In the Addresses view of the Accounts table, there are columns to manage the addresses of customers, suppliers or members.
Address data are essential in order to manage billing, reminders and to control receipts and payments.

If columns for managing address data are missing in the Accounts table, you can add them:

• Tools > Add/Remove functionalites > Add address columns in the Accounts table menu.

If IBAN column is missing, your accounting file has an old configuration and you need to convert it with the command Tools > Convert to new file...

In the Accounts table the command will add:

• The Address view which displays columns for entering address data.

To change the display or arrangement of the columns use the Setup columns command.

 The columns of the Address view

Prefix

Insert courtesy code (Mr., Mrs., Doctor or other).

First name

The name of the customer, supplier or member.

Family name

The name of the customer, supplier or member.

Organization

Enter the name of the company, of the association.

Street

The street where the customer, supplier or member resides.

Address extra

Column to enter other address data, such as the post office box, or to enter a very large address.

Postal Code /ZIP

The postal/ZIP code.

Locality

The name of the city of the customer, supplier or member.

Country

The nation inherent in the city.

Country Code

The country code.

Language

You can define the language for each customer, supplier or member account. This allows you to view and print the documents (eg invoice) in their language.
Indicate:

• de - for German
• fr - for French
• it - for Italian
• en - for English
• es - for Spanish
• nl - for Dutch
• zh - for Chinese
• pt - for Portuguese
• ru - for Russian
   

Main phone

Landline phone number

Mobile

Mobile phone number

Fax

Fax number

Email work

email address.

www

website address of the customer, supplier, association.

Birth

The date of birth of the customer, supplier, association.

Days

Enter a number of days within which the collection and payment must take place

Limit

If a credit is made, the credit limit is indicated, or the debit limit if it is a supplier.

Bank name

The name of the customer's, supplier's or member's bank.

IBAN

IBAN number of the customer's, supplier's or member's bank.

Bank clearing

The identification code of the customer bank, supplier or member.

Introduction

Banana Accounting allows you to manage the customers both on an accrual or cash method. A detailed explanation is available at the page Accounting with accrual or cash method.

The following explains how to set up separate accounts for each customer and a group for customers, so that you can have a list of separate invoices per customer available.

In case you only have few invoices and don't want to keep a detail per customer, you may also keep one single account only to record all customer invoices. The list of invoices will thus apply for all customers and not for any single customer.

Setting up the Customers' register

• A * section (header)  (see Sections)
• A 01 section for the Customers (see Sections)
• The Customers accounts that are required (see Adding a new account). Each customer will be allocated one row in the Chart of Accounts and a his/her single account number.  Account numbers is at your discretion (see Accounts) it is however advisable to use numbers only, especially for the management of payments.
• A group where all customer accounts are totaled.
• This group, in turn, is totaled into a group present in the Assets.

Alternatively, customer accounts and/or groups can be entered directly in the assets section.

• The total for Customers will be totaled in the summary group 110A of the Sum in column.
• The same code or number used in the Sum in column (110A), must be used in the Assets Group column, in the row corresponding to the Total Customers of the Balance Sheet.
• The groups' numbering can be freely chosen (see Groups).

Recording an issued invoice

The issued invoice is registered by entering the following data in the respective columns:

• Date of the invoice and any document number
• Invoice number - It is very important to enter the invoice number in the Invoice column, because it is used to automate the various customer reports and to automatically close the customer's open invoice when recording the payment.
• Customer account in Debit and Revenue account in Credit
• The VAT code corresponding to the sale.

Recording a payment

There are two ways to record the collection of a customer invoice:

1. Manual recording of customer invoice collection.
2.  Automatic recording with data import from account statement in ISO 20022 format.

The collection of a customer invoice is recorded by entering the following data in the respective columns:

• In the Date column enter the transaction date
• In the Type column enter 11 (customer payment)
  Note: If an advance payment is to be recorded by the customer and is to appear on the invoice, the cell in the Type column must remain empty. 
• In the Invoice column enter the paid invoice number.
  • With a double-click on the cell, the program will show a list of all open invoices.
    Alternatively, you may also press the F2 button. If the F2 button doesn't work, you need to activate your customers/suppliers settings, by entering your customers register group, via the Reports menu → Customers → Settings.
  • Select the number of the paid invoice. The program will automatically enter:
    • In the Description column, the payment description
    • In the the Credit account column, the customer account number
    • In the Amount column, the invoice amount.
      If the entered amount does not include VAT and the customers are set up as cost centers, you must configure the cost centers correctly to use the amount with VAT in File and accounting properties (basic data), VAT/Sales tax tab. See also VAT amount with cost and profit centers.
• In the Debit column, you must manually enter the conra account (the bank account where the amount has been credited).

Recording a credit note

In order for the amount to be deducted from the initial invoice, the same invoice number must be used.

• If the adjustment document (for example a credit note) has a different numbering that you still need to keep available, write this reference in another column, for example Doc Original.
• Enter data for the columns Date, Doc., Original Doc, Description
• The VAT Code must be preceded by the minus sign "-" so that the VAT operation is reversed, or use a specific VAT Code for debit notes (set in the VAT Codes table).

Note: to print the credit note to be sent to the customer, it is necessary to indicate in the DocType: 12 column, see Entering a credit note.

It is possible to manage the customers/suppliers register, even when using the cash method, as with the Cost and Profit Centers.

• We advise you to use the CC3 cost center (where the accounts are preceded by a semi-colon ";") to set up the customer and supplier register
• Set up the customers group via Reports → Customers → Settings.

For all Swiss users who manage the VAT on cash received, this setup is the best to manage the VAT. This setting allows to manage VAT optimally and to know the details for customers and suppliers.

By using this setup, the cost center balances for customers and suppliers will not appear in the Balance Sheet, but you will have all data and reports for internal purposes.

 How to record when issuing an invoice

When you issue an invoice, record it as follows:

• In the Date column, enter the date of the invoice.
• In the Doc column, enter the document number if available.
• In the Invoice column, enter the invoice number.
• In the Description column, enter a description.
• In the Debit, Credit and VAT Code columns, do not enter any data.
• In the Amount column, insert the gross amount without any VAT code.
  The VAT code in the case of cash management is recorded when the invoice is collected.
• In the CC3 column, insert the CC3 account of the client without the ";" (ex. 10004).

 How to record when an invoice is paid

When you collect an invoice, record it as follows:

• In the Date column, enter the date the invoice was collected.
• In the Doc column, enter the document number if available.
• In the Invoice column, enter the invoice number collected.
• In the Description column, enter a description.
• In the Debit column, enter the bank account (or other cash account).
• In the Credit column, enter the revenue account corresponding to the invoice.
• In the Amount column, enter the gross amount.
• In the VAT Code column, enter the VAT code of the invoiced sales or service.
• In the CC3 column, enter the customer's CC3 account without the ";", with the minus sign "-" in front of the account (e.g. -10004).

In Integrated invoicing with Income/Expense accounting, with a customer ledger configured with profit centres, the option Record (+/-) cost centres as category should not be activated, as the account and category are not indicated when the invoice is issued.

More information can be found on page Clients and suppliers with VAT, using the Cash method.

 How to record a credit note with cash method

For the amount to be deducted from the initial invoice, the same invoice number must be used.

•  If the adjusting document (e.g. a credit note) has a different number, which you must still keep, write this reference in another column, e.g. Doc. Original
• Enter the data for the Date, Original Document, Description columns
• Leave the Debit and Credit columns blank
• Enter the amount and in column CC3, enter the customer's cost centre with a - sign.

N.B: In order to print the credit note to be sent to the customer, you must indicate in the column TypeDoc: 12, see Credit notes.

To activate the options in the Customers menu, you need to set the customer group via the menu Reports → Customers → Settings menu.

The functions related to customers are explained below, but also apply to those of suppliers (Reports → Suppliers → Settings). the dialogues that follow are identical for both customer and supplier functionalities.

Without the indication of the group in the settings of the Customers menu, all functions are disabled.

General

Group or account

Select the generic group or account that contains the Customers or Suppliers list. The group or the account needs to be already present in the Accounts table.

For further details on customers or suppliers settings see:

• Setting up the Customers' register and Setting up the Suppliers' register (accrual method).
• Setting up the Customers' register and Setting up the Suppliers' register (cash method).

Due date invoices (in days)

The program uses the following order of priority to calculate the invoice deadline:

• The due date if you entered it in the transaction row.
  If there are several dates for the same invoice number, the program takes into consideration the most recent one.
• If the number of days is indicated in the PaymentTermInDays column of the Accounts table, the transaction date is incremented by the number of days set.
• The date of the transaction is incremented by the days indicated in the settings dialog box.

Include transactions from previous (years)

•  If 0, the program will not display invoices from the previous year, but only the opening balances of the customer account.
•  If 1, the program will also include the invoices of the previous year in the customer card.
•  If 2 or more, the program will also include invoices from years before in the customer card.

Advanced

Link to the invoice document

You can save invoices (pdf, doc or other) and insert the link in the Link to invoice document cell. In the Transactions table, Invoice column, the program will open the document if the invoice number is indicated, allowing access to the content.

The link may contain:

• The XML name <DocInvoice> or the name of another column contained between <>. 
  If you use the  "<DocInvoice>.pdf" command and you are on the row with invoice number 100, the program will try to open the "100.pdf" file. You can also prefix the filename with the name of a directory.
• Any file name extension can be used. This extension must, however, be included in the list of file extensions considered safe (Tools- Program options-Advanced).
• It is also possible to indicate a path preceding the field name, that contains the name of the document to be opened.
• With the "c:\temp\<DocInvoice>.pdf" link and the invoice number 100, the program proceeds to open the file c:\temp\100.pdf.
• The name of the directory is relative to the directory where the file is located.

Alternative text for payment auto-completion (Payment %1)

The entry of a payment for an invoice can be facilitated by the auto-completion of the payment, which can be activated via the F2 key in the Invoice field of the Entries table.

The auto-completion completes the entry columns such as invoice number, description, amount, accounts. In the Description column, it is possible to edit the text 'Payment' followed by the description of the first line of the invoice (%1), indicating the desired text.

Invoice rounding (base currency)

Indicate the minimum amount for rounding the invoice total. For example:
0.01 rounds the invoice total to the nearest cent, 0.10 rounds to the nearest 10 cents.

If the field is empty, the invoice total in CHF is rounded to the nearest 5 cents, for other currencies rounding is to the nearest cent.

Disable auto-completion of invoice data

This option is usually deactivated when there are many entries in the accounts and the data entry is slowed down by the display of the list of open invoices in the Invoice field of the Entries table.

Disable automatic compensation of open invoices with opening balances

Automatic compensation (or settlement) refers to the process where the opening balance of the account is used to offset open invoices. When the opening balance can fully cover the amounts in the transaction table, the invoices are considered paid, and their status will be marked as "paidOpening." If the opening balance is insufficient to cover the invoices, they will remain open.

Disabling this function means that the system will no longer use the opening balance to offset open invoices. As a result, the opening balance will be displayed separately from the invoices in the invoice list.

If you wish to offset an invoice with the opening balance, regardless of the 'Disable automatic compensation' option, simply enter 'openBalance' in the invoice number field.

Opening an invoice document

• Position yourself in the Invoice column of the transaction row related to the invoice you wish to open
• Open the context menu with the right mouse button
• Select the Open Invoice Link command.

Below we will explain some very important features and settings to best manage your customers, to speed up the work and get the reports correctly.

• Displaying the Invoice column in the Transactions table
• Auto-complete of invoice data
• Extract invoice rows and Open invoice link commands
• Activating the Address columns (optional)
• Setting up the expiration date for invoices
• Setting up the Customers' parameters
   

 Displaying the Invoice column in the Transactions table

If the Invoice column is not displayed in the Transactions table, it can be activated via the Data Menu → Columns setup → Invoice Doc column.

It is very important to enter the invoice number for various program automatism that concern the processing of the various reports and the closing of the amount in the customer card when the invoice is collected.

Access the invoice saved in pdf format by clicking on the cell in the Invoice column.

