In this chapter, the basic theory of the Double-entry accounting is being explained.  

An even easier start with the new templates

In the new Banana Accounting Plus version, the start of a new accounting is made easier because many predefined templates for every need are included directly in the program. If you don't have specific accounting knowledge, you can use the new Income/Expense templates or the Cash Manager with descriptive accounts. The work will be intuitive, fast and professional.

We advise you to immediately switch to Banana Accounting Plus and take advantage of the many new features.

In order to create a new accounting file, there are different modes.

Creating an accounting file, starting from a template included in the program

Here we explain how to start an accounting file, starting from an existing template included in the program.

1. File menu, New command
2. From the Group section, select Double-entry accounting
3. In the File section, select Double-entry accounting or Double-entry accounting with VAT/Sales tax.
4. In the Examples/Templates section, select the language/nation and choose one of the templates that is closest to your own needs.
5. By clicking on the Online Templates button you can access our website where we published all templates available for free.

General use of the program

Banana Accounting inspires itself from Excel. The user directions and the commands are kept as similar as possible to the ones of Microsoft Office.
For more information on the general use of the program, we refer to the explanations on our page Program interface.
The accounting is being contained in tables; all of them have the same way of operating.

Saving the file

1. From the File menu choose the Save as... command, preferably indicating the name of the company and the current year (for example, "company_2017")
2. Choose the folder where the file should be saved (for example, Documents -> Accounting)
3. The program will add the "ac2" extension.

Customizing the Chart of accounts

In the Accounts table, customize the Chart of accounts and adapt it to your own needs:

• Add new accounts and /or delete existing ones (see Adding new rows)
• Modify the account numbers, the descriptions (for example, enter the name of your own Bank account), enter other groups, etc.
• To create subgroups, please consult our Groups page.

In the Chart of accounts, you can also define Cost centers or Segments, used to attribute the amounts in a more detailed or specific way.

The Transactions

The Transactions have to be entered into the Transactions table; together they compose the Journal.

In the specific columns:

• Enter the Date
• Enter the Document number, manually assigned to the paper document. This makes it possible to easily locate the documents once the accounting transaction has been entered.
• Enter the Description
• Into the Debit account column, enter the destination account
• Into the Credit account column, enter the account of origin.
• Enter the Amount. In the accounting with VAT, enter the gross amount, VAT included. The program will separate the VAT, splitting the net cost or net income.

Speeding up the recording of the transactions

In order to accelarate the recording of the transactions, you can use

• the Smart fill function that allows the automatic autocomplete of data that have already been entered at an earlier date.
• the Recurring transactions function, used to memorize recurring transactions into a separate table.
• importing your bank or post office statement from the e-banking.

Transactions with VAT

In order to enter transactions with VAT please proceed as follows:

• from the File menu, choose New command and choose Double-entry accounting with VAT/Sales taxes
• Choose one of the existing templates for your nation with double-entry accounting with VAT codes and VAT Codes table.
  In order to enter transactions with VAT, please visit the Transactions page.

Transactions on multiple rows

Transactions on multiple rows or Composed transactions are transactions involving more than two accounts and credits/debits on multiple accounts (for example when you pay different invoices from the bank account). In this case you need to enter the transaction on multiple rows:

• in the first row enter the total amount and the account debited or credited
• when all the individual debit and credit rows are entered there shouldn't be any difference

For more details, consult the page Composed transactions.

Checking customer and supplier invoices

Banana allows you to keep an eye on the invoices to be paid and the receivable, issued invoices. Please consult:

• Customers sub-menu
• Suppliers sub-menu

The Account card

The Account card automatically displays all the transactions that have been recorded on the same account (for example, cash, bank, clients, etc).

To display an account card, just position yourself with the mouse on the account number and click on the small blue symbol that appears.

Account card by period

To display the account card with the balances referring to a specific period, click on the Account1 menu, Account card command, and in the Period section, activate  Period Selected, entering the Start and the End date of the period.

For more details, consult the Period page.

Printing the Account card

In order to print one account card, just display the card from the Accounts or the Transactions table and launch the print from on the File menu.

To print several or all account cards, click on the Account1 menu, Account card command, and select the account cards that need to be printed. By means of the Filter, all the account cards, or only a part of all of them (for example, only accounts, cost centers, segments), that need to be printed can be automatically selected.

For more details, consult the Account Card page.

The Balance Sheet and Profit and Loss Statement

The Balance sheet shows the balances of all the estate accounts, Assets & Liabilities. The difference between the Assets and the Liabilities determines the Share capital. 

The Profit & Loss statement shows all the Expense & Revenue accounts. The difference between the Expenses & Revenue determines the Profit or Loss of the Accounting year.

The display and the printing of the Balance Sheet is being executed from the Account1 menu, Enhanced Balance Sheet and Enhanced Balance Sheet with groups commands.

• The Enhanced Balance Sheet command simply lists all the accounts without distinguishing Groups and Subgroups
• The Enhanced Balance Sheet with groups command lists all the accounts while subdividing Groups and Subgroups; besides, it presents numerous features to customize the presentation, functions that are not provided in the Enhanced Balance Sheet.

Data archiving in PDF format

At the end of the year, when the entire accounting has been completed, corrected and audited, all the accounting data can be archived with the Create PDF dossier command of the File menu.

The Budget

1. Accounts table, Budget column. For each account, the annual budget amount is being indicated.
   In this case, when you set up the Budget from the Account1 menu, Enhanced Balance Sheet with groups command, the Budget column displays the amounts that refer to the entire year.
2. In the Budget table, that can be activated through the Tools menu, Add new functionalities command.
   In this table, you can enter all the budgeted costs and revenue by means of entering transactions. If you activate this table, the column of the accounts table will be automatically deactivated.
   In this case you can set up a detailed budget, taking into account the possible variations over the year and in different periods of the year.

For more details, consult the page Budget.

Financial situation under control

You need to setup you chart of accounts in the Accounts table: setup the accounts and the groups where the accounts must be totalized. With this operation you create the accouts that will be used when entering the transactions. The chart of accounts structure is the same that will show in all Balanche sheet and Profit & Loss statement presentations.
In the Accounts table there are also the columns of the initial balances, movements and current balance, which are automatically updated by the program.
The chats of accounts therefore provides an immediate and complete view of your financial situation.

• Liquidity accounts
• Balance sheet
• Profit & Loss statement
• Result of the current year
• Clients and Suppliers register
• Cost and Profit Centers

Different kinds of rows and sections

The Accounts table (charts of accounts) is both the setup tool and the viewing tool for the economic and financial situation.

In the chart of accounts (Accounts table) all data necerrary to group the mouvements are entered:

• Accounts
  They indicate on what account (debit ore credit) the transactions must be registered.
  Each account has a code or number (account number), a description, a class and a group to which it belongs; they also have an opening balance, the current balance, the budget, etc...
• Costs and Profits centers
  They are special accounts whose number is preceded by a full stop ".", a comma "," or by a semi-colon ";". Their purpose is to be able to assign some amounts to special accounts other than the basic accounting accounts.
• Segments
  They are a sort of sub-accounts who's number is preceded by a ":". Their purpose is to be able to assign some transactions to subcategories of the accounting plan.
• Groups
  Their purpose is to create rows where the program adds up the amounts of other rows.
• Sections
  They indicate the accounting plan divisions for the Balance Sheet and Profit and Loss Statement printouts, ...
  • Clients register
  • Suppliers register
     

The columns of the double-entry accounting charts of accounts

• Section
  Codes are being entered that allow the user to only print determined parts of the Chart of accounts, when printing the Enhanced Balance sheet by groups.
• Group
  Contains the code that defines that this is a group row. The group code is then used in the GR column to indicate the totalization of an account or group.
• Account
  The account number, cost center or segment is being entered.
• Description
  A text to indicate the name of the account, group, or section.
• Disable (only visible in the Other view)
  By entering 1, the account does not appear in the autocomplete list, but can be used in the Transactions table;
  By entering 2, the account is disabled and can not be used.
• BClass
  It indicates whether the account is 1 = Assets, 2 = Liabilities, 3 = Expenses, 4 = Revenue, see the Accounts
• Gr (Totalize in)
  It indicates a group so that the program can totalize this line in the group.
• Gr1 and Gr2
  Additional grouping codes to use with external accounting report files.
• Opening balance
  Insert the account balance at the beginning of the year.
  The amounts in credit must be entered preceded by a minus sign. The total of the debit amounts (positive) and those in credit (negative) must balance and result in zero. If the opening balances do not balance a difference is shown in the information window.
  If you have added or pasted accounts and the difference is not correct, proceed with a Recheck of the accounting (Shift + F9)
• Movement Debit and Movement Credit (Protected columns)
  The total of the debit and credit movements included in the Transactions table.
• Balance  (Protected column)
  The balance of the account includes the opening balance and the movements in debit and credit.
  The balance in debit is positive, while a credit balance is negative (minus sign).
• Budget
  The budget amount for the current year is being entered.
  The budget amount for the Expenses (debit) must be inserted in positive, the Revenue in negative (credit).
• Difference Budget (Protected column)
  The difference between Balance and Budget amount.
• Previous
  The balance of the account at the end of the preceding year.
  With the command "Create new year" or "Update opening balances", the values in the Balance column of the file of the preceding year are being carried forward.
  When a new accounting is being created and the user wants to obtain printouts with the amounts of the preceding year, the values of that year have to be entered manually.
• Prev. yr. Difference (Protected column)
  The difference between the Balance and the amount of last year.
• VATNumber
  The VAT number in case this account is linked to a client or a supplier.
• VATCode
  The VAT code that needs to be applied automatically, when this account is being entered in the debit A/c or credit A/c column of the Transactions.
• Adresses columns
  It is possible to have the program add addresses columns in order to manage customers or suppliers data.
   

Adding or moving columns

• When an Amount column is being added in the Chart of accounts, the program composes the total of the amounts according to the selected grouping scheme
• Added columns of the Number type, on the contrary, are not being totaled.
• With the Columns setup command, the columns can be made visible, the sequences can be altered and it is also possible to add other columns.
• With the Page setup command one can also define the layout of the print (portrait or landscape) and the zoom.
   

Accounts list ordered by description or other criteria

In you need to order your accounts in a different way, use the Extract and sort rows command from the Data menu.

