purchases window (Service View)

Purchases window (Miscellaneous View)


Supplier

Enter the name of the supplier for whom this purchase order is intended, or click the search icon to display a search list of suppliers to choose from. You can also use the Easy-Add function in the search list to create a new supplier record to assign this purchase order to.

If pending purchase orders exist for the supplier, a window will appear, listing your pending purchase orders with the supplier. You can either select a pending purchase order or click Cancel or New Purchase to return to the Purchases window, where you can create a new purchase order.


Terms

This field displays the credit terms assigned to your business by the supplier. This information will be printed on the purchase order.

If you wish to change these terms for this purchase and future purchases from this supplier, click the zoom arrow next to the Supplier field to display the Card File Entry window, then click the Terms button at the bottom of the window. If you wish to change the terms for this purchase only, click the zoom arrow next to the Terms field to display the Credit Terms window.


Handwritten

Mark this selection if you don't plan to print this purchase order using FirstAccounts.

When you mark this selection, FirstAccounts will record the purchase order as printed; then, when you choose to print unprinted purchase orders only in the Print Purchases window, this purchase order won't be printed.

If you're viewing a purchase order that's been printed, this selection is already marked.


Ship To

Enter the address you want to print on the purchase order, or accept the default address, which was entered in the Company Information window. You can also click the search icon to display a search list of all the people and companies in the Card File to select a different address from.


Purchase #

Using up to eight characters, enter the number you want to assign to this purchase order, or accept the default purchase order number. This number will be recorded in the Purchases Journal.

We recommend that you use the default purchase order number, because it ensures that you don't use duplicate journal numbers, which may cause confusion in your record keeping. (Another way to ensure you don't use duplicate purchase order numbers is to mark the Warn for Duplicate Purchase Order Numbers selection in the Preferences window.)

If you make an entry in this field that contains numbers only, the next purchase order you create will use an purchase order number incremented by one. If your entry contains letters, the next purchase order's number will be incremented by one from the last numbers-only purchase order number you used.


Supplier Invoice #

If you wish, enter the number assigned to the invoice the supplier sent you.

This number can be printed on the purchase order, if you wish.


Comment

Enter a comment to print on the purchase order, or click the search icon to display a search list of comments to choose from. You can also use the Easy-Add function in the search list to create a new comment.


Ship Via

Enter the method by which you want to the supplier to ship the items on the purchase order, or click the search icon to display a search list of shipping methods to choose from. You can also use the Easy-Add function in the search list to create a new shipping method.

This method can be printed on the purchase order.


Promised Date

If you plan to record this purchase order as a pending purchase order, enter the date you expect to receive the items on the purchase order.

If this isn't a pending purchase order, the entry you make in this field is for your information only.


Journal Memo

Enter a description of the purchase order, or accept the default memo. This description will appear on various FirstAccounts reports, as well as the Purchases Journal. You can also print this memo on the purchase order.

If you change the default memo, we suggest you keep the word "Purchase" in the memo to remind you of the nature of the transaction.


Freight

Enter the amount you'll pay to ship the items on this purchase order.

This field is available only if you assigned an account number for freight charges in the Expense or Cost of Sales Account for Freight field in the Accounts Payable Linked Accounts window. Note that you can also change the tax code that appears beside the Freight amount.


Tax

The total tax amount appears in this field. If you want to change the tax amounts, click the zoom arrow next to this field to open the Tax Information window, where you can change the amounts if you haven't recorded the transaction yet.

To find out more about the Tax Information window, click here.


Total Amount

This field displays the total amount of the purchase order, including all services in the list, Tax and freight charges.


Paid Today

Enter the amount of money you paid at the time of the purchase for this transaction.

This amount will decrease the balance of your linked payables cheque account and will appear as an entry in the Cash Disbursements Journal.


Balance Due

This field displays the total amount of the purchase order, minus the amount in the Paid Today field.

Depending upon the amount in this column, one of three things will occur when you click the Record button:

 	If the amount is zero, a purchase order with no balance (sometimes known as a "closed purchase") will be created.

 	If the amount is a positive number, a purchase order with an outstanding balance (sometimes known as an "open purchase") will be created. This amount will be recorded in your linked payables account.

 	If the amount is a negative number, a debit purchase will be created.


Type button

Click this button to choose the type of purchase you want to enter in this window. The PO Type window appears, allowing you to select a type of purchase. These types are summarised below.

SERVICE: Choose this selection if you want to record and print a purchase order.

MISCELLANEOUS PURCHASE: Choose this selection if you want to record the purchase of services, and that don't require a printed purchase order.


Record button

Click this button to record the transaction you've made in this window.


Purchases window (Service View)
Enter Purchases window (Service View)

The Service Purchase Order View of the Purchases window is displayed when you click the Type button in the Purchases window and choose the Service selection.

Click the screenshot to learn more about this window.


Description column

Enter a description of the item or service you're buying, using up to 255 characters.


Acct# column

Enter the number of the account you want to assign the items or services in this transaction to.

Purchases are typically assigned to expense accounts.


Amount column

Enter the amount you expect to pay for each line of this transaction.

If you enter a positive number in this column, your linked payables account will be increased.

If you enter a negative number in this column (for example, if you're entering a purchasing adjustment or a return), your linked payables account will be decreased. When you click Record, a debit purchase will be created.

You can enter 0, if you wish. Zero can be used as an amount for items you want to appear on a purchase order; although no amount is charged, the item appears on the printed purchase order. The item, however, won't appear in the Purchases Journal.


Job column

Enter the number of the job to which you wish to assign each amount in the list.

If you need to assign an amount to more than one job, use multiple lines to record the transaction. For example, assume you want to assign $100 your Gadget Purchases account, but you want to assign $30 to job 12 and $70 to job 43. To do this, enter the Gadget Purchases account number in the Acct. # column, then enter $30 in the Amount column and 12 in the Job column. Move to the next line, enter the Gadget Purchases account number again, enter $70 in the Amount column and 43 in the Job column.


Tax column

This column is used to designate the services that are subject to sales tax.

If you wish to assign a different tax code than the one that appears in the Tax column, simply enter the new code in the Tax column.


Purchases window (Miscellaneous View)
Enter Purchases window (Miscellaneous View)

The Miscellaneous Purchase View of the Enter Purchases window is displayed when you click the Type button in the Purchases window and choose the Miscellaneous Purchase selection. In this view, you can record the purchase of items and services for which you don't need a printed purchase order.

Click the screenshot to learn more about this window.


Supplier

Enter the name of the supplier for whom this miscellaneous purchase is intended, or click the search icon to display a search list of suppliers to choose from. You can also use the Easy-Add function in the search list to create a new supplier record to assign this miscellaneous purchase to.

If pending purchase orders exist for the supplier, a window will appear, listing your pending purchase orders with the supplier. You can either select a pending purchase order or click Cancel or New Purchase to return to the Enter Purchases window, where you can create a new miscellaneous purchase.

You don't have to assign purchases to individual suppliers if you don't want to. However, you'll need to set up at least one supplier card to track your purchases. You may want to name this card "Cash Supplier" or something similar to distinguish it as a card used to track purchases. If the supplier is providing credit to you for your purchases, however, we suggest you create a "real" supplier record for this supplier.


Terms

This field displays the credit terms assigned to your business by the supplier.

If you wish to change these terms, click the zoom arrow next to the Supplier field to display the Card File Entry window, then click the Terms button at the bottom of the window.


Purchase #

Using up to eight characters, enter the number you want to assign to this transaction, or accept the default number. This number will be recorded in the Purchases Journal.

We recommend that you use the default number, because it ensures that you don't use duplicate numbers, which may cause confusion in your recordkeeping. (Another way to ensure you don't use duplicate numbers is to mark the Warn for Duplicate Purchase Order Numbers selection in the Preferences window.)

If you want to assign a different number, consider leaving the PJ prefix assigned to the number, so it's easy for you to distinguish the transaction as a Purchases Journal transaction.


Journal Memo

Enter a description of the miscellaneous purchase, or accept the default memo. This description will appear on various FirstAccounts reports, as well as the Purchases Journal.

If you change the default memo, we suggest you keep the word "Purchase" in the memo to remind you of the nature of the transaction.


Description column

Enter a description of the item or service you're buying, using up to 255 characters.


Allocation Account columns

Enter the number of the account you want to assign the items or services in this transaction to. When you enter or select an account number, the account's name will appear in the second column.

Purchases are typically assigned to expense accounts.


Amount column

Enter the amount that you're charged for each line of this transaction.

If you enter a positive number, the account you entered in the Acct. # column will be increased.

If you enter a negative number, the amount will decrease the account you entered in the Acct. # column. In addition, when you click Record, a debit purchase will be created for the amount you entered.

You can enter 0, if you wish. The item, however, won't appear in the Purchases Journal.


Job column

Enter the number of the job to which you wish to assign each amount in the list.

If you need to assign an amount to more than one job, use multiple lines to record the transaction. For example, assume you want to assign $100 your Gadget Purchases account, but you want to assign $30 to job 12 and $70 to job 43. To do this, enter the Gadget Purchases account number in the Acct. # column, then enter $30 in the Amount column and 12 in the Job column. Move to the next line, enter the Gadget Purchases account number again, enter $70 in the Amount column and 43 in the Job column.


Purchases Command Centre

Click each button below for a description of its function.


Comments & Ship Methods button

The Comments & Ship Methods button opens the Comments & Shipping Methods window, where you can set up a standard list of greetings, memos, reminders and any other salutations you often include on invoices and purchase orders. You can also use this window to set up the ways in which you transport the items you buy and sell; these methods can be printed on invoices and purchase orders, if you wish.

To find out more about the Comments and Ship Methods window, click here.


Settle Returns & Debits button
Settle Returns & Refunds button

The Settle Returns & Refunds button opens the Select From List window, where you can choose a debit purchase to work with. After you've selected a debit purchase, you can use the Settle Returns & Refunds window to apply the debit purchase amount to one of your outstanding purchases with the supplier or deposit a refund cheque from the supplier.

To find out more about the Settle Returns and Refunds window, click here.


Purchases button
Enter Purchases button

The Purchases button opens the Enter Purchases window, where you can create transaction records for the services you buy.

To find out more about the Enter Purchases window, click here.


Print Purchases button

The Print Purchases button opens the Print Purchases window, where you can print the purchase orders you've created in the Purchases window. Using this window, you can also open a window where you can customise the printed purchase orders so they look like the purchase orders you use.

To find out more about the Print Purchases windows, click here.


Transaction Journal button

The Transaction Journal button allows you to open the Transaction Journal window, where you can view information about all transactions you've entered in the FirstAccounts system, for all journals. From the Transaction Journal window, you can also "zoom" to the original window in which transactions (except inventory transactions) were entered.

To find out more about the Transaction Journal, click here.


Supplier Payments button

The Supplier Payments button opens the Supplier Payments window, where you can assign payments to your outstanding purchasing balances and record deposits on pending purchase orders.

To find out more about the Supplier Payments window, click here.


Purge Closed Purchases windows

The Purge Closed Purchases windows allow you to specify and purge the closed purchases you want to remove from your FirstAccounts data file.

Before you purge information from your data file, be sure to print all reports that you wish to keep that show the closed information you plan to purge. You might consider printing a copy of the Purchases Journal, which contains detailed information about all purchases.

To find these windows...

Choose Purge Closed Purchases from the File menu in the Purchases Command Centre.

First Purge Closed Purchases window

Purge Closed Purchases BEFORE: From the list, select the first month from which you do NOT want to remove closed purchases. Be especially careful when you select a month: do not include an accounting period that isn't completely closed. All closed purchases dated prior to the month you selected will be marked for purging.

Purge Detail Only: Choose this selection if you want to purge detailed information about closed purchases only. If you choose to purge detail only, the purchase ID number, date, supplier, ship via, comment, shipping date, tax, freight, memo and supplier invoice number for each purchase will remain in your data file.

Purge Entire Purchase: Choose this selection if you want to purge all information about closed purchases.

Continue: Click this button to open the second Purge Closed Purchases window, where you can begin the purging process.

Second Purge Closed Purchases window

√ column: This column allows you to mark the suppliers (displayed in the Suppliers column) whose closed purchases you want to purge from your FirstAccounts data file. To select a supplier, click this column next to the supplier's name; a mark will appear in this column. To remove a mark from this column, click it.

Supplier column: This column contains all suppliers in the FirstAccounts system. If you want to purge a supplier's closed purchases, click the √ column next to the supplier's name.

Balance column: This column contains your current balance with each supplier displayed in the Supplier column.

Purge Closed Purchases button: Click this button to purge the closed purchases for the suppliers you selected in this window, for the timeframe you specified in the first Purge Closed Purchases window.


Purge Closed Sales windows

The Purge Closed Sales windows allow you to specify and purge the closed sales you want to remove from your FirstAccounts data file.

Before you purge information from your data file, be sure to print all reports that you wish to keep that show the closed information you plan to purge. You might consider printing a copy of the Sales Journal, which contains detailed information about all sales.

To find these windows...

Choose Purge Closed Sales from the File menu in the Sales Command Centre.

First Purge Closed Sales window

Purge Closed Sales BEFORE: From the list, select the first month from which you do NOT want to remove closed sales. Be especially careful when you select a month - do not include an accounting period that isn't completely closed. All closed sales dated prior to the month you selected will be marked for purging.

Purge Detail Only: Choose this selection if you want to purge detailed information about closed sales only. If you choose to purge detail only, the sale ID number, date, customer, memo, ship-to address, comment, shipping date, ship via, tax, freight, and customer purchase order number for each sale will remain in your data file.

Purge Entire Sale: Choose this selection if you want to purge all information about closed sales.

Continue button: Click this button to open the second Purge Closed Sales window, where you can begin the purging process.

Second Purge Closed Sales window

√ column: This column allows you to mark the customers (displayed in the Customers column) whose closed sales you want to purge from your FirstAccounts data file. To select a customer, click this column next to the customer's name; a mark will appear in this column. To remove a mark from this column, click it.

Customer column: This column contains all customers in the FirstAccounts system. If you want to purge a customer's closed sales, click the √ column next to the customer's name.

Balance column: This column contains the current balance of each customer displayed in the Customer column.

Purge Closed Sales button: Click this button to purge the closed sales for the customers you selected in this window, for the timeframe you specified in the first Purge Closed Sales window.


Purge Contact Logs windows

The Purge Contact Logs windows allow you to specify and purge the contact logs you want to remove from your FirstAccounts data file.

Before you purge information from your data file, be sure to print all reports that you wish to keep that show the closed information you plan to purge. You might consider printing the Contact Log Report, which contains detailed information about all contacts.

To find these windows...

Choose Purge Contact Logs from the File menu in the Card File Command Centre.

First Purge Contact Logs window

Purge Contact Logs BEFORE: From the list, select the first month from which you do NOT want to remove contact logs. Be especially careful when you select a month - do not include an accounting period that isn't completely closed. All contact logs dated prior to the month you selected will be marked for purging.

Card Type: From the list, choose to purge contact logs for customer, suppliers, employees or personal contacts only, or to purge contact logs for all people and companies in the Card File.

Identifiers: Enter the identifiers assigned to the people and companies whose contact logs you wish to purge. Only those cards whose identifiers match ALL the identifiers you enter here will be marked for purging.

Do Not Purge If Log Entry has a Recontact Date: Mark this selection if you don't want to purge contact logs that have recontact dates assigned to them. (When you create a contact log in the Contact Log Entry window, you can enter a date on which you want to contact that person or company again.) If you mark this selection, only contact logs with no recontact dates assigned to them will be marked for purging.

Continue button: Click this button to open the second Purge Contact Logs window, where you can begin the purging process.

Second Purge Contact Logs window

√ column: This column allows you to mark the cards (displayed in the Card Name column) whose contact logs you want to purge from your FirstAccounts data file. To select a card, click this column next to the card's name; a mark will appear in this column. To remove a mark from this column, click it.

Card Name column: This column contains all cards in the FirstAccounts system. If you want to purge a card's contact logs, click the √ column next to the card's name.

Type column: This column displays the type of card (customer, supplier, employee or personal contact) for each card in the Card Name column.

Purge Contact Logs button: Click this button to purge the contact logs for the cards you selected in this window, for the timeframe you specified in the first Purge Contact Logs window.


Purge Journal Entries windows

The Purge Journal Entries windows allow you to specify and purge the journal entries you want to remove from your FirstAccounts data file.

Before you purge information from your data file, be sure to print all reports that you wish to keep that show the closed information you plan to purge. You might consider printing any account inquiry report, which contains detailed information about accounts.

To find these windows...

Choose Purge Journal Entries from the File menu in the General Ledger Command Centre.

First Purge Journal Entries window

Purge Journal Entries BEFORE: From the list, select the first month from which you do NOT want to remove journal entries. Be especially careful when you select a month - do not include an accounting period that isn't completely closed. All journal entries dated prior to the month you selected will be marked for purging.

Continue button: Click this button to open the second Purge Journal Entries window, where you can begin the purging process.

Second Purge Journal Entries window

√ column: This column allows you to mark the accounts (displayed in the Account column) whose unreconciled journal entries you do NOT want to purge from your FirstAccounts data file. To select an account, click this column next to the account's name; a mark will appear in this column. To remove a mark from this column, click it. (Typically, you should mark the accounts you regularly reconcile in the Reconcile Accounts window.)

Account column: This column contains all accounts in the FirstAccounts system. If you do NOT want to purge an account's unreconciled journal entries, click the √ column next to the account's name.

Last Reconciled column: This column displays the date each account in the Account column was last reconciled in the Reconcile Accounts window.

Purge Journal Entries button: Click this button to purge the unreconciled journal entries for the accounts you did not select in this window, for the timeframe you specified in the first Purge Journal Entries window.


Recap Transaction window

The Recap Transaction window allows you to quickly view a summary of a transaction before you record it. This summary includes the name of the journal the transaction will be saved in - a helpful tool, if the journal isn't apparent by the type of transaction you're entering.

To find this window...

When an unrecorded transaction is displayed in a transaction window such as Sales, select Recap Transaction from the Edit menu.

Fields in this window:

Src column: This column contains the source journal code that will be assigned to the transaction you've entered when you record the transaction. FirstAccounts’ source journal codes are listed below.

•	CD = Cash Disbursements Journal

•	CR = Cash Receipts Journal

•	GJ = General Journal

•	PJ = Purchases Journal

•	SJ = Sales Journal

Date column: This column contains the date that will be assigned to the transaction you've entered when you record the transaction.

ID# column: This column contains the number that will identify this transaction in the journal listed in the Src column when you record the transaction.

Account column: This column contains the accounts that will be affected by this transaction when you record it.

Debit/Credit column: These columns contain the amounts by which the accounts listed in the Account column will be debited and credited when you record this transaction.

Job column: This column contains the jobs that will be affected by this transaction when you record it.


Receivable Balances window

The Receivable Balances window allows you to view the historical sales whose amounts make up the balance of your linked receivables account. This window is also used to open the Historical Sale window, where you can enter individual historical sales.

Before you use this window, you should enter an opening balance for your linked receivables account in the Account Opening Balances window.

To find this window...

Choose Balances/Receivable Balances from the Setup menu.

Fields in this window:

Customer Detail: Choose this selection and enter a customer name in the field next to this field if you want to view detailed historical sales information about a specific customer. You can also select or create a customer record by clicking the search icon next to this field. If you choose this selection, the list in the middle of the window will contain information about the specific sales that consist of the customer's activity with your business.