 Auto-complete of invoice data

When a payment is being recorded or an issued invoice is being corrected, the program offers suggestions to complete the transaction automatically. Proceed as follows:

• Create a new transaction row and add the date and the eventual document number.
• Press the F2 key in the Invoice column :
  • The list of still open invoices will appear. If you type an invoice number or a customer number, the list will be filtered according to the entered text.
  • Select the invoice you want from the list and press Enter. The program will automatically complete the registration with the description, the debit or credit account and the amount. The data can of course also be changed manually.
• In addition to the date, it is also possible to indicate the customer account before pressing F2 to display the list of open invoices, in this case the list will be filtered with the customer account present in the transaction row.

Note

The list displayed in the Invoice column includes both the Customers' and Suppliers' invoices. A supplier's invoice may have the same number as the invoice of another supplier, because the criterion for display takes into consideration the invoice number besides the Supplier's account number. 
 

 Extract invoice rows and Open invoice link commands

The Extract invoice rows command displays the transactions for the selected invoice.
The command is available by clicking on the small blue icon at the upper right corner of the cell or with the right mouse button.

The Open Invoice link command provides the text, as defined in the Customers' settings (Reports - Customers - Settings - Advanced - Link to the Invoice document).

On the command line, you can also indicate other columns in the table using their XML name.

If the message 'File with extension considered unsafe' appears, add the extension (for example .doc) using the Tools - Program options, Advanced, File extension command.

 Activating the Address columns (optional)

It is possible to add some specific columns in the Chart of Accounts, to insert the address and other customers data:

• Choose the Tools → Add new functionalities command from the menu
• Choose the Add addresses columns in the Accounts table command
  (If you don't see this option in the list, it means that this function has already been activated).

In the Accounts table, the program will add :

• An Address view, where the added columns are made visible.
• The columns that allow the insertion of the address data and other information.
  • To display one or more of these columns, use the Columns setup command from the Data menu.
  • To create other views with only selected columns, use the Tables setup command (Data menu).

Select  Accounts table, Address view and add the required information to the customers' accounts.

 Setting up the expiry date for invoices

To set / modify invoice expiration dates, you may act on three levels, where higher priority is given to the first one. Expiration data will be displayed in the payments schedule and printed out on the invoice document.

1. level - setting the expiry date on an individual invoice

In the row of the Transactions table, where your invoice is entered, you will find an Date Exp. column when using the Due Date view. If a date is set up, it will have priority over dates set up on the 2nd or 3rd level.

2. level - setting the expiry date on an individual customer/supplier account

In order to set up an expiration date on a customer level, for example +20 days after issuance of the invoice, select the account in the Accounts table, using the Address view, go to the Days Column  (PaymentTermInDays) to set up the number of days to be used.

3. level - general setup

Expiration dates applying to all Customers/Suppliers can be set up via menu Reports → Customers → Settings.

 Setting up the Customers' parameters

• Select the Reports → Customers → Settings command
• Please indicate the group of the Chart of Accounts in which the different customers' accounts are grouped in "Group or account".
• For an explanation of the different options, go to Customers and Suppliers settings.

Displaying invoices issued to customers

Reports menu → Customers → Invoices issued to customers...

This dialog box is identical for both Customers and Suppliers functionalities.
The following explains the functions related to customers, but they also apply to suppliers.

All customers

Displays the account statement of all customers belonging to the group, as defined in the Customers and Suppliers settings.

Select a single customer

Displays the account statement for the customer selected belonging to the group defined in the Customers and Suppliers settings.

Displaying open invoices

Command: Reports → Customers → Open invoices by customer

 Invoices showing an open balance are being listed in this table.

For multi-currency accounting, if there are unposted exchange rate differences for a particular customer, an 'Adjustment exchange rate differences' line will be displayed that balances the balance in the open invoice list with the balance on the account card.

Displaying overdue invoices

Command: Reports → Customers → Open invoices by due date

In this table, invoices showing an open balance are being listed, filtered by due date.

The due date of an invoice can be set in different ways. More information can be found on the following page: Due dates and payment terms.

To view this window, it is necessary to configure customer settings.

Access the printing of the statements via the menu Reports > Customers > Print statements.

It is essential to install the Customer Statement layout for printing the statement. There are two ways:

• From the Extensions menu > Manage extensions   select the Customer Statement layout from the list of the extensions and click onto button Install. 
• From the menu Reports > Customers > Print statements > More layouts select the Customer statement layout.

Statement date

This is the date printed on the statement. It is not possible to set up a date prior to the date of the last existing transaction.

Layout

The styles allow you to change the print layout.

Export PDF

The programme displays a preview of the extracts, with the Export PDF command you can then create the file containing all extracts or PDFs for each extract.

Feature available with Banana Accounting Plus - any plan (excluding Free plan limitations)

The printing of Payment reminders is accessed from the Reports menu > Customers > Print reminders.

The program automatically creates payment reminders from past due invoices.

• In addition to the printouts, the program directly creates the transactions in the Transactions table, which are used to recreate the issued reminders history.
• These transactions show the document date and the document Type: 16-1 first reminder, 16-2 second reminder and 16-3 third reminder.

Use last payment reminders

If in the Transactions table there are reminder transactions with the indicated date, the program will suggest to print these reminders.

Create new payment reminders

For all invoices that have expired, automatic reminder transactions are created in the Transactions table, which allow the printing of reminders.

Payment reminders

The program will show the expired invoices, which you can deactivate if you do not wish to send the reminder.

Template

Two reminder templates are available, one with a logo and one without (see Logo setup)  . It is not possible to include the payment slip, insert notes and free texts.If you need the payment slip, use the Print Reminders Invoices dialogue.

Manage extensions

To update the templates with the latest ones or to add your own custom templates go to the Extensions menu.
It allows you to set the parameters of the selected style.

Customers & Suppliers Management

In order to automatically manage the invoices issued or received, we advise you to use the Customers Menu and the Suppliers Menu.

Associate an expiry date to a transaction

As an alternative to the customers and suppliers management, or for simpler checking purposes, you can also enter the payment date manually in the transaction row, in the Date Payment column.

This is an operating mode that consents simplified checkup.

With the Data menu → Columns Setup command, you should display the Date Exp. and Date Pay columns.

You should then enter the invoice expiration date in the Date Exp. column, and the invoice payment date in the Date Pay. column, when the payment is being recorded.

The due date of an invoice can be set in different ways. More information can be found on the following page: Due dates and payment terms.

Show expiry dates

With the Show expiry dates command of the Actions menu, the program displays in the Expiry dates table the transaction rows  that have a due date and no payment date.

To obtain an automatic expiration schedule (Customer and Supplier open positions), see the List of customer invoices page.

• ▶ Video Invoicing integrated into accounting

Creating invoices

The Transactions table is the heart of Banana Accounting and is also used to issue invoices. Nothing could be simpler: To create an invoice, enter a normal transaction that charges the customer.

Banana Accounting also allows you to create invoices in foreign currency.

The main columns for invoicing:

• Date - Invoice date
• Invoice - The invoice number.
• Description - Description of the item to be invoiced.
  If there is more than one item to be invoiced, use another row that has the same customer number.
• Debit - Customer account.
• Credit - Profit account.
• Amount - Invoice amount 
  You can also indicate the quantity, the unit price and the programme calculates the amount.
• VAT code- VAT code of the profit

Advantages

With Banana Accounting's integrated invoicing you simplify your administrative work, reducing the time needed to manage invoices, customers and accounting transactions:

• Invoice transactions are always the same for both invoicing and accounting, reducing the possibility of errors and omissions.
• Banana Accounting automatically generates the related accounting documents, such as VAT registers, customer accounts, receipts registers.
• You have a more accurate and real-time view of your customers with constantly updated balances.   
• Lots of automation to make your work easy and with immediate professional results:
  • Automatic retrieval of addresses from contacts so that the data do not have to be re-entered on the invoice.
  • No manual calculations. All calculations are automatic, always accurate and up-to-date.
  • Setting of the language, currency, number of decimals and rounding for each individual invoice.
  • Deadline display.
  • Invoice archiving for a tidy history that is always available for tax audits.
     

Differences with the Estimates and Invoices application

Integrated invoicing is an additional feature included in all accounting applications: double-entry, Income / Expense, Multicurrency, Cash Manager.

Integrated invoicing is ideal for billing services or sales without the need for many structured details on the invoice.

• The elements and details for invoices (such as quantities, prices, units, etc.) are recorded solely in the Transactions table. In the Estimates and Invoices application, there is a Invoices table with an Invoice Dialog where various columns and options are available to detail the various items and data to be inserted. In this aspect, the Estimates and Invoices application is much more flexible and comprehensive because it allows for greater customization.
• In the Transactions table, in addition to the data for invoicing, by entering the Debit and Credit account, the registration remains accounted for in the accounting file without the need to register the invoice subsequently. This is ideal for managing revenue accounting.
  In Estimates and Invoices, the data is not accounted for, so it is necessary to register the invoice in the accounting file. 
• In integrated invoicing, it's not possible to create offers. However, it is possible to create and print an invoice with the title "Estimate" (instead of "Invoice.")
  The Estimates and Invoices application is specific for creating also Estimates. 

Items Table

The Items Table allows you to manage the article catalogue, keep track of available quantities, sales and purchase prices.

Data for managing articles or services to be invoiced are entered in this table. Each article is assigned an ID, and groupings of articles and services in the same category can be created.
Various columns are available for complete and detailed information:

• Article (IdArticle): the code of the article.
• Description: the description of the article.
• Group membership
• Account (for accounting)
• VAT code of the sale
• Unit: an abbreviation to define the type to which the quantity refers (pieces, hours...)
• Sale: the unit sales price.
• Purchase cost.

The Items table is linked to the Items columns of the Transactions table.

The use of the Articles table speeds up the entry of invoice data into the Transactions table. By entering the ID (article code), the programme automatically takes over the description, unit and unit price. By entering the Quantity, the total price to be invoiced is calculated and entered.

Print invoice with Swiss QR Bulletin

After entering the invoice data in the Transactions table, you can create and print invoices with the Print Layouts.

From the Menu,  Reports > Customers > Print Invoices:

• Choose CH10 Invoice layout with Swiss QR Code for Switzerland
• Customise your printing. More customisation is possible with the Advanced plan.
• Preview the invoice. You can save it as a PDF and send it electronically or print it.

If you use this layout, the bulletin with Swiss QR will be printed on the invoice and the reference data will appear on the statements. You can import customer payment data from the bank with the Bank statement extension Camt ISO 20022 Switzerland (Banana+). You have invoice receipts under control.

It is possible to print the invoice with a QR bulletin even without an amount and without an address, leaving an empty box to manually insert the data. More information is available on the QR-Code Customization page, section Include/Exclude from printing.

With the same registration, from the Print Invoices dialogue box, under Preferences Layout > Print as you can also choose to print Delivery Notes, Offers and Reminders.

Print International Invoices

After entering the invoice data in the Transactions table, you can create and print invoices with the Print Layouts.

From the Menu,  Reports > Customers > Print Invoices:

• Choose the Layout 11 programmable Invoice
• Customise your printing. More customisation is possible with the Advanced plan.
• Preview the invoice. You can save it as a PDF and send it electronically or print it.

With the same registration, from the Print Invoices dialogue box, under Preferences Layout > Print as you can also choose to print Delivery Notes, Offers and Reminders.

Invoice Structure

In this image you can see how the invoice is structured:

				Logo Insert a personalized logo from menu file → Logo setup
				Heading The heading of the invoice will be identical to the one entered  menu File → File and accounting properties → Address tab
				Customer Address The customer's address will be retrieved from Accounts table, see Setting up customer accounts.
				Invoice data The contents of the invoice must be entered in the Transactions table, learn how to enter invoices.
				Free texts Insert begin text, notes and greetings using the Column Type, and ending texts from menu Reports→ Clients → Print Invoices → Option layout.
				Settings Swiss QR-Code Settings can only be defined for Switzerland and with the [CH10] Swiss QR Code layout .

Customer Management

Customer Management allows you to record, organise and manage customer information, keeping track of customer transactions and payments, payment due dates and contact information. You can track customer payments, update the payment status of issued invoices as well as enter and print invoices.