Views

• Base Displayed are the principal columns, the grouping columns and the balances
• Transaction Displayed are the columns with the Debit and Credit transactions.
• Budget Displayed are the Budget column and the Difference Budget column. 
• Previous Displayed are the Previous column and the Difference Prior columns regarding the previous year 
• Other The Disable column, the VAT number and the Fiscal number column are being displayed.
• Print Just the Account column, the Description and the Balance is being displayed.

The views can be customized and others can be added with the command Views setup.

Trial Balance sheet

At any time, positioning yourself in the Accounts table and using the Print or Print preview commands (from the File menu), you can view and print the account plan or part of it.
Also from the Accounts table, if you select Movement view, you can view and print your trial balance sheet.

Advanced printouts

• Accounting report
  It is possible to select just the accounts with transactions, to obtain temporary groupings or accounts grouped according to the BClass or an external grouping scheme.
• Enhanced Balance sheet
  Prints all the accounts of the accounting divided by Assets, Liabilities, Expenses and Revenue
• Enhanced Balance sheet by groups
  Allows the user to obtain customized printouts with groups
• Specific advanced printouts are available using the BananaApps
   

Avoid mistakes with Banana Accounting Plus

In order to facilitate checking your accounting work and to immediately find differences, in Banana Accounting Plus, our new version, we added the Balance column in the Transaction table. You can now see potential differences on each row and you can correct them right away. It is a very useful feature when closing the accounting period.
Many of our clients have already tried it and are enthusiastic about it. We advise you to switch now to Banana Accounting Plus and take advantage of the many new features.

Opening balances

When using Banana Accounting for the first time, the opening balances need to be inserted manually in order to create the opening balance sheet.

After having set up the Chart of Accounts, proceed as follows:

1. Place yourself in the Accounts table, Base view, Opening column.
2. Manually enter the opening balances of the Assets and Liabilities accounts. The Liabilities are entered preceded by the minus (-) sign.
3. Check if the total Assets equals the total Liabilities so that your accounting balances. If there are differences in the opening balances you need to check and correct them.

In order to automatically transfer the opening balances for the next year, consult the lesson Create New Year
 

Avoid mistakes with Banana Accounting Plus

In order to facilitate checking your accounting work and to immediately find differences, in Banana Accounting Plus, our new version, we added the Balance column in the Transaction table. You can now see potential differences on each row and you can correct them right away. It is a very useful feature when closing the accounting period.
Many of our clients have already tried it and are enthusiastic about it. We advise you to switch now to Banana Accounting Plus and take advantage of the many new features.

Entering Transactions

Transactions must be entered in the Transactions table.

The columns of the Transactions table

The columns listed hereunder and preceded by an * are usually not visible.
In order to make them visible, use the Columns setup command from the Data menu.

Date
The date the program uses to attribute the transaction to a certain time frame. The date should be within the limits of the accounting period defined in the Basic data of the accounting. In the Options tab, one can indicate whether the transaction date is required, if not this value can also be left empty.
If there are locked transactions, the program gives an error message when an equal or earlier date than the one of the lock is being entered. 

*Date Document
The date of the document can be entered, for example the date of issue for an invoice.

*Date Value
The value date of the bank operation can be indicated. This value is being imported from an electronic bank statement.

Document
The number of the voucher that serves as a base for the accounting transaction. When entering transactions, it is advisable to indicate a progressive number on the document, so that the accounting document can be easily traced from the transaction.
The autocomplete feature proposes progressive values as well as transaction codes that have been defined earlier in the Recurring transactions table.

The program proposes the next document number, that can be resumed with the F6 key.

• In case of a numeric numbering, the program simply increases the highest value found in the Doc column.

• Alphanumeric numbering: the program increases the final numeric part; this is useful when one would like to keep a separate numbering for cash and bank movements.
  If earlier Doc number C-01 has been entered, and one starts to type C, the program proposes C-02.
  If earlier Doc number B104 has been entered, and one starts to type B, the program proposes B-105.
  If earlier Doc number D10-04 has been entered, and one starts to type D, the program proposes D10-05.

In the recurring transactions you can setup transactions groups that can be reloaded with a single code.

In order to add a large number of document numbers, you can also use Excel. You can create in Excel the desired quantity of document numbers and then copy and paste it into Banana, in the bcolumn of the Transactions Table.

*Document Protocol
An extra column in case an alternative numbering for the transactions or for the document is needed.
The autocomplete feature proposes progressive values that function in the same way as the ones in the Document column.

*Document Type
Contains a code that the program uses to identify a type of transaction. If you prefer to use your own codes, it is advisable to add a new column.

• 01 In the reports, this transaction is considered an opening transaction, so it doesn't show in the period but in the opening balances.
• from 10 to 19: codes for customers' invoices
• from 20 to 29: codes for suppliers' invoices
• from 30 to 1000: codes reserved for future purposes.

*Document Invoice
A number of an issued or paid invoice that will be used together with the invoice control feature for customers/suppliers

*Document Original
The reference number present on a document, to enter, for example, the number of a credit note.

*Link to external file
Serves to enter a link to an external file, usually the accounting voucher.
Pressing on the little arrow on the upper part of the cell, the program opens the document.

*External reference
Any reference number all ocated by a program that generated this operation. This value can be used to check whether a given task is imported twice.

Description
The text of the transaction.
The autocomplete feature proposes the text of an already entered transaction, or of one that has been entered in the preceding year when the appropriate option has been activated. When pressing the F6 key, the program retrieves the data of the preceding row with the same description and completes the columns of the active row.

In case the description begins with #CheckBalance, the transaction is being considered as one that serves to checkup the balance.
Please consult our page Check accounting for more information on the subject.

*Notes
Useful to add notes to the transaction.

Debit Account
The account that will be charged.
It is possible to also enter a segment in the Debit account column. These are usually separated by a ":" or a "-".
In the accounts list, pressing the key with the segment separator symbol, one goes immediately to the next segment.
If instead the Enter key is being pressed, the input finishes and one moves to the next column.
The autocomplete feature proposes the accounts and segments. One can also enter a search text and the program shows all the accounts that contain that text in one of the columns.

*Debit Account Description
The description of the entered account retrieved from the Chart of accounts.

Credit Account
The account that will be credited. We refer to the explanation under Debit account for the rest of the information.

*Credit Account Description
The description of the entered account retrieved from the Chart of accounts.

Amount
The amount that will be entered unto the debit- and credit account.

VAT columns
Information on the VAT columns can be found att the VAT columns in the Transactions table page

CC1
The Cost center account preceded by "."

*CC1 Description
The description of the Cost center, retrieved from the Chart of accounts.

CC2
The Cost center account preceded by ","

*CC2 Description
The description of the Cost center, retrieved from the Chart of accounts.

CC3
The Cost center account preceded by ";"

*CC3 Description
The description of the Cost center, retrieved from the Chart of accounts.

*Expiry date
The date before which the invoice has to be paid.

*Payment date
Used in combination with the Show Expiry dates command.
When instead using the invoices customers/suppliers control feature in order to check on the payments, a transaction has to be entered for an issued invoice and another one for the payment thereof.

*Lock Number, Lock Amount, Lock Progressive, Lock Line
More information at the Lock Transactions page.

Adding new columns

With the Columns setup command, it is possible to display, hide or move the order of columns, add new ones, or indicate that a column should not be included in the printout.

• The added columns in the Transactions table will be added also in the Recurring transactions table, in the Account card and in the VAT report, without being made visible.
  In order to display these columns in the other tables, use the Columns setup command.
• If a column of the "amount" type is being added, the entered amounts will be added up in the Account card. 

Views

When a new accounting is being created, the following views are being automatically created as well: 

• Base: the main columns are being displayed
• Cost centers:  the CC1, CC2 and CC3 columns are being displayed
• Expiry dates:  the columns Expiry date and Payment date are being displayed
• Lock: the columns relative to the Lock function are being displayed.

With the Views setup command, the views can be customized and personal, added views can be created.
With the Page setup command, you can modify the print mode of the view.

Info window

In the Information window at the bottom part of the screen, error messages and extra information about the used accounts and VAT codes are being displayed.
For the accounts, the Account number, the Description, the Amount of the transaction (debit or credit) and the Current balance of the account is being indicated.

This is where the main data of the accounting file are entered, such as the printout heading, the opening and closing dates, the basic currency, the company address, the profit and loss from exchange rate variation account (if you have a multicurrency accounting file), the VAT account (if you have chosen the VAT management option), the password, …

The File and accounting properties window has the following tabs:

• Accounting tab
• Options tab
• Address tab
• VAT/ICMS tab
• Foreign currency tab
• Texts tab
• Password tab
• Other tab

New customization possibilities

In the new Banana Accounting Plus version, the printing has been improved thanks to new possibilities of customization. Moreover, you can print the invoice with the QR code and other predefined and customizable layouts.

We advise you to immediately switch to Banana Accounting Plus and take advantage of the many new features.

Enhanced Balance sheet with groups - colored columns

This example has been realized with the following features:

• Enhanced Balance sheet with groups
• Columns setup to indicate which columns are to be displayed (in the example the columns of the Current and the Preceding year are being displayed)
• Colors (Column properties) to indicate the color of a column.
   

Profit & Loss Statement with budget

This example has been realized with the following features:

• Enhanced Balance sheet with groups
• Columns setup to indicate which columns are to be displayed (in the example the columns of the Current year, the Budget and the Preceding year are being displayed)
• Colors (Column properties) to indicate the color of a column.

Enhanced Balance sheet

This example has been realized with the following features:

• Enhanced Balance sheet- Base tab
• Style setup (for this printout the Berlin style has been chosen)

Subdivision by quarter

This example has been realized with the following features:

• Enhanced Balance sheet with groups
• Subdivision -> Subdivision by period in order to set up the subdivsion by period
• Columns setup to indicate which columns are to be displayed
• Colors (Column properties) to assign different colors to the columns.

Subdivision by segment

This example has been realized with the following features:

• Enhanced Balance sheet with groups
• Subdivision -> Subdivision by segment in order to choose the segment level to be displayed.
• Print style
  When printing the segments, it is not possible to set up the colors of the columns.

Pdf dossier with all the accounting data

The file is being created with a summary that gives access to the different printouts in an easy way.

