Set up bookkeeping for a client

This is a job for an office administrator or the person responsible for bookkeeping.

Clients imported from a connected SmartBill office are prepared automatically using imported definitions and defaults. You normally do not need this wizard for them. Track preparation in Sync activity. An existing manual draft or file-import structure still needs review. See SmartBill imports.

Complete setup

1. Open the client and choose Set up finance, or continue to the bookkeeping step while creating a client. During client creation, choose Start from defaults or a copy to prepare books now. In an empty existing file, choose Start from system defaults, Copy from another client, or Import from a file.
2. Choose single-entry or double-entry bookkeeping, then a Structure source: system defaults or a suitable completed client file. This is the base. Changing the source replaces the draft. To add only parts of another client without replacing the draft, choose Copy from another client…, tick sort codes, ledger accounts, transaction types, or expense classifications, and confirm. Anything the draft already has (same code, key, or name) is left unchanged; a copied classification brings its transaction type and the cards it posts to. Save the draft to keep it.
3. To start with an old chart, choose Create client and import structure during client creation, or Import data from setup. Review the source and its destinations before applying it. Follow the import guide.
4. Continue to the definitions. During client creation, open Review and customize. Check the base currency and each tab.
5. Review ledger accounts, sorting codes, expense classifications, and transaction types.
6. Resolve errors, review warnings, and choose Finish setup. During client creation, continue through the remaining steps instead. Under Automatic posting accounts, choose which accounts Office uses for VAT, opening balances, retained earnings, and exchange-rate or rounding differences. Each purpose needs one account. Search by key or name, choose Create a new card, or Create the missing accounts. If you skip these selections, you can finish directly from the Review: check the proposed account names and keys, then choose Continue and create missing accounts. They are created only when you click, together with setup completion; accounts already selected are kept. To use existing accounts instead, choose Back to choose existing accounts to open the relevant tab. Other errors must still be resolved before continuing. Replacing a selection preserves the old account and its history. Once setup is complete, Office uses the account you selected for new postings.

An account index is the organized list of accounts used to record the client’s financial activity. Copying definitions does not copy another client’s customer and vendor cards.

Edit the definitions

Double-click an editable cell or press Enter to edit it. Tab saves and moves to the next cell; Escape cancels. Use the add action in each tab to add a row to the copied setup. Review account keys, names, sorting codes, and references before finishing. Customer and vendor cards are not shown in this setup draft; their keys cannot be reused for structural or system cards. If a key conflicts, choose an unused key.

A transaction type defines the journal entry: debits, credits, input VAT, and how amounts are split between accounts. An expense classification selects that transaction type and maps its account variables to ledger accounts, a counterparty, or a manual choice. There is no additional VAT rate to enter in the classification. To change VAT posting in Office, edit the transaction type used by the expense classification.

Under Ledger accounts, Additional account tax settings opens supplementary data: recoverable input VAT, deductible expense percentages, and an account’s default transaction type. These settings are also used when creating classifications in SmartBill; changing the percentages here does not change Office journal entries. An empty list does not mean zero VAT recovery, and you can continue. Choose Back to account index to return to the table.

Imported definitions already exist

Setup opens directly on the imported account index, preserving its keys, bookkeeping method, and base currency instead of replacing it with a template. Review the imported cards, select automatic posting accounts or create the missing ones from the review, and complete the remaining requirements. Expense classifications are not required to finish: books without them open, and you can add classifications later when there are expenses to post. The base currency cannot be changed during completion. Transaction types and classifications copied into such a client’s draft are added at completion to what the client already has, without duplicates. If completion reports that the source changed while you were working, select it again and review the updated definitions before finishing.

Add a card and a sort group

In New ledger account, you can choose New sort code below the sort-code picker. Enter the group code, name, and first key for its new cards, then choose Create. The group is saved and selected in the card form; the card name, key, and other details stay as entered. Review them and choose Create again to save the card. This is also available when creating a counter card during import and when no sort groups exist yet. Cancelling the group dialog returns to the card without changing it.

In Chart of accounts you can also select existing cards and move them to another sort code, or create a new sort code and move the selection into it. After setup, the sort-code list and card numbering live under Sort codes, not Case settings. Read the sort codes guide. Read journal entries and account balances.

Correct a bookkeeping type assigned by mistake

An office owner, administrator, or bookkeeping controller can correct a completed client from double-entry to single-entry in Case settings.

1. Choose Review correction under Correct bookkeeping type.
2. Review the historical journal imports, annual reports, and historical transfers blocked by a missing customer or vendor. Up to 20 recent items are shown in each section; older items may also need review. Use Review more failed records to reach additional failures, including when the current batch has no eligible records.
3. Enter a Reason for correction, confirm that you reviewed the affected records, and choose Correct to single-entry. If the action is blocked by bookkeeping work in progress, wait for it to finish. If the preview changes, review it and confirm again.
4. After the correction, Retry listed records is a separate, optional action for the displayed eligible failures. It queues their transfer to SmartBill, using a general customer or vendor when needed. Follow the results in Imports. Other failures are not retried by this action. After closing the dialog, you can reopen Review failed SmartBill jobs in Case settings while eligible failures remain.

The correction preserves posted journals, account balances, documents, and reconciliations. It does not change VAT settings or base currency and records who corrected the type and why.

This corrects the client-wide designation for all years. It is not a method change starting in a particular year, and this action does not support changing single-entry to double-entry.

Missing documents are not reconstructed. Importing unchanged journals again does not reconstruct them either; review the original import separately. Form 6111 defaults use the corrected type, but explicit worksheet choices, declarations in business details, and files already downloaded must be reviewed separately.

Connect SmartBill

If you also connect SmartBill, review which system supplies the initial definitions. Read the connection guide before confirming.

Assign keys used by another system

Open a card in Chart of accounts → Details. Under Keys in external systems, choose Add key, select or create an external index, and enter the key used there. No prior import is needed. This preserves the Office key and the card’s transactions. An office owner, administrator, or bookkeeping controller can edit these mappings.

When more than one key from the same index points to the card, select Use this key for exports to this index on the intended key. Imported aliases can remain for future imports. Prepare an export with external keys.

Manual keys also identify the card in future imports from that index. Editing or removing a key changes how those imports find the card. A key previously excluded during an import can be assigned manually here.

Keys are text: Hebrew or English words, spaces, punctuation, and leading zeros are preserved. The export preview checks the selected format’s length and character limits before download.