In Banana Accounting the customer data is set up in the Accounts table.

In order to create invoices, it is necessary to:

• Define the Customer Register
  • Customer register with accrual method management 
  • Customer register with cash method management 
• Create invoices, entering the transactions in the Transactions table, debiting the customer's account.

With a range of functions you can manage the:

• Invoice collections by entering them in the Transactions table:
  • Manual entry of collection
  • Automatic entry by importing transactions from ISO 20022 statements. With the use of Rules, the programme enters the complete booking, entering all data, without any manual intervention.
• Reminders
  • With the payment reminder Layout
  • With the invoice Layout

Creating an invoice from a profit centre

When the customer ledger is set up with profit centres (cash method management), the profit centre column CC3 is used in the invoice transactions.

In the appropriate columns of the Transactions table indicate:

• The date.
• The invoice number.
• The description of the invoice item, which you want to appear on the invoice.
  If there is more than one item to be invoiced, use another row with the same customer number.
• In the Debit account do not record any account
• In the Credit account do not record any account
• The amount. You can also enter the quantity and the unit price and the programme will calculate the amount.
• In column CC3 enter the customer's profit centre account (Accounts table).

 Features currently not available

These features, although requested by some users, are not available at the moment:

• Automated invoice sending by email.
• Creation of estimates.
  The programme allows you to print an invoice with the indication 'Estimate'.
• Creation of delivery notes.
  The programme allows an invoice to be printed with the indication 'Delivery Note'.
• Link with Inventory application.
• Link with Timesheet.
• Creation of invoices in foreign currency with VAT in base currency (e.g. invoices in EUR with VAT in CHF).
   

If you want to issue invoices separately from accounting (useful for cash accounting) and also prepare estimates, you may use: 

• Estimates and Invoices application.

This also allows you to add additional information more easily.

Full list of features currently not available in Banana+

Insights

• Invoice printing and VAT (based on turnover and cash received) 
• Set customer language in invoices
• Due dates and payment terms
• All extensions with QR invoicing

Related topics:

• Example file in Income/Expense accounting
• Example file invoices in Double-entry accounting
• Example file invoices using Cost centers
  Useful for registering invoice with VAT on the cash-in basis (with customer and supplier accounts as cost centres CC3) or if you want to exclude invoice details from the balance sheet accounts.

Introduction

In Banana Accounting it is possible to manage suppliers both with the accrual and cash method. A detailed explanation is available on the accounting with the accrual or cash principle page.

Below we explain how to set up the group and supplier accounts, so that you can have a separate invoice list for each supplier.

If you have few invoices and do not want to keep a detail by supplier, it is also possible to have only one account where all the invoices of the suppliers are recorded. In this case, the list of invoices will be grouped by all suppliers and not by a single supplier.

Setting up the Suppliers' register

To create the Suppliers' register, add at the end of the Chart of accounts:

• A* section (header)  (see Sections)
• A 02 section for suppliers (see Sections)
• The Suppliers' accounts that are needed (see Adding a new account). Each supplier is entered on a row of the Chart of Accounts and has its own account number. The account numbering can be freely chosen (see Accounts), however it is recommended to use only numbers, in particular for the management of payments.
• A group where all the accounts payable are totaled.
• This group is in turn totaled into a group present in the liabilities.

• The total Suppliers will be totaled in the 200A summary group of the Sum in column.
• The same code or number used for the Gr (200A), must be used in the Liabilities Group column, in the row corresponding to the Total Suppliers. The groups numbering can be freely chosen (see Groups).

Record a received invoice

 Record a payment

• Enter the transaction date
• Position yourself on the Invoice field and press the F2 key or double click on the cell.
  The list of open invoices will be displayed.
• Select the paid supplier invoice and press Enter.
  The program will complete the transaction with the Description, Debit Account and Amount fields. As long as the contra account is not entered, the program will report the difference in the transactions.

Record a credit note

The same invoice number must be used for the amount to be deducted from the initial invoice. If the adjustment document (for example a credit note) has a different numbering that you still need to keep available, write this reference in another column, for example DocOriginal.

Set up the suppliers register with the cost centers

For Swiss users who have VAT on their receipts, this setting allows you to manage VAT in an optimal way.

It is possible to manage the customers and suppliers register as cost centers (see also the Cost and Profit Centers page). A detailed explanation is available on the Accounting page on accrual or cash method.

• It is advisable to use the cost center CC3 (accounts preceded by a semicolon ";")
• The balances of the cost centers will therefore not appear in the balance sheet.

Transactions

The information is available on the Customers and suppliers page with VAT using the cash principle.

The various functions listed use the same methods as those used for clients. For further information, please refer to the relevant client pages.

View the Invoice column in the Transactions table

See Clients - Display Invoice columns.

Auto-complete

See Clients - Auto-complete.

Extract invoice rows and open invoice link commands

Vedi Clients - Extract invoice rows commands.

Activating the Address columns (optional)

See Clients - Address column setup.

Configure supplier settings

• Select the Reports → Suppliers → Settings command. 
• It is important to indicate in the "Group or account", the group of the chart of accounts where the various accounts of the suppliers are grouped.
• For explications of the different options see Customers/Suppliers settings.

Displaying invoices received

Command: Reports → Suppliers → Open invoices by supplier.
All invoices that belong to the supplier register or to an individual supplier are displayed in this table.

Displaying the open invoices

Command: Reports → Suppliers → Open supplier invoices

In this table, only invoices that have an open balance are being listed.

For multi-currency accounting, if there are unrecorded exchange rate differences for a particular supplier, an 'Adjustment exchange rate differences' line will be displayed that balances the balance in the open invoice list with the balance on the account card.

Displaying invoices by due date

Command: Reports → Suppliers → Open supplier invoices  by due date

Only invoices that have an open balance, are displayed in this table, grouped by due period.

The command Reports→ Suppliers→ Create payment file creates an XML message collecting information from payment data objects.

See How to create the payment file (pain.001)

The Reports→ Suppliers→ Scan QR-code command displays the Scan code dialog,which allows you to enter one or more QR codes and create the accounting entries and related payment files from these data.

We tested the functionality with the Datalogic QuickScan reader (more on scanner configuration). 

It is also possible to scan the QR-Codes with a mobile app, copy the data to the clipboard and paste them into the Banana Scan code dialog.  You can search for an app that scans QR codes and saves them to the clipboard in the Apple or Android store. Our company does not provide or publish any software of this type.

If you have multiple QR codes to scan, use the Next Scan button after each scan. 

If you are picking up a list of QR codes from the clipboard, they must be separated by semicolons, without adding spaces or line breaks (...EDP;SPC...).

To automatically retrieve the supplier's account number, you must correctly specify the supplier's name in the Organization column of the Accounts table, Address view. The text in the Organization column must exactly match the name indicated in the QR code.

Configure and Use QR Code Scanner

1. Configure and connect the scanner.
2. In Banana, select the command Reports > Suppliers > Scan QRCode (Ctrl+8) and place the cursor in the input field.
3. Press the button on the scanner.
4. The scan dialog will be automatically filled in.
5. Complete the process.

Configure and Use Mobile App

1. Install the mobile app, scan QR codes with the app, and save the data to the clipboard.
2. Transfer the saved text to your computer with Banana (e.g., via email or AirDrop).
3. In Banana, select the command Reports > Suppliers > Scan QRCode (Ctrl+8) and place the cursor in the input field.
4. Paste the copied text into the scan dialog.
5. Complete the process.

The command Reports→ Suppliers→ List of payments display all payments included in payment files. Payment data are not included.

Payment List

In the section of each country you will find the most specific documentation on VAT.
English not being an official language, you will be redirected to the relevant pages in official languages for Switzerland.

• VAT management for Swizerland
  Information pages specific to Switzerland:
  • Swiss VAT codes table.
  • How to register VAT.
  • Prepare the VAT return.
  • Use the Swiss VAT Extension.
• VAT management for Italy
• Information pages specific to Italy:
  • Italian VAT codes table.
  • How to register VAT.
  • Prepare the VAT return.
  • Use the Italian VAT Extension.

Extensions for national VAT reports

For some countries there are Extensions that can be easily installed and allow you to print or export the VAT report in the format required by the authorities.

Each country's VAT extensions work in conjunction with the country's VAT Codes table.

VAT (Value-added Tax) is a tax that weighs on the final consumer. Every VAT subject must calculate and periodically deposit the tax to the Revenues Authority.

Every country has its own VAT rates that are established in different percentages depending on the type of merchandise or service. Certain merchandise and services are exempt or excluded.

The percentages vary according to the financial necessity of the country; therefore, there can be changes over the years.
 

VAT rate

In this document, to make calculations easier, we will use the following rates:

• 10 % normal rate
• 5% reduced rate
• 0% excluded operations or exempt operations
   

VAT calculation

Net Price x VAT Percentage / 100 = VAT Amount

Example:
Net price 300
Tax rate 10%
VAT amount = 300 x 10 / 100 = 30
 

Gross price calculation

Net price + VAT Amount = Gross Price

Example:
300 + 30 =  330

Sometimes the gross amount is known and it is necessary to find the net and VAT amounts.

Net price calculation

Gross Price / (100 + VAT rate) x 100 = Net Price

Example:
330 / (100 + 10) x 100 = 300

The net price represents the cost (purchase) or the revenue (sale) of the company
 

VAT amount calculation

Gross Price - Net Price = VAT Amount

Example:
330 - 300 = 30

or

330 - [330 / (100 + 10) x 100] = 30

The VAT amount represents the debit (sales) or the credit (purchases) towards the Revenues Authority.
 

VAT rate calculation

VAT Amount  / Net Amount x 100  = VAT Rate

Example:
30 / 300 x 100 = 10%

or

[330 - 330 / (100 + 10) x 100]/100 = 10%

Another example:
20 / 400 x 100 = 5%

This way of calculating is used when the rate is not known.

This tab will only appear if an accounting template with VAT/Sales tax management is selected.

The VAT section for setting up VAT accounts is accessed via the File menu > File properties (basic data) > VAT/Sales tax tab.

VAT Account

The automatic breakdown VAT account, present in the chart of accounts, is set by default. For Swiss users it corresponds to the VAT according to VAT report. In this case it is not necessary to enter the VAT account in the VAT Code Table.

With the setting of the automatic breakdown VAT account only, all the VAT amounts, both of the sales and of the purchases, flow respectively into the credit and debit of this account and it is not necessary to set up the recoverable VAT account. At the end of the quarter, the balance of the automatic breakdown VAT account is turned over to the VAT payable account (or Inland Revenue VAT account).

Recoverable VAT Account

If the automatic breakdown VAT account is not set up as the only VAT account, the recoverable VAT account is set up. In this case it is not necessary to enter the account in the VAT Codes table.

VAT rounding

It is defined how the VAT amounts must be rounded; for example, if you enter 0.05, the VAT amounts are rounded to multiples of 0.05.

Cost centers 1 (CC1), 2 (CC2), 3 (CC3)

For each type of Cost Center it is possible to choose which amount to use for registration in the cost center:

• Use the transaction amount.
• Use the amount with VAT included
  (In the case of cost centers used for customer or supplier accounts)
• use the amount without VAT
  Setting whether the cost center is used for costs or revenues.

Note

if one of these parameters is changed, the accounting will have to be recalculated.

Related documents:

• VAT Management
• Cost and Profit Centers

The settings in the VAT Codes table allow you to define all the parameters necessary to manage the procedures for registering with VAT. The settings concern:

• VAT due or recoverable.
• Transaction amount recorded as net, gross, or VAT amount at 100% (Customs VAT).
• Percentage of applicable VAT rates.
• The account in which VAT is be recorded.
• Special rounding off for each code.
• Grouping and totaling method.

The VAT Codes table has a Base view and a Complete view. The difference between the two is the fact that the Complete view presents several columns that are not available in the Base view. 