The following data can be saved in PDF

• Balance sheet and Profit & Loss statement
• Accounts table, Transactions, VAT Codes, Totals
• VAT reports
• Account cards
   

If you save this file on a non-rewritable CD (to keep together with your accounting documents), this satisfies the legal requirements for archiving the accounting data.

This example has been realized with the following features:

File menu, Create Pdf dossier command

Printing an extra column

In order to print, in the Balance sheet, an extra column, the following features have been used:

• Columns setup, Data menu, in order to display or add a new column in the Accounts table
• Enhanced Balance sheet with groups
• Columns - advanced, to make the column visible.

Budget amounts entered in the Accounts table

In the Accounts table, there is a Budget column where the budget for the current year can be entered.

The Budget table, on the contrary, offers many more possibilities, and allows you to enter budget transactions, creating a detailed planning of your financial and cash (or cash equivalent) situation.

For more information and examples please visit the Financial planning page.

Adding the Budget table

If your accounting file doesn't have the Budget table yet, proceed as follows.

• Go to the Tools menu
• Add new functionalities command
• Choose Add Budget table
  Attention: this operation cannot be undone; if you want to go back to the previous situation, keep a copy of the pre-existing file.

Thereafter, the program will:

• Add the Budget table, carrying forward the budget values indicated in the Accounts table.
• Lock the Budget column in the Accounts table.
  The values of this column are being calculated according to the budget transactions, using the period defined in the accounting tab basic data.

Preparing the budget

1. Enter the individual budget transactions in the Budget table
   Enter future operations as if they were normal transactions, but with a future date.
   For example:
   • If you want to have a budget for the monthly sales, enter a sale transaction: enter your cash or cash equivalent account in the Debit account column and enter the sales account in the Credit account column, for each month. As date you can enter a date around the end of each month and as amount you can enter the amount you expect it to be.
     If you want to have a budget for each product sale, enter some sale transactions for each product with your expected sale volume.
   • For your expenses budget, enter some transactions entering your expense account in the Debit account column your cash or cash equivalent account in the Credit account column.
     If there are recurring operations, you can use the Repeat column to specify the repetition pattern.
2. Display the budget data
   • Go to the charts of accounts, and then into the Budget view, where you can view the total budget for your accounting period.
   • You can also use the Balance sheet with groups print option and check the Budget column option, which will display budgeted date next to the actually registered data.

Budget table columns

The Budget table columns are very similar to the Transactions table columns. In the following example, to make it easier to understand, we used accounts with letters. Normally you would use your own account numbers.

In order to prepare a budget is normally enough the amount column.
For more elaborate budgets you can also indicate the quantity, the unit prices, or you can enter a formula. The program will automatically calculate the amount in the Amount column.
 

Entering the Budget transaction rows

In the Budget table, the transactions can be entered in exactly the same way as in the Transactions table, indicating the date of the operation, the Debit and the Credit accounts and the amount. 

You will here find the budget columns explanations (not all columns are visible in the image above):

• Date column
  The future date when you expect the operation to take place:
  If you cannot precisely define the date, for example a monthly sales budget, enter the end of the month date.
• Repeat column
  A repetition code can be entered, possibly preceded by a number
  (3M quarterly, 6M per semester, 7D weekly, 3ME quarterly end of month)
  • Empty: no repetition is taking place
  • "D" for a daily repetition (Day)
  • "W" for a weekly repetition (Week)
  • "M" for a monthly repetition (Month)
  • "ME" monthly repetition, but with a date at the end of the month.
    If started the 28.02.2017, the next date will be 31.03.2017
  • "Y" for a yearly repetition (Year)
  • "YE" yearly, but with a date at the end of the month.
    If started the 28.02.2015, the next date will be 29.02.2016.
• End column
  The date beyond which no more repetition should appear is being indicated.
• Variant column
  A possible variant form of the budget can be indicated here, in combination with the Apps.
• ForNewYear column
  Here you can indicate how the transfer is to take place when Creating the New Year
  • No value: the date is being augmented by a year
  • "1" The date remains the same
  • "2" The operation is not being transferred to the new year
• Debit account and Credit account, CC1, CC2, CC3 columns
  Just as in the Transactions table, you use these columns to define on which accounts the operation should be registered.
  You can also use segments and cost centers, to obtain a budget by segment or cost center.
• Quantity column
  In this column you should enter the quantity description, for example sqm, ton, pc, ..
• Price/Unit column
  The unit price that, multiplied by the quantity, should give the total amount.
  • In the Income & Expenses accounting files, you should enter the price unit in negative (with a minus sign), so the amount will be entered in the Expenses column
• Amount column (in basic currency)
  The amount to be recorded.
  If the row has a repetition, the amount is indicated only in the first transaction; the amounts of the following transactions is shown in the account card.
  The program will automatically calculate the amount in the following cases:
  • If there is a value in the Quantity or Price/Unit columns, the amount is automatically calculated according to the content of these two columns.
    • In a double-entry accounting file the result will be a positive amount
    • In an Income & Expenses accounting file, if the result is positive it will be considered an income, if it is negative it will be considered an expense.
  • In case a formula was entered, the amount will be the result of the formula.
    Formulas have priority over quantity and price/unit.
• Total column
  This is the sum of the amounts of the repetitive rows that are part of the specific accounting period.
  To display the different amounts, use the Account cards command.
• Formula column (in basic currency)
  This column gives the user the possibility to enter calculation formulas, of the javascript language, plus the programming functions of the Banana Apps as well.
  If there is a formula (or whichever text) the value of the Amount column is being set up according to the result of the formula. See below how to use it.
  • In a double-entry accounting file the formula result must always be a positive amount
  • In an Income & Expenses accounting file, if the result is positive it will be considered an income, if it is negative it will be considered an expense.
• Amount in account currency column
  This is the transaction amount in account currency (see multi-currency transactions).
  This amount is necessary to calculate the value in basic currency, at the indicated exchange rate.
  If there is a formula, the value is the result of the calculation of the formula.
  In case of repetition, the first amount is being indicated.
• Formula amount in account currency column
  A calculation formula can be entered.
  In case of repetition, the first amount is being indicated; the amounts of the following transactions is shown in the account card.
• Total amount in account currency column
  This is the sum of the amounts in account currency of the repetitive rows that are part of the specific accounting period.
  If there is no date or if the initial or final date are not part of the accounting period, this column will be empty.

Functions you can use in the Formula column

If you want to see examples about formulas, please visit the following pages:

• Transactions template with use of Quantity and Formula columns.
• Transactions template for the multi-currency accounting with use of the Formula column in basic currency.

In the Formula column you can enter a formula in JavaScript language, plus the Banana Apps programming functions.
If there is a formula (or any text), the value in the Amount column is set according to the formula result.
It allows you to enter calculation formulas, in the JavaScript language, plus the Banana Apps programming functions.

• Last operation result.
  The formula is executed and the result displayed.
  10*3 //30 will be returned
  If there is a sequence of several operations separated by a semicolon ";", the last operation will be resumed.
  10*3;7;
  7 will be returned
• Decimal separator.
  As decimal separator JavaScript only uses the point "."
  If you use a different separator, the number is likely to be truncated.
• DEBUG  is a variable that can be true or false.
• If true, in the messages, all the results of the formulas are being displayed.
• row
  Is a javascript object that refers to the current row.
  The values of the cells can be retrieved with the value function ("columnNameXml").
  row.value("date") returns to the date of the transaction.
  • row.value ("JRepeatNumber") returns the progressive of the repetition.
    The first repetition is 0.
• budgetCurrent
  It is a table that contains the budget rows after the repetitions creation.
• budgetExchangeDifference (account, [date, exchangeRate])
  This formula recalls the Banana.document.budgetExchangeDifference function.
•  BudgetGetPeriod(tDate, period)
  Returns to the start date (startDate) and the end date (endtDate) relative to the date and the period where the period can be:
  • "MC", "QC", "YC" to indicate the month, the quarter or the current year.
  • "MP", "QP", "YP" to indicate the month, the quarter or the previous year.
  • t = BudgetGetPeriod('2015-01-01', 'MP') returns
    t.strartDate // 2014-12-01
    t.endtDate // 2014-12-31
• The following functions are similar to those available with Banana.document, however, with the added possibility to indicate as startDate the period of BudgetGetPeriod so that the function uses the current date and as a start date and end date the date returned of BudgetGetPeriod.
  budgetBalance('1000', 'MP'); //returns the balance of 1000 to the end of the previous month
  budgetTotal('1000', 'MC'); //returns the total movement of the 1000 account for the current month.
  • budgetBalance(account, startDate, endDate, extraParam)
  • budgetOpening(account, startDate, endDate, extraParam)
  • budgetTotal(account, startDate, endDate, extraParam)
  • budgetBalanceCurrency(account, startDate, endDate, extraParam)
  • budgetOpeningCurrency(account, startDate, endDate, extraParam)
  • budgetTotalCurrency(account, startDate, endDate, extraParam)
  • budgetInterest( account, interest, startDate, endDate, extraParam)
• credit(amount)
  If the amount is under 0 returns the amount in positive, if not 0 returns.
• debit(amount)
  If the amount is greater than 0 returns the amount, if not 0 returns.
• include
  Includes and executes a javascript file, with the possibility to create its own functions and variables that can be recalled in the script.
  • include "file:test.js" 
    Executes the contents of the indicated file. The name refers to the file on which one is working.
  • include "documents:test.js" 
    Executes the contents of the text document contained in the documents table.
    This has to be a file of the "text/javascript" type.