Customer Summary: Choose this selection if you want to view summary historical sales information about all customers you've entered in the FirstAccounts system. If you choose this selection, the list in the middle of the window will contain information about all customers' activity with your business.

Balances scrolling list: This list contains various information about the sales activity of a specific customer or all customers, depending upon whether you selected Customer Detail or Customer Summary at the top of the window.

Total Sales: This field displays the total balance of all historical sales you've entered.

Linked Receivables Account Balance: This field displays the balance of your linked receivables account. The total balance of the historical sales you enter in the Historical Sale window should match the amount that appears here.

Out of Balance amount: This field displays the difference between the amount you entered for your linked receivables account in the Account Opening Balances window (displayed in the Linked Receivables Account Balance field) and the amount you've entered for all historical sales (displayed in the Total Sales field). To ensure your accounting records are as accurate as possible, the amount that appears in this field should be zero.

Add Sale button: Click this button to open the Historical Sale window, where you can enter individual historical sales. To find out more about the Historical Sales window, click here.


Reconcile Accounts window

The Reconcile Accounts window allows you to verify that the balances of your FirstAccounts cheque accounts match the balances on your bank's statements. You can also verify whether balances of credit cards and loans are correct using this window.

To find this window...

Click Reconcile Accounts in the Chequebook Command Centre.

Click the screenshot to learn more about this window.


Account

Enter the number of the account you want to reconcile, or click the search icon to display a search list of accounts you can select from.

After you enter an account number, many of the fields will display current information about the account.


Calculated Statement Balance

This field displays the current balance of the account you entered in the Account field. If you wish to display the Find Transaction window to view more detailed information about the account, click the zoom arrow.


Last Reconciled Date

If you've previously reconciled this account, the date this account was last reconciled appears in this field. This field is updated with the date you enter in the Bank Statement Date field when you complete the FirstAccounts reconciliation process.

If you've never reconciled this account, no date will appear in this field.


Out of Balance

This field displays the dollar difference between the amount in the Calculated Statement Balance field (the balance of the account in FirstAccounts) and the amount in the New Statement Balance field (the balance of the account according to your bank). The account isn't considered reconciled until this number is $0.00.


Bank Statement Date

Enter the date that appears on your bank statement, or accept the default date, which is the current date.

This field will be used to update the Last Reconciled Date field when you complete the FirstAccounts reconciliation process.


New Statement Balance

Enter the ending balance that appears on your bank statement for this account.


x column

This column is used to designate which transactions in the list have been recorded by the bank, as indicated on your bank statement. All transactions with a mark displayed in this column are marked to be reconciled; if a transaction hasn't been recorded by the bank yet, click the mark to remove it. If a transaction has been recorded by the bank and a mark doesn't appear in this column, click the column to add a mark.

When you complete the reconciliation process, all marked transactions will be removed from the list.


Mark All Cleared Transactions columns

This column displays all transactions dated on or before the date you entered in the Bank Statement Date field that haven't been recorded by your bank yet.

Only transactions that you've recorded in FirstAccounts are displayed in this list. If there are transactions you haven't recorded yet, remember to do so before you attempt to reconcile the account.


Deposits column

This column displays the amounts assigned to deposit transactions in the list.


Withdrawals column

This column displays the amounts assigned to cheque and withdrawal transactions in the list.


Date button

Click this button to display all uncleared transactions in the list by the dates they were recorded.


ID # button

Click this button to display all uncleared transactions in the list by the numbers that they were assigned.


Reconcile button

Click this button to attempt to reconcile the current balance of this account with the balance shown on your bank statement.

FirstAccounts will calculate a new current balance by removing the transaction amounts that were marked with a mark in the list, adding all uncleared withdrawals to the current balance and subtracting all uncleared deposits from the current balance. FirstAccounts will then compare the new balance amount with the amount in the New Balance from Statement field.

If the new FirstAccounts account balance matches the amount in the New Balance from Statement field, an alert message will appear, informing you that you can complete the reconciliation process. Click the OK button in this message to remove all transactions that have been recorded by the bank from the list in the Reconcile Accounts window. If you wish to print a report displaying cleared transactions (the transactions that are about to be reconciled), along with any outstanding transactions, click the Print Report button instead of OK. The Reconciliation Report will be printed for you. When you're read to reconcile the account, click the Reconcile button again, then click the OK button in the dialog box that appears.

If the new account balance doesn't match the amount in the New Balance from Statement field, an alert message will appear, showing you the amount by which the two amounts differ; the message also will indicate a number of possible causes for this difference. When you click OK in this message, the difference will be displayed in the Out of Balance field. When you've located and fixed the error, click the Reconcile button again to reconcile the account.


Report Filters window

Report Filters windows allow you to control the amount of information that appears on your reports. Filters allow you to choose specific pieces or ranges of data that can be included on a single report. For example, if you want to print a Customer Payment History Report for customer Eileen Kartoffel for the months of May through July, you can use FirstAccounts’ filters to select those criteria only.

You can use filters for reports you print on your printer, as well as reports you display on your computer screen.

To find this window...

Choose Index to Reports from the Reports menu. In the Index to Reports window, select a report and click the Filters button.

A typical Report Filters window appears below. The fields in the window differ, depending upon the type of report you're working with.

Click the screenshot to learn more about this window.


Report Filters window - top section

The top section of the Report Filters window typically allows you to choose the amount of topics that will be included on the report.


Report Filters window - middle section

The middle section of the Report Filters window typically allows you to choose ranges of criteria, such as dates, that will be included on the report.


Separate Pages

Mark this selection if you want to print the information for each record in this report on a separate page.


OK button

Click this button to print the report to the location you specified.


Review Cards Before Exporting window

The Review Cards Before Exporting window allows you to verify that the records you've chosen in the Forms Selection/Personalised Letters window are the records you wish to print in a set of personalised letters.

To find this window...

Click Personalised Letters in the Card File Command Centre. Make entries in the Forms Selection window, then click OK.

Fields in this window:

Export column: The Export column in this list is used to designate which cards you wish to export. All cards with a mark displayed in the Export column are marked to be exported; if you don't want to export a card, click the mark to remove it. If you wish to export a card and a mark doesn't appear in the Export column, click the column to add it.

List of cards: This column displays summary information about all cards you selected in the Personalised Letters window, including the card name, type and balance associated with it, if applicable. If you wish to display the Card File Entry window to view or change detailed information about a card, click the zoom arrow next to the card's name.

None button: Click this button to clear all marks from the Export column. When you click this button, a mail merge file can't be created because no cards are selected for exporting.

All button: Click this button to enter marks in the Export column for every card in the list.

Disk button (Windows): Click this button when you're satisfied with the information you've selected to include in the mail merge file. A dialog box will appear, allowing you to provide a name for the mail merge file that will be created. When you name the file and click OK, the file will be created.

Mail Merge button: Click this button when you're satisfied with the information you've selected to include in the mail merge file. A dialog box will appear, allowing you to provide a name for the mail merge file that will be created. When you name the file and click OK, the file will be created.


Review Cheques Before Printing window

The Review Cheques Before Printing window allows you to review information about each of the cheques you selected in the Print Cheques window, as well as choose specific cheques to print.

To find this window...

Click Print Cheques in the Chequebook Command Centre. Make entries in the Forms Selection window, then click OK.

Fields in this window:

Print x Copies of Selected Cheques: Specify the number of copies of each cheque that you want to print.

Please note: If your operating system Print dialog box allows you to specify the number of copies you want to print, you generally should enter 1 if you've already specified the number of copies you want using FirstAccounts. If you specify multiple copies both in FirstAccounts and in the Print dialog box, you may end up with many more copies of the cheque than you'd planned. There are some cases in which you may find it useful to enter amounts both in FirstAccounts and in the Print dialog box.

When you print multiple copies using FirstAccounts, all the copies for one form will be printed before the second form is printed; all copies of the second form will be printed, then all copies of the third form will be printed, and so on. If you print multiple copies using the Print dialog box, all the forms will be printed once, then a complete set of copies will be printed, followed by another full set of copies, and so on, until all the copies you requested have been printed.

Print column: This column is used to designate which cheques you want to print. All cheques with a mark displayed in the Print column are marked to be printed; if you don't want to print a specific cheque, click the mark to remove it. If you wish to print a cheque and a mark doesn't appear in the Print column, click the column to add it.

List of cheques: The list displays summary information about all cheques you selected in the Print Cheques window, including the cheque number, date, payee and amount. If you wish to display the window where the cheque originated to view or change detailed information about a cheque, click the zoom arrow next to the cheque number.

All button: Click this button to enter marks in the Print column for every cheque in the list.

None button: Click this button to clear all marks from the Print column. When you click this button, no cheques can be printed because no cheques are selected for printing.

Print button: Click this button when you're satisfied with the cheques you've selected to print. When you click this button, the Print dialog box for your computer will appear; click OK to print the cheques.

Cancel button: Click this button to exit this window.


Review Invoices Before Printing window

The Review Invoices Before Printing window allows you to review information about each of the invoices you selected in the Print Invoices window, as well as choose specific invoices to print.

To find this window...

Click Print Invoices in the Sales Command Centre. Make entries in the Forms Selection window, then click OK.

Fields in this window:

Print x Copies of Each Selected Invoice: Specify the number of copies of each invoice that you want to print.

Please note: If your operating system Print dialog box allows you to specify the number of copies you want to print, you generally should enter 1 if you've already specified the number of copies you want using FirstAccounts. If you specify multiple copies both in FirstAccounts and in the Print dialog box, you may end up with many more copies of the invoice than you'd planned. There are some cases in which you may find it useful to enter amounts both in FirstAccounts and in the Print dialog box.

When you print multiple copies using FirstAccounts, all the copies for one form will be printed before the second form is printed; all copies of the second form will be printed, then all copies of the third form will be printed, and so on. If you print multiple copies using the Print dialog box, all the forms will be printed once, then a complete set of copies will be printed, followed by another full set of copies, and so on, until all the copies you requested have been printed.

Print x Packing Slips Per Invoice: Mark this selection if you wish to print the shipping labels that correspond to the invoices you printed immediately after the invoices are finished printing. If you mark this selection, an alert message will appear after invoices are printed, informing you to load your shipping label forms into your printer.

Print x Shipping Labels Per Invoice: If you wish to print corresponding shipping labels immediately after you print the invoices you select in this window, enter the number of copies of the shipping labels you want to print. If you enter a number other than 0 in this field, an alert message will appear after invoices are printed, informing you to load your shipping label forms into your printer.

Print column: This column is used to designate which invoices you wish to print. All invoices with a mark displayed in the Print column are marked to be printed; if you don't want to print a specific invoice, click the mark to remove it. If you wish to print a specific invoice and a mark doesn't appear in the Print column, click the column to add it.

List of Invoices: The list displays summary information about all invoices you selected in the Print Invoices window, including the invoice number, date, customer and amount. If you wish to display the Sales window to view or change detailed information about an invoice, click the zoom arrow next to the invoice's number.

None button: Click this button to clear all marks from the Print column. When you click this button, no invoices can be printed because no invoices are selected for printing.

All button: Click this button to enter marks in the Print column for every invoice in the list.

Print button: Click this button when you're satisfied with the invoices you've selected to print. When you click this button, the Print dialog box for your computer will appear; click OK to print the invoices.


Review Labels Before Printing window

The Review Labels Before Printing window allows you to review information about each of the mailing labels you selected in the Forms Selection window for mailing labels, as well as choose specific labels to print.

To find this window...

Click Mailing Labels in the Card File Command Centre. Make entries in the Forms Selection window, then click OK.

Fields in this window:

Print x Mailing Labels per Selected Card: Specify the number of labels that you want to print for each card. Say you're printing customer mailing labels, and you want three labels for each customer to be printed in succession in each set of labels, and you want two sets of labels to be printed. To do this, enter 3 in the Review Labels Before Printing window (to print three labels in a row for each customer), and enter 2 in the Print dialog box (to create two sets of labels). A total of six labels will be created for each customer.

Print column: This column is used to designate which cards you wish to print mailing labels for. All cards with a mark displayed in the Print column are marked to be printed; if you don't want to print a mailing label for a specific card, click the mark to remove it. If you wish to print a mailing label for a card and a mark doesn't appear in the Print column, click the column to add it.

List of cards: The list displays summary information about all cards you selected in the Mailing Labels window, including the card name, type and balance associated with it, if applicable. If you wish to display the Card File Entry window to view or change detailed information about a card, click the zoom arrow next to the card's name.

None button: Click this button to clear all marks from the Print column. When you click this button, no mailing labels can be printed because no labels are selected for printing.

All button: Click this button to enter marks in the Print column for every card in the list.

Print button: Click this button when you're satisfied with the cards you've selected to print mailing labels for. When you click this button, the Print dialog box for your computer will appear; click OK to print the mailing labels.


Review Orders Before Printing window

The Review Orders Before Printing window allows you to review information about each of the purchase orders you selected in the Print Purchases window, as well as choose specific purchase orders to print.

To find this window...

Click Print Purchases in the Purchases Command Centre. Make entries in the Forms Selection window and click OK.

Fields in this window:

Print x Copies of Selected Purchase Orders: Specify the number of copies of each order that you want to print.

Please note: If your operating system Print dialog box allows you to specify the number of copies you want to print, you generally should enter 1 if you've already specified the number of copies you want using FirstAccounts. If you specify multiple copies both in FirstAccounts and in the Print dialog box, you may end up with many more copies of the order than you'd planned. There are some cases in which you may find it useful to enter amounts both in FirstAccounts and in the Print dialog box.

When you print multiple copies using FirstAccounts, all the copies for one form will be printed before the second form is printed; all copies of the second form will be printed, then all copies of the third form will be printed, and so on. If you print multiple copies using the Print dialog box, all the forms will be printed once, then a complete set of copies will be printed, followed by another full set of copies, and so on, until all the copies you requested have been printed.

Print column: This column is used to designate which purchase orders you wish to print. All purchase orders with a mark displayed in the Print column are marked to be printed; if you don't want to print a specific purchase order, click the mark to remove it. If you wish to print a specific purchase order and a mark doesn't appear in the Print column, click the column to add it.

List of Purchase Orders: The list displays summary information about all purchase orders you selected in the Print Purchases window, including the purchase order number, date, supplier and amount. If you wish to display the Purchases window to view or change detailed information about a purchase order, click the zoom arrow next to the purchase order's number.

None button: Click this button to clear all marks from the Print column. When you click this button, no purchase orders can be printed because no purchase orders are selected for printing.

All button: Click this button to enter marks in the Print column for every purchase order in the list.

Print button: Click this button when you're satisfied with the purchase orders you've selected to print. When you click this button, the Print dialog box for your computer will appear; click OK to print the purchase orders.


Review Packing Slips Before Printing window

The Review Packing Slips Before Printing window allows you to review information about each of the packing slips you selected in the Print Invoices window, as well as choose specific packing slips to print.

To find this window...

Click Print Invoices in the Sales Command Centre. Make entries for packing slips in the Forms Selection window, then click OK.

Fields in this window:

Print x Copies of Each Selected Packing Slip: Specify the number of copies of each packing slip that you want to print.

Please note: If your operating system Print dialog box allows you to specify the number of copies you want to print, you generally should enter 1 if you've already specified the number of copies you want using FirstAccounts. If you specify multiple copies both in FirstAccounts and in the Print dialog box, you may end up with many more copies of the packing slip than you'd planned. There are some cases in which you may find it useful to enter amounts both in FirstAccounts and in the Print dialog box.

When you print multiple copies using FirstAccounts, all the copies for one form will be printed before the second form is printed; all copies of the second form will be printed, then all copies of the third form will be printed, and so on. If you print multiple copies using the Print dialog box, all the forms will be printed once, then a complete set of copies will be printed, followed by another full set of copies, and so on, until all the copies you requested have been printed.

Print column: This column is used to designate which packing slips you wish to print. All packing slips with a mark displayed in the Print column are marked to be printed; if you don't want to print a specific packing slip, click the mark to remove it. If you wish to print a specific packing slip and a mark doesn't appear in the Print column, click the column to add it.

List of Invoices: The list displays summary information about all invoices you selected in the Print Invoices window, including the invoice number, date, customer and amount. If you wish to display the Sales window to view or change detailed information about an invoice, click the zoom arrow next to the invoice's number.

None button: Click this button to clear all marks from the Print column. When you click this button, no packing slips can be printed because no packing slips are selected for printing.

All button: Click this button to enter marks in the Print column for every packing slip in the list.

Print button: Click this button when you're satisfied with the packing slips you've selected to print. When you click this button, the Print dialog box for your computer will appear; click OK to print the packing slips.


Review Shipping Labels Before Printing window

The Review Shipping Labels Before Printing window allows you to review information about each of the shipping labels you selected in the Print Invoices window, as well as choose specific shipping labels to print.

To find this window...

Click Print Invoices in the Sales Command Centre. Make entries for shipping labels in the Forms Selection window, then click OK.

Fields in this window:

Print x Copies of Each Selected Shipping Label: Specify the number of copies of each shipping label that you want to print.

Please note: If your operating system Print dialog box allows you to specify the number of copies you want to print, you generally should enter 1 if you've already specified the number of copies you want using FirstAccounts. If you specify multiple copies both in FirstAccounts and in the Print dialog box, you may end up with many more copies of the shipping label than you'd planned. There are some cases in which you may find it useful to enter amounts both in FirstAccounts and in the Print dialog box.

When you print multiple copies using FirstAccounts, all the copies for one form will be printed before the second form is printed; all copies of the second form will be printed, then all copies of the third form will be printed, and so on. If you print multiple copies using the Print dialog box, all the forms will be printed once, then a complete set of copies will be printed, followed by another full set of copies, and so on, until all the copies you requested have been printed.

Print Column: This column is used to designate which shipping labels you wish to print. All shipping labels with a mark displayed in the Print column are marked to be printed; if you don't want to print a specific shipping label, click the mark to remove it. If you wish to print a specific shipping label and a mark doesn't appear in the Print column, click the column to add it.

List of Invoices: The list displays summary information about all invoices you selected in the Print Invoices window, including the invoice number, date, customer and amount. If you wish to display the Sales window to view or change detailed information about an invoice, click the zoom arrow next to the invoice's number.

None button: Click this button to clear all marks from the Print column. When you click this button, no shipping labels can be printed because no shipping labels are selected for printing.

All button: Click this button to enter marks in the Print column for every shipping label in the list.

Print button: Click this button when you're satisfied with the shipping labels you've selected to print. When you click this button, the Print dialog box for your computer will appear; click OK to print the shipping labels.


Review Statements Before Printing window

The Review Statements Before Printing window allows you to review information about each of the statements you selected in the Print Statements window, as well as choose specific statements to print.

To find this window...

Click Print Statements in the Sales Command Centre. Make entries in the Forms Selection window, then click OK.

Fields in this window:

Print x Statements per Selected Customer: Specify the number of copies of each statement that you want to print.

Please note: If your operating system Print dialog box allows you to specify the number of copies you want to print, you generally should enter 1 if you've already specified the number of copies you want using FirstAccounts. If you specify multiple copies both in FirstAccounts and in the Print dialog box, you may end up with many more copies of statement than you'd planned. There are some cases in which you may find it useful to enter amounts both in FirstAccounts and in the Print dialog box.