Calculation method

The parameters indicated in the VAT Codes table are being used to calculate the VAT of the individual transactions. 
The parameters established in the VAT Codes table cannot be changed in the transactions. This modality guarantees that the VAT calculations are correct and consistent.
Please note: if the values of a VAT Code, which has already been used in the transactions, are being modified, the changes are not active immediately; in this case it is necessary to use the Actions > Check accounting command.
When modifying the VAT table, the program, as a precaution, displays a message in the Info window inviting for a complete recalculation.

The following Table refers to the codes being used according to the Swiss legislation:

Detailed description of the columns

In the following columns, insert the following data:

• Group: an abbreviation or a number that indicates the group to which the codes belong.
  For more information on the grouping system, please refer to the Grouping System page. 
• VAT Code:
  • Normal VAT codes.
    The abbreviation to identify and resume the VAT code in the registrations.
  • Codes preceded by a colon ":" :
    They are not VAT codes. They are used in the Transactions table to specify VAT cases in greater detail (ex.: in Reverse charge transactions, two VAT codes are used at the same time, separated by ":", so that the program can calculate the VAT amount payable and receivable).
• Description: a text for the description of the VAT Code or the group.
• Disable:
  Allows you to disable VAT codes that are not used. Facilitates data entry in the Transactions table.
  • 1 - the VAT code is not visible in the auto-completion list (Transactions table), but it can still be used;
  • 2 - the VAT code is not visible in the auto-complete list and must not be used.
• Sum in: abbreviation or number of the Group in which the row of a code must be totaled.
• Gr1: this column is used for specific groupings.
  The screen capture shows the groupings for the encoding of the figures of the Swiss VAT return.
• Gr2: code for additional groupings.
• Due VAT: 
  If the word Yes is being inserted, this means that the VAT is at debit (due to the State)   
  If the cell is empty, this means that the VAT is at credit (recoverable) 
• Amount type:
  The code indicates how the VAT amount of the transaction is to be understood.
  • 0 (or empty cell) - with VAT/sales tax (the transaction amount is considered VAT included)
  • 1 = without VAT/Sales tax (the transaction amount is considered VAT excluded)
  • 2 = VAT amount (the transaction amount is considered the VAT amount, 100%) 
    The amount type 2 is used in particular to account for customs VAT paid or charged on the shipper's invoice. More details on the recording are available on the page: Entering VAT at customs for import
• % VAT: VAT code percentage.
• % NonDed.: if, for a VAT code, it is not possible to deduct the full 100%, enter the non deductible percentage here (example 100%)
• VAT% on gross: is usually left empty. The word "Yes" has to be inserted only if the VAT percentage has to be applied on the gross amount (VAT included) and not on the taxable amount (e.g. for flat rates). 
• VAT account: The account to which the broken down VAT automatically is posted.
  In the File and Accounting properties (File menu), a general account, that will be used as the VAT account, can be defined.
• Round Min: minimum rounding value.
  If left empty, the rounding indicated in the basic accounting data is used.
• Don't warn: there are particular entries that the program might interpret as wrong, but which are in fact correct. To prevent the program from reporting error warnings, enter Yes to the code of interest.

Rechecking the accounting file

When the accounting is recalculated and the transactions are not blocked, the program resumes the VAT parameters assigned to each code in the transactions. Therefore, if a setting of a VAT code has been changed, the change is resumed in the respective columns of the transactions which are not editable by the user.

For this reason, when editing the VAT codes table, the program suggests to operate a full accounting recheck.

Adding a new percentage 

When a new percentage is added, a new row has to be added; in the new row, insert the data of the new VAT code with the new percentage, while paying attention to insert the correct grouping. Don't change a code that has already been used in the transactions.  

VAT codes for services provided abroad

In the VAT Codes table, it is possible to set up, in separate groups, VAT codes for the provision of services provided abroad, with specific rates for the country in which one operates and for which VAT is also due to foreign countries.

The corresponding VAT code is set for each country, which can be totaled in its own group or in a totalization group that refers to the VAT to be paid to foreign countries.

To view the amounts to be paid, go via the Reports > VAT /Sales tax report menu and select the specific code for the country or the totalization group for the VAT to be paid to foreign countries.

For the VAT to be paid in foreign countries, it is not possible to send it electronically.

Own Groupings

By creating groups with multiple totaling levels, the user can obtain the totals that are necessary for the VAT declaration.   
In the VAT report, by activating the option Use own grouping scheme, the software calculates the totals exactly as indicated in the sequence of the indicated groupings in the VAT Codes table. 
The groupings are being used to obtain totals for groups of transactions, for example, the totals for all exportations or importations.

Related document:

• Import VAT codes
• National VAT documentation
  Link to specific VAT documentation for Switzerland, Italy and other countries.

In an accounting with VAT, in the Accounts table, it is possible to link a VAT code to the income/expense accounts, so that, when the sales and purchases are being recorded, the program automatically inserts the VAT code and completes the columns with the VAT data while entering the account number.  

In order to associate the codes:

• Click on the Other view. In this view, the VAT code column is visible by default.
  In case you wish to display the VAT code column in the Base view, click on the Data > Columns setup command.
• Insert the VAT codes for the income/expenses in the VAT code column. If the VAT code is inserted within square brackets, for example [V81], the VAT will only appear on issued invoices and will not be separated in the accounting records.

 
N.B: If the VAT rates have changed (refer to New VAT Rates 2024), the values entered in the VAT Code column must be updated manually. 
The same applies to the already entered transactions (in theTransactions table, VAT Code column), which must be replaced manually in each registration row (or using the Replace command to modify them all together).

The Swiss system for VAT calculation, provides for calculated to the cent, without rounding.

For those who need to have VAT amounts rounded up to cents, the following procedure is followed:

• In the Transactions table, post normally by applying the appropriate VAT code
• On the next row, post the expense or revenue account used in the previous line in debit and credit
• In the amount column, enter the cents to be rounded
• In the VAT Code column, enter a VAT code with amount type 2 (100% VAT amount), for example M81-2
• When the cents are to be decreased, enter the code with the minus sign in front of "-M81-2".

What are VAT accounts?

The VAT accounts are accounting sheets where the VAT amounts are automatically posted, based on the VAT code settings in the VAT Codes table.

When a VAT code is used, the program automatically calculates the following data based on the values of the transaction:

• Taxable amount and the VAT amount.
• Taxable amount on the Debit account.
• Amount of the taxable amount on the credit account.
• Amount of the taxable amount on the credit account.

At the bottom of the information window, by moving the mouse over the transaction, you can see which amounts are recorded on the different accounts.

General VAT account (automatic)

If the VAT account is set as default in the File → Properties file → VAT, this is used whenever there is a registration with a VAT code. In this case, the VAT accounts for the various VAT codes must not be set up in the VAT Codes table.

Recoverable and Due VAT Accounts

In the VAT code table, VAT Account column, according to the VAT code (active or passive) you can indicate the recoverable VAT account or the VAT due account. In this case, if these specific accounts are set up in the VAT Codes table, the default VAT account (General VAT account - automatic) must not be set in the File Properties, VAT section.

Using a single VAT account or several VAT accounts?

In accounting, the active part must be separated from the passive part. If the recoverable VAT is offset against that due, only the VAT amount actually due must be shown in the balance sheet.
From an accounting point of view, in most cases, it is not essential, indeed it is better to have only one VAT account.
For reporting purposes, however, it is useful to have the different types of separate VAT transactions. In programs that do not use VAT codes it is necessary to separate each operation on separate accounts. With Banana Accounting, thanks to the VAT codes and the VAT Summary, it is possible to obtain much more meaningful details while also using a single VAT account:

• Movements and totals (taxable VAT, VAT amount, accounted VAT) for each VAT code.
• Movements and totals by VAT percentage.
• Movements and totals by VAT account.
• Movements and totals by amount due and recoverable.

In order to control VAT transactions, it is not necessary to use several separate VAT accounts.

Banana Accounting leaves the choice of using the general account, set up in the File Properties, or different VAT accounts, set up in the VAT Codes table.

Advantages of using a single VAT account

After several years we have seen that the use of a single VAT account is much more intuitive and, for the Swiss charts of accounts we have therefore chosen to use a single VAT account (2201, VAT statement), obviously leaving the possibility to each change the settings.

• Balance sheet and income statement much easier to read (there are not many VAT accounts).
• Possibility of having accounts (for example of revenues) in which to register transactions with different VAT rates.
• You know immediately the VAT due without having to add several accounts together.
• Immediate display of all VAT transactions.
  In the VAT account card, all the VAT transactions in Debit and Credit are indicated.

Advantages of using multiple VAT accounts

If you use VAT codes, the registration on a specific VAT account is a repetition of information that you already have with the VAT code and its detailed summary.

In countries like Germany it is customary to have a different VAT account for each type of transaction, so that the VAT return can be made using the balances of the individual VAT account cards.

In these cases, for compatibility with this system, it is useful to have different VAT accounts for each VAT code.

Closing of VAT accounts at the end of the period

At the end of the VAT calculation period, it is useful to close the debit and credit VAT accounts and move the balance to one account. This allows:

• Accounting for the exact amount due to be paid or recovered
• At each new period, the account "2201, VAT return" starts from scratch, making it easier to check for any differences and errors.

For the periodic closure of the account "2201, VAT statement", see the Periodic closure and VAT payment page.

In Banana Accounting, in the Charts of Accounts prepared for Switzerland, the VAT accounts and the VAT rates currently in force are already set. In particular, the 2201 "VAT according to VAT report"  account (VAT account with automatic splitting) is set both in the Chart of accounts and in the File properties (basic data) → VAT section. In this case no VAT account needs to be inserted in the VAT Codes Table.

In case you are not using the Charts of accounts already available in Banana, make sure that the necessary VAT accounts are present in your own Chart of accounts. Our advice is to use the 2201 "VAT according to VAT report" account (VAT account with automatic splitting) and to enter it into the File properties (basic data) → VAT section.

In the VAT codes table, there are codes for the sales, the purchases and for services rendered. When entering the transactions, use the appropriate VAT code. 

The software automatically splits the VAT amounts and records them in the "VAT according to VAT report" account or in the VAT account that has been indicated by the user in the File and Accounting properties.

 VAT columns in the Transactions table (Complete VAT view)

You can find the full explanation of the main Transactions table columns in the Columns and Views page.

In the Double-entry accounting with VAT or in the Income & Expense accounting with VAT, you will find the following VAT columns:

• VAT Code: for each transaction with VAT you need to enter one of the VAT codes from the VAT codes table. In Reverse Charge operations, two VAT codes can be used, separated by the symbol ":".
• VAT %: the program automatically enters the VAT percentage associated with the VAT code you entered. If the amount is preceded by a "+/-" sign, it is a Reverse Charge operation.
• VATExtraInfo: A code related to extra info about the VAT, to be used only in very exceptional cases.
  It is possible to enter a symbol to identify specific VAT cases. The program suggests options, corresponding to the VAT Codes that start with a colon ":".
• %Eff.: the program automatically enters the VAT percentage referred to the net amount (taxable amount). It is different from the percentage applied when the latter is calculated on the gross amount (balance rate).
• Taxable: once you enter the VAT code, the software automatically indicates the taxable amount (without VAT).
• VAT amount: the program automatically indicates the VAT amount.
• VAT A/C: the account where the VAT is registered is automatically indicated (for Switzerland, this is normally the 2201 "VAT according to VAT report" account) previously entered in the File Properties (basic data), VAT tab (from the File menu).
• Amount type: this is a code that indicates how the software considers the transaction amount:
  • 0 (or empty cell) with VAT/sales tax, the transaction amount is VAT included.
  • 1 = without VAT/Sales tax, the transaction amount is VAT excluded.
  • 2 = VAT amount, the transaction amount is considered the VAT amount at 100%.
  • Amount type not editable: Default mode.
    • The column is protected.
    • The program uses the associated value of the VAT Codes table.
    • When you edit the value in the VAT Codes table and you recalculate the accounting, the program uses the new value associated with this VAT Code.
  • Amount type editable: this option can be activated with the Add new functionalities command. The activation of the option cannot be undone.
    • When you edit the VAT Code, the program uses the Amount type associated with this code.
    • The value can be edited manually.
    • When the accounting is being recalculated, the value indicated in the Transactions table is being maintained.
• Non. Ded. %: this indicates the non deductible %.
  • The program uses the Non. Ded. % associated to a VAT Code that is present in the VAT Codes table.
  •  You can manually edit the value.
• VAT Acc.: this is the VAT amount registered in the VAT account.
  It is calculated by the program according to the transaction amount, the Amount type and the non deductible percentage.
• VAT number: this is the code or VAT number of your client/supplier.
  When you enter a transaction with VAT, it is possible to enter the VAT number of your counterparty. If in the Accounts table, Address view, in your clients/suppliers register accounts, you enter their VAT number, this is automatically loaded in the Transactions table, in the VAT number column.