Variables

It is possible to define and use variables directly in the rows.
The variable must have been previously defined.

price = 10;
total = price * 5;

User defined functions

The user can define personal function with the JavaScript language, and recall them in the formulas.
It is possibile to define functions:

• Directly in a formula
• In a JavaScript coded attachment; this attachment must have as row id the "_budget.js" name
• In a text of the Documents table, that needs to be included with the Include command

function Taxcalculation(profit)
{
   var percentage = 10;
   if (profit > 50000)
      percentage = 10;
   else if (profit > 100000)
      percentage =20;
   return profit * percentage / 100;
}

Calculation and recalculation sequence

Each time that you change an amount in the Budget table, or that you manually recalculate the file (Shift+F9), the program:

• If it exists, first of all the program executes the "_budget.js" document content.
• It recalculates the Budget table rows:
  • The program generates the repetitive row according to the Initial Date, Final Date and Repetition columns.
    If there is in January a row with a monthly repetition, 12 identical rows will be created, each one with a date of a different month.
  • The budget rows are sorted by date (if they have the same date they will be listed in the order they were entered)
    • The transaction amount is calculated according to the quantity and unit price or, if there is a formula, according to the formula result.
    • For the multi-currency accounting, the program executes first the formula in the account currency, and then in the basic currency.
      If there is no formula for the basic currency, the program will use the historic exchange rate and calculates the value in the basic currency.
    • For the accounting files with VAT, the VAT is calculated according to the transaction's amount.
  • Rows previously processed will be used for the calculation of the following rows.
    The accounts balance, at the budget row's date, will include the amounts previously processed.
    If for example, in a February transaction you enter a formula to calculate the balance for the whole year, you will only get the balance up to the end of February.
• It recalculates the budget values in the Accounts column, according to the budget transactions and to the opening balances.
• It updates the Total column amount in the Budget table.

If the initial or final date of the accounting is modified, as well as other values that are used for the calculation of the budget amounts (for example the VAT table), you need to operate a manual recalculation (Check accounting command from the Account1 menu).

If you have many rows, with many recurring transactions and with a long calculation period, the program may slow down when recalculation the Budget table. In this case we suggest you to uncheck the manual recalculation in the File & accounting properties (File menu).

Printing a budget

In order to print your budget, use the Balance sheet with groups command from the Account1 menu. In the Columns section, activate the Budget column.

If the budget was entered in the Budget table, you can also print the budget by period.

Creating the New Year

When creating the New Year, the program automatically recreates the budget transactions for the new year, according to the values of the New Year column in the Budget table. If this column is not visible you can activate it using the Columns setup command from the Data menu.

Avoid mistakes with Banana Accounting Plus

In order to have continuity and serenity of work, it is also worth starting the New Year with an updated software.
Facilitate checking your accounting work and immediately find differences: in Banana Accounting Plus, our new version, try the Balance column in the Transaction table. You can now see potential differences on each row and you can correct them right away. It is a very useful feature when closing the accounting period.
Many of our clients have already tried it and are enthusiastic about it. We advise you to switch now to Banana Accounting Plus and take advantage of the many new features.
Other resources: How to close and open the accounting year

End of the Year closure and New Year

At the end of every accounting year, before printing and filing the Balance Sheet and the Profit & Loss Statement, it is necessary to recheck the accounting file.
Please visit the Recheck the accounting page.

Tax aspects

Before closing the accounting, is is necessary to proceed with a series of operations that have fiscal implications. The marchandise account needs to be adapted, the transactions for depreciations need to be entered, the accrued income and liabilities, the VAT declaration needs to be completed, establish how and unto which accounts the profit or loss has to be attributed and there are many other operations for verification and checking.

From the program's point of view, there is no difference whether the profit is high or low. However, from a fiscal point of view, it implies a lot. These aspects need to be verified with your own tax advisor or accountant. It can be very useful, especially when you manage an accounting for the first the time and before you proceed with the closing of the books, to consult a specialist in order to understand what is required. The accountants are very busy at the beginning of the year and during the period preceding the deadline for the tax declaration. It can therefore be useful to meet with your accountant - or send him the accounting file - a few monts before the closing of the books, so that you can inform yourself on how to proceed.

Create a New Year

In order to start recording in the new year, with the Create New Year command of the Account2 menu and starting from the current year's file, a new accounting file is being created. Once the new year has been created and the file has been saved under a new name, the user can work in the file of the new year, but also in the one of the preceding year.

You can thus create the file of the new year, even before having closed the year in which you are still working. After having entered the last modifications in the previous year, use the Update Opening balances command of the Account2 menu, to retrieve the opening balances and again attribute the profit of the last year.

Performed Operations

The Create New Year command:

• Creates a new file (with no name) with the chart of accounts and all the settings identical to your current file, but without transactions.
• Copies the data from the Balance column of your current file to the Opening column of the new file (only for the selected classes)
• Adds the selected amount to the opening balance of the Profit or Loss from previous year account(s) in the new file.
• Copies the data from the Balance column of your current file to the Previous Year column of the new file (for all the accounts).
• Updates the opening and closing dates in the File and accounting Properties of the new file.
• In the Multi-currency accounting, enters the closing exchange rates of the previous year as opening exchange rates.
   

Create New Year command

Carry forward account opening balances
The opening balances of the selected options are carried forward.
Indicate which accounts are required to have opening balances carried forward. Usually the Profit and Loss Statements balances  are not carried forward. For specific needs you can always activate the option.

Allocation profit/loss

Total to allocate
The program will indicate the profit/loss that needs to be shared between various accounts.

Accounts/Amounts
If only one account is selected, the amount will automatically entered. Select the account or accounts (up to three) in which the result of the accounting period has to be allocated. In case there are several destination accounts for the result of the accounting period, the amounts should be inserted manually in the different boxes. The program will automatically update the opening balances. The Total Assets will exactly match the Total Liabilities.

Allocation of the result of the accounting period on more than three accounts.
In this case, allocate the result of the accounting period automatically on the Profit or loss brought forward account as usual, and continue to proceed with the creation of the new year.

In the new year (new file), Transactions table, proceed with a composed transaction in order to allocate the result of the accounting period from the Profit or loss brought forward account to the different destination accounts.

• Confirm the File and accounting properties for the new year.
• From the File menu, activate the Save as... command, indicating the folder where the new accounting file needs to be saved.

Updating opening balances command

The Updating Opening Balances command:

• Retrieves the closing data of the indicated file
• Copies them as data of the previous year in the current file (see Create New Year command).

This command doesn't influence the already entered recordings. Infact, it is like when creating a new year, as if you are recording in the current year.

Opening balances must be updated in the following situations:

• When you have created the new year and afterwards you entered more transactions - or made corrections -  in the previous year
• When the profit/loss of the previous year has not been allocated.

Here is how to proceed to make the update:

• Open the current year accounting file and choose the Update opening balances command from the Account2 menu
• Select the previous year accounting file through the Browse button
• Follow the same steps as the ones of the Create New Year command (see top of the page)

In this part, the basic theoretical notions about currency exchange are being explained.

Creating an accounting file, starting from a template included in the program

In order to create a new accounting file, there are different modes.
Here we explain how to start an accounting, starting from an existing template included in the program.

1. File menu, New command
2. From the Group section, select Double-entry accounting
3. In the File section, select Double-entry accounting or Double-entry accounting with VAT/Sales tax.
4. In the Examples/Templates section, select the language/nation and choose one of the templates that is closest to your own needs
5. By clicking on the Online Templates button you can access our website where we published all templates available for free.
6. Select the language and the country for the templates.

Account for exchange rate profit
From the accounts list, select the one for the exchange rate profit present in the Chart of Accounts.

Account for exchange rate loss
From the accounts list, select the one for the exchange rate loss present in the Chart of Accounts.

Currency 2
It is possible to select a second currency in order to view the balances in a currency different from the basic one.

Exchange Rate valid even from basic currency
If this option is checked, the program will use the last entered exchange rate in the Exchange rate table (Exchange rate column).

The Chart of accounts of the multi-currency accounting is the same as the one of an accounting without foreign currency, except for the specifics that are indicated here below.

Basic currency

In the File and accounting properties, the basic currency should be defined and in the Exchange rate table, the foreign currencies should be defined.
In the example here below, the basic currency is the CHF, which, as can be seen, appears in the column headers with the amounts in basic currency.

Account currency

• The Assets and the Liabilities (Balance sheet accounts) can be in basic currency or in foreign currency.
• The Costs (Expenses) and Revenue accounts must be in basic currency.

Explanation of the columns of the multicurrency accounting

• The opening balance in basic currency.
  A protected column, calculated by the program based on the opening balance in currency and the opening exchange rate (exchange rate of the exchange rate table indicated in a row without date).
• The current balance in currency.
  Calculated by the program, using the opening balance in currency and the currency amount indicated in the transaction rows. 
• The current balance in basic currency.
  Calculated by the program, using the opening balance in basic currency and the amount in basic currency indicated in the transaction rows.
• The calculated balance
  Is the balance in the account currency converted at the current exchange rate (exchange rate of the exchange rate table indicated in a row without date).
• In the Other view from the Account table, there is the Exch. rate Diff. Acct.
  In this column, for specific account/accounts, you can enter an account (or several accounts, separated by a semicolon) in order to enter the exchange rate differences. These are different accounts from those in the File and accounting properties (account for exchange rate profit and loss).
  If in the Exch. rate Diff. Account column there are no accounts, the program will register exchange rate differences on the accounts indicated in the File and accounting properties; if however accounts are indicated both in the File and accounting properties and in the Exch.rate Diff.Acct. (Other view), the program will only consider the accounts indicated in the Exch.rate Diff.Acct., and ignore the File and accounting properties indications.

Opening Balances

Group totals in foreign currency

Normally, the columns with amounts in foreign currency don't have totals, as it has little sense to calculate totals for values in different currency.

If you have a group that includes only accounts in a specific currency, the currency symbol can be indicated at a group level and, in the Accounts table, the program totalizes these amounts. If there would be accounts with various currency symbols, there would be no amount indicated (the program would not report an error either).

Before entering multi-currency transactions it is necessary to define the parameters of the used currencies in the Exchange rates table.

Date
The date for the exchange rate.

• Exchange rate rows without date. Actual and Opening exchange rate.
  For each used foreign currency, it is necessary to have a row in the Exchange rate table with an exchange rate and without a date.

  • Exchange rate
    This is the one that is considered to be the most recent and also the closing exchange rate.
    It is being used for the calculation of the Balance Calculated column (Accounts table) and always when there is no historical exchange rate.
  • Rate Opening
    It is being used to convert the opening balance amounts of foreign currencies into the opening balance amounts of the basic currency of the accounting.

• Rows with a data (historical exchange rates)
  In the here indicated cases, the program chooses the exchange rate with a the date equal to the transaction row or with the closest preceding date to that row.

  • If you have an historical exchange rate, the value in the Exchange rate column will be proposed as default change when you insert a new transaction;
  • When transactions for exchange rate variations are being created and the option to use the historical exchange rate is being activated;
  • When entering an exchange rate with a date, an Opening exchange rate should not be indicated.