When you print multiple copies using FirstAccounts, all the copies for one form will be printed before the second form is printed; all copies of the second form will be printed, then all copies of the third form will be printed, and so on. If you print multiple copies using the Print dialog box, all the forms will be printed once, then a complete set of copies will be printed, followed by another full set of copies, and so on, until all the copies you requested have been printed.

Print column: This column is used to designate which statements you wish to print. All statements with a mark displayed in the Print column are marked to be printed; if you don't want to print a specific statement, click the mark to remove it. If you wish to print a specific statement and a mark doesn't appear in the Print column, click the column to add it.

List of Statements: The list displays summary information about all statements you selected in the Print Statements window, including the customer name and current balance. If you wish to display the Card File Entry window to view or change detailed information about a customer, click the zoom arrow next to the customer's name.

None button: Click this button to clear all marks from the Print column. When you click this button, no statements can be printed because no statements are selected for printing.

All button: Click this button to enter marks in the Print column for every statement in the list.

Print button: Click this button when you're satisfied with the statements you've selected to print. When you click this button, the Print dialog box for your computer will appear; click OK to print the statements.


Review windows

FirstAccounts’ Review windows allow you to view specific information before you work with it. In most cases, a Review window will appear when you choose to print a FirstAccounts form, such as a cheque or invoice. A Review window also appears when you choose to create personalised letters.

Click a window name below for more information about the window.

Review Cards Before Exporting window

Review Cheques Before Printing window

Review Invoices Before Printing window

Review Labels Before Printing window

Review Orders Before Printing window

Review Packing Slips Before Printing window

Review Shipping Labels Before Printing window

Review Statements Before Printing window


Sales window
Enter Sales window

The Enter Sales window allows you to create transaction records for the items and services you sell, regardless of whether the items and services are included in the items you've entered in the Item Information window.

Depending upon the type of transaction you're entering in this window (item invoice, service invoice, professional invoice or miscellaneous sale), the fields in this window will change to allow you to enter appropriate information. These different sets of fields are known as views. Click the topics below for information about the Enter Sales window's views.

To find this window...

Click Enter Sales in the Sales Command Centre.

Views in this window:

Item Invoice

Service Invoice

Professional Invoice

Miscellaneous Sale


Sales window (Item Invoice View)
Enter Sales window (Item Invoice View)

The Item Invoice View of the Enter Sales window is displayed when you click the Type button in the Enter Sales window and choose the Item selection. In this view, you can record the sale of items and services listed in the Invoice Items list.

Click the screenshot to learn more about this window.


Customer

Enter the name of the customer for whom this invoice is intended, or click the search icon to display a search list of customers to choose from. You can also use the Easy-Add function in the search list to create a new customer record to assign this invoice to.

If pending invoices exist for the customer, a window will appear, listing the customer's pending invoices. You can either select a pending invoice or click Cancel or New Sale to return to the Enter Sales window, where you can create a new invoice.

You don't have to assign sales to individual customers if you don't want to. However, you'll need to set up at least one customer card to track your sales. You may want to name this card "Cash Customer" or something similar to distinguish it as a card used to track sales. If you're providing credit for the customer, however, we suggest you create a "real" customer record for this customer.


Terms

This field displays the credit terms assigned to the customer. This information will be printed on the invoice.

If you wish to change these terms for this sale and future sales to this customer, click the zoom arrow next to the Customer field to display the Card File Entry window, then click the Terms button at the bottom of the window. If you wish to change the terms for this sale only, click the zoom arrow next to the Terms field to display the Credit Terms window.


Handwritten

Mark this selection if you don't plan to print this invoice using FirstAccounts

When you mark this selection and click Record, FirstAccounts will record the invoice as printed; then, when you choose to print unprinted invoices only in the Print Invoices window, this invoice won't be printed.

If you're viewing an invoice that's been printed, this selection is already marked.


Ship To

Enter the address you want to print on the invoice, or accept the default address, which was entered for the customer in the Card File Entry window. You can also click the search icon to display a search list containing all the people and companies in the Card File to select a different address from.

If you didn't enter an address for the customer in the Ship To field of the Card File Entry window, the mailing address you entered will be displayed here instead.


Invoice #

Using up to eight characters, enter the number you want to assign to this invoice, or accept the default invoice number. This number will be recorded in the Sales Journal.

We recommend that you use the default invoice number, because it ensures that you don't use duplicate journal numbers, which may cause confusion in your record keeping. (Another way to ensure you don't use duplicate invoice numbers is to mark the Warn for Duplicate Invoice Numbers selection in the Preferences window.)

If you make an entry in this field that contains numbers only, the next invoice you create will use an invoice number incremented by one. If your entry contains letters, the next invoice's number will be incremented by one from the last numbers-only invoice number you used.


Customer PO #

If you wish, enter the number assigned to the purchase order the customer sent you.

This number can be printed on the invoice.


Ship column

Enter the quantity of items you plan to ship with this invoice, using up to three decimal places. When you click Record, the on-hand quantities of the items on this invoice will be decreased by the amounts you enter here.

Enter this number in selling units of measure. For example, if you sell three pair of lamps, enter 3 in this field.

You can also enter 0 as a quantity in this column, if you wish. Zero can be used as a quantity for special "items" such as freight; although no quantities are reduced, the "item" appears on the printed invoice.


Item # column

Enter the number of each item you wish to include on this invoice.


Description column

Enter a description of the item, or accept the default description, which was assigned to this item in the Invoice Item Information window. You can use up to 255 characters for the item description.

To find out more about the Item Information window, click here.


Price column

Enter the price you're charging for each item, or accept the default price, which was assigned to this item in the Invoice Item Information window. You can use up to three decimal places for the price.


Disc% column

Enter the discount percentage you offer to this customer when you make large volume sales to the customer, or accept the default percentage, which was assigned to the customer in the Credit Terms window.

This is a discount for large-volume customers. It isn't a discount for customers who make early payments.


Total column

Enter the total dollar amount of each line on the invoice, or accept the default, which is the amount in the Price field multiplied by the quantities in the Ship fields, then subtracted by the percentage in the Disc% field. The final amount is then rounded to the nearest cent.

If you change the default amount, the percentage in the Disc% field will automatically change to reflect the new amount.


Job column

You can assign a job to each line in Item Invoice View. To do so, enter the job number here.

If you need to assign a single item to more than one job, use multiple lines to record the transaction. For example, assume you want to include 100 gadgets on an invoice, but you want to assign 30 gadgets to job 12 and 70 gadgets to job 43. To do this, enter the Gadgets item number in the Item # column, then enter 30 in the Ship column or Backorder column and 12 in the Job column. Move to the next line, enter the Gadgets item number again, enter 70 in the Ship column or Backorder column and 43 in the Job column.


Tax column

This column is used to designate the items on the invoice on which you wish to charge tax.

The tax code that appears next to each item in the Tax column is the code that was selected for that item in the Invoice Item Information window.

If you wish to assign a different tax code than the one that appears in the Tax column, simply enter the new code in the Tax column.


Salesperson

Enter the name of the employee who conducted this sale, or click the search icon to display a search list of employees to choose from. You can also use the Easy-Add function in the search list to create a new employee record.

You can use this field for your information only, or you can track the invoice amount as part of the employee's sales history.


Comment

Enter a comment to print on the invoice, or click the search icon to display a search list of comments to choose from. You can also use the Easy-Add function in the search list to create a new comment.


Ship Via

Enter the method by which you want to ship the items on the invoice, or click the search icon to display a search list of shipping methods. You can also use the Easy-Add function in the search list to create a new shipping method.

This method can be printed on the invoice.


Promised Date

If you plan to record this invoice as a pending invoice, enter the date you expect to ship the items on the invoice. This date will be placed as a reminder in your To Do List.

If this isn't a pending invoice, the entry you make in this field is for your information only.


Journal Memo

Enter a description of the invoice, or accept the default memo. This description will appear on various FirstAccounts reports, as well as the Sales Journal. You can also print this memo on the invoice.

If you change the default memo, we suggest you keep the word "Sale" in the memo to remind you of the nature of the transaction.


Inquiry Source

Enter how your customers found out about your business, or the sale, and later report by Inquiry source to see what has been most effective. You can type in this field, or click the search icon to display a search list of Inquiry Sources. You can also use the Easy-Add function in the search list to create a new Inquiry Source.


Freight

Enter the amount you're charging to ship the items on this invoice.

This field is available only if you assigned an account number for freight charges in the Income Account for Freight field in the Accounts Receivable Linked Accounts window.


Tax

A tax amount based upon the tax codes assigned to the line items you've entered will appear in this field.


Total Amount

This field displays the total amount of the invoice, including all items and services in the list, tax and freight charges.


Paid Today

Enter the amount of money you received at the time of the sale for this transaction.

This amount will increase the balance of your linked receivable cheque account, and will appear as an entry in the Cash Receipts Journal.


Balance Due

This field displays the total amount of the invoice, minus the amount in the Paid Today field.

Depending upon the amount in this column, one of three things will occur when you click the Record button:

 	If the amount is zero, an invoice with no balance (sometimes known as a "closed sale") will be created.

 	If the amount is a positive number, an invoice with an outstanding balance (sometimes known as an "open sale") will be created. This amount will be recorded in your linked receivables account.

 	If the amount is a negative number, a credit invoice will be created.


Type button

Click this button to choose the type of sale you want to enter in this window. The Invoice Type window appears, allowing you to select a type of sale. These types are summarised below.

ITEM: Choose this selection if you want to create an invoice that's used to record the sale of items and services for which you have created an Invoice Item.

SERVICE: Choose this selection if you want to record the sale of items and services that you didn't enter information about in the Invoice Item Information window.

PROFESSIONAL: Choose this selection if you want to record the sale of items and services that you didn't enter information about in the Invoice Item Information window, and include the specific date each item was sold.

MISCELLANEOUS SALE: Choose this selection if you want to record the sale of items and services that you didn't enter information about in the Invoice Item Information window, and that don't require a printed invoice.


Reimburse button

Click this button to open the Customer Reimbursable Expenses window for the customer you've entered in the Customer field. You can use the Customer Reimbursable Expenses window to prepare reimbursement invoices automatically.

To find out more about the Customer Reimbursable Expenses window, click here.


Record button

Click this button to record the transaction you've made in this window.


Sales window (Service Invoice View)
Enter Sales window (Service Invoice View)

The Service Invoice View of the Enter Sales window is displayed when you click the Type button in the Enter Sales window and choose the Service selection.

Click the screenshot to learn more about this window.


Description column

Enter a description of the item or service you're selling, using up to 255 characters.


Acct # column

Enter the number of the account you want to assign the items or services in this transaction to.

Sales are typically assigned to income accounts.


Amount column

Enter the amount you wish to charge for each line of this transaction.

If you enter a positive number in this column, your linked receivables account will be increased.

If you enter a negative number in this column (for example, if you're entering a sales adjustment or a return), your linked receivables account will be decreased. When you click Record, a credit invoice will be created.

You can enter 0, if you wish. Zero can be used as an amount for items you want to appear on an invoice; although no amount is charged, the item appears on the printed invoice. The item, however, won't appear in the Sales Journal.


Job column

Enter the number of the job to which you wish to assign each amount in the list.

If you need to assign an amount to more than one job, use multiple lines to record the transaction. For example, assume you want to assign $100 to your Gadget Sales account, but you want to assign $30 to job 12 and $70 to job 43. To do this, enter the Gadget Sales account number in the Acct# column, then enter $30 in the Amount column and 12 in the Job column. Move to the next line, enter the Gadget Sales account number again, enter $70 in the Amount column and 43 in the Job column.


Tax column

This column is used to designate the services on the invoice on which you wish to charge tax.


Sales window (Professional Invoice View)
Enter Sales window (Professional Invoice View)

The Professional Invoice View of the Enter Sales window is displayed when you click the Type button in the Enter Sales window and choose the Professional selection. In this view, you can assign a date to each individual transaction on the invoice.

Click the screenshot to learn more about this window.


Date column

Enter the date of each transaction on the invoice.


Description column

Enter a description of the item or service you're selling, using up to 255 characters.


Acct # column

Enter the number of the account you want to assign the items or services in this transaction to.

Sales are typically assigned to income accounts.


Amount column

Enter the amount you wish to charge for each line of this transaction.

If you enter a positive number in this column, your linked receivables account will be increased.

If you enter a negative number in this column (for example, if you're entering a sales adjustment or a return), your linked receivables account will be decreased. When you click Record, a credit invoice will be created.

You can enter zero, if you wish. Zero can be used as an amount for items you want to appear on an invoice; although no amount is charged, the item appears on the printed invoice. The item, however, won't appear in the Sales Journal.


Job column

Enter the number of the job to which you wish to assign each amount in the list.

If you need to assign an amount to more than one job, use multiple lines to record the transaction. For example, assume you want to assign $100 to your Gadget Sales account, but you want to assign $30 to job 12 and $70 to job 43. To do this, enter the Gadget Sales account number in the Acct. # column, then enter $30 in the Amount column and 12 in the Job column. Move to the next line, enter the Gadget Sales account number again, enter $70 in the Amount column and 43 in the Job column.


Tax column

This column is used to designate the items and services on the invoice on which you wish to charge tax.


Sales window (Miscellaneous Sale View)
Enter Sales window (Miscellaneous Sale View)

The Miscellaneous Sale View of the Enter Sales window is displayed when you click the Type button in the Enter Sales window and choose the Miscellaneous Sales selection. In this view, you can record the sale of items and services for which you don't need a printed invoice.

Click the screenshot to learn more about this window.


Customer

Enter the name of the customer for whom this miscellaneous sale is intended, or click the search icon to display a search list of customers to choose from. You can also use the Easy-Add function in the search list to create a new customer record to assign this miscellaneous sale to.

If pending invoices exist for the customer, a window will appear, listing the customer's pending invoices. You can either select a pending invoice or click Cancel or New Sale to return to the Sales window, where you can create a new miscellaneous sale.

You don't have to assign sales to individual customers if you don't want to. However, you'll need to set up at least one customer card to track your sales. You may want to name this card "Cash Customer" or something similar to distinguish it as a card used to track sales. If you're providing credit for the customer, however, we suggest you create a "real" customer record for this customer.


Terms

This field displays the credit terms assigned to the customer.

If you wish to change these terms, click the zoom arrow next to the Customer field to display the Card File Entry window, then click the Terms button at the bottom of the window.


Invoice #

Using up to eight characters, enter the number you want to assign to this transaction, or accept the default number. This number will be recorded in the Sales Journal.

We recommend that you use the default number, because it ensures that you don't use duplicate numbers, which may cause confusion in your record keeping. (Another way to ensure you don't use duplicate numbers is to mark the Warn for Duplicate Invoice Numbers selection in the Preferences window.)

If you want to assign a different number, consider leaving the SJ prefix assigned to the number, so it's easy for you to distinguish the transaction as a Sales Journal transaction.


Journal Memo

Enter a description of the miscellaneous sale, or accept the default memo. This description will appear on various FirstAccounts reports, as well as the Sales Journal.

If you change the default memo, we suggest you keep the word "Sale" in the memo to remind you of the nature of the transaction.


Description column

Enter a description of the item or service you're selling, using up to 255 characters.


Allocation Account columns

Enter the number of the account you want to assign the items or services in this transaction to. When you enter or select an account number, the account's name will appear in the second column.

Sales are typically assigned to income accounts; tax amounts are typically assigned to liability accounts.


Amount column

Enter the amount you wish to charge for each line of this transaction.

If you enter a positive number, the account you entered in the Acct. # column will be increased.

If you enter a negative number in this column (for example, if you're entering a sales adjustment or a return), the account you entered in the Acct. # column will be decreased. When you click Record, a credit invoice will be created.

You can enter zero, if you wish. The item, however, won't appear in the Sales Journal.


Job column

Enter the number of the job to which you wish to assign each amount in the list.

If you need to assign an amount to more than one job, use multiple lines to record the transaction. For example, assume you want to assign $100 to your Gadget Sales account, but you want to assign $30 to job 12 and $70 to job 43. To do this, enter the Gadget Sales account number in the Acct. # column, then enter $30 in the Amount column and 12 in the Job column. Move to the next line, enter the Gadget Sales account number again, enter $70 in the Amount column and 43 in the Job column.


Tax column

This column is used to designate the items and services on which you wish to charge tax.


Salesperson

Enter the name of the employee who conducted this sale, or click the search icon to display a search list of employees to choose from. You can also use the Easy-Add function in the search list to create a new employee record.

You can use this field for your information only, or you can track the transaction amount as part of the employee's sales history.


Total Amount

This field displays the total amount of the miscellaneous sale, including all items and services in the list and tax.


Balance Due

This field displays the total amount of the miscellaneous sale, minus the amount in the Paid Today field.

Depending upon the amount in this column, one of three things will occur when you click the Record button:

 	If the amount is zero, a miscellaneous sale with no balance (sometimes known as a "closed sale") will be created.

 	If the amount is a positive number, a miscellaneous sale with an outstanding balance (sometimes known as an "open sale") will be created. This amount will be recorded in your linked receivables account.

 	If the amount is a negative number, a credit invoice will be created.


Sales Command Centre

Click each button below for a description of its function.


Comments & Ship Methods button

The Comments & Ship Methods button opens the Comments & Shipping Methods window, where you can set up a standard list of greetings, memos, reminders and any other salutations you often include on invoices and purchase orders. You can use this window to set up the ways in which you transport the items you buy and sell; these methods can be printed on invoices and purchase orders, if you wish. You can also use this window to create Inquiry sources that can be used in the Enter Sales window.

To find out more about the Comments and Ship Methods window, click here.


Print Statements button

The Print Statements button opens the Print Statements window, where you can print statements for customers with outstanding sales balances. Using this window, you can also open a window where you can customise the printed statements so they look like the statements you use.

To find out more about the Print Statements windows, click here.


Settle Returns & Credits button
Settle Returns & Credit Notes button

The Settle Returns & Credit Notes button opens the Select From List window, where you can choose a credit invoice to work with. After you've selected a credit invoice, you can use the Settle Returns & Credit Notes window to apply the credit invoice amount to a customer's outstanding sales balance or write a refund cheque to the customer.

To find out more about the Settle Returns and Credit Notes window, click here.


Sales button
Enter Sales button

The Enter Sales button opens the Enter Sales window, where you can create transaction records for the items and services you sell, regardless of whether the items or services are listed in your list of items.

To find out more about the Enter Sales window, click here.


Print Invoices button

The Print Invoices button opens the Print Invoices window, where you can print the invoices you set up in the Enter Sales window, as well as packing slips and shipping labels used in the delivery of items. Using this window, you can also open a window where you can customise the printed invoices so they look like the invoices you use.

To find out more about the Print Invoices windows, click here.


Transaction Journal button

The Transaction Journal button allows you to open the Transaction Journal window, where you can view information about all transactions you've entered in FirstAccounts, for all journals. From the Transaction Journal window, you can also "zoom" to the original window in which transactions were entered.

To find out more about the Transaction Journal, click here.


Customer Payments button

The Customer Payments button opens the Customer Payments window, where you can assign customer payments to their outstanding sales balances and record deposits on pending invoices.

To find out more about the Customer Payments window, click here.


Sales History window

The Sales History window allows you to view and enter sales totals from the previous and current financial years for the customer or employee whose card is currently displayed in the Card File Entry window.

To find this window...