VAT with the Reverse Charge

Normally VAT is applied to the seller of the goods. Reverse Charge is the term used to indicate that the VAT tax is applied to the buyer.
The Reverse Charge is used mainly when buying goods or services abroad and that have not been taxed at customs. In these cases, the exporting seller is exempted from VAT, while the importing buyer is taxed at the local rate and can possibly deduct it. In addition, there are other cases of purchases abroad subject to the Reverse Charge and each country, in its tax legislation, provides for different situations. When registering VAT with the Reverse Charge:

• The transaction must be included so that it will result as VAT due.
• If the VAT is also deductible, the deductible part of VAT must also be recorded.

Software prerequisites

The possibility of recording the transaction subject to the Reverse Charge, tax liability and VAT recovery on one single row, is available for the Banana Accounting Plus.

Reverse Charge with tax liability only

If you have to include the purchase of goods or services, but do not have the possibility to deduct VAT:

• Indicate the VAT code due to the appropriate case in the transaction.

The liability with the Reverse Charge without deduction is generally used in the case one is benefiting from a flat-rate scheme or when the type of expense is not considered deductible.

Reverse Charge with tax liability and VAT deduction

If the amount of VAT due is equal to that of the deductible VAT, the Reverse Charge can be registered on a single row, by simultaneously entering both the code for the VAT due and the code for the recoverable VAT.

• The pre-defined VAT codes are used and there is no need to change the VAT table.
• In the row of the entry with VAT Reverse Charge, enter the two predefined VAT codes in the VAT Code column, separated by a colon ":".
• The two VAT codes must be complementary in order for the result to offset one other.
  • One of the two codes must be set up with VAT due and the other with recoverable VAT.
  • The VAT rate and all other calculation parameters must also be identical.
  • If the VAT codes do not have the same parameters, an error message will be displayed.
• The sequence of codes is not relevant, you can put one or the other first.
• When reversing an operation, the first VAT code must be preceded by the minus sign "-".
  Reversal is used to cancel an incorrectly posted transaction. In this case, the same elements are kept, but the original transaction is reversed:
  • The VAT payable code is recorded as recoverable.
  • The recoverable VAT code is posted as due.
• In the VAT columns, the amounts are preceded by the sign "+/-", which signals that the amounts offset each other for VAT purposes.
• In the account card and in the VAT summary there are separate entries for the debit and credit entries.

Example of transaction with Reverse Charge

Below are some examples of the Reverse Charge transaction inclusive of VAT due and recoverable:

• VAT included and excluding operations.
• Cancellation transactions, with VAT codes preceded by the "-" sign.

Notes: The examples in the image below are purely indicative. These codes must be adapted according to the rates in your country. Further information: 

• Application of the Reverse Charge inSwitzerland
• Application of the Reverse Charge in Italy.

Reverse Charge with account in foreign currency

When the invoice is presented in a currency other than the accounting currency, the posting must be carried out on two lines:

• the invoice in foreign currency is entered on the first row
• the second line records the taxation and deduction of VAT, taking up the amount calculated in the accounting currency.

Reverse Charge at different rates

When different rates are to be considered in the taxation of the due and recoverable VAT or the VAT is partially deductible, the transaction must be made on several rows:

• On one row, enter the VAT due code (tax liability).
• On another row, the recoverable VAT code is entered.

Reverse charge with the net / flat rate method (CH)

In this case, it is not possible to post the VAT deduction, as it is not possible to recover the VAT on purchases. In any case, the tax liability must be registered.

The VAT Summary is a document or a section of an accounting ledger where transactions subject to Value Added Tax (VAT) are summarized for a specific period (monthly, quarterly, or yearly).  

Main elements of the VAT summary

1. VAT payable: total amount of VAT due on issued or collected invoices (sales).
2. VAT receivable: total amount of VAT recoverable on received or paid invoices (purchases).
3. VAT to be paid or credited: Difference between VAT due and VAT recoverable.
   • If VAT payable > VAT receivable: The company must pay VAT to the State.
   • If VAT receivable > VAT payable: The company has a VAT credit that can be offset or claimed for a refund.

The VAT Summary in Banana Accounting Plus is a journal that records VAT transactions and balances, based on the set parameters and selected options. 
It is automatically generated by the program through the Reports > VAT Summary menu and can be saved and archived in PDF format. All transactions with a VAT code, depending on the selected options, can be broken down by account, VAT code, and percentage. 

There are two main groups:

• Total Due
• Total Recoverable 

The difference between these two totals results in the VAT to be paid or recovered with respect to the FTA (Federal Tax Administration).

Below is an example of a VAT summary table for the first quarter of 2025:

For users who do not wish to use automated solutions for managing and submitting VAT data online, the VAT Summary is essential for calculating the VAT amounts to be manually entered into the Swiss paper VAT return or the FTA online portal.

If you wish to have a fully automated Swiss VAT return and electronic VAT data transmission, we recommend using the new VAT extensions, available in the Advanced plan of Banana Accounting Plus.

Comparison between VAT summary and VAT extension

To better understand the differences between the VAT Summary and the VAT Extension, below are their main features:

VAT Summary

• Available in all plans of Banana Accounting Plus, in all accounting applications with VAT management.
• It is an integral part of accounting because it represents a ledger where all VAT transactions are recorded.
• It is particularly important as it provides details that allow monitoring of sales.
• Serves as a basis for manually preparing the VAT declaration and settlement.
• It is a support tool for auditors and tax inspections, facilitating the verification of VAT records.
• In case of tax audits, it provides all the details necessary to verify VAT transactions.
• Does not allow automatic preparation of the VAT form. Everything must be manually reported.
  • The user must identify and manually sum the amounts to be reported in the various sections of the VAT return.
  • Does not provide automatic submission of data to the Federal Tax Administration (FTA).

 VAT Extension

• Available only with the Advanced plan of Banana Accounting Plus.
• A set of advanced features to automate VAT management and data submission to the FTA.
• Filters, calculates, and automatically fills in VAT amounts in the correct sections of the VAT return.
• Always performs calculations according to predefined rules, reducing the risk of errors.
• Automatically generates an XML file for electronic submission of VAT data to the FTA portal.
• Creates a PDF file with a facsimile of the VAT return, facilitating documentation and archiving.
  At the end of the return, there is a section where any calculation and rounding differences are reported.

Thanks to the VAT Extension, VAT management becomes simpler, faster, and free from manual errors, improving administrative efficiency.

The Advanced plan includes the two VAT calculation and reporting methods:

• Swiss VAT Return 2024: Effective Method with XML File
• Swiss VAT Return 2024: Flat Rate Method with XML File

The VAT summery dialog

The VAT report is obtained by clicking on the menu Reports > VAT report

Other sections

Information for the other sections is available on the following web pages:

• Period
• Customization

VAT Report / transactions with totals by code

For Switzerland, one can automatically obtain a document similar to the form that has to be sent to the VAT office. This form shows the amount to enter for each number.  Please consult (in German, French, or Italian) Swiss VAT Report.

In VAT management, each country requires specific VAT accounts within the chart of accounts. These accounts are used to record and manage input and output VAT:

• VAT payable – Account where VAT amounts related to sales and services are recorded.
• VAT receivable – Account where VAT amounts on purchases of goods and services are recorded.
• VAT payment account – Account where, at the end of the period, the balances of VAT payable and VAT receivable are transferred.
  The account balance represents the VAT to be paid to the tax authorities or the credit to be received. This account is cleared once the VAT payment is made.

In Banana Accounting, to manage VAT, you must choose an accounting model with VAT that already includes the following settings:

• In the Banana chart of accounts, the VAT accounts are already set up according to the country
• The VAT Codes table is already prepared with country-specific VAT codes
• In the menu File > File properties, basic data > VAT section, the two VAT accounts where VAT is automatically recorded are set, one VAT payable account and one VAT receivable account.
  • You can also set only one VAT account. This is used for both VAT payable and VAT receivable.
  • In the VAT Codes table, you can set a specific VAT account for a single VAT code.
• If these settings are missing, it is possible to:
  • Add an additional VAT account in the chart of accounts, named Automatic VAT account.
  • Set the automatic VAT account as default by going to File > File properties, basic data > VAT section.

How to automatically clear VAT accounts at the end of the period

To better understand how the automatic VAT account is used, let’s look at a practical example.

Note: the VAT account numbers shown in the following example refer to the numbering used in Switzerland. In your own chart of accounts, you must adapt the account numbers according to your country.

• VAT account 2201 – Represents the automatic VAT account.
• VAT account 2200 – Represents the VAT payment account.

At the end of the period, to clear the balance of the automatic VAT account, the VAT amount recorded automatically must be transferred to the VAT payment account. This step allows you to determine the VAT to be paid or the possible VAT credit, simplifying accounting management.

In our example shown in the image, at the end of the period, scheduled for VAT submission and payment, the balance of the automatic VAT account shows a balance of 10,995.92.

The balance of account 2201 VAT Report (automatic VAT account) must be cleared with a reversal entry by entering:

• In the Debit column, account 2201 VAT report (automatic VAT account)
• In the Credit column, account 2200 VAT due (VAT payment account).

This entry is made in this way if there is an amount owed to the tax authorities. If there is a VAT credit, the VAT account transactions are reversed.

This operation results in:

• Clearing of the balance in account 2201, VAT Report (automatic VAT account).
• Transferring the VAT balance to the VAT due account (VAT payment account).

Payment of the VAT due account balance

When the VAT amount is paid to the tax authorities, the balance of the VAT due account is cleared.

For the entry:

• Enter the date, document number, and description in the respective columns.
• In the Debit column, enter the VAT Due account.
• In the Credit column, enter the liquidity account.
• In the Amount column, enter the VAT amount paid.

With this system, it is possible to monitor the balance of each quarter, and in case of errors, it is possible to identify in which period the balance no longer matches.

Ledger of account 2200 VAT due after recording the payment

With the Segments feature it is possible to manage different sectors of a company or different projects of an association and to obtain for each one the balance sheet and the complete profit & loss statement with the breakdown of revenues, costs and profit or loss.

The segments are set out in the Chart of Accounts. When you enter a transaction, you also indicate the segment. Segments can also be used to manage branches, divisions or areas of business. A museum can use them to have reports of different exhibitions, a transport agency to have reports for each individual vehicle.

Setting up segments in your Chart of Accounts

It is useful for a company with several branches that organizes events and courses and wants separate statements for each field of activity and branch.

First level field of activity, accounts preceded by a colon ":":

• Courses
• Events

Second level branches, accounts preceded by a double colon "::":

• Rome
• Milan

It is generally more convenient to use acronyms rather than long names.

• Watch the video: Segments

Entering transactions on the segments

Segments are entered into the Transactions table in the Debit and Credit columns following the account numbers.

• Segments can be recorded, by having them preceded after the account by either a colon (:) or a minus sign (-).
• If you want to enter segments with a minus sign preceding the segment code, you must activate the option 'Use minus sign (-) as segments separator, in the File menu, command File properties (basic data) > Options.

Profit & Loss Statement by segment

The report by segment can be obtained from the menu:

• Reports > Enhanced balance sheet with groups
• In the Chart of Accounts section and in the Sections section, select the Profit & Loss statement.

• Activate the Subdivision by segment option
• Select the segment for which the balance sheet should be obtained (by project or by branch office)

Report by Sector

The different segments appear in this report. The column with the curly brackets {} is that of values not assigned to any segment.

Report by Branch

The report shows revenues, expenses, and profit for the various branches.