Ref. Currency
This is the currency that serves as the basis for the exchange rate (the CHF in our example.)

Currency
This is the destination currency, the one into which the value of the “Ref. Currency” will be converted.

Text
A text to indicate the foreign currency that we are dealing with.

Fixed
True or false. If there is a fixed exchange rate, enter Yes in this column. The used exchange rate is specified in the Exchange Rate column.

Mult.
The multiplier is usually 1, 100 or 1000 and is used to obtain the effective exchange rate. The multiplier is used for currencies which have a very low unit value in order to avoid having to insert exchange rates with many zeros. The multiplier can also be negative (-1). In this case, the program will use an inverted exchange rate or else it will act as if the currencies inserted in the Currency and Reference Currency columns had actually been inverted. Do not alter the multiplier once there are already transactions in the same currency, otherwise the program will signal a transaction error due to erroneous exchange rates.

Exchange rate
This column shows the actual exchange rate or the closing exchange rate for the currency compared to the reference currency.
It is also being used for calculating the exchange rate differences. Before calculating the exchange rate differences or closing the accounting, this value must be updated by entering the closing exchange rate.

The exchange rate and the multiplier are being applied according to the following formulas

• With multiplier > 0
  Currency amount = Ref. currency amount* (exchange rate / |mult.|)
   
• With multiplier < 0
  Ref. currency amount = Currency amount * (exchange rate / |mult.|)

Opening Exchange rate
This is the exchange rate at the moment the accounting is opened. To be indicated only on a row without date. 

• It is used to convert the opening amount of the foreign currency into the opening amount of the accounting’s basic currency.
• Should be corresponding to the closing exchange rate of the preceding year.
  If the closing exchange rates are not equal to the opening exchange rates, the Assets and Liabilities might result into different totals; see Differences in the Opening Balances.
• The opening exchange rate should never be changed in the course of the year, otherwise exchange rate differences are being created in the total of the opening balances.
• When creating a new year or when updating the opening balances, the program defines the opening exchange rate with the value indicated in the Exchange rate column (row without date) of the accounting of the previous year.

Minimum
This column shows the minimum exchange rate accepted. If a lesser exchange rate is used during the entry, there will be a warning.

Maximum
This column shows the maximum exchange rate accepted. If a greater exchange rate is used during the entry, there will be a warning.

Decimal Points
This column shows the number of decimal points to be used when rounding the amounts in currency2.

Modifications in the Exchange rate table

Direct an indirect exchange rates

• Direct exchange rates are those where the basic currency and the foreign currency are being indicated on the same row.
  In the example below there are direct exchange rates USD->EUR and USD->TRL.
• Indirect exchange rates are those where a direct exchange between two currencies is not being indicated (not recommended).
  The exchange rate is deducted by the programn based on other combinations of entered exchage rates
  In this example, the EUR->TRL exchange rate has not been defined, and the program relies on combining the USD-EUR and USD-TRL.

The program supports indirect exchange rates. Howver, we recommend using only direct exchange rates. Avoid the use of accounts where the direct exchange rate between the basic currency and the currency of the account is not specified. With indirect exchanges, it might not always be clear which exchange rate is being applied.

 

 

 

 

Explanations of the columns

In the Transactions Table of the multi-currency accounting, other than the columns of the double-entry accounting, there are the following extra columns:

• Currency amount
  This is the amount of the currency specified in the column with the currency symbol.
  This amount is used by the program to update the balance of the related account in currency. 
• Currency
  This is the currency symbol of the currency to which the amount refers.
  The currency symbol has to be the Basic currency, specified in the File and accounting properties, or the currency symbol of an annount indicated in the columns  Debit A/C or Credit A/C.
  You can also use a different currency as long as the indicated Debit A/C and the Credit A/C are Basic currency accounts.
  In this case the amount in currency is used as a reference, but will not be used for accounting purposes
• Exchange rate
  Used to convert the foreign currency amount in its Basic currency equivalent.
• Amount in Basic currency
  The transaction amount, expressed in Basic currency.
  This amount is used by the program to update the balance of the related account in Basic currency
• Exchange rate multiplier
  Normally not visible in the view, this value is multiplied by the exchange rate.

   

Types of entries in the multicurrency accounting

Please note

All amounts, those in basic currency as well as those in foreign currency, have to always be entered into the Currency Amount column.

For each transaction, there are two accounts (debit account and credit account). In the program, only one foreign curency per transaction row can be used. So there can be the following direct combinations:

• Entries between two accounts in basic currency with the amount in basic currency. (in the image, transactions n.1 in the Doc column)
  The account currency is the basic currency.
• Entries between two accounts in basic currency with the amount in foreign currency (Doc 2)
  The indicated accounts are in basic currency, but the currency symbol and the amount in currency, indicated in the transaction row, are not in basic currency, but in a different currency.
  To insert the different currency, the user has to manually change the currency symbol.

  This is being used when one goes abroad and money is being changed in order to pay in local currency. In this case we do not have a specific account.

  For the calculation of the balance (both accounts being in basic currency) only the amount of basic currency column is being used.
• Entries between an account in foreign currency and one in basic currency  (Doc 3)
  The currency needs to be the one of the account in foreign currency.
  For the calculation of the balance of the account in foreign currency, the program uses the amount in foreign currency and for the balance in basic currency, the program uses the amount in basic currency.
• Entries between two accounts with the same foreign currency (Doc 4)
  The currency needs to be the same as account currency of both accounts.
• Entries with two accounts in different foreign currencies (Doc 5)
  For example, the bank makes an exchange operation between two foreign currencies:
  In this case, the transaction needs to be recorded on two rows.
  The amount in basic currency needs to be the same. It is useful to use an amount close to the current exchange rate to avoid excessive exchange rate differences.
  In order for the amounts in basic currency to be equal, the amount in basic currency needs to be indicated manually, and the program will calculate the exchange rate. 
• Exchange rate differences (Doc 6)
  The goal of this transaction is to realign the balance of the Basic currency account with the equivalent of the Foreign currency account at today's exchange rate.
  On the Foreign currency account, only the amount in Basic currency related to the exchange rate differences is being recorded.
  They are automatically generated with the Create transaction for exchange rate variation command.
  • For the exchange rate profits, the program automatically indicates the account to be revaluated in debit and the exchange rate profit account in credit. The exchange rate profit account is indicated in the File and Accounting properties (Basic Data), or in the specified account -> Exchange rate differences account column of the "Other" view (intended for one or several specific accounts).
  • For the exchange rate losses, the program automatically indicates the account to be revaluated in credit and the exchange rate loss account in debit. The exchange rate loss account is indicated in the File and Accounting properties (Basic Data), or in the specified account -> Exchange rate differences account column of the "Other" view (intended for one or several specific accounts).
  • The Currency amount is being left empty
  • The Curency symbol is the basic currency
  • In the Basic currency amount column, the amount of the revaluation of the account (profit or loss) is being indicated.

Establishing the exchange rate

The accountant is the one who decides which exchange rate to use for each single operation. Generally, the following rusles are being applied:

• For normal operations, the exchange rate of the day is being used
• For buying or selling currency, the values indicated by a money exchange office or a bank are being used.
  First the amount in foreign currency is being indicated in the program and then the amount in basic currency. The program calculates the exchange rate. The exchange rate indicated by the bank can be slightly different, because banks specify exchange rates with few figures after the decimal point and often round the amounts.
• When several operations with the same exchange rate are being recorded, it is useful to update the exchange rate in the Exchange rate table, so that the program can automatically apply it.
• For operations from abroad that are subject to VAT, the national authority might impose a standard exchange rate. In this case, that exchange rate should be inserted in the Exchange rate column of the transaction
• To purchase real estate or equity investments, an historical exchange rate is being used. In that case, a currency symbol needs to be created in the Exchange rate table (for example USD1) with an historical exchange rate, that is not being subject to the fluctuations of the exchange rate.
  One can create as many currency symbols as desired for all historical exchange rates.

Transactions with VAT

The VAT account and the account from which the VAT is being deducted have to be in basic currency. It is impossible to use a VAT code to deduct the VAT from a foreign currency account. In order to record operations with VAT that have accounts in foreign currency as their counterpart, two transaction rows have to be used:

• First, the amount of the purchase is being recorded on an Internal transfers account in basic currency and the related VAT code is being applied. The amount in basic currency has to be calculated using an exchange rate in accordance with the requirements of the Tax administration.
• In a second row, the balance of the Internal transfers account is being put to zero; as its counterpart, the account in foreign currency should be entered.
  The amount used for this transaction, both in basic currency and in foreign currency, has to be excluding VAT. Obviously, the exchange rate that has to be used is the same one as the one being used in the preceding transaction.

In the example, the basic currency is the CHF. We are dealing with a national purchase, but paid from a foreign curency account (EUR).

Automatisms while entering multicurrency transactions

When a new transaction is being entered, the data in the above mentioned columns have to be completed.

When some values of the transaction row are modified, the program completes the transaction with the predefined values. If these values do not satisfy the user's requirements, these have to be modified in the transaction row.

The modification of the values in the Exchange rate table have no effect on already entered transaction rows. Thus, when the exchange rate in the Exchange rate table is modified, this has no influence whatsoever on already inserted transactions.

• When the amount in currency is entered and there is either a Debit A/C or a Credit A/C, and no other values are entered, the program operates as follows:
  • the currency symbol is retrieved from the account in use, giving priority to the account that is not in basic currency;
  • the exchange rate, defined in the Exchange rate table, is applied with the following logic:
    • the historical exchange rate is applied, with a date earlier or equal to the transaction date
    • tf there is no historical exchange rate to be found, the exchange rate from the row without date is applied.
  • the multiplier, defined in the Exchange rate table, is applied or the number 1 if it is the basic currency;
  • the amount in basic currency is calculated.
• When the amount in currency is modified (and there are already other values present), the program operates as follows:
  • the amount in basic currency is calculated with the existing exchange rate
• If the currency symbol is modified the program operates as follows:
  • the exchange rate with the multiplier is applied and the amount in basic currency is calculated (like above)
• If the exchange rate is modified the program operates as follows:
  • the amount in basic currency is calculated using the entered exchange rate
• When the amount in basic currency is modified the program operates as follows:
  • the exchange rate is recalculated.