Click Cards in the Card File Command Centre. In the View Card File window, click the zoom arrow next to the customer or employee you want. In the Card File Entry window, click the History button.

Fields in this window:

Name: This field displays the name of the customer or employee whose sales totals you're viewing. To display a different name, close this window, choose a different name in the View Card File window and click the Sales History button in that contact's Card File Entry window.

List of historical sales amounts: The list displays the past sales amounts for this customer or employee. If an amount is incorrect or you're setting up historical information, you can enter different amounts for months prior to the current month.

Keep in mind that these amounts can be changed at any time. If you change an amount, sales amounts will be added to the new amount, not to the previous amount. After you've changed an amount in this list, FirstAccounts can't recover the previous amount.

OK button: Click this button to accept the entries you've made in this window.


Tax Codes window

The Tax Codes window allows you to set up codes for all tax rates assigned to sales, purchases, cheques and deposits you enter in FirstAccounts. After you set up these codes, they'll be available in search lists in the Sales, Purchases and Chequebook windows for you to select.

To find this window...

Choose Tax Codes from the Setup menu.

Click the screenshot to learn more about this window.


Code

Enter a letter of the alphabet to assign a code to a tax.

Each time you enter a transaction in the Sales, Purchases or Chequebook window, you can assign a tax code so the appropriate rate is applied to the transaction.

If you change the rate assigned to a code, the new rate will be used in all existing transactions that use the code.


Rate

Enter the percentage you want to assign to the tax code. The percentage you enter can be between 0 and 99.99.

Changing the tax rate will not affect existing transactions.


Description

Enter a description of this Tax code.


Save As window (customised forms)

The Save As window allows you to assign a name and description to a custom form layout, and allows you to save the custom layout. After you save a custom form layout, the layout will be available in the Forms Selection window for the form you customised. The form will be saved into the Forms folder within the FirstAccounts folder on your hard drive.

To find this window...

In any Forms Selection window, click the Customise button. Make any modifications you wish to the form layout, then click the Save As button.

Fields in this window:

Form File Name: Enter a name for the custom form layout. You can use up to eight characters for the layout name.

Description: Enter a description of the custom form layout. This description will appear in the Selected Form list that appears at the bottom of the Forms Selection window for the form you've customised.

Cancel button: Click this button to close the Save As window. The custom form layout won't be saved.

OK button: Click this button to save the custom form layout and close the Save As window.

After you click this button, the name of the custom form layout will appear in the Selected Form list that appears at the bottom of the Forms Selection window for the form you've customised.


Save Recurring Transaction window

The Save Recurring Transaction window allows you to duplicate a transaction you've created in any of the following windows:

 	General Journal Entry (General Ledger Command Centre)

 	Spend Money (Chequebook Command Centre)

 	Receive Money (Chequebook Command Centre)

 	Enter Sales (Sales Command Centre)

 	Enter Purchases (Purchases Command Centre)

Recurring transactions you set up here can be chosen at any time in the future from the Select a Recurring Transaction window, which is opened by clicking the Use Recurring button in any of the windows listed above. You can also set a frequency for each transaction, which will cause the To Do List to inform you each time a recurring transaction is due to occur.

To find this window...

Click the Save as Recurring button in any of the following windows: General Journal Entry, Spend Money, Receive Money, Enter Sales, or Enter Purchases.

The fields in this window differ slightly, depending upon which window you used to open this window.

Fields in this window:

Name: Enter a name for this recurring transaction. We suggest you make the name as descriptive as possible, so you can quickly find the transaction in the list of transactions in the Select a Recurring Transaction window.

Frequency: Select a frequency from the list to determine how often you should be reminded to record this recurring transaction. When you specify a frequency, the recurring transaction will be recorded in your To Do List as a reminder. Your Cash Flow Worksheet will also be adjusted to reflect the future dates in which this transaction will occur. Depending upon your selection, the Remind Every field - and related fields, possibly - will appear, containing various time frame choices that are appropriate for the selection you made here. If you select Other from this list, this transaction won't be included as a reminder in your To Do List.

Remind Every… Select the time frame you wish to use, according to the frequency you selected in the Frequency list. Depending upon your selection, various time frame combinations can be entered in this field. Other fields, such as Beginning, may appear below this field to help you define the time frame better.


Screen Reports window

The Screen Reports window allows you to view a report you've "printed" onto your computer screen, customise the displayed report and save the displayed report as a custom report.

To find this window...

In the Index to Reports window, highlight the report you want to view, then click the Display button.

Fields in this window:

Print button: Click this button to print the report that's displayed in the top part of the window. When you click this button, the print dialog box for your printer will appear.

Be sure you've made the selections you want for the report in the Report Filters and Customise Reports windows before you attempt to print a report. To open these windows, click the Filters and Format buttons at the bottom of the Screen Reports window.

Disk button: Click this button if you wish to create a report file for the report that's displayed in the top part of the window. A dialog box will appear, allowing you to choose the file format in which you want to save the report. Make your choice, then click Save. Another dialog box will appear, allowing you to name the report file you're creating. Enter a name, then click Save.

Be sure you've made the selections you want for the report in the Report Filters and Customise Reports windows before you attempt to print a report. To open these windows, click the Filters and Format buttons at the bottom of the Screen Reports window.

Filters button: Click this button to open the Report Filters window for the report that's displayed in the top part of the window. In the Report Filters window, you can establish criteria to determine the information that appears on the report. To find out more about the Report Filters window, click here.

Format button: Click this button to open the Customise Reports window for the report that's displayed in the top part of the window. Using the Customise Reports window, you can modify the look of the report you've selected by using different font styles, sizes, colours, alignments and effects, and by changing the report's page margins. To find out more about the Customise Reports window, click here.


Select a Recurring Transaction window

The Select a Recurring Transaction window allows you to choose, change or delete a transaction you previously saved as recurring. You can access this window by clicking the Use Recurring button from any of the following windows:

 	General Journal Entry (General Ledger Command Centre)

 	Spend Money (Chequebook Command Centre)

 	Receive Money (Chequebook Command Centre)

 	Enter Sales (Sales Command Centre)

 	Enter Purchases (Purchases Command Centre)

Recurring transactions that appear in this window apply only to the window you used to open this window.

To find this window...

Click the Use Recurring button in any of the following windows: General Journal Entry, Spend Money, Receive Money, Enter Sales or Enter Purchases.

Fields in this window:

Search for a Recurring Transaction: Enter the full name of a recurring transaction and press TAB to move the highlight to the transaction in the list, or enter as much of the recurring transaction name as you can remember and press TAB to move the highlight to the transaction that most closely matches the characters you typed.

Name: This column displays the names of the recurring transactions that apply to the window you used to open this window. You can change a recurring transaction's name by highlighting the transaction and clicking the Edit button.

Frequency: This column displays the frequency each recurring transaction in the list should occur. You can change a recurring transaction's frequency by highlighting the transaction and clicking the Edit button.

Last Posted: This column displays the last time each recurring transaction in the list was recorded. The next time you record a recurring transaction, this date will change to reflect the date the transaction was recorded.

Due: This column displays the next time each recurring transaction in the list should be recorded. If an asterisk (*) appears next to a due date, the transaction is overdue. The next time you record a recurring transaction, this date will change to reflect the next time the transaction should be recorded.

Delete button: Click this button after highlighting a recurring transaction to remove the transaction. The transaction will be removed from the list; however, all transaction records that used this recurring transaction will still exist.

Edit button: Click this button after highlighting a recurring transaction to open the Save Recurring Transaction window, where you can change the name and frequency of the transaction you selected. To find out more about the Save Recurring Transaction window, click here.

OK button: Click this button after highlighting a recurring transaction to select the transaction and display it in the appropriate transaction window.


Select from List window (Settle Returns & Credits)
Select from List window (Settle Returns & Credit Notes)

The Settle Returns & Credits windows allow you to use credit invoices to decrease the balance of sales invoices and write refund cheques.

FirstAccounts’ Settle Returns & Credits function consists of three windows: Select from List, where you select a credit invoice to work with or an item to refund, Settle Returns & Credit Notes, where you apply the credit invoice you selected to a particular task, and Write a Refund Cheque.

The Select From List window allows you to view the credit invoices currently in the FirstAccounts system which have not previously been processed here, and select a credit invoice to apply or write a refund cheque.

To find this window...

Click Settle Returns & Credit Notes in the Sales Command Centre.

Fields in this window:

List of credit invoices: The list displays information about each of the credit invoices in the FirstAccounts system, including the customer name, invoice number and amount.

Refund button: Click this button to open Refund Cheque View of the Settle Returns & Credit Notes window, where you can apply the credit invoice you selected in the list to a refund cheque to the customer. To find out more about the Refund Cheque view of the Settle Returns & Credit Notes window, click here.

Apply to Invoice button: Click this button to open the Apply to Sale View of the Settle Returns & Credit Notes window, where you can apply the credit invoice you selected in the list to an open, closed or pending invoice, or to a miscellaneous sale. To find out more about the Apply to Sale View of the Settle Returns & Credit Notes window, click here.


Select from List window (Settle Returns & Debits)
Select from List window (Settle Returns & Refunds)

The Settle Returns & Refunds windows allow you to apply debit purchases close or partly close outstanding purchasing balances and deposit refund cheques.

FirstAccounts’ Settle Returns & Refunds function consists of three windows: Select from List, where you select a debit purchase to work with, Settle Returns & Refunds, where you apply the debit purchase you selected to a particular outstanding item, and Refund where you are able to deposit a refund cheque.

The Select From List window allows you to view the debit purchases currently in the FirstAccounts system and select a debit purchase to apply to an open purchase or deposit a refund cheque.

To find this window...

Click Settle Returns & Refunds in the Purchases Command Centre.

Fields in this window:

List of debit purchases: The list displays information about each of the debit purchases in the FirstAccounts system, including the supplier name, purchase number and amount.

Refund button: Click this button to open Refund Cheque View of the Settle Returns & Refunds window, where you can record the debit purchase you selected in the list as a refund cheque from the supplier. To find out more about the Refund Cheque View of the Settle Returns & Refunds window, click here.

Apply to Purchase button: Click this button to open Apply to Purchase View of the Settle Returns & Refunds window, where you can apply the debit purchase you selected in the list to an open, closed or pending purchase order, or to a miscellaneous purchase. To find out more about the Apply to Purchase View of the Settle Returns & Refunds window, click here.


Set Up Passwords window

The Set Up Passwords window allows you to access the Password Access window, enter new passwords and change existing passwords.

To find this window...

Choose Preferences from the Setup menu. In the Preferences window, click the Security tab, then click the Password button.

Fields in this window:

New Master Password: Enter the password you wish to use to control access to all major functions in FirstAccounts. The master password is used to access the entire FirstAccounts system, including starting the program and setting up sub-passwords. Only one master password can exist for the entire FirstAccounts system. This field appears only if no master password already exists.

New Sub-Password: Enter a password you wish to use to control access to specific functions in FirstAccounts. Sub-passwords are used to access individual command centres and windows in the accounting system. Many sub-passwords can exist in the FirstAccounts system. This field appears when you click New in the Password Access window.

Edit Master Password: This field displays the current master password. Change it, if you want, then click the Record Changes button. This field appears when you highlight **MASTER** in the Sub-Passwords column of the Password Access window and click the Edit button.

Edit Sub-Password: This field displays the sub-password you selected in the Password Access window. Change it, if you want, then click the Record Changes button. This field appears when you highlight the sub-password you want to change in the Sub-Passwords column of the Password Access window and click the Edit button.

Record Changes button: Click this button to record the changes you made to the password.

Record New Password button: Click this button to record the new password you entered.


Settle Returns & Credits window
Settle Returns & Credit Notes window

The Settle Returns & Credit Notes windows allow you to use credit invoices to decrease the balance of sales invoices and write refund cheques.

FirstAccounts’ Settle Returns & Credit Notes function consists of two windows: Select from List, where you select a credit invoice to work with, and Settle Returns & Credit Notes, where you apply the credit invoice you selected to a particular task.

The Settle Returns & Credit Notes window consists of two views:

Apply to Sale View

Refund Cheque View


Settle Returns & Credits window (Apply to Sale View)
Settle Returns & Credit Notes (Apply to Sale View)

The Apply to Sale View of the Settle Returns & Credit Notes window allows you to assign a credit invoice amount to open, closed and pending invoices, as well as miscellaneous sales entered in FirstAccounts.

To find this window...

Click Settle Returns & Credit Notes in the Sales Command Centre. Choose a credit invoice in the Select from List window and click Apply to Invoice.

All sales for this customer are displayed in the list in the bottom half of the window. Open sales are displayed at the top of the list, followed by pending invoices and then by closed sales.

Click the screenshot to learn more about this window.


Customer

This field displays the name of the customer whose credit invoice you selected in the Select from List window. This name can't be changed using this window; however, if you wish to view detailed information about the customer, click the zoom arrow to display the Card File Entry window.


ID #

Using up to eight characters, enter the journal number you want to assign to this transaction, or accept the default journal number. This number will be recorded in the Sales Journal.

We recommend that you use the default journal number, because it ensures that you don't use duplicate journal numbers, which may cause confusion in your record keeping. If you want to assign a different number, consider leaving the SJ prefix assigned to the number, so it's easy for you to distinguish the transaction as a Sales Journal transaction.


Credit Amount

Enter the amount of the credit invoice, or accept the default amount, which is the amount that resulted from the transaction that created the credit invoice.

If you decide to change the default amount, you can only decrease it.


Memo

Using up to 255 characters, enter a description of the transaction. This description will appear on various FirstAccounts reports, as well as the Sales Journal.


Invoice # column

This column displays the numbers assigned to the sales entered in the Enter Sales window in the Sales Command Centre.


Status column

This column displays the status of each of the sales in the list.

OPEN: Sales with a positive balance.

CLOSED: Sales with a zero balance.

PENDING: Invoices assigned a pending status in the Sales window.

If you want to open the Inquiry Register window to view more detailed information about a specific sale, click the zoom arrow next to the sale's status.


Date column

This column displays the date each of the sales in the list was recorded.


Amount column

This column displays the current amount due for each of the sales in the list.


Discount column

Enter early-payment discounts for each of the sales in this list, or accept the default amounts, which were entered for this customer in the Credit Terms window.

Enter a discount amount only when you're settling the entire remaining balance of a sale. If you enter a discount on a partial payment of a sale's remaining balance, that discount won't be recorded. For example, if you enter a $2 discount on $100 sale, the total due amount is $98. However, if you apply only $75 to the sale, the discount won't be calculated; $25 will be the remaining balance of the sale.


Total Due column

This column displays the total amount due for each sale in the list. This amount is calculated by subtracting the amount in the Discount column from the amount in the Amount column.


Amount Applied column

Enter the amount of the credit invoice you want to apply to each sale in the list, or accept the default amounts that appear in this column. The default amount that appears in this column is either the total amount of one sale's remaining balance or the remainder of the credit invoice amount.

You can distribute the credit invoice amount to more than one sale.


Finance Charge

Enter the amount you wish to apply to the customer's finance charges.

When you click Record, the balance of the account you entered in the Income Account for Late Charges field of the Accounts Receivable Linked Accounts window will be increased.


Settle Returns & Credits window (Refund Cheque View)
Settle Returns & Credit Notes window (Refund Cheque View)

To find this window...

Click Settle Returns & Credit Notes in the Sales Command Centre. Choose a credit invoice in the Select from List window and click the Refund button.

The Refund Cheque View of the Settle Returns & Credit Notes window allows you to write a refund cheque for the credit invoice you selected in the Select from List window.

Click the screenshot to learn more about this window.


Chequing account
Cheque account

Select the cheque account you want to use to write the refund cheque.

The accounts in this list were assigned cheque privileges in the Edit Accounts window.


Balance

This field displays the current balance of the cheque account displayed in the upper left-hand corner of the window. If you wish to display the Find Transaction window to view more detailed information about the cheque account, click the zoom arrow.


Handwritten

Mark this selection if you don't plan to print this cheque using FirstAccounts.

When you mark this selection, FirstAccounts will record the cheque as printed; when you select Unprinted Cheques Only in the Print Cheques window, this cheque won't be printed.

If you're viewing a cheque that's been printed, this selection will be already marked.


Cheque #

Enter the number of the cheque you wish to print, or accept the default cheque number, which is one number higher than the last cheque you wrote from this cheque account.


Date

Enter the date of the cheque.

Dates that occur before your conversion date or in a prior financial year can't be used.


Amount

Enter the total amount of the cheque, or accept the default amount, which is the entire amount of the credit invoice. If you choose to change the default amount, you can enter an amount less than the default amount only.

When you click Record to save this cheque, the balance of the cheque account displayed in the upper left-hand corner of the window will be decreased by the amount you enter here.


Customer

Enter the name of the person or company who will receive this cheque, or accept the default name. The address of the person or company appears below the name.

If you want to view the Card File Entry window for more information about the customer, click the zoom arrow.


Memo

Enter a description of the transaction or accept the default description. This description will appear on various FirstAccounts reports, as well as the Cash Disbursements Journal.

We suggest you use the default description to remind you of the nature of the transaction.


Record button

Click this button to record the refund cheque. The balance of the cheque account displayed in the upper left-hand corner of the window will be decreased by the amount you entered in the Amount field.


Settle Returns & Debits window
Settle Returns & Refunds window

The Settle Returns & Refunds windows allow you to use debit purchases to close or partly close outstanding purchasing balances and deposit refund cheques.

FirstAccounts’ Settle Returns & Refunds function consists of three windows: Select from List, where you select a debit purchase to work with, Settle Returns & Refunds, where you apply the debit purchase you selected to a particular task, and Refund where you can apply a refund cheque. Additionally, the Settle Returns & Refunds window consists of two views, Apply to Purchase View and Refund Cheque View.

The Settle Returns & Refunds window consists of two views:

Apply to Purchase View

Refund Cheque View


Settle Returns & Debits window (Apply to Purchase View)
Settle Returns & Refunds window (Apply to Purchase View)

The Apply to Purchase View of the Settle Returns & Refunds window allows you to assign a debit purchase amount to open, closed and pending purchase orders, as well as miscellaneous purchases entered in FirstAccounts.

To find this window...

Click Settle Returns & Refunds in the Purchases Command Centre. Select a debit purchase in the Select from List window and click Apply to Purchase.

All purchases for this customer are displayed. Open purchases are displayed at the top of the list, followed by pending purchase orders and then by closed purchases.

Click the screenshot to learn more about this window.


Supplier

This field displays the name of the supplier whose debit purchase you selected in the Select from List window. This name can't be changed using this window; however, if you wish to view detailed information about the supplier, click the zoom arrow to display the Card File Entry window.


ID #

Using up to eight characters, enter the journal number you want to assign to this transaction, or accept the default journal number. This number will be recorded in the Purchases Journal.

We recommend that you use the default journal number, because it ensures that you don't use duplicate journal numbers, which may cause confusion in your record keeping. If you want to assign a different number, consider leaving the PJ prefix assigned to the number, so it's easy for you to distinguish the transaction as a Purchases Journal transaction.


Debit Amount

Enter the amount of the debit purchase, or accept the default amount, which is the amount that resulted from the transaction that created the debit purchase.

If you decide to change the default amount, you can only decrease it.


Memo

Using up to 255 characters, enter a description of the transaction. This description will appear on various FirstAccounts reports, as well as the Purchases Journal.