 You can easily prepare financial forecasts including liquidity plans, balance sheet and income statements.
The procedure is the same as for creating the accounting.

▶ Video: Financial Planning | Double-entry

1. Create the accounting/forecast file

With the File → New command , create a financial forecast file, using the accounting type and the accounting template that best suits your needs.

You can also start by using one of the templates already prepared for learning, which also contain examples of budget transactions.

• Financial planning for the family (with the Cash Manager)
  To plan your family's expenses and income.
• Financial planning for the opening of a restaurant (Income and Expenses Accounting)
  This template uses alphabetical account numbers, which make comprehension more immediate.
  With income and expenses; even without accounting knowledge, you can create a professional planning, including the liquidity plan, asset forecasts, costs and income.
• Financial planning for the opening of a restaurant (Double-entry Accounting)
  For complete financial forecasts, with the double-entry bookkeeping system, intended for those who are familiar with the double-entry bookkeeping method.
  This model uses alphabetical account numbers, which make it easier to understand.

There are also sample files for more advanced functionalities:

• Double-entry accounting, using the quantity and formula columns
  The different possibilities of using the formula column are listed. With examples and explanations.
• Multi-currency accounting with examples of budget transactions with formulas
  To use multi-currency specific formulas.
• With examples of transactions on more complex themes.

Once created you can save the file under a new name, preferably composed of the company name and the year "company-2020.ac2".

2. Customize the file

Once you have created the file, adapt it to your specific needs:

1.  Set the File properties.
   1. The company name.
   2. The Accounting period.
      Normally it is the one corresponding to the calendar year. However, you can indicate another one as needed. See Period for the forecast.
2. Customize the Chart of Accounts.
   You can change the description, add or delete accounts or groups.
   If necessary, you can adapt the Chart of Accounts at any time later.
3. If it’s an activity already in progress, enter the Opening Balances.

3. Enter financial budgeting movements

In the Budget Table you can now enter the financial forecast movements.

4. View the forecasts

The forecast data are visible:

• In the Charts window.
• In the Accounts table, in the Budget column.
• In the Reports, in the Budget column.
• In the Account card, Budget values.

Adapt the forecast

You can change, add or delete transactions at any time. The forecast will be immediately recalculated.

The liquidity plan is an essential tool to ensure short- and long-term financial stability and sustainability for any company, individual activity, or even a project. 

The liquidity plan is very important not only for startups, which need to assess possible investments based on available financial resources, but also for established companies to maintain balance over time.

Why having a liquidity plan is important

A careful analysis of cash flows allows you to monitor that there are always sufficient funds available to meet financial obligations, such as salary payments, suppliers, taxes, and other operating expenses. Preparing a liquidity plan is essential for several reasons:

• Strategic planning: provides crucial information for strategic planning and decision-making, allowing the company to seize investment and growth opportunities promptly.
• Operational sustainability: ensures that the company always has sufficient funds to operate without interruptions, maintaining operational continuity.
• Prevention of liquidity crises: avoids emergency situations where the company cannot meet its financial obligations, preventing potential insolvency or bankruptcy.
• Optimization of financial costs: allows for efficient planning of financial resources, reducing financing costs and improving the return on available resources.
• Improvement of relationships with third parties: effective liquidity management strengthens the trust of investors, suppliers, employees, and other stakeholders in the company.

How to prepare the liquidity plan

To draft a liquidity plan, it is necessary to analyze a series of historical data and documents.

Data collection 

Start by gathering a series of useful documents for the planning process:

• Bank Statements: to check recent transactions and balances from bank, postal, and credit card statements.
• Debtors and Creditors Accounts: to examine the receivables the company needs to collect and the payables it needs to settle.
• Current Balance Sheet: to draft a current balance sheet for an overview of all accounts.
• Balance Sheets of previous years and periods: to assess, based on historical data, especially revenue trends.

Banana Accounting Plus offers innovative features to create a liquidity plan, using the same chart of accounts as the accounting system and integrating it into the same accounting file without the need for separate spreadsheets.

To create the liquidity plan, forecasts are entered into the Budget table as regular entries, using the Debit, Credit, Amount columns, VAT codes if any, cost centers, and segments. 

Estimating Inflows and Outflows

When forecasting costs and revenues, it is better to be cautious. Therefore, it is recommended to not underestimate costs and not overestimate revenues, while also considering unforeseen events to avoid liquidity shortages. It is also advisable to develop a strategy to identify which costs can be reduced because they are not strictly necessary and which revenues can be optimized.

Future Outflows
Enter forecasts for future costs based on historical data and potential extraordinary expenses:

• Operating Costs: forecast operating expenses such as salaries, rent, utilities, and production costs.
• Debts and Payments: plan payments to suppliers and loan repayments.
• Other Outflows: consider other expenses like taxes, extraordinary maintenance, or investments.

Future Inflows

Enter forecasts for future revenues:

• Revenue: based on sales from the previous year for the same period, market trends, and marketing strategies, prepare estimates for sales or services. If reliable data is not available, rely on historical data from previous years.
• Other Inflows: include other possible sources of income, such as interest from investments or potential loans.

Below is an image of the table. For an explanation of the columns, refer to the page Budget Table Columns.  

Liquidity Plan from the Balance Sheet

Use the command Enhanced Balance Sheet with Groups to access the forecast balance sheet report.

• In the Sections options, enable the display of the Budget for the Balance Sheet (Assets and Liabilities).
  You can view current (accounting) values, budgeted values together or separately.
• Set the Period.
  If you specify a period beyond the accounting period, the program automatically generates multi-year forecasts.
• Specify the Period Breakdown you want.
• In the Rows options, you can exclude accounts and view only the groups.
• If the setup will be used in the future, it is advisable to create a Customization.

Liquidity Plan Report from the Accounts Table

The Accounting Report is similar to the Enhanced Balance Sheet with Groups, with the difference that data is displayed in columns, like in the Accounts table.

You can use the Accounting Report to get an immediate view of the liquidity accounts' evolution.

Banana Contabilidade integra a Planificação financeira diretamente na contabilidade.

Habilitar a planificação num arquivo existente

Se tem já tem um arquivo de contabilidade e quer ativar também a planificação tem que Adicionar a tabela Orçamento.

Da mesma maneira, se quer gerir uma contabilidade e planificação financeira juntas, tem que criar um arquivo de contabilidade e adicionar a ttabela Orçamento.

Criar um novo arquivo para a planificação

O processo é o mesmo para a gestão de uma só contabilidade, como para a gestão de planificação ou para ambas juntas:

1. Criar um arquivo de contabilidade
2. Configurar as propriedades do arquivo 
3. Configurar o plano de contas
4. Inserir os saldo iniciais (se existem)
5. Inserir na tabela Orçamento os valores da previsão.

A tabela Lançamento, fica preconfigurada, e pode ser invísivel: Menu Dado -> Configurar tabelas e indicar a tabela Lançamentos como não visível.

Documentação com arquivo de exemplo base

A melhor maneira para começar a planificação è usar os modelos tutorial, onde são usadas contas alfabéticas, para facilitar a compreensão dos conceitos. 
Se, para inserir os dados da planificação, precisa de un plano contábil mais estruturado, modifique o arquivo, ou use um outro modelo, adicionando a Tabela Orçamento.

Tem várias possibilidades de budget:

• Plano financeiro para a família (com livro caixa)
  Para planificar as despesas e receitas da própria família.
• Planificação financeira para abertura de um restaurante (Contabilidade Receitas e Despesas)
  Mesmo sem conhecimentos de contabilidade, simplesmente com receitas e despesas, pode criar uma planificação profissional.
• Planificação financeira para abertuira de um restaurante (Contabilidade de Partidas Dobradas)
  Destinada a quem conhece o método de contabilidade de partidas dobradas.

Documentação e Arquivo de exemplo avançados

As explicações e os relativos arquivos de exemplo seguintes servem para aprender funções mais avançadas, tal como o uso das quantidades e das fórmulas.

• Contabilidade de partidas dobradas, com uso das colunas quantidade e fórmulas
  São especificadas as várias possibilidades de uso da coluna fórmulas. Com exemplos e explicações.
• Contabilidade multimoeda com exemplos de lançamento de orçamento com fórmulas
  Para usar as fórmulas específicas da multimoeda.
• Com exemplos de lançamentos em temas mais complexos.

Planificação anual

Normalmente, a planificação é preparada pelo período contábil definido nas Propriedades do arquivo que, em geral, corresponde ao ano solar.

• Na coluna Abertura da tabela Contas, insira o saldo de abertura do início do período.
• Na tabela Lançamentos, insira os dados da planificação para o ano corrente.

Quando precisar dos Relatórios, se não insere um período específico, o programa utiliza o período inteiro da contabilidade.

Para preparar a planificação do ano sucessivo, tem que criar um arquivo para o novo ano. O programa relata os lançamentos de orçamento, que podem ser modificados (veja Fecho e novo ano).

Planificação por vários anos

Com Banana Contabilidade pode ter planificações por vários anos. O período de planificação é livre. No momento em que pede o report, configure o Período de previsão.

Para fazer uma planificação por vários anos, em geral, tem que proceder configurando a planificação para o primeiro ano, prolongando-a depois aos anos seguintes.

Tecnicamente, pode prosseguir como se fizesse uma planificação anual,  prolongando-a depois aos anos seguintes:

• Nas Propriedades do arquivo indique como data de início e de fim, a data do primeiro ano (que, em geral, é o ano solar).
• Insira o saldo de abertura no plano de contas.
• Na tabela Orçamento, insira os movimentos da planificação
  • As operações que são especificadas só no primeiro ano, têm que ser indicadas sem repetição.
  • Todas as outras operações, que presume se repitam também nos anos seguintes, tem que indicá-las com o código de repetição.
  • As operações que ocorrem uma vez só por ano, tem que indicá-las com a repetição "Y" anual (por exemplo, o cálculo das depreciações é feito ao fim do ano).
  • As operações específicas aos anos seguintes, tem que ser indicádas com a respectiva data em que ocorrem.
  • Para as operações repetitivas que são limitadas a um só ano ou a um período preciso (operações de leasing com prazo fixo) indica a data de Fim. Além desta data, não será mais feita nenhuma repetição.
  • As fórmulas podem ser usadas para fazer de maneira a que o montante das linhas de repetição se adequem automaticamente.
    • O cálculo das depreciações pode basear-se no saldo da conta dos ativos.
    • O cálculo das taxas de interesse pode ser feita diretamente no movimento da conta bancária.
    • Pode especificar uma progressão de vendas.
    • As compras podem ser definidas em percentagem.
• Para obter a planificação (Relatório Balanço Patrimonial Analítico ou por Grupos, Ficha conta) indique a data de início e fim da previsão requerida.

Passar ao ano novo

A função do Banana Contabilidade para Criar um novo ano relata também os lançamentos de planificação.

• A nível de cada linha, a possibilidade de indicar se a operação deve ser relatada ou não, e se a data original deve ser mantida ou substituída com aquela do ano novo
• Criar o orçamento para o ano novo é muito simples, porque trata-se de modificar simplesmente as vozes de despesa e de receita que se pretende mudar.

Financial planning transactions are entered in the Budget table. It's setup is similar to the Transactions table of the accounting type you are using, but has specific columns that speed up entering the budget data.

You can also modify the data as you wish, to display reliable forecasts that are always perfectly updated.

Easy and comprehensive forecasts

• You can enter all the operations in detail.
• You have comprehensive forecasts because they are based on the double-entry method:
  • Details on the Origin- and the Destination account.
• Based on the transactions entered, the program calculates and displays the forecasts.
• Indicate when an operation will be performed, and if and until when it will repeated.
  • You can enter forecasts for the current or future years.
• Indicate the account of origin and destination.
• Indicate the expected amount.
  • Or use the Quantity and Prices columns.
  • Or use the calculation formulas.
• You can complete the registration with:
  • Customer account
  • Accounts Payable.
  • VAT code
  • Cost / Profit Center
  • Segments.
  • Add more columns for additional information.
• You can enter the transactions in the order you want, so as to form groups.
• You can enter additional information to facilitate the transfer of data to the new year.