More help

• While being positioned on the Currency Amount column and pressing the F6 key, the program rewrites all values with the earlier explained logic, as if there were no values present. This feature is useful when the Debit A/C or the Credit A/C is modified.
• If there is a registration with a single account in basis currency (in 'Multiple transcations' - see Transaction types) and its value of the column 'Currency' has been changed manualy in a currency symbol of a foreign currency, it is necessary to be positioned on the cell of the column 'Currency' and press the F6 key in order to update the Exchange rate and calculate the amount in basis currency.
• Smart fill for the Exchange rate column
  The program suggests several exchange rates, picking them up from the Exchange rates table or from exchange rates previously used in the transactions.
   

Info window

In the info window, the program indicates:

• Differences, if any, between the Debit and Credit total movements in baskic currency
• Explanation on the different uses of the F6 key

For the accounts related to the transaction row on which one is positioned, the program always indicates in the Info windows:

• the account number
• the account description
• the transaction's amount in basic currency
• the current account balance in basic currency
• the account currency symbol
• the transaction's amount in the account currency (if different from the basic currency)
• the current account balance in currency (if different from the basic currency)
   

Data transfer from earlier versions

In version 4 or earlier, the absence of a currency symbol in the Transactions table was being interpreted as a transaction in basic currency.
In version 7 and in version 8, each transaction needs to have its own currency symbol. Therefore, when you update from version 4 to version 7 or 8, in the accounting file, the transactions without a currency symbol need to be completed.

Columns and views of the account card

In the Account card, there are three groups with of columns with transactions Debit, transactions Credit and the Balance in different currencies.

• Basic currency
  Indicated are the Opening Balance, the Transactions, and the Balance in Basic currency.
• Account currency
  The Transactions in the Account currency are being indicated.
  When the accounts are in Basic currency, these values are identical to those of the Basic currency.
• Currency2
  For every transaction, the amount in Currency2 is being indicated. The amount in Currency2 is the equivalent of the amount in Basic currency, converted at the actual rate for the Currency2 currency symbol.
  Please consult Exchange rates and accounting issues.
• Base view
  At the same time, the columns in Basic currency and the columns in the Account currency are visible.  

In the column headers, the related currencies are being indicated.

With the appropriate commands, it is possible to modify the disposition of the columns and create other views.

Data editing

It is not possible to modify the data in the Account card. Double-click on the (underlined) row number to go back to the original corresponding row of the Transactions or Budget table. More details are available on the Account card page (paragraphe Updating the Account card).

Info Window

In the lower part of the screen, the Info window, the values of the accounts related to the active transaction are being indicated.

• Account number
• Account description
• Transaction amount of the account in Basic currency
• Actual Account Balance in Basic currency
• Account's currency symbol
• Transaction amount of the account in the Account currency
• Actual Account Balance in Account currency

The Enhanced Balance Sheet in the multi-currency accounting is done the same way as the one in double-entry bookkeeping. Information is available at the following link: Enhanced Balance Sheet.

The difference consists in the fact that the foreign currency accounts report the amounts in foreign currency as well as in the basis currency (amount converted).

The Enhanced Balance Sheet by groups in multi-currency accounting is done the same way as the one in double-entry bookkeeping. Information is available at the following link: Enhanced Balance Sheet by groups.

The difference consists in the fact that the foreign currency accounts report the amounts in foreign currency as well as in the basis currency (amount converted).

Accounting Reports in multi-currency accounting are done the same way as the ones in double-entry bookkeeping. Information is available at the following links: Accounting report; External accounting report.

In order to start working with your Income & Expense accounting, proceed as follows:

• Download the Banana Accounting 8 software
• Install Banana Accounting 8 software by entering your license key.

Creating a new accounting file

• From the File menu, activate the New command
• Select the Income & Expense accounting group and the Income & Expense accounting File (with or without VAT)
• Select the Examples/Templates according to your language and nation

Banana provides predefined templates.
You may download:

• from the program - select the language / country and choose the model that suits you
• Clicking the button Online Templates  - you will access our Apps page internet site, where all existing accounting templates are available free of charge. You can run a detailed search by entering the language, country, and category of activity (company type, non-profit, independent ...).

Setting up the File properties

Set up your own data from the File and Accounting properties command and save with your own file name.

Customize the Accounts table

In the Accounts table, you can customize the estate accounts, according to your own needs:

• you can change the account numbers
• you can change the Description
• In the Opening column you need to enter your opening balances

Please remember, that for the Liabilities' accounts (f.ex. debts), the opening balance should be preceded by the minus (-) sign.

This operation needs to be executed only the first time using Banana Accounting, since from then on, every end of the year, when creating a New Year (Account2 menu, Create New Year command), the opening balance will be automatically transferred.

Customize the Categories table

In the Categories table, customize the income (earnings/revenue) and expense (expenses/costs) categories.
The Category numbers can be amended, as well as the Description.
The categories don't and must not contain an opening balance, in order to determine the result of the accounting year.

Transactions table

In the Transactions table, the daily income and expense transactions are entered, indicating the account, for which the transaction was made and the category to which the income or expense is attributed.

In the appropriate columns:

• Enter the date
• Enter the document number that is manually assigned to the paper document. This allows you to easily find documents, once the accounting transaction has been entered.
• Enter a description
• In the Income columns enter the income amount
• In the Expenses column, enter the expense amount
• In the Account column enter the account number (it has to be an existing account in the Accounts table, ex. Bank)
• In the Category column enter the expense or income category (it has to be an existing category in the Category table).

Speeding up the recording of the transactions

In order to speed up the recording of your transactions, you can use:

• the Smart fill function that allows the automatic autocomplete of data that have already been entered at an earlier date.
• the Recurring transactions function (Account2 menu), used to memorize recurring transactions into a separate table.
• import of your bank or post office statement.

Transactions with VAT

In order to enter transactions with VAT please proceed as follows:

• from the File menu, choose New command and choose Income /Expenses accounting with VAT/Sales taxes
• Choose one of the existing templates for your nation of the Income/expenses accounting with VAT type
  In order to enter transactions with VAT, please refer to the Transactions page.

Transactions on multiple rows

Transactions on multiple rows, or Composed transactions are transactions involving more than two accounts and credits/debits on multiple accounts or categories (for example when you pay different invoices from the bank account). In this case you need to enter the transaction on multiple rows:

• in the first row enter the total amount of the income or expense and the account from which this amount is debited or credited
• in each subsequent row, enter the income or expense amount in the category column, and enter the appropriate category number.
  Each individual amount is recorded on different row. When all the individual income and expenses rows are entered there shouldn't be any differences.

The Account card

The Account card allows you to have a complete list of entries relating to the same account or the same group.

• To open an account card you click once on the account number cell and then click once on the small blue arrow appearing in the upper right corner of the cell.
• To open multiple account cards you must select the Account cards command from Account1 menu.
• To update the account cards, following changes in the Transactions table, you must click on the two circular arrows symbol, located at the top right of the account card.

The category card

The Category card allows you to have a complete list of entries relating to the same category.

• To open a category card you click on the account number cell and then click once on the small blue arrow appearing in the upper right corner of the cell.
• To open multiple category cards you must select the Account cards command from Account1 menu.
• To update the category cards, following changes in the Transactions table, you must click on the two circular arrows symbol, located at the top right of the category card.

Account cards per period

To open an account card with account balances at predefined dates, click on Account1 in the menu, Account cards ... and click Period selected in the Period tab to insert your selected period.

Consult the Period page for further information.

Print the Account cards

To print an Account card, open it from any table (Accounts or Transactions) and start printing from the File menu.

To print out several or all the Account cards, click Account1 menu, select Account cards and select the Accounts you wish to print. The filter in the window allows you to select automatic selection of all accounts, cost centers, segments, groups etc ...

For further information refer to the Account Cards page.

Enhanced Statement

To view the Enhanced Statement and the Enhanced Statement with groups, choose the Account1 menu and then the Enhanced statement or Enhanced statement with groups command. You can also obtain statements by period.

• The Enhanced statements displays all accounts and categories without any subgroups
• The Enhanced statements with groups displays all accounts and categories also with subgroups

Archive data in PDF format

At the end of the year, when the accounting is done, corrected and revised, you can store all accounting data with the Create Pdf dossier command from the File menu.

The Budget

Before starting your accounting year, you can create a budget with your assumed expenses and revenue, in order to have control over the financial and economic situation of your company.

The budget can be set in two different ways:

• From the Budget column of the Categories table. For each account the yearly budget is indicated.
  In this case, when you process the budget from the Account1 menu, Enhanced statement with groups command, the Budget column shows the amounts that relate to the entire year.
• From the Budget table, that you need to manually activate using the Add new functionalities command from the Tools menu.
  In this table all estimates are entered as budget transactions, either income or expenses. If you activate this table, the Budget column of the Accounts table is automatically deactivated.
  In the Budget table you can setup a detailed budget that takes into account possible variations during the year and in different periods of the year.

Related document: Transactions, Enhanced statement.

Estate accounts are entered in the Accounts table. Only one account is entered in the cash register (cash, bank, postal account ...); In Income/Expense accounting more accounts are entered (cash, customers, suppliers ...) and the accounts that refer to existing debt must have the opening amount with preceded by the minus sign (-).

The columns of the Accounts table:

Section
Enter an asterisk to signal a section change. For example, to distinguish Total Assets from Cost Centers.
Values must be entered in the Sections table for presenting the enhanced Statement with groups.
Refer to the Sections page for further details and information.

Group 
Values are added up for the categories that have the same GR. They are fundamental for totalization.

Account
Enter the number or initials of the account to be managed (cash, bank, post).

Description
Enter a description for the relative account.

Gr
Enter a value that identifies the category belonging to a specific group.

Opening
Entering an account balance is only necessary if a new file is opened or Banana Accounting 8 software is used for the first time. When creating a new accounting year, balances will be generated automatically.

Income
This locked column displays the balance of incoming entries. The balance will be updated automatically after each registration.

Expenses
This locked column displays the balance of expenses. The balance will be updated automatically after each registration.

Balance
This locked column displays the balance resulting after income and expenses. The balance will be updated automatically after each registration.