Purchase # column

This column displays the numbers assigned to the purchases entered in the Purchases window.


Status column

This column displays the status of each of the purchases in the list.

OPEN: Purchases with a positive balance.

CLOSED: Purchases with a zero balance.

PENDING: Purchase orders assigned a pending status in the Purchases window.

If you want to open the Inquiry Register window to view more detailed information about a specific purchase, click the zoom arrow next to the purchase's status.


Date column

This column displays the date each of the purchases in the list was recorded.


Amount column

This column displays the current amount due for each of the purchases in the list.


Discount column

Enter early-payment discounts for each of the purchases in this list, or accept the default amounts, which were entered for this supplier in the Credit Terms window.

Enter a discount amount only when you're settling the entire remaining balance of a purchase. If you enter a discount on a partial payment of a purchase's remaining balance, that discount won't be recorded. For example, if you enter a $2 discount on $100 purchase, the total due amount is $98. However, if you apply only $75 to the purchase, the discount won't be calculated; $25 will be the remaining balance of the purchase.


Total Owed column

This column displays the total amount you owe for each purchase in the list. This amount is calculated by subtracting the amount in the Discount column from the amount in the Amount column.


Amount Applied column

Enter the amount of the debit purchase you want to apply to each purchase in the list, or accept the default amounts that appear in this column. The default amount that appears in this column is either the total amount of one purchase's remaining balance or the remainder of the debit purchase amount.

You can distribute the debit purchase amount to more than one purchase.


Finance Charge

Enter the amount you wish to apply to your finance charges with this supplier.

When you click Record, the balance of the account you entered in the Expense Account for Late Charges field of the Accounts Payable Linked Accounts window will be increased.


Record button

Click this button to record the application of the debit purchase amount in the Sales Journal.


Settle Returns & Debits window (Refund Cheque View)
Settle Returns & Refunds window (Refund Cheque View)

The Refund Cheque View of the Settle Returns & Refunds window allows you to deposit a supplier's refund cheque for the debit purchase you selected in the Select from List window. When you click Record in this window, the refund cheque will be deposited into the cheque account you select in this window.

To find this window...

Click Settle Returns & Refunds in the Purchases Command Centre. Select a debit purchase in the Select from List window and click the Refund button.

Click the screenshot to learn more about this window.


Cheque account

Select the cheque account you want to deposit the refund cheque into.

The accounts in this list were assigned cheque privileges in the Edit Accounts window.


Balance

This field displays the balance of the account you selected in the Cheque Account field.


Supplier

This field displays the name of the supplier whose debit purchase you selected in the Select from List window. This name can't be changed using this window; however, if you wish to view detailed information about the supplier, click the zoom arrow to display the Card File Entry window.


ID #

Using up to eight characters, enter the journal number you want to assign to this transaction, or accept the default journal number. This number will be recorded in the Cash Receipts Journal.

We recommend that you use the default journal number, because it ensures that you don't use duplicate journal numbers, which may cause confusion in your record keeping. If you want to assign a different number, consider leaving the CR prefix assigned to the number, so it's easy for you to distinguish the transaction as a Cash Receipts Journal transaction.


Date

Enter the date of the refund cheque.

Dates that occur before your conversion date or in a prior financial year can't be used.


Amount Received

Enter the total amount of the refund cheque, or accept the default amount, which is the entire amount of the debit purchase. If you choose to change the default amount, you can enter an amount less than the default amount only.

When you click Record to save this refund cheque, the balance of the cheque account you selected will be increased by the amount you enter here.


Memo

Enter a description of the transaction or accept the default description. This description will appear on various FirstAccounts reports, as well as the Cash Receipts Journal.

We suggest you use the default description to remind you of the nature of the transaction.


Record button

Click this button to save the refund cheque. The balance of the cheque account you selected will be increased by the amount you enter here.


Start a New Fiscal Year windows

The Start a New Fiscal Year windows allow you to complete the necessary steps to close the previous financial year and begin the next financial year.

To find these windows...

Choose Start a New Year/Start a New Fiscal Year from the File menu.

For more information...

To learn more about starting a new financial year, see Closing a financial year and starting a new one.

Start a New Fiscal Year window #1

Start a New Fiscal Year window #2

Start a New Fiscal Year window #3

Start a New Fiscal Year window #4

Start a New Fiscal Year window #5


Start a New Fiscal Year windows - window #1

The first window in the process of starting a new financial year reminds you to back up your FirstAccounts data file. The easiest way to do this is to mark the Prompt for Data Backup Upon Closing selection in the Preferences window, then select Exit or Quit from the File menu. An alert message appears, asking whether you want to save your changes. Click Yes; another alert message appears, asking whether you want to make a backup of your data file. Click Yes. When the backup is made, restart FirstAccounts.


Start a New Fiscal Year windows - window #2

The second window in the process of starting a new financial year contains information about what happens when you follow the entire process. Read through this window carefully.


Start a New Fiscal Year windows - window #3

The third window in the process of starting a new financial year allows you to change the structure of the financial year you're about to begin.

Fields in this window:

Fiscal Year Just Completed: This field displays the financial year that you've completed. This field is for your information only and can't be changed. If you haven't made all your accounting entries in this year, click the Cancel button and make those entries before continuing the process of starting a new year.

New Fiscal Year: Enter the new financial year in this field, or accept the default year.

The Last Month of the New Fiscal Year: If you wish, you can use a last month in the new financial year that's different than the month you used in the previous financial year. Select the different month from this list. If you change your financial year structure, consult an accountant about reporting requirements for "short" financial years.

Number of Periods in New Fiscal Year: If you wish, you can use a number of periods in the new financial year that's different than the number of periods in the previous financial year. Select the different number from this list. You can change from 13 to 12 periods only if you didn't enter transactions in the previous financial year's 13th period.


Start a New Fiscal Year windows - window #4

The fourth window in the process of starting a new financial year allows you to prevent unreconciled journal entries from being purged from your FirstAccounts data file. This allows you to continue reconciling your accounts in the Reconcile Accounts window in the new financial year.

Fields in this window:

√ Column: This column allows you to mark the accounts (displayed in the Account column) whose unreconciled journal entries you do NOT want to purge from your FirstAccounts data file. To select an account, click this column next to the account's name; a mark will appear in this column. To remove a mark from this column, click it.

Account column: This column contains all accounts in the FirstAccounts system. If you do NOT want to purge an account's unreconciled journal entries, click the √ column next to the account's name.

Last Reconciled column: This column displays the date each account in the Account column was last reconciled in the Reconcile Accounts window.


Start a New Fiscal Year windows - window #5

The final window in the process of starting a new financial year gives you one last chance to stop the new year from being created before FirstAccounts takes control of the process.

Start a New Fiscal Year button: Click this button to start creating a new financial year. FirstAccounts will take a few moments to perform the tasks that were outlined in the second Start a New Fiscal Year window.


Tax Information window

The Tax Information window allows you to view and change tax amounts assigned to transactions entered in the Sales and Purchasing windows.

To find this window...

Enter a transaction in either the Enter Sales window or the Enter Purchases window, then click the zoom arrow next to the Tax field in the window.

Fields in this window:

Code column: This column displays the tax code assigned to the current transaction. The tax code is assigned in the small field to the right of the Tax field in the Enter Sales window or Enter Purchases window.

Rate column: This column displays the tax rate associated with the tax code displayed in the Code column. Tax rates are assigned to tax codes in the Tax Codes window.

Tax column: This column displays the amount of tax assigned to the current transaction. This amount is determined by multiplying the tax rate to the subtotal of the transaction. If you wish to change the tax amount, you can do so. After you've changed the tax amount, click the OK button.

Value column: This column displays the subtotal of the transaction on which the tax amount is based.

Recalculate button: Click this button if you want to recalculate the tax amount based on the tax code displayed in this window. The tax amount will return to its original amount. Use this button only if you've previously changed the amount in the Tax column and you want to return the tax amount to its original amount.

OK button: Click this button when you're done viewing the information in this window, or when you've changed the amount in the Tax column and want to save the change.


To Do List window

The To Do List window contains lists of reminders that inform you to perform your regular business tasks on a consistent basis. FirstAccounts uses the dates you set up in the Business Calendar window to add reminders to the To Do List. If the number of days for a reminder - except for money due to you that's overdue - places the reminder on a non-business day, the reminder will be moved to the previous business day.

To find this window...

Click the list button that appears in the To Do List field in any FirstAccounts command centre.

The To Do List window has nine tabs, as shown in illustration below. Each tab opens a different part, or view, of the To Do List window. Click the tabs in the illustration below to learn more about each view.

Click the screenshot to learn more about this window.


To Do List window (A/R View)

This view of the To Do List window displays all sales that haven't been fully paid yet, and allows you to create "payment due" notices that you can send to your customers who have overdue balances. If a customer has more than one overdue amount, only one notice will be created, containing the total amount of all their overdue sales.

Click the screenshot to learn more about this window.


Name column

This column displays the names of all your customers with unpaid sales. Click the zoom arrow next to a customer's name to display a transaction in the Sales window.


Overdue column

This column displays the number of days beyond the due date that the transactions in the list are overdue. If a positive number of days appears in the Overdue column, the transaction is overdue by the number of days displayed; if the number is negative, the transaction isn't due yet.


Inv. # column

This column displays the ID numbers of the transactions whose payments are due.


Due Date column

This column displays the dates each transaction in the list is due. The due date is calculated by comparing the original date of the sale to the current date and reviewing the customer's credit terms.


Balance Due column

This column displays the amounts that are due for each transaction.


Action column

If you wish to send a "payment due" notice to a customer, click the Action column for the appropriate transaction, then click the Mail Merge button at the bottom of the window. The notice will be included in a mail merge file when you click the Mail Merge button at the bottom of the window.


Mail Merge button

Click this button when you're satisfied with the information you've selected to include in the mail merge file. A dialog box will appear, allowing you to provide a name for the mail merge file that will be created. When you name the file and click OK, the file will be created.


Disk button

Click this button when you're satisfied with the information you've selected to include in the mail merge file. A dialog box will appear, allowing you to provide a name for the mail merge file that will be created. When you name the file and click OK, the file will be created.


Print button

Click this button to print the To Do List (Receivables) Report.


To Do List window (A/P View)

This view of the To Do List window displays all purchases that you haven't fully paid yet, and allows you to enter supplier payment transactions for those purchases.

Click the screenshot to learn more about this window.


Name column

This column displays the names of all the suppliers whose purchases aren't paid off yet. Click the zoom arrow next to a supplier's name to open the Supplier Payments window.


P.O. # column

This column displays the ID numbers of the transactions whose payments are due.


Due Date column

This column displays the dates each transaction in the list is due. The due date is calculated by comparing the original date of the purchase to the current date and reviewing your credit terms with the supplier.


Action column

If you wish to enter a supplier payment and create a cheque for any transactions in the list, mark those transactions' Action column, then click the Pay Bills button at the bottom of the window. A supplier payment will be entered for the full amount of each transaction you marked, and an unprinted cheque will be created. Each marked transaction will be removed from the list.


Pay Bills button

Click this button after marking the Action column of one or more transactions in the list to create a supplier payment for the full amount of each marked transaction and a cheque transaction for that amount. After you click this button, choose Print Cheques from the Chequebook Command Centre to print the cheques for your suppliers.


Print button

Click this button to print the To Do List (Payables) Report.


To Do List window (Recurring Transactions View)

This view of the To Do List window displays recurring transactions such as cheques, deposits and General Journal entries. You can use this view to record any of these recurring transactions when they're due.

Click the screenshot to learn more about this window.


Name column

This column displays the descriptions you gave to the recurring transactions in the list. Click the zoom arrow next to a transaction name to open the window in which the transaction was originally created.


Frequency column

This column displays the frequency by which each transaction on the list should be recorded. You designated this frequency in the Save Recurring Transaction window.


Last Posted column

This column displays the last date each transaction in the list was recorded.


Next Due column

This column displays the dates each transaction in the list is due. The due date is calculated by adding the number of days between occurrences of the transaction to the last day the transaction was previously recorded.


Action column

If you wish to record any transactions in the list, click the Action column for those transactions, then click the Record button at the bottom of the window.


Record button

Click this button after marking the Action column of one or more transactions in the list to record the transactions.


Print button

Click this button to print the To Do List (Recurring Transactions) Report.


To Do List window (Recurring Sales View)

This view of the To Do List window displays all your recurring sales. You can use this view to record any of these recurring sales when they're due.

Click the screenshot to learn more about this window.


Name column

This column displays the descriptions of your recurring sales. Click the zoom arrow next to a description to open the Sales window, where the sale was first created.


Print button

Click this button to print the To Do List (Recurring Sales) Report.


To Do List window (Recurring Purchases View)

This view of the To Do List window displays all your recurring purchases. You can use this view to record any of these recurring purchases when they're due.

Click the screenshot to learn more about this window.


Name column

This column displays the descriptions of your recurring purchases. Click the zoom arrow next to a description to open the Purchases window, where the purchase was first created.


Print button

Click this button to print the To Do List (Recurring Purchases) Report.


To Do List window (Pending View)

This view of the To Do List window displays all the invoices and purchase orders that you've placed in FirstAccounts' Pending File. These transactions, also known as pending invoices and pending purchase orders, can be recorded as actual transactions in this view of the To Do List window.

Click the screenshot to learn more about this window.


Inv. column

If a transaction in the list is a pending invoice, a zoom arrow will appear in the Inv column. Click the zoom arrow to open the Sales window, where the transaction was originally entered.


Name column

This column displays the names of the customers and suppliers assigned to the transactions in the list.


P.O. column

If a transaction in the list is a pending purchase order, a zoom arrow will appear in the P.O. column. Click the zoom arrow to open the Purchases window, where the transaction was originally entered.


Inv/P.O.# column

This column displays the ID numbers of the pending transactions in the list.


Promised Date column

This column displays the date that the transactions in the list were originally promised to your customers (for pending invoices) or to your company (for pending purchase orders). This date was entered in the Promised Date field of the Sales or Purchases window.


Action column

If you wish to record any of the pending transactions in the list as actual transactions, click the Action column for those transactions, then click the Record as Actual button at the bottom of the window.


Record as Actual button

Click this button after marking the Action column of one or more pending transactions in the list to record the transactions as actual invoices and purchase orders.


Print button

Click this button to print the To Do List (Orders to be Shipped & Received) Report.


To Do List window (Contact Alert View)

This view of the To Do List window displays a list of the people or companies you're due to contact.

Click the screenshot to learn more about this window.


Name column

This column displays the names of all people you're due to contact. These names appear here if you entered a recontact date for a person in the Contact Log Entry window; the person's name will appear in this list on the day you entered. Names will remain in the list until you remove them.

Click the zoom arrow next to a contact's name to open the Contact Log Entry window.


Overdue column

This column displays the number of days that have passed since you were supposed to recontact the people in the list.


Type column

This column displays the type of relationship each person in the list has with your company.


Date column

This column displays the original dates of your contacts with each person in the list.


Recontact Date column

This column displays the dates you were supposed to recontact each person in the list.


Action column

To remove a contact from the list, click the contact's Action column, then click the Remove button at the bottom of the window.


Remove button

Click this button after marking the Action column for each person you wish to remove from the list.


Print button

Click this button to print the To Do List (Overdue Contacts) Report.


List of tasks to do

This list displays all the tasks in your To Do List in the group whose tab is selected at the top of the window. If you want to perform one of the tasks, click the task's Action column, then click the Mail Merge, Pay Bills, Record, Record as Actual, or Remove button at the bottom of the window.


Mail Merge button

(or: Pay Bills; Record; Record as Actual; Remove)

Click this button after marking the Action column of one or more transactions in the list to create a "payment due" notice for a customer.

The Mail Merge button appears only if you're viewing A/R View of the To Do List window. (If you're viewing a different view, this button will be labeled with one of the titles listed above. In each case, clicking the button performs an action.)


Transaction Journal window

The Transaction Journal window allows you to view the current transactions that are recorded in the Cash Disbursements, Cash Receipts, General, Purchases and Sales journals.

The journal information that appears in this window is view-only; that is, you can't change any of the transaction information using this window. You can however, click the zoom arrow (if available) to edit a particular transaction.

To find this window...

Click Transaction Journal in any command centre (except Card File).

Click the screenshot to learn more about this window.


General tab

Click this tab to view the transactions in the General Journal, which contains transactions recorded in the General Ledger Command Centre.


Disbursements tab

Click this tab to view the transactions in the Cash Disbursements Journal, which contains information about money you've paid out that affects (credits) cheque accounts.


Receipts tab

Click this tab to view the transactions in the Cash Receipts Journal, which contains information about money you've received that affects (debits) cheque accounts.


Sales tab

Click this tab to view the transactions in the Sales Journal, which contains sale information affecting sales, accounts receivable, inventory and cost of sales accounts.


Purchases tab

Click this tab to view the transactions in the Purchases Journal, which contains purchase information affecting accounts payable, inventory asset and purchase expense accounts.


All tab

Click this tab to view the transactions in all journals.


Dated From/To

Enter a range of dates in this field to display transaction information for a specific time frame in this window.


Src column

This column contains the source journal codes are assigned to the transactions displayed in the window. FirstAccounts' source journal codes are listed below.

CD = Cash Disbursements Journal

CR = Cash Receipts Journal

GJ = General Journal

PJ = Purchases Journal

SJ = Sales Journal

This column appears only if you're viewing transactions in all journals (that is, the All tab is selected at the top of the window).


Date column

This column contains the dates that are assigned to the transactions displayed in this window.


ID# column

This column contains the numbers that identify the transactions displayed in this window in their appropriate journals.


Account column

This column contains the accounts that are affected by the transactions that are displayed in this window.


Debit/Credit columns

These columns contain the amounts by which the accounts listed in the Account column are debited and credited for each transaction that's displayed in this window.


Job column

This column contains the jobs that are affected by the transactions that are displayed in this window.


Type window
Purchase Type window

The Type window for purchases allows you to select a type of purchase to enter in the Enter Purchases window. You have two choices: Service and Miscellaneous purchase.

To find this window...

Click Enter Purchases in the Purchases Command Centre. In the Enter Purchases window, click the Type button.

Fields in this window:

Service: Mark this selection if you want to create a service purchase order in the Purchases window. To find out more about Service purchase orders, click here.

Miscellaneous: Mark this selection if you want to create a miscellaneous purchase in the Purchases window. To find out more about Miscellaneous purchase orders, click here.

OK: Click this button to begin creating the purchase whose type you selected in this window.


Type window
Invoice Type window

The Type window for sales allows you to select a type of sale to enter in the Enter Sales window. You have four choices: Item, Service, Professional and Miscellaneous sales.

To find this window...

Click Sales in the Sales Command Centre. In the Enter Sales window, click the Type button.

Fields in this window:

Service: Mark this selection if you want to create a service invoice in the Sales window. To find out more about Service Invoices, click here.

Item: Mark this selection if you want to create an item invoice in the Sales window. To find out more about Item Invoices, click here.

Professional: Mark this selection if you want to create a professional invoice in the Sales window. To find out more about Professional Invoices, click here.

Miscellaneous: Mark this selection if you want to create a miscellaneous sale in the Sales window. To find out more about Miscellaneous Invoices, click here.

OK: Click this button to begin creating the sale whose type you selected in this window.


Supplier Payments window

The Supplier Payments window allows you to assign payments to your outstanding purchasing balances and record deposits on pending purchase orders.

