Record bills and expenses

Use a bill when a supplier gives you time to pay. Use an expense for something you've already paid, such as fuel or office supplies bought on the spot.

Before you start

Purchases, with Suppliers, Bills and Expenses under it, shows when the Books service is on. If they're missing from your menu, press the account button at the foot of the menu, then Settings › Services. Tick Books and press Save services. Only the owner can do this.

Add your suppliers

Open Purchases › Suppliers. Under Add supplier, type the Supplier name. The email, phone and address are optional. If you also invoice this business, choose Customer and supplier under Used as. Press Add supplier.

Each supplier's row shows how many Bills you have from them and what you owe (Owed (TT$)). Press Edit to change their details, or New bill to start a bill from them.

Enter a bill

1. Open Purchases › Bills and press New bill. On the Accounting Overview, Bill beside Add does the same.
2. Choose the Supplier and type the Supplier invoice no. as it's printed on their bill.
3. Check the Bill date and choose the Due date.
4. Choose the Expense account: the account in your books the cost goes under, such as rent, utilities or office supplies. You have to choose one; nothing is picked for you.
5. Under Can you claim the VAT on this bill?, choose Yes, claim input VAT or No, VAT can't be claimed. Input VAT is the VAT you paid on a purchase. When you can claim it, it lowers the VAT you owe.
6. For each line, type the Description, Qty and Unit price (TT$), then choose the VAT treatment. Press Add line for another line.
7. Press Create draft.

Post the bill

A draft bill isn't in your books yet. To change it, edit it under Edit draft bill and press Save changes.

When it's correct, press Post bill, then Post bill again in the box. Posting records what you owe the supplier and locks the bill.

Record a payment on a bill

1. On the posted bill, press Record payment.
2. Amount paid (TT$) starts at the balance owed. Type a smaller amount for a part payment.
3. Check the Date paid and choose the Payment method.
4. Under Paid from, choose the bank or cash account the money came out of.
5. Type a cheque number or transfer reference in Payment reference (optional).
6. Press Record payment.

The bill then shows what you've Paid and the Balance owed. Once it's paid in full, the bill is marked Paid in the Bills list and on the bill itself.

Void a bill entered by mistake

If you've recorded payments on the bill, first press Reverse on each one, then Reverse payment. Then press Void bill, and Void bill again in the box.

The bill stays in your records but is no longer owed, and its entry in your books is reversed. You can't undo this.

Record an expense

Open Purchases › Expenses, or press Expense beside Add on the Accounting Overview. Fill in the New expense form at the top of the page:

1. Check the Date and type the Merchant.
2. Choose a Category, and type a Description and the Invoice number from the receipt.
3. Type the Amount. If it includes VAT, choose Yes (inclusive) under VAT inclusive.
4. Leave VAT rate (%) and Tax treatment as they are unless your accountant says otherwise. If you can't claim back the VAT on it, choose No under Input VAT claimable.
5. Choose the Expense account the cost goes under. Then choose the Payment account the money came from: only your bank, cash and card accounts are listed.
6. Under Receipts, press Take photo to photograph the receipt, or Choose files for a scan or PDF. You can add up to 10. PaySuite reads the first one and fills in what it can; those fields are marked From receipt. Check them before saving.
7. Press Create.

The expense is recorded as paid straight away. A message at the top of the page confirms the amount, merchant and date, and the expense appears in the list below the form. Press Edit to change it. To remove it, press Delete, then Delete expense: its entry in your books is reversed.

Match receipts from the inbox

Open Purchases › Receipts to keep receipts before you've entered their expense. Press Take photo, or Choose files for up to 50 at once.

Each receipt shows a Suggested expense or bill when its file name has the amount or invoice number. Press Attach to suggested, or pick one under Choose expense or bill and press Attach. Press Create expense from this to enter a new expense with the receipt already on it. Discard moves a receipt to Discarded, where it's kept for 30 days.

To send receipts by email, copy the address under Email receipts in and forward receipts to it from the email you sign in with. Add any other address you forward from, such as a personal Gmail, under Add an address. To forward from Gmail automatically, open Forward automatically from Gmail and follow the steps; Gmail's confirmation code appears on the same page.

Under Receipt rules, choose when an expense needs a receipt: Always, Over an amount or Never, and the categories that never need one. Expenses that need one and don't have it show as Missing. When there's genuinely no receipt, open the expense and press No receipt available, then type why.

Import expenses from a spreadsheet

To add many expenses at once, open Purchases › Expenses and press Import.

1. Choose where the file comes from: PaySuite template, Other spreadsheet or Bank or card statement. Press Template (.xlsx) for a file with the right columns and a list of your categories and accounts.
2. Under File to import, choose an Excel (.xlsx) or CSV file. To attach receipts too, put the spreadsheet and the receipt files in one ZIP and type each file's name in the Receipt file column.
3. Check that each field is matched to the right column, and that the date under Date format reads correctly. Press Check rows.
4. Rows with a problem say what's wrong. Press Fix to correct one, then Check, or fix the file and upload it again.
5. Press Import. The expenses are recorded as paid, and their receipts are attached.

To take an import back out, open it from Past imports and press Undo import. This works until any of its expenses is changed or deleted, or its month is closed.

Good to know

• Bills only count towards your VAT and your books once they're posted. A draft you no longer need can be removed with Delete in the Bills list.
• VAT is only recorded once the business owner switches it on in Settings › VAT, from the account button. Until then, the VAT fields are hidden or greyed out.
• To find a bill or an expense later, use the search box on the Accounting Overview. Type the supplier invoice number, or the merchant or description.

What's next

See these purchases in your VAT figures with VAT and tax forms.