Opening balance

The first time Banana Accounting 8 software is used and new file is created, opening an account balances must be entered manually in the Accounts table Opening column.

Balances for Liabilites accounts must be entered preceeded by a minus (-) sign.
When creating a new accounting year, balances for the new year will be generated automatically.

The headings for Income and Expenses are entered in the Categories table via two principal groupings, which may - in their turn - contain subgroups. The set of categories will determine the profit or loss for the accounting period.

Groupings:

In the example below, there are three principal groupings:

• Group 3 - Total for Categories that have 3 in their Gr column (total Income)
• Group 4 - Total for Categories that have 4 in their Gr column (total Expenses)
• Group 00  - Total for groups 3 and 4 (Total Income and Expenses), which will determine the result for the accounting period.

The columns of the Categories table:

Section

Enter an asterisk in the row that contains the title, to signal a section change, that will be displayed in the enhanced Statement with groups.
(the asterisk is inserted in the "Operating Result" title row in our example).

If different sections than Income and Expense are planned, such as Cost and Profit centers, another asterisk may be entered on the respective title row. Refer to the Sections page for further details and information.

Group 
Enter an identifier (numerical or sign) identical to the one entered for each category in the GR column. The totals for each category belonging to the same GR will then be added up (in our example, Group 3 totals the Income Category and group 4 the Expenses category)

Description
Enter a description for the relative Income or Expense Category.

GR

Each Category has an identifier that allows the establishment of the totals for the relevant Group (in our example all categories of Income are GR3, because they will be total in Group 3, Total Income.

Income
This locked column displays the balance of incoming entries. The balance will be updated automatically after each registration.

Expenses
This locked column displays the balance of expenses. The balance will be updated automatically after each registration.

Balance
This locked column displays the balance resulting after income and expenses. The balance will be updated automatically after each registration.

Instant information

Account balances, income and expense are on ready display in the Accounts and Category tables.
After each entry of a transaction, balances are adjusted automatically and there is no need to run a report, as you can simply display the Accounts or Categories tables.

Advanced printouts

All printing is run from the Account1 menu, where the different functions for prining are located:

• Journal by period command. You can display and print the whole table or just a specified period.

• Account/Category cards command. You may select all cards or define your selection.
  Define the required period in the Period tab and click the required settings in the Options tab. Print settings can be saved in the Composition tab so they can be resumed without them to be having defined again.

• Enhanced statement command. You may also print a defined period and various options and compositions may be included.

• Enhanced statement with groups command. You may also print a defined period and various options and compositions may be included.

• Accounting report command. The required options are displayed in the Accounts table. Reports are possible for current, previous periods or previous years; each period may contain subdivisions and the compositions can be saved.

Example of printout of Enhanced statement with groups

Avoid mistakes with Banana Accounting Plus

In order to facilitate checking your accounting work and to immediately find differences, in Banana Accounting Plus, our new version, we added the Balance column in the Transaction table. You can now see potential differences on each row and you can correct them right away. It is a very useful feature when closing the accounting period.
Many of our clients have already tried it and are enthusiastic about it. We advise you to switch now to Banana Accounting Plus and take advantage of the many new features.

The transactions are entered in the Transactions table.
For every transaction enter the date, document number, description, incoming or expense, the account and the category.

• Income/Expenses: enter the amount coming in or going out.
• Account: enter one of the Estate accounts (cash, bank, post, clients, suppliers...).
• Category: enter an income or expense category.

Speeding up the recording of the transactions

In order to accelerate the recording of the transactions, you can use

• the Smart fill function that allows the automatic autocomplete of data that have already been entered at an earlier date.
• the Recurring transactions function, used to memorize recurring transactions into an appropriate table.
• importing bank or post office statement.

Examples of transactions without VAT

The columns of the Transactions table

Date
Enter the date for the transaction of Income or Expense

Doc
Enter Doc number. The number of the paper document is normally assigned here; this will facilitate retrieval of documents at later dates.

Description
Enter a description for the relative Income or Expense.

Income
Enter Income amount.

Expenses
Enter Expense amount.

Account
Enter the Estate account (cash, bank, Post, clients, suppliers..).

Category
Enter a category of Income or Expense, as defined in the Category table.

Examples of transactions with VAT

Additional columns

Depending on the type of Income / Expense accounts setup (with or without VAT) there are additional columns where VAT data is entered.

VAT Code
Enter the VAT code referring to a sale or a cost. There must be a code in the VAT Codes table.

Refer to the Transactions page for explanations of VAT codes and further information.

In the Account and Category columns, instead of entering the account and category number you can also write the text you wish to find.
The software will show you the list with all the accounts and categories containing the entered text. With the Arrow down key you can move directly in the list and select the desired account number by pressing the Enter key.

In order to display the movements of an account or a category, after entering the transactions, click on the small blue symbol in the account/category cell (top right corner of the selected cell).

Account and category card

In the account or category card, the presentation of the transactions is very similar to the ones of the Transactions table. If you enter further transactions or make changes (always operated in the Transactions table), you can update the account/category card by clicking the Refresh icon on the right side of the screen.

You can automatically transfer to the New Year in the following ways:

• Open the file of the terminated year and click on the Create New Year command from the Account2 menu.
• Confirm the basic data of the Accounting properties.
• Save the file under a new name.

The program will automatically carry forward :

• The accounts, the opening balances
• The categories will be carried forward without an opening balance, because you start from scratch, in order to determine the business result for the New Year.

To start working with Banana Accounting 8 software, proceed as follows:

• Download Banana Accounting 8 software
• Install Banana Accounting 8 software by inserting the license key.

Creating a new accounting file

• From the File menu, activate the New command
• Select the Income & Expense accounting group and the Cash Book File (with or without VAT)
• Select the Examples/Templates according to your language and nation

Banana provides predefined templates.
You may download:

• from the program - select the language / country and choose the model that suits you
• Clicking the button Online Templates  - you will access our Apps page internet site, where all existing accounting templates are available free of charge. You can run a detailed search by entering the language, country, and category of activity (company type, non-profit, independent ...).

Setting up the File properties

Set up your own data from the File and Accounting properties command and save with your own file name.

Inserting the opening balance of the account

Enter the account you wish to manage in the Accounts table of the Cash book and the initial amount in the Opening column.N. Activating the Creating a new year ... command in the Account2 menu will automatically generate the opening balances to be carried forward.
Only one account can be entered at a time.

Customizing the Categories table

In the Categories table, customize the income and expense categories, according to your own needs. It is possible to:

• change the category numbers
• change the description
• delete categories
• add categories
• insert subgroups
• delete subgroups

All balances of the categories will determine the result of the accounting year (profit or loss) and must therefore not contain any balances.

Add new categories

If new categories need to be added in an already existing group, proceed as follows:

• Insert an empty row (Edit menu, Insert rows ... command) before the Total of the Group 
• Insert the number or sign for the category in the Category column
• Insert the Description that identifies the category
• Insert the identical Gr of the other categories belonging to the Group Total in the Gr column.

Add subgroups

To add new subgroups, proceed as follows:

• Insert an empty row (Edit menu, Insert rows ... command) where wish to add a new subgroup
• Insert a number or sign in the last empty row of the Group column (in our example 31 - Other income)
• Insert the Description that identifies the new subgroup
• Insert the Group Total number in the Gr column (in our example 3 - Total sales).

Delete categories or subgroups

Select the categories or subgroups you wish to delete and proceed in the Edit menu, Delete rows ... command to eliminate.

Transactions

In the Transactions table, income and expense transactions are entered, indicating the category to which the income or expense is attributed.

Speeding up the recording of the transactions

In order to speed up the recording of your transactions, you can use:

• the Smart fill function that allows the automatic autocomplete of data that have already been entered at an earlier date.
• the Recurring transactions function (Account2 menu), used to memorize recurring transactions into a separate table.
• import of your bank or post office statement.

Transactions with VAT

In order to enter transactions with VAT please proceed as follows:

• from the File menu, choose New command and choose Income /Expenses accounting - Cash book with VAT/Sales tax
• Choose one of the existing templates for your nation.In order to enter transactions with VAT, please refer to the Transactions page.

The Category or Group card

The Category or Group card allows you to have a complete list of accounting entries relating to the same category or group. 

• To open an category or group card you click once on the account number cell and then click once on the small blue arrow appearing in the upper right corner of the cell.
• To open multiple category or group cards you must select the Account cards command from Account1 menu.
• To update the category or group cards, following changes in the Transactions table, you must click on the two circular arrows symbol, located at the top right corner of the account card.

Account cards per period

To open an category cards with account balances at predefined dates, click on Account1 in the menu, Account/Category cards ... and click Period selected in the Period tab to insert your selected period.

Consult the Period page for further information.

Print the Category card

To print a Category card, open it from any table (Accounts or Transactions) and start printing from the File menu.

To print out several or all the Account/category cards, click Account1 menu, select Account/category cards and select the accounts/categories you wish to print. The filter in the window allows you to select automatic selection of all categories, cost centers, segments, groups etc ...

For further information refer to the Account Cards page.

Enhanced Statement

To view the Enhanced Statement and the Enhanced Statement with groups, choose the Account1 menu and then the Enhanced statement or Enhanced statement with groups command. You can also obtain statements by period.

• The Enhanced statements displays all accounts and categories without any subgroups
• The Enhanced statements with groups displays all accounts and categories also with subgroups

Archive data in PDF format

At the end of the year, when the accounting is done, corrected and revised, you can store all accounting data with the Create Pdf dossier command from the File menu.

The Budget

Before starting your accounting year, you can create a budget with your assumed expenses and revenue, in order to have control over the financial and economic situation of your company.

The budget can be set in two different ways:

• From the Budget column of the Categories table. For each account the yearly budget is indicated.
  In this case, when you process the budget from the Account1 menu, Enhanced statement with groups command, the Budget column shows the amounts that relate to the entire year.
• From the Budget table, that you need to manually activate using the Add new functionalities command from the Tools menu.
  In this table all estimates are entered as budget transactions, either income or expenses. If you activate this table, the Budget column of the Accounts table is automatically deactivated.
  In the Budget table you can setup a detailed budget that takes into account possible variations during the year and in different periods of the year.

Instant information

The account balance and those of the income and expense categories are on ready display in the Accounts and Category tables.
After each entry of a transaction, balances are adjusted automatically and there is no need to run a report, as you can simply display the Accounts or Categories tables.