The planning system of Banana Accounting is based on the same double-entry method used for accounting.

It is planned by always indicating an account of origin (credit) and one of destination (debit). This allows for a precise vision of the capital flows and offers the possibility to have a comprehensive vision which includes:

• Budget forecasts, therefore relating to the financial situation, liquidity, assets, third party and own means.
• Income statement forecast: revenues, costs and operating result.

Plan Execute Control

The planning of Banana Accounting is an integral part of the Plan-Execute-Control.
This offers a constant and dynamic control of the financial situation and evolution.

Planning and accounting in a single file

The same file contains both accounting and planning data. You can get started with a file prepared to keep the accounting and then add the schedule later, or you can start with a file to keep the planning and then also manage the accounting.

Common elements

• Basic accounting data
  Header, currency, accounting period, address, other parameters.
• Accounts and Categories table
  Where to set up the Chart of Accounts with accounts and groups total.
  • Opening balances (Opening column)
    They are inserted in the Accounts table and are used as the initial situation for both accounting (current values) and forecasts.
  • Annual Budget (Quote column)
    • With the Budget table
      The Budget column of the Chart of Accounts will be protected and the program indicates the budget amounts, calculated on the basis of the contents of the Budget table, referring to the accounting period.
    • If there is no Budget table
      You enter the budget data manually.
      When forecasting, the program generates the monthly value, dividing the annual value by the number of months of the accounting period.
• The other tables
  • VAT Codes Table
  • Exchange rate table

Accounting data (past and present)

• The Transactions table
  Where past (historical) movements are entered.
  The Registration table is always present in the accounting file. If you don't use it, you can hide it
• Current value (accounting, past and present)
  This is the balance or movement of the period of an account or group.
  In the reports, you can display the column of the Current value.
  These are the values ​​calculated on the basis of the accounting data, calculated taking into account the
  • Opening balances (Accounts table).
  • The movements of the Transaction table
• Account card (historical)
  These are the movements of an account or group prepared on the basis of the initial balances plus Transactions.

The Budget data

They are those used to make forecasts, budgets and schedules.
The term Budget is always used in the program for future data.

• The Budget table
  Future budgeted transactions are inserted.
  The method is the same as the one used in the Transactions table, there are the same columns, plus other specifications for planning.
  Movements related to the future, included in the Budget table
  • Static values ​​(as in the Transactions table).
  • They use calculation formulas, which the program solves when calculating the forecast.
  • Repetitive movements, which the program uses to automatically generate forecasts.
• The Budget value (future)
  The forecasted value. In the reports you can display the column of the Estimate value, calculated taking into account
  • Opening balances (Accounts table)
  • Transactions in the Budget table (if any).
  • If the Budget table does not exist, using the value contained in the Budget column of the Accounts or Categories table.
• Budget Account card (future)
  These are the transactions of an account or group prepared on the basis of the opening balances and budget transactions.

The Difference Budget values

Difference between the budget and current values (actual, final).
In the reports, there is a column for comparison, which displays the difference.

Mixed projection values (from a certain date)

The value at a certain future date calculated as follows:

• On the basis of current values and up to the indicated start date .
• Starting from the date indicated on the budget values.

Mixed projection values are only available through scripts and the web server.

Types of accounting

The accounting method chosen for accounting is used to insert budget transactions or movements.

• Income and Expense (Cash Manager and Income and Expense accounting)
• Double-entry (Double-entry and multi-currency accounting).

For budget calculations, the program internally always uses the double-entry based engine. The results and reporting that are obtained are therefore very similar.

Accounting, planning and forecasting period

Accounting or forecasting is always related to a period. The following periods are differentiated:

• Accounting period
  Is the one defined in the file properties, with start and end date.
• Budget period
  It is the period for which the planning data is entered..
• Forecast period
  It is the period used by the program to calculate the forecast. It is indicated when a print is requested.

For more information, see the Forecasting period.

Breakdown by period

With the double-entry method, each operation has its own date in the planning. When printing, the user chooses whether to have a forecast by month, quarter, semester or year, and the program will calculate everything automatically. Contrary to spreadsheets, there is no need, anymore to decide at the beginning whether to make forecasts by month, quarter or year and to divide the amounts manually in the columns.

Automatic projections

Thanks to the possibility of indicating that certain operations are repeated in the future, the program has the necessary elements to automatically prepare forecasts for future years. You can thus know how revenues, costs, liquidity and other assets and liabilities will evolve in the weeks, months, quarters and years to come

Details with all the operations

With the double-entry method, the forecasts are prepared by inserting transactions. The program is able to present the account card with the detailed movements for each account. This view is very useful for investigating elements and represents another advantage of liquidity-oriented planning, which is difficult to achieve with planning prepared with spreadsheets.

The calculation journal

The basis for all accounting and budget processing is the calculation journal. To prepare Financial Statements, Income Statement, Account Cards, VAT Reports, the program creates an internal data structure which is called a calculation journal. Movements are accessible through the API accounting with Journal function. 

The logic for creating the calculation journal works as follows:

• It is created starting from the data entered by the user.
• For each financial movement, including also the opening balances, there is a row, where the main elements are:
  • Origin
    Indicates whether the transaction relates to accounting (current) or planning (budget).
  • Operation type
    Opening balance, movement, carry forward, invoice compensation.
  • Date (the relevant date)
  • Description
  • Account
  • Account Type
    Indicates whether it is a normal account or a cost or profit center.
  • Amount (accounting base currency)
    Positive values ​​indicate an increase (debit), negative values ​​indicate a decrease (credit)
  • Amount account currency
  • Other columns
    • All those that are present in the Transactions table.
    • Several others that are used for calculations.

The calculation log is emptied every time recalculation is performed and then the following are added:

• The rows of current transactions (relating to actual accounting).
• The rows of the budget movements.

The rows of current values ​​(actual)

The rows for current values ​​are added to the temporary journal starting from:

• Initial balances contained in the Accounts table
  For each account with a balance, one row is created.
  • Date is the date of the start of accounting.
  • Account is the account.
  • The amount is the opening balance.
• Accounting movements from the transactions table.
  If the movement has multiple accounts, debit account, credit account, VAT account, cost center, a row is generated for each account with the relative amount in positive or negative.

The rows of the budget values

The rows for the budget values ​​are added to the temporary journal starting from:

• Initial balances contained in the Accounts table
  As with accounting values, a budget line is created for each account with a balance.

• Planning movements (with the Budget table)
  As for accounting, for each movement on the account, rows are created based on the Budget table.
  • Static ones, with all the values ​​set.
  • Repeated movements
    • For the entire projection period defined, based on the repetition code, the program creates duplicates of the budget lines and sets the date.
    • The program generates repeated rows based on the contents of the Start Date, End Date and Repetition columns
    • If the projection period is the calendar year and in January there is the registration of the rent with monthly repetition, the program creates duplicates for the following 11 months.
    • If the registration is on January 31, for the months that do not have 31 days, the day will be the last of the month.
    • If the first registration is on March 28 and the repetition code is indicated as the end of the month, in the following months the day will become the last of the month.
  • As for accounting entries, if there are multiple accounts on the budget row, one row is generated for each account.
• Movements starting from the annual Budget (if there is no Budget table)
  If there is no Budget table, the budget rows are created based on the content of the Budget column of the Accounts and Categories table:
  • The number of months It is calculated how according to the accounting period.
  • One row is created for each month.
  • The amount contained in the Budget column is divided by the number of months.
  • If there is a rounding difference, an additional row is created for the final month.

After creation, the rows are sorted by ascending order.

Amount column calculation

Once the calculation journal has been created, the contents of the amount column of all the budget rows which contain a formula or a quantity or unit price are recalculated.

Resolution of formulas in Javascript:

• Javascript interpreter creation
  Every time the calculation journal is created, an instance of a Javascript interpreter, specific for the resolution of the Budget formulas, is also created
• Javascript interpreter initialization
  The Javascript interpreter is initialized by running scripts.
  • The default Banana Accounting scripts.
  • The content of the _budget.js file possibly present in the Documents table.
    This way the user can initialize variables or create his own calculation functions.
• Resolution of formulas
  • The formulas contained in the rows of the temporary journal are solved one after the other in the progressive sequence of date.
  • The state of the Javascript interpreter is maintained after each operation, therefore the formula can refer to variables defined in a row with a previous date.
  • The formulas contained in the repetition lines are also executed by order of date, so the result varies according to when it is performed.

The calculation sequence is as follows

• The budget rows are processed by order of date (if they have the same date in the order of entry).
• The transaction amount is calculated, with this priority:
  • If there is a formula by solving it
  • If the quantity and the price are present, by multiplying them
  • Otherwise the value contained in the amount column is kept.
• For multi-currency accounting, the currency amount formula is first performed and then the base currency amount formula.
  If there is no formula for amount in base currency, the program reverts to the historical exchange rate and calculates the equivalent value in base currency.
• For VAT accounting, VAT is recalculated based on the transaction amount.
• The previously processed rows are used for the calculations of the following lines:
  • The balance of the accounts, as of the date of the estimate line, includes only the previously processed amounts.
  • If you use a formula for calculating the balance for the whole year in a February transaction, you will only have the balance until February.

Calculation column Total Budget table

The Total column is calculated automatically and contains the total amount of the budget for the accounting period indicated in the file properties (start and end date of accounting).

• If it is a single transaction, the Total is equal to the amount.
• If it is a recurring operation, the Total is the sum of the amounts of all repetitions that fall within the accounting period.
• The Total column is empty if the date is preceding or goes beyond the accounting period.

Calculation of the current value, forecast and comparison

Once the calculation journal is generated, it is used to calculate the Balance Sheet and all the other processing necessary for accounting.

For the periods defined in the report, the program calculates:

• The current value (based on Transactions).
• The Budget values.

The following values ​​are calculated for current and budget data:

• Balance at the beginning of the period.
• Debit movement
• Credit movement
• Movement (Total)
• Balance at the end of the period (Start + Movements)

The comparisons between Current and Budget are also calculated:

• Absolute Difference (Budget - Current).
• Percentage change

Automatic and manual recalculation

The budget values ​​are automatically recalculated:

• If there is a change in the Budget table.
• If the accounting start or end date is changed.
• If the Accounts table is modified.
• When requesting a report and the Transactions table has been changed.

After each recalculation the program automatically updates:

• The Budget column in the Accounts and Categories table.
• The Total column in the Budget table.

If you modify the VAT table or the _budget.js file or other Javascript files that are used in the calculation of the formulas, you must perform a recalculation manually (Command check and control accounting).

The calculation speed depends on:

• Number of accounts and groups in the Accounts and Categories table
• Number of rows inserted in the Budget table.
• Number of rows with repetition.
• Presence of formulas.
• Schedule period set. The longer the period, the greater the number of repeat lines.

Manual recalculation

If the calculation takes a long time, it may prove difficult to enter data in the Budget table. You can switch to manual recalculation by checking the Recalculate totals manually option in the File menu → Files and accounting Properties → Options tab.

To have the updated values, you must therefore use the Recalculate Totals command.

The planning system based on the double-entry method allows you to prepare forecasts indicating when the operation will take place.
Unlike Excel, where you set up a sheet with the columns for the forecast periods (month, quarter or year), with Banana Accounting you simply indicate the expected date for the event. The assignment to a period is generated automatically by the program when it processes the data. You can decide to display forecasts by day, week, month, 2 months, quarter, semester, annual, 2, 5 or 10 years.

Forecast with monthly logic

Forecast movements are entered in the Budget table indicating the date on which these are expected to occur. For the purpose of liquidity forecasting, it is important to indicate dates for revenues and costs as precisely as possible.

For all other income and expenses that occur on a day of the month or rather at the beginning or the end, such as rent, wages, bank charges and other expenses or income, it is important to indicate by selecting the day close to the actual day of payment.

For other revenues and expenses, approximations will be made. For example - except in special cases - for restaurant revenues, which come in daily, it is not adequate to make day-to-day forecasts. In this case it is sufficient to indicate the overall sales that are expected to occur in the month. We recommend to indicate day 15, the middle of the month.