To find this window...

Click Supplier Payments in the Purchases Command Centre.

Click the screenshot to learn more about this window.


Cheque accounts list

Select the cheque account you want to use to make a payment.

The accounts in this list were assigned cheque privileges in the Edit Accounts window.


Balance

This field displays the current balance of the cheque account you selected in the left-hand corner of the window. If you wish to display the Find Transactions window to view more detailed information about the cheque account, click the zoom arrow.


Supplier

Enter the name of the supplier whose transactions you wish to apply your payment to. If you wish to view detailed information about the supplier, click the zoom arrow to display the Card File Entry window.

After you enter a supplier name, all purchases you've conducted with that supplier are displayed. Open purchases are displayed at the top of the list, followed by pending purchase orders and then by closed purchases.


Handwritten

Mark this selection if you don't plan to print this cheque using FirstAccounts.

When you mark this selection, FirstAccounts will record the cheque as printed; when you select Unprinted Cheques Only in the Print Cheques window, this cheque won't be printed.

If you're viewing a cheque that's been printed, this selection will be already marked.


Cheque #

Enter the number of the cheque you wish to print, or accept the default cheque number, which is one number higher than the last cheque you wrote from this cheque account.

If you enter a different cheque number in this field, the next cheque number from this cheque account will increment by one from the number you enter.


Date

Enter the date of the cheque.

Dates that occur before your conversion date or in a prior financial year can't be used.


Amount

Enter the total amount of the cheque.

When you save this cheque, the balance of the cheque account you selected in the left-hand corner of the window will be decreased by the amount you enter here.


Memo

Enter a description of the transaction. This description will appear on various FirstAccounts reports, as well as the Cash Disbursements Journal. If you don't enter anything in this field, the first line of the box below the Supplier field will appear in the Cash Disbursements Journal.

We suggest you use the word "Payment" in the memo to remind you of the nature of the transaction.


Purchase # column

This column displays the numbers assigned to the purchases entered in the Purchases window.


Status column

This column displays the status of each of the purchases in the list.

OPEN: Purchases with a positive balance.

CLOSED: Purchases with a zero balance.

PENDING: Purchase orders assigned a Pending status in the Purchases window.

If you want to open the Inquiry Register window to view more detailed information about a specific purchase, click the zoom arrow next to the purchase's status.


Date column

This column displays the date each of the purchases in the list was recorded.


Amount column

This column displays the current amount due for each of the purchases in the list.


Discount column

Enter early-payment discounts for each of the purchases in this list, or accept the default amounts, which were entered for this supplier in the Credit Terms window.

Enter a discount amount only when you're settling the entire remaining balance of a purchase. If you enter a discount on a partial payment of a purchase's remaining balance, that discount won't be recorded. For example, if you enter a $2 discount on $100 purchase, the total due amount is $98. However, if you apply only $75 to the purchase, the discount won't be calculated; $25 will be the remaining balance of the purchase.


Total Owed column

This column displays the total amount owed for each purchase in the list.


Amount Applied column

Enter the amount of the payment you want to apply to each purchase in the list, or accept the default amounts that appear in this column. The default amount that appears in this column is either the total amount of one purchase's remaining balance or the remainder of the payment amount.

You can distribute the payment amount to more than one purchase.


Finance Charge

Enter the amount you wish to apply to your finance charges with this supplier.

When you click Record, the balance of the account you entered in the Expense Account for Late Charges field of the Accounts Payable Linked Accounts window will be increased.


Record button

Click this button to record the application of the payment amount in the Cash Disbursements Journal, decrease your linked payables cheque account and decrease your outstanding balance with the supplier. If the payment was applied to a pending purchase order, your linked payables deposits account is increased.


Pay All button

Click this button to apply the total amount owed to each purchase in the list. The sum of the total amounts applied appears in the Amount field in the cheque portion of the window.

You must enter the amount you wish to apply to your finance charges with this supplier manually in the Finance Charge field.


Print button

Click this button to record and print the cheque that's displayed in this window.


View Card File window

The View Card File window allows you to view summary information about all your customers, suppliers, employees and personal contacts. You can also open the Card File Entry window from this window, where you can access more detailed information about the individual people and companies in the Card File.

To find this window...

Click Cards in the Card File Command Centre.

This window contains a number of ways you can restrict your search for a specific card. The Search field at the top of the window can be used to enter the name of a specific card, while the other fields in the window can be used to limit the search criteria to a specific card type, time frame, identifier and postcode.

Fields in this window:

Card tabs: Select a type of card - Customer, Supplier, Employee, Personal or All Cards - to restrict the list of cards you want to display in the list. If you wish, combine this selection with other search criteria in the other fields of this window to further define your search.

Search: Use this field to search for a specific card. Enter as much of the card's name as you can remember and press TAB or RETURN. The highlight will be positioned on the card name most closely resembling the characters you typed.

# Found: This field displays the number of cards that matched your search criteria. The cards are displayed in the list.

Last Contact Before: Enter a date to restrict the list of cards to the people and companies who haven't been contacted since that date. All cards that haven't been contacted since the date you enter and match the other search criteria you've entered will be displayed in the list.

Recontact On/Before: Enter a date to restrict the list of cards to the people and companies whose recontact dates occur on or before that date.

Identifiers: Enter as many as 10 identifiers to restrict the list of cards you want to display in the list. All cards that are assigned the identifiers you enter and match the other search criteria you've entered will be displayed in the list.

Postcode: Enter a postcode to restrict the list of cards to the people and companies whose primary address (entered in the Address field of the Card File Entry window) is located in that postcode. All cards that match your entry and the other search criteria you've entered will be displayed in the list. To broaden your search, you can enter a partial postcode in this field.

List of cards: The list of cards that appears in this window contains the cards that match the search criteria you enter in the fields at the bottom of the window.  If you wish to display the Card File Entry window to view or change information about a specific card, click the zoom arrow next to the card's name in the list.

Log button: Select a card in the list, then click this button to open the View Contact Log window, where you can view a summary list of all contacts made to the card you selected. To find out more about the View Contact Log window, click here.

Dial button: Select a card in the list, then click this button to dial the telephone or fax numbers for the card you selected.

New button: Click this button to open the Card File Entry window, where you can enter information about a new card for your Card File. To find out more about the Card File Entry window, click here.

Edit button: Click this button to open the Card File Entry window for the contact you've highlighted in the list. To find out more about the Card File Entry window, click here.


View Contact Log window

The View Contact Log window allows you to display a summary list of all contacts made to a specific person or company in the Card File. You can also open the Contact Log Entry window from this window, where you can access more detailed information about individual contacts you've made.

To find this window...

Click Contact Log in the Card File Command Centre.

Fields in this window:

Name: If you wish to view information about a contact made with a person or company that already exists in the Card File, type as much of the company's name in the Name field as you can remember, then press TAB or RETURN. You can also click the search icon and select a name from the list. After you select a card, the View Contact Log window will reappear, containing the name of the person or company in the Name field and a list of the contacts made with that person or company. To view detailed information about the card, click the zoom arrow next to the card's name.

Type: This field displays the card type - Customer, Supplier, Employee or Personal - assigned to this card. This field can't be changed in this window.

List of Contacts: The list of contacts contains the date, time and description of each contact made with the card, along with the recontact date you set when you recorded each contact. The list is sorted with the most recent contact at the top of the list. If you wish to display the Contact Log Entry window to view or change information about a specific contact, click the zoom arrow next to the contact's date.

Dial button: Click this button to dial the telephone or fax numbers that are recorded for the card displayed at the top of the window.

New button: Click this button to open the Contact Log Entry window, where you can enter information about a new contact. If a name is displayed in the Name field when you click this button, that name will appear in the Name field in the Contact Log Entry window. To find out more about the Contact Log Entry window, click here.

Edit button: Click this button to open the Contact Log Entry window for contact record you've highlighted. To find out more about the Contact Log Entry window, click here.


Spend Money window

The Spend Money window allows you to create records of your cheques drawn from any of your business's cheque accounts. The top half of the window is designed to look like an actual paper cheque, with fields that allow you to enter cheque information. The bottom half of the window contains a scrolling list of the accounts and jobs affected by each cheque, as well as the amounts that comprise each cheque.

You can also use this window to set up recurring cheques of the same value and examine the Cash Disbursements Journal.

To find this window...

Click Spend Money in the Chequebook Command Centre.

Click the screenshot to learn more about this window.


Cheque accounts list

Select the cheque account you normally use to write cheques.

The accounts in this list were assigned cheque privileges in the Edit Accounts window.


Balance

This field displays the current balance of the cheque account you selected in the left-hand corner of the window. If you wish to display the Find Transaction window to view more detailed information about the cheque account, click the zoom arrow.


Handwritten

Mark this selection if you don't plan to print this cheque using FirstAccounts.

When you mark this selection, FirstAccounts will record the cheque as printed; when you select Unprinted Cheques Only in the Print Cheques window, this cheque won't be printed.

If you're viewing a cheque that's been printed, this selection will be already marked.


Card

Enter the name of the person or company in the Card File who will receive this cheque, or click the search icon to display a search list of the people and companies in your Card File that you can select from.

After a card name is entered in this field, you can click the zoom arrow to display the Card File Entry window and view detailed information about the person or company.

If the person or company isn't in the Card File and you don't want to add them to the Card File, press TAB to move the highlight to the Payee field, where you can enter "Pay to the Order of" information for the person or company. We recommend, however, that you include the person or company in the Card File, so you have more flexibility in tracking where your money is going.


Payee

If you entered the name of a person or company from the Card File in the Card field, this field will display the name and address of the person or company. The name and address that's displayed was entered in the Card File Entry window. If you wish, you can change this information for this cheque; the original information will remain in the Card File Entry window.

If you left the Card field blank, enter the name and address of the person or company to whom you're writing this cheque.

This information will be printed in the "Pay to the Order of" section of the cheque. If you use window envelopes, this information will show through the window.


Memo

Enter a description of the transaction. This description will appear on various FirstAccounts reports, as well as the Cash Disbursements Journal. If you don't enter anything in this field, the first line of the Payee field will appear in the Cash Disbursements Journal.

We suggest you use the word "Cheque" in the memo to remind you of the nature of the transaction.


Cheque No.

Enter the number of the cheque you wish to print, or accept the default cheque number, which is one number higher than the last cheque written from this cheque account.


Date

Enter the date of the cheque.

Dates that occur before your conversion date or in a prior financial year can't be used.


Amount

Enter the total amount of the cheque.

When you save this cheque, the balance of the cheque account you selected in the left-hand corner of the window will be decreased by the amount you enter here.


Allocation Account columns

Enter the number of the account you want to assign to each line in the transaction. The name of the account you selected will also appear here.

The cheque amount you entered in the Amount field is considered a credit amount. When you enter accounts and amounts in this list, the accounts will be debited by the amounts you enter.


Amount column

Enter the amount that you wish to assign to this account for this cheque. If the total of the amounts in this column doesn't match the amount in the Amount field (in other words, if the transaction is out of balance), this field will display a default amount that balances the transaction. You can change the default, if you wish.

The cheque amount you entered in the Amount field is considered a credit amount, and the amounts you enter in this column are considered debit amounts. If you want an amount in this column to be used as a credit instead, enter the amount as a negative number.


Job column

You can assign a job to each account in the list. To do so, enter the job number here.

If you need to assign an amount from one account to more than one job, use multiple lines to record the transaction. For example, assume you want to debit your Office Supplies account $100, but you want to assign $30 to job 12 and $70 to job 43. To do this, enter the Office Supplies account number in the Acct # column, then enter $30 in the Amount column and 12 in the Job column. Move to the next line, enter the Office Supplies account number again, enter $70 in the Amount column and 43 in the Job column.


Record button

Click this button to record the transaction you've entered in this window.

If the total of the amounts in the Amount column in the bottom half of this window don't equal the number you entered in the Amount field in the top half of the window, you won't be allowed to record the cheque. Change your entries in the Amount column so they total the number in the Amount field.


Change Default Forms Font window

The Change Default Forms Font window allows you to change the font and font size that's assigned to the forms (such as cheques, invoices and statements) you can print using FirstAccounts.

To find this window...

Choose Default Fonts from the File menu. In the Default Font Selection window, click the Forms button.

Fields in this window:

Font: Select the font you wish to use on your FirstAccounts forms from the list. The list contains all fonts that are properly installed on your computer.

Size: Enter or select the size of the font you wish to use on your FirstAccounts forms.

Sample: This box displays how the selections you made in this window will appear on your FirstAccounts forms.


Change Default Report Font window

The Change Default Report Font window allows you to change the font and font size that's assigned to the reports you can print using FirstAccounts.

To find this window...

Choose Default Fonts from the File menu. In the Default Font Selection window, click Reports.

Fields in this window:

Font: Select the font you wish to use on your FirstAccounts reports from the list. The list contains all fonts that are properly installed on your computer.

Size: Enter or select the size of the font you wish to use on your FirstAccounts reports.

Sample: This box displays how the selections you made in this window will appear on your FirstAccounts reports


Cash Flow Worksheet window

The Cash Flow Worksheet window allows you to estimate your short-term cash needs by using information you've entered throughout FirstAccounts to create a forecast of your cheque accounts' future.

To find this window...

Choose Cash Flow from the MYOB Analyst list in any command centre.

The information this window uses to forecast cash needs includes recurring transaction information entered in the Save Recurring Transaction window in many of FirstAccounts' command centres.

The Cash Flow Worksheet window uses two views to display cash flow information: Worksheet View and Analysis View. Each view is described in the topics below.

Worksheet View

Analysis View

For more information on using the Analyse Cash Flow feature, click here.


Cash Flow Worksheet window (Worksheet View)

The Worksheet View of the Cash Flow Worksheet window provides a list of a number of transactions that are overdue or expected to occur for this account. This view allows you to verify and enter all the transactions that will affect the account during the specified number of days.

The transactions that appear as defaults in this list include:

All recurring transactions that are expected to occur for this account within the specified range of days. The frequency that was established in the Save Recurring Transaction window for each transaction is used to determine the date when the transaction should occur.

All recurring transactions that were supposed to occur before the current date. These transactions will appear only if the account was designated a linked cheque account in either the Accounts Receivable Linked Accounts window or the Accounts Payable Linked Accounts window.

You can change any of the information that appears in Worksheet View to better estimate your cash flow needs. For example, if one of the default transactions indicates you'll be spending $1,000 for June's commission payments, but you know you'll only spend $500, you can change that amount. If no commission payment was needed for June, you could delete the amount entirely.

You can also add transactions to Worksheet View. To do this, scroll to the bottom of the list and add transaction information in the blank line. When you're finished, press TAB to create a new blank line, where you can enter additional transaction information.

Changes, deletions and additions you make in Worksheet View are used for the purposes of the Cash Flow Worksheet window only. The changes you make here won't be reflected anywhere else in the FirstAccounts system.

Fields in this window:

Cheque Account: Select the cheque account whose future cash needs you want to review. The accounts in this list were assigned cheque privileges in the Chart of Accounts window.

Days to Look Ahead: Enter the number of days you want the Cash Flow Worksheet to forecast your cash needs for this account. We recommend you enter a number of days that falls within your normal credit terms, such as 30, 60 or 90, since it's difficult for a business to accurately predict cash flow activity beyond those time frames.

After you enter a number in this field, press TAB to display the Cash Flow Worksheet, containing future transactions that are scheduled to occur with this account.

Description: This column displays a list of the expected or overdue transactions that will affect the account's balance. You can make changes in this column, if you wish.

Due Date: This column displays the dates each transaction is due - or was due, if the date has already occurred. You can make changes in this column, if you wish.

Money In: This column displays the amounts expected to be received for each "cash in" transaction in the list. You can make changes in this column, if you wish.

Money Out: This column displays the amounts expected to be paid for each "cash out" transaction in the list. You can make changes in this column, if you wish.

Analyse Cash Needs button: Click this button to display Analysis View, where the information in Worksheet View is used to calculate the balance of the account throughout the specified time period.


Cash Flow Worksheet window (Analysis View)

Analysis View of the Cash Flow Worksheet window lists all the transactions that appeared in Worksheet View, along with their corresponding amounts and the running balance of the account as each transaction amount is added or subtracted from it. This view allows you to see the status of the account during the specified time period.

Fields in this window:

Date: This column lists the dates in which transactions are scheduled to occur - or, if some dates have already occurred, when they were supposed to occur. This column is listed chronologically.

Description: This column displays a list of the expected or overdue transactions that will affect the account's balance.

Amount: This column displays the amounts assigned to each transaction.

Cash Available: This column displays the account's running balance as each transaction is added to or subtracted from it. The amount that's displayed at the bottom of this column is the forecasted balance of the account at the end of the specified time period.

Return to Worksheet button: Click this button to return to Worksheet View, where you can adjust the transaction information for this account or select another account to analyse.


Using the MYOB Analyst

Use the MYOB Analyst field to open windows that allow you to analyse a number of keys aspects of your business. For example, you can analyse sales and profitability trends and chart your progress on jobs. You also can see which accounts in your chart of accounts have the highest balances, which customers owe you money, and other information that can help you to make informed business decisions. Many Analyse windows allow you to view your company's information in table form or in graphical form, as pie charts or bar graphs.

Click the arrow next to the MYOB Analyst field to display a list of all the areas that can be analysed, then choose the area you want, or click the analyst icon in this field to display an Analyse window for the command centre currently displayed.

Analyse Jobs

Analyse Cash Flow

Analyse Receivables

Analyse Payables

Analyse Sales

Analyse Balance Sheet

Analyse Profit & Loss


Invoice Items Button
Invoice Items

Displays the Invoice Items list, which shows all products and services set up as items. These can be used on ‘Item’ type invoices only.

To find out more about the Invoice Items window, click here.


GST
Tax

Select the tax code that applied to this transaction. Since the Amount Due you entered is the Gross Amount, FirstAccounts will track the tax that applied to the transaction. When a payment is made against this transaction, the tax paid/collected will be reflected in FirstAccounts’ tax (Cash) reports.


introduction
Goods & Services Tax

Note: The contents of this chapter may differ from the FirstAccounts User Guide’s GST Chapter. The User Guide contains some errors that were corrected in this online help file. For more information, see the Priority Kit that came with your software.

GST stands for Goods and Services Tax. It is a consumption or value added tax which will be applied at a flat rate of 10 per cent on the sale of most goods and services. It comes into effect on the 1st of July, 2000.

In its simplest form, GST is added to the selling price of goods and services as they pass through the supply chain until they are finally consumed. To avoid the tax cascading and multiplying through the sales process, each purchaser is given a rebate of the GST they paid to their supplier when they sell the goods.

A closer look at GST

What affect will the GST have on a typical small business? Let’s take a look at an example of a small business to see how the GST works close-up.

Retail business GST example


Retail business GST example

GST is both paid and collected by a retailer;

•	GST is paid when the retailer purchases the goods, and

•	GST is collected from the consumer when the goods are sold.

Let’s take the example of a retailer who

•	purchases goods from a supplier at a cost of $1,100 including $100 GST, and

•	sells the goods to the consumer for $3,300 including $300 GST.

The retailer has paid $100 GST when they purchased the goods from the supplier. The supplier has collected $100 GST from the retailer, and remits this amount to the ATO, as illustrated in the diagram.

The retailer has collected $300 when they sold the goods to the consumer.