Advanced printouts

All printing is run from the Account1 menu, where the different functions for prining are located:

• Journal - command to define the period. You can display and print the whole table or just a specified period.

• Account/Category cards command. You may select all cards or define your selection.
  Define the required period in the Period tab and click the required settings in the Options tab. Print settings can be saved in the Composition tab so they can be resumed without them to be having defined again.

• Enhanced statement command. You may also print a defined period and various options and compositions may be included.

• Enhanced statement with groups command. You may also print a defined period and various options and compositions may be included.

• Accounting report command. The required options are displayed in the Accounts table. Reports are possible for current, previous periods or previous years; each period may contain subdivisions and the compositions can be saved.

Example of printout of Enhanced statement with groups

The transactions are entered in the Transactions table.

For further information relative to the columns used in the Transactions table of the Cash book, refer to the Transctions (Income & Expense accounting) page. 
For each operation enter the following:

• the date
• the document number
• the description
• the income or expense amount
• the category relevant to the income or expense in the Category table
• should the transaction be subject to VAT tax, enter the VAT code in the VAT code column.
  The VAT codes are listed in the VAT codes table.

Speeding up the recording of the transactions

In order to accelerate the recording of the transactions, you can use

• the Smart fill function that allows the automatic autocomplete of data that have already been entered at an earlier date.
• the Recurring transactions function, used to memorize recurring transactions into an appropriate table.
• importing bank or post office statement.

Examples of transactions without VAT

Examples of transactions with VAT

Category card

To display the entries of a category, click once on the small blue arrow appearing in the upper right corner of the cell.

The display of entries in the Categories table is identical to the one in the Transactions table.
To update the category or group cards, following new entries or changes in the Transactions table, you must click on the two circular arrows symbol, located at the top right corner of the category or group card.

New settings and documentation

In the new Banana Accounting Plus version, in the Accounts table, new columns have been added in order to allow you to enter more information about your customers and, new features automatically resume the data in the Invoicing. Moreover, you will find a new and in-depth documentation to work in a very professional way:

• Set up customer accounts on a cash method
• Set up customer accounts on a accrual method
• Automatic invoice closing

We advise you to immediately switch to Banana Accounting Plus and take advantage of the many new features.

Introduction

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.

In case you only have a few invoices and don't want to keep a detail per customer, you can also have just one account to record all customer invoices.
The list of invoices will then be for all customers and not for individual customers.

Setting up the Clients' register

At the end of the Chart of accounts, add:

• A * section (header)  (see Sections)
• A 01 section for the Clients (see Sections)
• The Clients' accounts that are needed (see Adding a new account). The account numbering can be freely chosen (see Accounts)
   

• The total Clients will be totalized in the summary groupe 110A of the Gr column.
• The same code or number used for the Gr (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).
   

Managing the Customers' register with the Cost centers

In case you don't want customers to be visible on the Balance Sheet (for example, for transactions with VAT on cash received), customer accounts can be created by using the Cost centers (CC3).

Setting up the clients/suppliers register with cost centers

For all Swiss users who manage the VAT on cash received, this setup is the best to manage the VAT.
It is possible to manage the customers/suppliers register as cost centers (see also the Cost and Profit Centers page):

• we advise you to use the CC3 cost centers (the one where the accounts are preceeded by a semi-colon ";")
• the cost center balances for customers and suppliers will not appear in the Balance Sheet.
   

Transactions

More information is available at the page Clients and Suppliers with VAT on Cash received.

Without register

The customers accounts and groups can be entered as normal accounts into the Assets section.

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 Add new functionalities command from the Tools 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).

The program adds in the Accounts table:

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

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

Setting up the Customers' parameters

• Select the Account2 - Customers - Settings command
• Please indicate in "Group or account", the group of the Chart of accounts in which the different customers' accounts are grouped.
• For an explanation of the different options, go to Customers and Suppliers settings.
   

This dialogue is identical for both customers and suppliers functions.
The following explains the functions related to customers, but they also apply to suppliers.
As long as you have not indicated the customer or supplier group, the customer menu choices are disabled.

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. See Setting up the Customers' register and Setting up the Suppliers' register.

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 into the transaction row.
   If there is more than one date for the same invoice number, the most recent one.
• If the number of days is indicated in the PaymentTermInDays column of the Accounts' table, the date of the transaction increased by the number of days.
• The date of the transaction is increased by the days indicated in the settings dialogue.

Include transactions from previous (..) years (in 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 the years before in the customer card.

Link to the invoice document

You can insert a link to an invoice file (pdf, doc or other). When the link is being opened, the program substitutes the value <DocInvoice>  with the invoice number present in the row.  

The link can 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 tries to open the "100.pdf" file. You can also precede the filename with the name of a directory.
• You can use any file name extension. This extension must, however, be included in the list of file extensions considered safe (Tools- Program options-Advanced).
• It is also possibile to indicate a path preceding the field name that contains the name of the document that has to be opened.
  With the link "c:\temp\<DocInvoice>.pdf" 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.

Opening an invoice document

•   Place yourself in the Invoice column of the transaction row related to the invoice you want to open
•   Use the right mouse button to open the context menu
•   Choose the command Open invoice link.

Displaying the Invoice column in the Transactions table

The invoice number has to be entered in the Invoice column (DocInvoice) which, in the default settings, is not visble in the Transactions table.

In order to display the column:

• Select the Transactions table
• Data menu
• Columns setup command
• Activate the Visible option for the DocInvoice column

The Invoice columns becomes visible.

The Open Invoice link and Extract invoice rows commands, described hereunder, are linked to the Invoice column (right click on the Invoice column's cell).

Autocomplete of invoice data

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

• Create a new transaction row and add the date
• In the Invoice column, press the F2 key; the list of open invoices will appear. If you write an invoice number or an account number, the list will be filtered based on the entered text.  
• Select the desired invoice and press Enter. The program automatically completes the transaction with the description, debit or credit account and the amount. As usual, these data can be manually modified. 
• Apart from the date, it is possible to also indicate the Customer account before pressing F2 in order to display the list of open invoices; in this case the list will be filtered based on the Customers account of the transaction row.

Note

The list displayed in the Invoice column includes both the Customers' and Suppliers' invoices. A supplier's invoice can have the same number as the invoice of another supplier, because the display criterium takes, apart from the invoice number, also the number of the Supplier's acccount into consideration.  

The Open Invoice link and Extract invoice rows commands, described hereunder, are linked to the Invoice column (right click on the Invoice column's cell).

Recording an issued invoice

Recording a payment

• Insert the transaction date
• Place yourself in the Invoice column cell and click on the F2 button. If the F2 button doesn't work, you need to activate your customers/suppliers settings, by entering your register's group (ex.: Account2 menu, Customers, Settings). A list of all open invoices will appear.
• As an alternative you can also start to enter the invoice number, the customer/supplier name or the amount, and the program will show you the list of the open invoices according to your search data.
• Select the desired invoice and press Enter.
• The program completes the Transaction with the Description column, the Credit account and the Amount.

Enter the account into which the invoice amount has been transferred

Recording a credit note

In order for the amount to be deducted from the original invoice, the same invoice number needs to be used. If the corrective document (for example, a credit note) presents a different number that needs to remain available, such a reference can be entered in another column, like Doc. Original.

Extract invoice rows and Open invoice link commands

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

The Open Invoice link command establishes the text that has been defined in the Customers' settings (Account 2 - Customers - Settings - Link to the Invoice document).

For example, if the invoices have been created with Winword and saved in the Documents folder, these files can directly be opened by setting up the command line with the text 'C:\Users\myname\Documents\<DocInvoice>.doc' . The program substitutes <DocInvoice> with the text corresponding to the column and executes the command.

In the command line, it is possible to also indicate other columns of the table by using their XML names.

If the message 'File with extension considered unsecure' appears, add the extension (for example .doc) through the command Tools - Program Options, Advanced, File extension.

Displaying the invoices issued to customers
 

This dialogue is identical for both customers and suppliers functions.
The following explains the functions related to customers, but they also apply to suppliers.

All customers (suppliers)

Displays the Customers' Balance detail of all customers that belong to the group defined in the Customers and Suppliers settings.

Only selected customer (supplier)

Displays the Customers' Balance detail of a selected customer that belongs to the group defined in the Customers and Suppliers settings.
 

Example of a Customers Balance detail  (Account2 menu - Customers command - Invoices issued to customers...)

Displaying the open invoices

Command: Account2 - Customers - Open invoices by customer

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

Displaying the overdue invoices

Command: Account2 - Customers - Open invoices by due date

In this table, the invoices that have an open balance are being listed, grouped by aging period.

New layouts

In the new Banana Accounting Plus version, two new highly customizable layouts have been added:

• The CH10 layout for all users in Switzerland (with or without QR invoice)
• The UNI11 layout for all users in other countries.

We advise you to switch now to Banana Accounting Plus and take advantage of the many new features.

This Functionality is currently only available with Banana Accounting 9.

For more information, please refer to the corresponding Banana 9 documentation.

• Setting up the register
• Activating the Address columns (optional)
• Setting up the Suppliers' parameters
   

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 the Suppliers (see Sections)
• The Suppliers' accounts that are needed (see Adding a new account). The account numbering can be freely chosen. 

• The total Suppliers will be totalized in the summary groupe 200A of the Gr 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).

Managing the Suppliers' register with the Cost centers

In case you don't want Suppliers to be visible on the Balance Sheet (for example, for transactions with VAT on cash received), Suppliers accounts can be created by using the Cost centers (CC3). This process is similar to the Clients cost centers.

Activating the Address columns (optional)

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

• Choose the Add new functionalities command from the Tools 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).

The programme adds in the Accounts table:

• An Address view where the added columns are visible.
• The columns that allow to insert the address data and other information.
  • To display one or more of these columns, use the Columns setup command from the Data menu, also in the other views.
  • To create other views with only certain columns, use the Views setup command.

Select the Accounts table, Address view and add the desired information to the Suppliers accounts.

Setting up the Suppliers' parameters

• Select the Account2 - Suppliers - Settings command
• Please indicate in "Group or account", the group of the Chart of accounts in which the different Suppliers' accounts are grouped.
• For an explanation of the different options, go to Customers and Suppliers settings.