Forecast for the current year

Movements with or without repetition are inserted in the Budget table.

The calculation of the forecast is generally generated, taking into account the movements that fall within the current accounting period, as defined in the file properties.

• The total amount for the current period is indicated in the Total column of the Budget table.
• The estimate balance for the current period is indicated in the Budget column of the Accounts and Categories table.
• In the various printouts, if it is indicated as the All period, there are forecasts for the current period.

If the file is also used to keep the accounting, the accounting period must obviously be the one referring to the accounting. Even when the file is used for forecasts only, it is better to set the accounting period referring to only one year. In fact, if a period of two years is entered in the base data, the values ​​of the forecasts, in the Total and Accounts column, will be for the two years. This can lead to confusing values.

Forecasts over several years

If you insert the forecast movements with a repetition code, the program is able to prepare forecasts that extend beyond the defined period.

To obtain forecasts over several years, the movements are entered in the Budget table.

• Opening balances
  • These are inserted in the Accounts table.
• Forecast movements prior to the accounting period.
  • For special cases, it is also possible to insert transactions with dates prior to the accounting period.
  • Attention must be paid, because these operations will change the balances at the time of opening.
  • For these transactions, the Total column will be empty because it is outside the accounting period.
• Forecast movements for the accounting period.  
  • Movements are indicated with the date falling within the accounting period.
  • If there are operations that will also repeat in the following years, the annual repetition code must be set to "Y".
  • If the repetition of the operation occurs during several years, indicate the number of years before the Y, i.e. for every 2 years indicate "2Y", 5 years "5Y", 10 years "10Y".
  • If the repetition does not extend beyond a set date (for example the payment of a lease), the end date must be indicated.
• Forecast movements for the following years.
  • The future date, on which the transaction is expected is indicated.
  • The repeat code and the end date can be indicated.
  • For these transactions, the Total column will remain empty because they are outside the accounting period.

Use of formulas

The formulas allow you to automate amortization and interest calculations. When an investment increases, the income statement is also immediately updated. Formulas are especially useful when making forecasts over multiple years.

You can use the formulas to automatically adjust the amount in the repeat rows .

• The calculation of depreciation can be based on the balance of the fixed assets account.
• Interest can be calculated directly on the bank account movements.
• You can determine a sales progression.
• Purchases can be defined as a percentage.

Print with the forecast period

Thanks to the fact that movements with the repetition code or with the dates of the following years have been inserted in the Budget table, the program is able to calculate forecasts for future years.
When the report is printed, indicate the start and end date in the Period section.

Considering that the start date is January 1, 2022:

• If you want a 2-year forecast, indicate the end date as 31 December 2024. 
• If you want a 5-year forecast, indicate the end date as 31 December 2027.
• If you want a 20-year forecast, indicate the end date as 31 December 2042.

The possibility of getting a forecast is available for the following printouts:

• Enhanced Balance Sheet with groups.
• Accounting report.
• Account/Category cards.

All accounting reports can contain accounting values, forecast values, or both together. The parameters available are the same for accounting reports and forecasts.

Thanks to these reports, you may generate a 

• Provisional Balance Sheet, 
• Provisional Income statement, 
• Liquidity planning, 
• Investment planning, 
• Financing planning 

and more, for future interest periods.

Columns divided by period

In the Subdivision section you can use the program to create columns for the period.

You can thus display the evolution by month, quarter or year.

With Customization you can set up print formats and call them up again later. If you run forecasts over several years, it is will be useful to have pre-set customizations, overall, per year, 5 years or with the comparisons between the final balance and the estimate, which can be called up immediately .

Budget - Four-year forecast

Income statement - Four-year forecast

​​

Opening column

Enter the initial balance of your accounting period in the Opening column of the Accounts table. This will serve as:

• Initial balance for the accounting (Transactions table)      
• Initial balance for budgeting data (Budget table).

Budget column

If there is no Budget table, the Budget column of the Chart of Accounts can be adapted and used to enter estimates for the current year in tabular form.

If the Budget table is set up, the Budget column of the Chart of Accounts is protected, and the values are calculated automatically on the basis of the budgeted movements, as defined in the accounting period. The value displayed in the Budget column is the balance at the end of period, and therefore includes both the initial balance and the movement for the period.

Customize the Chart of Accounts

The Balance Sheet and the Profit and Loss Account are set up in the Accounts or Categories table, with the total for accounts and groups.
The columns of the amounts are updated by the program, so the relevant table will provide an immediate picture of the current financial situation and of the estimated one, where the account balance, movement, budget and other important information are shown next to each account and group. With one click, the account card is displayed .

The Chart of Accounts is set up according to the user's needs. New accounts and groups may be added, their number or description changed or cancelled, at any time you.

For your planning, normally start with a few accounts and then add new ones when more detail is available and considered useful.

Planning with more detail

Different types of accounts can be set up in the Chart of Accounts. When recording movements, it is possible to indicate detailed amounts for:

• Customer and Supplier accounts
  Allows for planning allocated to each customer, with the relative turnover and costs.
• Cost and profit centres
  Allows for detailed planning for a particular project or sales made by individual agents.
• Segments
  Manage profit and loss accounts by Department, Branch etc.

Preparing the file

If the Budget table is not visible in the accounting file, proceed to display it via the Tools → Add/Remove functionalities → Add Budget Table menu.

The Transactions table remains as preset in any case. If you don't need it, use the Data → Tables setup menu and un-tick Transactions table so it is not displayed.

The process will be the same whether you are managing only an accounting, a budget or both:

1. Create an accounting file.
2. Set the file properties.
3. Set up the Chart of Accounts.
4. Enter opening balances (if any).
5. Enter the forecast values in the Budget table.

Accounting and budgeting are usually performed in the same Banana Accounting file. If you wish to manage the Budget separately from the accounting, just enter the Transactions in the Budget table only. In this case, the Transactions table, is left empty of posting of movements.

A Budget only file is used:

• To set up the Budget of a Startup:
  • Prepare the financial plans of a new company, that has not yet started.
  • Initially, if you don't have precise ideas, it might prove useful to select a template with few accounts, without VAT.
  • If you plan to keep the accounting as well, it's helpful to start with one of our pre-set Charts of Accounts.
• For an existing company that keeps the accounting with another program:
  • The Chart of Accounts will be modeled on the one used for the accounting.
  • There are three possibilities to compare with the actual balance sheet:
    • You can export the Budget data of Banana Accounting and import it into the accounting program.
    • In case you wish to make a comparison between the Budget created in the Banana Accounting file and the actual data of your program on the other hand, you have to export the data and import them into the Budget file (Banana Accounting Budget table).
    • Create Excel spreadsheets and report the Banana Accounting Budget data and the accounting data present in your own program.

Further information on Budget transactions can be found at the following links:

• Add the Budget
• Budget Table
• Double-entry method
• Budget period.

Budget period

It is not necessary to define the budgeting period. You can set up the budget for a year and still get forecasts for the following years.

Annual Budget

As a rule, the budget is prepared for the accounting period defined in the File properties, which is generally identical to the calendar year.

• Enter the opening balance at the beginning of the period in the Opening column of the Accounts table.
• Enter the forecasted data for the current year in the Budget table.

When requesting Reports, the program will use the accounting period, if you do not specify a period different from the one present in the File Properties

When you want to budget for the following year, you create a file for the new year. The program reports the budget postings, which can then be modified (see Create new year ... in Actions menu).

Multi-year budgeting

With Banana Accounting you can have planning over several years available. The planning period is free and is set at the time the report is requested.

To make a budget over several years, generally proceed by setting the budget for the first year, then extending it for the following years.

Technically, therefore, proceed as if you were establishing an annual budget, extending it for the following years:

• In the File properties, the date of the first year (which is generally the calendar year,) is indicated as the start and end date.
• The opening balances are entered in the Chart of Accounts.
• The movements of the budget are inserted in the Budget table
  • Operations that are specific to the first year only, are indicated without repetition.
  • Indicate the repetition code for all other operations, which are presumed to also be repeated in subsequent years.
  • Operations that take place only once a year are indicated by the annual "Y" repetition code. For example, the calculation of depreciation, that is done at the end of the year.
  • Specific operations for subsequent years are indicated with the respective date on which they occur.
  • For repetitive operations that are limited to a single year or to a specific period (fixed-term leasing transactions) the End date will be indicated. After that date, no repetition will be made.
  • Formulas may be used to make the amount of the row to be repeated automatic  .
    • The calculation of depreciation can be based on the balance of the fixed assets account.
    • Interest can be calculated directly on the movement in the bank account.
    • A progression of sales can be specified.
    • Purchases can be defined as a percentage of the cost.
• To obtain the budget (Enhanced Balance Sheet or Enhanced Balance Sheet with groups, Account cards) indicate the start and end date of the required budget.

Changeover to the new year

The Banana Accounting function for Creating a new year ... also carries forward the budgeting transactions.

• At the level of each row you have the possibility to indicate whether the operation should be carried over or not, and whether the original data should be kept or replaced by that of the new year.
• Creating the budget for the new year is therefore very simple, because it is only a question of changing the items of expenditure and income that are expected to change.

There are several ways to access financial forecasting data. You can access all the information that interests you.

• Provisional Balance sheet
• Provisional Profit and Loss Account
• Liquidity Planning
• Forecasting sales
• Financial forecasting for customers
• Financial forecasting for suppliers
• Investments Planning
• Corporate finance Planning
• Project Planning
• Planning with segments

Budget table: Total column

The Total column contains the total amount of the budget for the accounting period indicated in the file and accounting properties (accounting start and end date). This delivers an instant indication of how much a certain expense will be for the current year.

For further information refer to Budget table columns and Dates and repetitions.

Evolution Charts - Charts window

In any table you are in, you will see the evolution of the account or group, on which the cursor is located, in the Charts window.

Budget column in the Accounts and Categories table

The Accounts and Categories table displays the updated budget values for the accounting period indicated in the file and accounting properties (accounting start and end date).

• Budget column
  Indicates the total budget of the account for the accounting period.
  The value indicated is inclusive of the initial balance and budget movements for the period.
• Budget difference Column
  Indicates the difference between the Budget and Balance column.

Account card with budget data

Via the Account card command, or in the Budget table, you can get the detail with all the forecast movements, by clicking on the button next to the account.

• In the Account card dialogue
  • You can choose the account, cost center, group or segment whose movements you want to view.
  • You can choose to view current data or budget data.
  • In the Period accounting card, you can indicate the calculation period. If you choose an end date, beyond the accounting dates, the program automatically creates a projection of the indicated data.
• By opening the account card from the Budget table, the card for budget movements is displayed.

Enhanced Balance Sheet with groups

All the prints that are available for accounting, can include financial forecasts.

• It is sufficient to set up the Budget and Budget difference columns.
• In the Period Section, indicate the desired forecast period. You can also indicate a period over several years and the program immediately calculates and displays the forecast.
• In the Subdivision Section, you can select to display data by month, quarter, year or by choosing a segment.

Watch the video tutorial that shows how to create and print the Enhanced Balance Sheet with groups.

All customizations available in accounting are also applicable for planning:

• Select the desired grouping level.
  Presentation with the account details or only with groups.
• Choice of sections to include.
  Balance Sheet only, Income Statement, Cost Centers can be printed.
• Choice of the accounting period.
  If you choose an accounting period beyond the accounting dates, the program automatically creates the projections up to the indicated date.
• Breakdown by period (monthly, quarterly, half-yearly, annual).
  By combining the calculation period and the frequency, ad hoc reports can be created.
  • By indicating a 1 year period without subdivisions, the forecast for the year is obtained.
  • By indicating a 1 year period with quarterly subdivision, there is a printout with the columns for each quarter.
  • By indicating a 6 months period with monthly subdivision, the month by month evolution can be seen in detail.
  • By indicating a 5 years period with annual subdivision the columns with the evolution for the 5 years is available.
• Comparison between current and budget values.
• Addition of other columns.
• Change of print style.
• Saving Print Setups.
  Print settings can be saved as a composition and can be recalled later.
  You can create as many compositions as you require.