The retailer only has to pay the difference between the GST collected and paid to the ATO. In this example, this works out as follows:

GST collected	$300

minus GST paid	$100

equals	$200

This means that the retailer should remit $200 to the ATO. The $100 GST already paid to the supplier is a credit against the GST the retailer has collected. This credit is called an Input Tax Credit.

The following diagram illustrates the GST collected paid and remitted to the ATO.

GST in the Supply Chain


GST in the Supply Chain

How will the GST affect the whole business supply chain, from supplier through manufacturer to retailer and then customer?

Let’s follow an example through the business supply chain to see what GST is collected and paid at each stage.

1.	A manufacturer produces goods costing $55 (including  $5 GST).

2.	It then sells the goods to a retailer for $110 (including $10 GST).

3.	The retailer sells the goods to a consumer for $220 (including $20 GST).

The manufacturer

The manufacturer remits to the Australian Tax Office the difference between the GST it has already paid in manufacturing the goods and the GST received from the retailer.

The manufacturer has paid $5 in GST to its own suppliers and has received $10 from the retailer. Therefore the manufacturer needs to remit $5 ($10 - $5) to the ATO.

The retailer

The retailer remits to the ATO the difference between the GST it has already paid the manufacturer and what it charges the consumer.

The retailer has already paid $10 GST to the manufacturer and has charged $20 to the consumer. Therefore the retailer needs to pass on $20 - $10 = $10 to the ATO.

Overall

Overall the total remitted to the ATO should be $20 on the final $200 sale. This $20 is added to the final sale price and paid by the consumer.

The $20 is made up of

•	$5 the manufacturer paid in GST to its own suppliers,

•	$5 the manufacturer paid the ATO and

•	$10 the retailer paid the ATO.

As you can see the tax is paid on the value added to the goods as they travel through the supply chain.

Key Concepts


Key Concepts

There are a number of key concepts you should be familiar with to better understand the new tax system and how MYOB FirstAccounts handles it. Like most tax systems, there are exceptions and complications, and to understand these we need to look at the definitions of:

 	Taxable Supply

 	Input Tax Credits

 	GST-free Supplies

 	Input Taxed Supplies

Taxable Supply


Taxable Supply

The term Taxable Supply means the supply of Goods and Services that attract GST. All goods and services are subject to GST except those defined as GST-free, or Input Taxed Supplies, which are described below.

GST is added to the selling price of goods and services (Taxable Supply) as they pass through the supply chain until they are finally consumed.

The following diagram illustrates how your business might claim the GST paid for the taxable supply, and also collect GST when the goods are sold.

Each purchaser of the Taxable Supply is given a credit for the GST they paid to their supplier.

Examples of Taxable Supply are :

•	computers,

•	software,

•	cooked meals,

•	furniture,

•	electrical goods and

•	accountancy advice.

GST-free Supplies


GST-free Supplies

GST-free goods or services are goods and services that attract no GST. Technically, they are subject to a GST tax rate of zero.

The business that sells GST-free goods or services can still claim Input Tax Credits to recoup the GST they paid to bring the goods to market, even though the final price of the goods or services is GST-free.

Examples of GST-free supplies are:

•	fresh food produce

•	many medical services and products

•	many educational courses

•	child care within the Childcare Rebate Act 1993

•	exports

•	religious supplies that are integral to the practice of that religion

•	cars for the disabled, and more.

Input Tax Credits


Input Tax Credits

The term Input Tax Credits means you can claim a credit for the tax you paid on the (input) supply you needed to purchase to bring your goods/services to market.

This concept applies equally to GST and GST-free goods and services —in both situations you can claim Input Tax Credits for the tax you paid on your input supply.

If you collect GST when you sell your goods and services to the consumer, you simply deduct your Input Tax Credits from the GST you collect from the consumer and pay the difference to the ATO.

Let’s look at an example of a manufacturer who pays GST on raw materials and electricity, and see how this affects how much GST is owed to the ATO.

As illustrated in the following diagram,

•	The manufacturer pays $50 GST for raw materials and $10 GST for electricity, both of which are used in the manufacture of the goods.

•	The manufacturer then collects $100 GST when the goods are sold.

The manufacturer claims Input Tax Credits for the GST paid on the raw materials and the electricity (taxable supply), and deducts them from the GST collected on the sale of the goods, and remits the balance to the ATO.

The amount to be remitted to the ATO is therefore calculated as:

GST collected	$100

minus Input Tax Credits	$60

equals	$40 (to be remitted to the ATO)

For example, a furniture manufacturer could claim Input Tax Credits on the commercial rent, power, machinery, contractor’s fees, timber, and so on.

Further examples of Input Tax Creditable items and services might include:

•	commercial electricity

•	raw materials

•	Accountancy and legal fees

•	plant/equipment

•	software

Input Taxed Supplies


Input Taxed Supply
Input Taxed Supplies

Input taxed supplies are supplies on which no GST is added to the final selling price. In this situation, although the business might pay GST when purchasing their supplies, the business cannot then claim an Input Tax Credit for this GST paid. Effectively, Input-taxed means the business pays the GST.

The concept of input taxed supplies usually relates to financial service providers.

Examples of Input Taxed Supplies are:

•	money,

•	accounts,

•	equity securities,

•	unit trusts,

•	futures,

•	residential rent.

Input Taxed Supplies do not include:

•	advice,

•	some forms of insurance,

•	accounting and legal services,

•	tax agents,

•	safe custody and payroll services.

GST Registration


GST Registration

You must register for GST if you have a business enterprise with an annual turnover of more than $50,000 or a charity with a turnover of more than $100,000.

You must have an Australian Business Number (ABN) to register for GST. The government will provide a single form registration process which should be available from November, 1999.

If you are registering for GST, you must be registered by the 31st of May, 2000 to be part of the system which starts on the 1st of July, 2000.

ABN Registration

An Australian Business Number (ABN) is a single identifier for your dealings with the ATO and for future dealings with other government departments and agencies. Your ABN will also be your registration number for GST and other elements of the The new tax system. You can register for an ABN even if you do not register for GST, provided you are either a company or are carrying on an enterprise.

Frequently Asked Questions


Using FirstAccounts with GST

In this section we will show you how MYOB FirstAccounts handles GST by taking you through day to day FirstAccounts GST tasks.

GST should not play a large part in the way you use FirstAccounts on a day-to-day basis. As a rule this means ensuring that the tax codes G and F are entered in the Tax fields that appear in cheques, deposits, sales and purchases. The rest is handled automatically by FirstAccounts. Once your FirstAccounts GST system is set up, the way you work will hardly change.

About Tax codes

You will notice that in the following examples that the tax code displayed is ‘G’ or ‘F’.

Because we are looking at how things work in FirstAccounts under GST, we are using GST codes. The default tax codes that display in FirstAccounts when you create sales and purchases are WST tax codes.

When July 1, 2000 comes around, the tax codes will need to be switched over to use GST codes.

Invoicing Taxable Services


1. Invoicing Taxable Services

Let’s assume we have made our first sale and it involves writing an invoice to A-Z Stationery Supplies for $10,000 plus GST for consulting services.

From a GST perspective, we need to be aware that consulting services attract GST.

As illustrated below, we can enter the GST-exclusive amount of $10,000 in the Amount field and the tax code ‘G’ in the Tax field.

Alternatively, we can enter the GST-inclusive amount of $11,000 in the Amount field and ‘-G’ (minus sign in front of the ‘G’) in the Tax field.

This method allows you to quickly enter GST inclusive sales and purchases into FirstAccounts. In both methods, $10,000 is allocated to the appropriate Income account, and $1,000 is allocated to our nominated GST Collected account.

Invoicing GST-free Services


2. Invoicing GST-free Services

Our second sale involves writing an invoice to A-Z Stationery Supplies for $1,500 for GST-free educational services.

From a GST perspective, we need to be aware that some educational services do not attract GST.

When we enter this transaction in the Enter Sales (Service) window, we need to enter tax code F in the Tax field.

This indicates to FirstAccounts that the entire invoice is allocated to the income account. No GST is calculated.

Invoicing Taxable Items


3. Invoicing Taxable Items

Our third sale involves writing an item invoice to A-Z Stationery Supplies who have purchased two Computer Monitors for $500 plus GST.

From a GST perspective, we need to be aware that Computer Monitors attract GST.

FirstAccounts defaults to the tax code which we nominated when setting up the item. In this instance FirstAccounts defaults to G and adds the $100 GST to the invoice, which is allocated to the GST Collected Account.

Invoicing GST-free items


4. Invoicing GST-free items

Our fourth sale involves writing an item invoice to A-Z Stationery Supplies. We are selling them two GST-free Educational kits.

In most instances, FirstAccounts defaults to the tax code which we nominated when setting up the item. In this instance FirstAccounts defaults to F.

No GST has been charged and the entire invoice value has been allocated to our income account.

Writing a Taxable Cheque


5. Writing a Taxable Cheque

Let’s assume that we are writing a $1,100 rental cheque for our commercial premises. From a GST perspective, we need to be aware that commercial rent will attract GST, while residential rent will not. The GST we pay the landlord for commercial rent can be offset against the GST we collect through sales (this is called Input Tax Credits).

When we enter the cheque details in the Spend Money window, we need to enter tax code G in the Tax field. This tells FirstAccounts to allocate $100 to the Input Tax Credit Control account. The remaining $1,000 is allocated to the Rent account.

Writing a GST-free cheque


6. Writing a GST-free Cheque

In this example, we will write a $50 cheque for our milk supplies from Jones Hardware and General Supplies.

From a GST perspective, we need to be aware that milk does not attract GST.

When we enter the cheque details in the Spend Money window, we need to enter tax code F in the Tax field or leave the Tax field blank. This tells FirstAccounts to allocate the entire $50 to the Office Supplies account.

Receiving a Taxable Payment


7. Receiving a Taxable Payment

Let’s assume that we received $44 in cash including GST from one of our clients for services rendered.

The GST legislation states that where GST was paid on transactions of $50 or more exclusive of GST, customers can demand a Tax Invoice. This means that most deposits to the bank will be entered through the Customer Payments function in the Sales command centre. The Receive Money function may be used for small sales involving GST, transfers of money or GST-free sales unless of course the invoice had been generated by some other means.

Receiving a GST-free Payment


8. Receiving a GST-free Payment

In this example, let’s assume that we top up the business’s bank account with $20,000 from our own savings.

Since tax has already been paid on our savings and we are merely loaning it to the business, no Income Tax or GST can be levied against this money. Even if the loan was from a bank, it would be seen as an Input Taxed Supply and would not attract any form of GST.

When we enter the transaction details in the Receive Money window, we need to enter tax code F in the Tax field or leave the Tax field blank. This tells FirstAccounts to allocate the entire $20,000 to the Owner’s Capital account.

Creating Credit Notes


9. Creating Credit Notes

Creating credit notes in FirstAccounts is easy. Simply create a negative value invoice and use a GST code such as C – 10%, which is set up to record credit adjustments. This will help you isolate credits and other tax adjustments which should be shown on your GST Activity Statement. If the original sale was GST-free, enter F in the Tax field.

Let’s assume that A-Z Stationery Supplies have returned one Computer Monitor. We can use any type of invoice to create a credit note, but we will use an Item invoice to be consistent with the original invoice.

When we enter the details of the transaction in the Enter Sales (Item) window, entering -1 (minus) in the Ship field creates a credit note. As the original sale included GST, we need to make sure the tax code is set to C to adjust our GST liability.

Early Payment Discounts


10. Early Payment Discounts

If the purchase or sale for which you want to enter an early payment discount is GST-free you can use the FirstAccounts’ early payment discount function and ignore this section.

The new GST legislation states that a Tax Invoice must, if requested, be given to anyone making a GST purchase of more than $50. This also applies to Adjustment notes. This means that any discount of $50 or more may need a printed Adjustment Tax Invoice, this being a credit note that complies with the governments Tax Invoice format requirements (covered later in this chapter).

FirstAccounts does not create credit notes automatically when you allow or receive an early payment discount. The discount must be entered manually using the same techniques used to create a credit note.

For example, A-Z Stationery Supplies settle the balance owing for the purchase of the Advantage Computer Monitors. We have agreed to give them a 10% discount if they promptly settle the account. They owe $550 after taking into account the return of one monitor in the last example.

The balance of $550 owed becomes $495, as the monitor’s discounted price becomes $450 instead of $500, and the GST collected becomes $45 instead of $50. This makes the total payable $495.

The easiest way to account for the discount is by creating a credit note for -$50 (minus) made out in favour of A-Z Stationery Supplies and entering tax code C in the Tax field. This will create a credit note totalling -$55.

When entering Credit notes which involve GST, make sure you enter the discount as a negative value, keying a ‘-’ (minus) sign before the dollar value, and that the tax code is set to ‘C’.

Paying your GST


Paying Your GST

How you account for your GST liability depends on whether you are working on a Cash Accounting basis or an Accrual Accounting basis. This is explained in the GST Payments & Cash flow section below.

How to find out how much you owe (or are owed), how to settle your GST and when to pay it are also discussed below.

GST Payments & Cash flow

Cash flows will be greatly affected by your GST obligations and you should take special care to make sure your cash flow requirements are managed to meet your liabilities.

The GST legislation allows businesses with a turnover of less that $1,000,000 per annum to account for GST on a Cash Basis as opposed to an Accrual basis.

Accrual Accounting

Accrual accounting records expenses when you have a legal obligation to pay, and income when you have a legal right to claim payment. This is usually when you receive an invoice or the goods or service.

For example, you may sell services today and not be paid for 60 days. Accrual accounting would record this as an income today. On the other hand you may purchase services today and not pay for it for 60 days. Accrual accounting would record this as an expense today.

Cash Accounting

Cash accounting records expenses when you physically pay your supplier, and income when you physically receive the payment.

For example, you may sell services today and not be paid for it for 60 days. Cash accounting would record this as an income in 60 days. On the other hand you may purchase services today and not pay for it for 60 days. Cash accounting would record this as an expense in 60 days.

Cash accounting businesses will be able to put off paying their GST liabilities until they have received payment from their own customers. These business will rely on FirstAccounts’s Sales Tax (Cash) reports. Larger businesses will need to pay GST on their invoiced sales, meaning they will have to remit their GST to the ATO earlier. These businesses will use the standard FirstAccounts GST reports.

For many businesses, the idea of holding money for the ATO will be new. You should take special care to make sure you have funds available to make your payments. This will require special planning. Contact your accountant if you have any doubts about controlling your cash flow.

Settling Your GST – Accrual Accounting


Finding out who owes who
Settling Your GST – Accrual Accounting

Accurate reports are the primary tool for finding out what your GST liability is at any given time.

Until GST reporting requirements are finalised by the ATO, FirstAccounts will use reports based on its existing Sales Tax reports. These reports can tell you exactly how much GST you have received and how much you have paid. MYOB FirstAccounts Sales Tax reports can report your GST liability on both a cash and accrual basis. This section concentrates on accrual accounting

To view MYOB FirstAccounts’ GST – Sales Tax reports, go the the Reports menu, choose Index to Reports and select the Sales Tab. You can run either GST – Sales Tax (Summary) or GST – Sales Tax (Detail) reports on both a cash and accrual accounting basis. If you are working on a Cash Accounting basis you should use the (Cash) reports.

Choose the required report and click the Filters button to display the Report Filters window.

In the Report Filters window, you can specify whether you want to view a report for all tax codes or a selected one. You can have FirstAccounts display a report showing GST collected from Sales, GST paid on Purchases, or both over a given date range.

The above example of an accrual accounting based report shows the GST Collected and Paid for the ‘G’ tax code from the 1/9/99 to the 30/9/99. Our GST liability of $812 is the GST Collected amount of $1108.00, less $56 credits and adjustments, less $240 GST paid on purchases.

If there were any purchases returns or early payment discounts, these would show in the Tax Paid column under the GST Credits & Adjustments tax code as a minus amount, and would increase our GST liability to the ATO.

We now know we need to make a GST payment to the ATO.

Enter the payment to the ATO in the Spend Money window. The first Allocation Account can be the GST Payable Control account, and the amount will be $1,052 ($1108 collected - $56 adjustments). Make sure the Tax code is either blank or ‘F’.

The second Allocation Account is the Input Tax Credit Control account, and the amount is minus $240. Again the tax code is either blank or ‘F’.

After recording this cheque, the GST Payable accounts will be zero, as we have cleared our debt to the ATO.

There may be times when your GST credits outweigh your GST liabilities. In these instances you will receive a GST refund from the ATO. These should be entered through Receive Money. Make sure the Tax code is either ‘F’ or blank, as GST does not apply to GST refunds. An example of a refund is shown in the next section - Settling your GST - Cash Accounting.

Settling Your GST – Cash Accounting


Paying the GST - Cash Accounting
Paying the GST – Cash Accounting

If we were paying the ATO on a Cash basis, we would generate a GST – Sales Tax (Summary - Cash) report or GST – Sales Tax (Detail - Cash) report and use this as the basis of our calculations.

Let’s say the report gave us the following amounts:

GST Collected from sales	$500

Sales adjustments	$40

GST Paid on purchases	$900

Purchases adjustments	$45

Our total GST credit of $395 is the GST Collected amount of $500, less $40 sales adjustments, less $900 GST Paid on purchases plus $45 purchases adjustments.

If we were dealing with the ATO on a cash basis, they would refund us $395.

We now know we are due for a GST Input Tax Credit from the ATO.

We are using the Receive Money window because we are receiving a credit from the ATO. Notice that th the GST Payable Control account has a minus amount. To clear the GST collected from sales, you need to enter a minus amount for the GST Payable Control account. Make sure the Tax code is either blank or ‘F’.

When do you have to pay GST?


When do you have to pay GST?

If your business has a turnover of less than $20 million, you can choose to pay your GST obligations every month or every quarter.

Larger organisations will have to pay GST every month.

Converting your system to GST


Converting Your System to GST

This section is designed to help you make adjustments to your existing FirstAccounts data files to handle GST.

In this section we show you how to enter your ABN, adjust your chart of accounts, set up GST codes, customise your existing FirstAccounts stationery, adjust terms and revalue your inventory.

Entering your ABN


Entering your Australian Business Number (ABN)

To enter your ABN in FirstAccounts, go to the Setup menu and choose Company Information. The Company Information window is displayed.

Enter your ABN in the ABN field and click OK.

Setting up your Chart of Accounts


Setting up your Chart of Accounts

New data files you create in FirstAccounts will have accounts set up to handle GST collected and paid. However, if you are upgrading from a previous version of FirstAccounts, you may need to alter your Chart of Accounts to handle the new GST.

This is because:

•	Every time you make a GST sale, you collect tax on behalf of the government, which at some point needs to be remitted to it.

•	Every time you purchase something, you pay GST on the purchase and this can be offset against the amount we owe the ATO.

In other words, you can apply your Input Tax Credits against your debt to the ATO. The Chart of Accounts will track these monetary movements.

You can edit your Chart of Accounts in the Chart of Accounts window (go to the General Ledger command centre and click on the Chart of Accounts function).

You should create these accounts. If these sample account numbers have already been used, either change the number of the existing accounts, or use a different numbers for these accounts.

Account #	Account Name	Type

2-3000	Sales Tax Liabilities	Header

2-3010	GST Payable Control	Detail Account (Postable)

2-3020	GST Payable Adjustment Control	Detail Account (Postable)

2-3030	Input Tax Credit Control	Detail Account (Postable)

2-3040	Input Tax Credit Adj Control	Detail Account (Postable)

2-3050	Sales Tax Payable	Detail Account (Postable)

Default GST and Sales Tax Codes


Default GST and Sales Tax Codes

FirstAccounts has been designed to help you make an easy transition from the old Wholesale Sales Tax system to the new Goods and Services Tax system. For this reason, it allows you to set up tax codes for both systems.

Before the GST comes into effect, you should edit your tax codes to include the codes ‘G’ for GST 10%, ‘F’ for GST-free, ‘C’ for GST Credits 10% and, if you deal with alcohol, ‘W’ for Wet Tax 29%. You will change some of your existing codes to include these new tax codes.

You can view the Tax codes window by going to the Setup menu and choosing Tax Codes.

Before making any changes, you should be aware of what your system currently uses as the default settings for Tax in Sales and Purchases.

Sales

Whenever you record a service, professional or miscellaneous invoice made out to a customer whose terms are set to Taxable, FirstAccounts defaults to the third Tax code in the Tax Codes list.

In Item invoices, FirstAccounts first looks at the customer’s tax status and if they are set to Taxable, it uses the Item’s Tax code. If the customer is set to one of the other options, FirstAccounts ignores the Item’s Tax code and uses those rates instead.

Purchases

Whenever you record a purchase order made out to a supplier whose terms are set to Taxable, FirstAccounts defaults to the third Tax code in the Tax Codes list. If the customer’s terms are set one of the other options, FirstAccounts will use those rates instead.

Over time you may have changed your Tax Codes to suit your own needs. For example a wholesaler may have changed the third tax code to S - Taxable 22% because most of its customers have been taxable. We need to be certain that any changes to make FirstAccounts GST compliant do not adversely affect any current users.

What needs to be changed for July 1, 2000

The default setting for the third tax code in the Tax Codes list is N - Non-Taxable 0%.

On the 1st of July, 2000 you should change the third tax code to G - GST 10% from its current setting. This will ensure invoices (except item invoices) and purchase orders will default to G.

The illustration on the left shows the older FirstAccounts default Tax Codes and the illustration on the right shows an example of GST suitable settings.

You can edit your Tax codes by selecting Tax codes from the Setup Menu. Set up the third code as your GST code.

Setting Customer Tax Status and Item Tax Codes


Setting Customer Tax Status Item Tax Codes
Setting Customer Tax Status and Item Tax Codes

The customer terms window below displays a customer’s Tax Status. In the drop down list, there are three options to choose from:

•	The first option in the list is based on the first tax code set up in the Tax Codes list window.

•	The second option in the list is based on the second tax code set up in the Tax Codes list window.

•	The third option will always be called ‘Taxable’ and is based on the third tax code set up in the Tax Codes list window.

How these tax codes are used in invoices:

As described in “Default GST and Sales Tax Codes”, service, professional and miscellaneous invoices will display by default the first, second or third tax code that you have set up in the Tax Codes list window.

When you create an item invoice, FirstAccounts first looks at the customer’s tax status and if it is set to Taxable, it uses the item’s tax code. If the customer is set to the first or second option in the Tax Status list, FirstAccounts will use those tax codes instead.

You can also adjust your default customer terms from the Sales Preferences window (go to the Setup menu, choose Preferences, select the Sales tab and click on the Terms button). Note that this only changes the default customer terms for any new customers you create.

So, if you sell both GST (taxable supply) and GST-free items, you need to change your customer’s Tax Status to Taxable and your items’ tax codes to ‘G’ - GST, or ‘F’ - GST-free as required. First Accounts will now look at the item’s tax code and use this on invoices.

What needs to be changed for July 1, 2000

To adjust a customer’s terms

1.	Go the to the Card File command centre and choose your customer.

2.	Click the Terms button and ensure it is set to Taxable.

To adjust the item’s tax code:

1.	Go to the Sales command centre and choose Invoice Items. The Invoice Items window is displayed.

2.	Adjust the tax code to G or F as required.

Linked Accounts


Linked Accounts

All FirstAccounts data files are preset to handle the Wholesale Sales Tax system, so on the 1st of July, 2000 you will need to adjust some linked accounts for Sales and Purchases.

To change the linked Receivables account:

1.	Go to the Setup menu, choose Linked Accounts and then Receivable Accounts.

2.	Change the I charge tax on sales linked account from its current setting to the new GST Payable Control Account.

To change the linked Payables account:

1.	Go to the Setup menu, choose Linked Accounts and Payable Accounts.

2.	Check the I claim tax credits paid on purchases checkbox and make the new Input Tax Credit Control Account the linked account.

You are now ready to record GST transactions.

Customising a Tax Invoice


Customising a Tax Invoice

When goods or services are supplied, an invoice is usually issued to the customer as proof of purchase.

The GST legislation stipulates that if a GST sales is more than $50 exclusive of GST, a supplier must, if requested, issue a "Tax Invoice" to the customer. A tax invoice contains additional information that may not appear on an ordinary invoice.

All FirstAccounts Pre-Printed and Plain Paper forms such as invoices, purchase orders, statements, packing slips and cheques have been updated to comply with the new GST legislation. These new and updated forms are stored in the Forms folder, which is in the FirstAccounts program folder.

If you plan to customise your existing invoices you need to ensure they show:

•	Your Australian Business Number (ABN).

•	The price for the supply.

•	The words "TAX INVOICE" in a prominent place on the first page of the tax invoice.

•	The name or trading name of the supplier.

•	The name and address of the recipient.

•	The date of issue of the tax invoice.

•	A brief description of what was supplied.

•	The quantity or volume of what was supplied – for example hours of labour, number of items.

Tax invoices can be tax-inclusive or tax-exclusive. Tax-inclusive invoices includes GST in the price of the supply, so GST is not shown separately. Tax-exclusive invoice excludes GST in the price of the supply and shows it separately.

FirstAccounts allows you to create both Exclusive Inclusive tax invoices.

What needs to be changed for July 1, 2000:

If you have customised your forms in an previous version of FirstAccounts, you will need to make some small modifications to make them comply with the legislation. You can either re-customise a GST Plain Paper Invoice, or copy fields from a GST Plain Paper Invoice and add these to your existing customised invoices.

1.	Go to the Sales command centre and click on the Print Invoices function.

2.	Choose the Invoice Type you usually use. If you normally print Item invoices, select Item from the list. If you normally print Item, Service and Professional invoices, you will need to adjust each type of invoice you use to comply with the GST requirements.

3.	Click on the Search icon to the right of the Selected Form for Invoices field and choose the GST Plain Paper Invoice.

4.	Click on the Customise button. The Customise Item Invoices window is displayed.

This is where you customise your forms in FirstAccounts. A customised form is made up of text fields, data fields, lines and boxes. You can copy and paste the GST fields to your existing customised invoices, or customise a standard FirstAccounts form to meet your own requirements.

If you intend to adjust your existing customised invoices you should copy and paste the ABN Number text and data fields, Total Including GST text field, plus the Tax and price fields

Inventory Revaluations and Wholesale Sales Tax


Inventory Revaluations and Wholesale Sales Tax

This section discusses changes in inventory valuations and Wholesale Sales Tax when the GST comes into effect. We will release separate calculators and software assistants to help with inventory and Wholesale Sales considerations when the government releases further information.

Businesses that hold inventory for resale on the 30/6/2000 will be able to claim a special GST credit equal to the Wholesale Sales Tax they paid to purchase the goods. The special GST credit is available on all inventory on which WST was paid except:

•	Inventory held for manufacturing. Under the WST scheme most manufacturers claim a Wholesale Sales Tax exemption when they purchase goods needed in manufacturing. If you are a manufacturer who does not currently claim an exemption, you should talk to your accountant about the merits of claiming it now.

•	Inventory of second-hand goods.

•	Goods held for hire or business consumables such as stationery.

•	Beer, wine, spirits and other alcoholic beverages subject to WST.

If you want to claim a credit you must be registered for GST by the 1st of July, 2000 and lodge your claim no later than the 22nd of January, 2001. The credit will be treated as an input credit for GST and must be shown separately in your GST return.

At the time of writing, the mechanism for this change had not been released by the ATO. However we do have a precedent with the reduction of wholesales from 32% to 22% on luxury goods on the 29th of July, 1999. At that time companies where able to claim a Tax credit on the difference between the purchase price of goods under the 32% tax regime and under a 22% tax regime.

1.	Before the 29th of July 1999 wholesalers would sell luxury goods for $100 plus 32% WST to retailers, so retailers paid $132.

2.	Now wholesalers sells the goods for $100 plus 22% WST to retailers, so retailers pay $122.

3.	Under the rebate scheme retailers claimed a rebate of $132 less $122 being $10.

The GST special credit scheme will work in a similar way where retailers will claim the entire WST paid—in this example $22. The government will receive its tax when the goods are sold by the retailers. The retailers would add 10% to the selling price, so goods selling for $200 would attract $20 in GST.

The challenge facing any business holding inventory on which WST has been paid will be calculating and substantiating the amount of WST already paid on those goods in inventory. Most businesses will need to count and value their stock, but this valuation should be free of any additional costs such as freight and insurance which were not subject to WST in the first place. Businesses which typically absorb freight, cartage, handling and other costs into inventory will need to subtract these costs from inventory and possibly work backwards to calculate the WST included in the inventory.

Once the WST only inclusive value of the inventory has been established, businesses can work backward to calculate the WST.

If inventory under this scheme had a value of $122, the WST charged can be calculated by:

Formula:

Tax charged = (22/122) x the tax inclusive price

(22/122) x $122 = $22

This $22 makes up the special GST Credit and once taken up, reduces the value of inventory to $122 less $22 = $100.

You may want to contact your accountant to assist you in understanding how this will affect your business.

To record the difference between the WST you have paid and the WST you have collected, you should create a general journal entry in FirstAccounts. As FirstAccounts uses what is formally known as a Periodic Inventory System, you can simply enter a General Journal entry, as illustrated in the following diagram:

This adjustment reduces the value of Inventory by $22 and reduces the GST Liability by $22.

Second-hand Goods & Special GST Credits


Second-hand Goods & Special GST Credits

In the same way that WST adjustments are allowed on inventory held at the 30th of June, 2000, second hand dealers can adjust the value of their stocks.

A second-hand dealer is entitled to an Input tax credit of 1/11th of the value of second-hand acquired goods held on the 30th of June, 2000 which are available for for sale or exchange on the 1st of July, 2000.

Back to GST Introduction


Frequently Asked Questions

•	Can I get ready for GST now?

•	Are GST setup costs tax deductible?

•	How is the government helping with the transition to GST?

•	Does everyone pay GST?

•	Are contractors more expensive to engage than employees?

•	Will I need to do a stocktake and stock valuation?

•	When will GST start?

•	Who has to register for GST?

•	Can I obtain an ABN without registering for GST?

•	How do I register for GST?

•	How often do I need to settle my GST obligations?

•	What is the Pay As You Go (PAYG) tax scheme?

•	My turnover is less than $50,000. Should I obtain an ABN register for GST?

•	What are the GST ramifications of Contracts that span the 1st of July, 2000?

•	How do I handle contracts that span the introduction of GST in FirstAccounts?

Can I get ready for GST now?

Yes. You can get started on the following right away:

•	Learn about Australia’s GST, how it works and what impact it will have on your business.

•	Identify your business supplies and activities that will be GST-free or Input Taxed.

•	Discuss critical issues such as what to do with contracts, the reduction in WST, and pricing, with your accountant.

•	Review your current contracts that span the introduction of GST, making sure you factor in, or include, GST into the price.

•	Determine the best remittance frequencies (quarterly or monthly) and methods (Cash or Accruals accounting) to suit the cash flow of your business.

•	Discuss registering for an ABN, and the consequences of it, with your accountant.

Are GST setup costs tax deductible?

The government has decided that some GST setup costs are deductible. Examples are computers and software purchased to implement the new systems. You should contact your tax accountant to ensure your costs are deductible.

How is the government helping with the transition to GST?

The government has allocated $500m to help small businesses, charities and education bodies make the transition to GST.

•	$40m will be allocated to GST education and information programs.

•	$130m will be allocated to assisting key industry and professional organisations to deliver assistance to their members.

•	$7m will be allocated to an "adviser education" programs to increase the number of people able to train others on business skills and the GST.

•	$320m will be allocated as direct assistance to individual enterprises to prepare for the GST.

•	$15.25m to help farmers with their transition to the GST.

Does everyone pay GST?

Yes, everyone pays GST.

Are contractors more expensive to engage than employees?

No. Although contractors will be required to add GST to their rates and employees will not add GST to their pays, if you are using contractors you will be able to claim input credits for the GST you pay the contractors. The real cost of contractors will remain the same.

Will I need to do a stocktake and stock valuation?

Yes. Accounting convention and the tax laws already expect you to perform a stock take at the end of a financial period, and this expectation will still be there when GST comes into effect. The major change will be in the value you give your stock. Unless you are tax exempt, your current stock includes a value component for the Wholesale Sales Tax you paid your supplier. The GST legislation allows you to claim an input credit for the Wholesale Sales Tax already paid. This means you will need to reduce the value of your stock by the value of the tax already paid. At the time of writing, the government has yet to release details about revaluing stock, but details are expected soon. We will be making available assistants and calculators.

When will GST start?

GST comes into effect on the 1st of July, 2000.

Who has to register for GST?

Businesses with a turnover of $50,000 or more must register for GST. Only registered businesses can add GST to the sale of goods and services. Input credits can only be claimed when a purchase is made from a registered business.

Can I obtain an ABN without registering for GST?

Yes, see “My turnover is less than $50,000. Should I obtain an ABN register for GST?" below.

How do I register for GST?

You can apply to register from November 1999 and you must register by 31 May 2000 to be part of the GST system on 1 July 2000. Registered business will be given an Australian Business Number which identifies you to the ATO and will be used for future dealings with other government departments.

How often do I need to settle my GST obligations?

If your business has an annual turnover of less than $20 million you can lodge your GST statement either monthly or quarterly. If your turnover is greater than $20 million, you must lodge your GST statement monthly.

What is the Pay As You Go (PAYG) tax scheme?

See “My turnover is less than $50,000. Should I obtain an ABN register for GST?”  below.

My turnover is less than $50,000. Should I obtain an ABN register for GST?

No simple answer can be given to this question, but these are some points you might want to consider when you talk to your accountant.

As well as introducing the GST legislation, the government will introduce the Pay As You Go (PAYG) tax collection system. This system will replace Pay As You Earn (PAYE), Prescribed Payments System (PPS), Reportable Payment System (RPS), Provisional Tax, Company Tax Instalments and a number of Withholding tax schemes. The PAYG system starts 1st July, 2000.

The PAYG can, in part be seen as an extension of the Prescribed Payments System (PPS). PPS is a system where some businesses who employ contractors are obliged to withhold part of the contractors fee for tax purposes, and remit the withheld tax to the ATO on account of the contractor’s tax. For example a contractor invoices a business $1,000. The business pays the contractor $800 and remits $200 to the ATO on behalf of the contractor. The contractor will apply the withheld tax against its own tax liability at the end of the year.

The PAYG system will introduce 3 new circumstances where tax must be withheld from payments:

•	Work or services provided under labour hire arrangements. This is applicable to businesses who hire staff, such as staff and temp agencies.

•	Where an entity and individual agree to withhold. This is applicable to businesses who agree that monies should be withheld.

•	Where an Australian Business Number (ABN) is not quoted in respect of an invoice of $50 or more for a GST taxable supply. This is the section which may impact a business’s decision to register.

Essentially this means a business purchasing a good or service which incurs GST (taxable supply) of $50 or more from a business without an ABN would be compelled to withhold part of the purchase price and remit this to the ATO. In addition, the business making the purchase would not be able to claim an input credit for the purchase. This, and a withholding rate of over 48% makes a compelling reason for anyone in business to seek an ABN.

Obtaining an ABN is not the same as registering for GST, but you will not be able to register for GST unless you have an ABN.

The decision to register for GST involves financial and business relationship decisions.

Ask yourself, would my customers still buy from me if my supply did not give them an Input Tax Credit? Some business may prefer knowing their entire supply will result in Input Tax Credits.

Failure to register may also result in a lower profit as you will not be able to take up Input Tax Credits. Registering should maintain your current profit as GST is a tax to the consumer, not on the business.

Consider this simple example:

Income	Costs	Profit

Pre GST

$100	$60	$40

Post GST

Unregistered

$100	$66	$34

Registered

$110	$66	$40

(Adjust $44 for $10 collect, less $6 input credit)

The reasons to register look compelling, but there are still reasons why a business might choose not to register.

A business may generally deal with customers who cannot use Input Tax Credits, so the words Tax Invoice, GST Included are irrelevant. An example may be a market stall business selling items of a personal nature.

Although FirstAccounts streamlines GST obligations, the ATO expect businesses to account for GST at least four times a year. This means businesses will be required to have their accounts up to date four times a year, while business outside the GST net will only need to ensure their accounts are up to date once a year for income tax purposes. However, having the accounts up to date four times a year may result in greater business efficiencies through the knowledge that up to date accounts bring.

We recommend that you consult your accountant before you make the decision to apply for an ABN.

What are the GST ramifications of Contracts that span the 1st of July, 2000?

The legislation attempts to bring into the GST net all contracts which are performed after the 30th of June, 2000 if the parties to the contract have the opportunity to alter, or take into account GST in the contract and the contract was entered into after the legislation was passed.

The legislation uses three critical dates:

•	Prior 2nd of December, 1998 - the day the legislation was passed

•	Between the 2nd of December and the 8th of July, 1999 - Royal assent

•	Between the 8th of July and 1st of July, 2000.

The legislation also takes into account the reviewable nature of the contracts to ascertain whether or not, a contract is GST-free.

This area is complicated and we suggest you seek advice from your accountant and/ or lawyer if you have contracts that may be affected.

How do I handle contracts that span the introduction of GST in FirstAccounts?

For sales already recorded in FirstAccounts that span past July 1, 2000:

Option One

1.	Calculate the total GST applicable to all recorded contracts in FirstAccounts.

2.	Create a General Journal entry.

•	Debit your Income account(s)

•	Credit your GST payable account

The result of Option One, is that your GST payable account will reflect the tax payable on these contracts, and your income will be reduced. You will need to include the tax amount when you remit your first payment of GST.

Option Two

1.	Calculate the GST for each individual sale.

2.	Display a recorded invoice and correct the values in the Amount column (deduct the GST amount).

3.	Enter “G” in the Tax column. (If you are already using G, select an unused tax code to represent GST tax).

4.	Click the Tax zoom arrow and enter the correct GST applicable to this invoice.

5.	Repeat this for all relevant invoices.

The result of Option Two, is that the GST payable on these invoices will be displayed in the Sales Tax Reports, and your linked Account for Tax Payable will increase. The balance owing on the invoice will not change.

These amounts should be included with your first GST remittance. When you remit your first payment of GST, use the Sales Tax reports to include the invoices that have been allocated to the “G” code prior to July 1.

For new sales you enter that span past July 1, 2000:

1.	Calculate the GST component of the sale.

2.	Enter the GST-exclusive amount in the Amount column.

3.	Enter “G” in the Tax column. (If you are already using G, select an unused tax code to represent GST tax).

4.	Click the Tax zoom arrow and enter the correct GST applicable to this invoice.

Using FirstAccounts with GST