> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.pilotflows.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Accounting
> Complete financial management for your organization - invoices, expenses, payments, and more
# Accounting
The Accounting module provides comprehensive financial management for your organization. Track income and expenses, manage invoices and payments, handle products and services, and maintain complete financial records.
## Overview
The Accounting module is a complete financial management system designed for aviation and skydiving organizations. It handles invoicing, expense tracking, payment processing, product management, and financial reporting.
## Key Features
Create, send, and track invoices. Support for multiple currencies, tax rates, payment terms, and automated numbering.
Record and categorize expenses. Track vendor payments, receipts, and expense approvals. Link expenses to specific projects or aircraft.
Record payments against invoices, track payment status, and manage payment methods. Support for partial payments and payment plans.
Create a catalog of products and services with pricing, tax rates, and descriptions. Use products when creating invoices.
Track multiple bank accounts, reconcile transactions, and monitor balances. Import bank statements for reconciliation.
Generate comprehensive financial reports including profit & loss, balance sheets, cash flow, and custom reports.
Create quotes for potential customers. Convert quotes to invoices when accepted. Track quote acceptance rates.
Issue credit notes for refunds, adjustments, or corrections. Link credit notes to original invoices.
## Accounting Sections
The Accounting module is organized into several sections accessible via tabs:
* **Dashboard** - Financial overview and key metrics
* **Invoices** - Invoice management (includes Quotes, Credit Notes, and Products)
* **Expenses** - Expense tracking and management
* **Balances** - Member and organization account balances
* **Reimbursements** - Employee reimbursement requests
* **Payments** - Payment processing and bank reconciliation
* **Reports** - Financial reports and statements
Access these sections using the tabs at the top of the Accounting page. The Invoices tab includes access to Quotes, Credit Notes, and Products management.
## Getting Started
Before creating invoices or expenses, set up your accounting configuration:
1. Go to **Settings** → **Accounting**
2. Set your currency
3. Configure tax rates
4. Set up invoice and quote numbering
5. Enter company information
6. Configure payment terms
Organize your financial accounts:
1. Navigate to **Accounting** → **Settings** → **Chart of Accounts**
2. Add account categories (Income, Expenses, Assets, Liabilities)
3. Create sub-accounts as needed
4. Set account types and codes
A well-organized chart of accounts makes reporting and analysis much easier. Set it up early.
Start invoicing:
1. Go to **Accounting** → **Invoices**
2. Click **New Invoice**
3. Select a customer
4. Add line items (products or custom items)
5. Apply tax rates
6. Set payment terms
7. Save and send
Invoices can be sent via email directly from the system. Recipients receive a professional PDF invoice.
Track expenses:
1. Go to **Accounting** → **Expenses**
2. Click **New Expense**
3. Enter expense details
4. Select category and account
5. Attach receipt (optional)
6. Save expense
Expenses can be linked to vendors, projects, or aircraft for better tracking and reporting.
## Invoice Management
### Creating Invoices
Click **New Invoice** from the invoices page or dashboard.
Choose an existing customer or create a new one. Customer information auto-fills on the invoice.
Add products or services:
* **From Catalog** - Select from your product/service catalog
* **Custom Item** - Enter description, quantity, and price manually
Set invoice properties:
* **Invoice Number** - Auto-generated or custom
* **Date** - Invoice date
* **Due Date** - Based on payment terms or custom
* **Tax Rates** - Applied automatically or manually
* **Discount** - Percentage or fixed amount
* **Notes** - Additional information for customer
Review the invoice totals and details:
* Subtotal
* Tax amounts
* Discounts
* Total amount
Then choose to:
* **Save Draft** - Save for later editing
* **Save & Send** - Save and email to customer
* **Save & Print** - Save and generate PDF
### Invoice Statuses
Invoices can have different statuses:
* **Draft** - Not yet sent to customer
* **Sent** - Sent to customer, awaiting payment
* **Partially Paid** - Some payment received
* **Paid** - Fully paid
* **Overdue** - Past due date, not paid
* **Cancelled** - Invoice cancelled
* **Refunded** - Payment refunded
### Managing Invoices
Edit invoices that are in draft status or have not been fully paid. Changes are tracked in invoice history.
Send payment reminders to customers for overdue invoices. Customize reminder messages.
Record payments against invoices:
1. Open the invoice
2. Click **Record Payment**
3. Enter payment amount and date
4. Select payment method
5. Save payment
Partial payments are supported. The invoice status updates automatically.
Download or email PDF versions of invoices. PDFs include your branding and are professionally formatted.
Create a copy of an existing invoice. Useful for recurring invoices or similar charges.
## Expense Management
### Recording Expenses
Navigate to **Accounting** → **Expenses** → **New Expense**.
Fill in expense information:
* **Description** - What the expense is for
* **Amount** - Expense amount
* **Date** - When expense occurred
* **Category** - Expense category
* **Account** - Chart of accounts account
* **Vendor** - Who you paid (optional)
* **Receipt** - Upload receipt image/PDF
Optionally link expense to:
* **Aircraft** - For aircraft-related expenses
* **Project** - For project-specific expenses
* **Invoice** - For expenses related to specific invoices
* **Member** - For member-related expenses
If using approval workflow:
* **Pending** - Awaiting approval
* **Approved** - Approved for payment
* **Rejected** - Not approved
Approval workflows can be configured in settings. Not all organizations use this feature.
Save the expense. It will appear in expense reports and affect your financial totals.
### Expense Categories
Organize expenses by category:
* **Aircraft Maintenance** - Repairs, inspections, parts
* **Fuel** - Fuel and oil purchases
* **Insurance** - Aircraft and liability insurance
* **Hangar/Storage** - Facility costs
* **Training** - Training-related expenses
* **Administrative** - Office supplies, software, etc.
* **Marketing** - Advertising and promotion
* **Travel** - Business travel expenses
* **Other** - Miscellaneous expenses
## Payment Management
### Recording Payments
The easiest way is from the invoice:
1. Open the invoice
2. Click **Record Payment**
3. Enter payment details
4. Save
Payment is automatically linked to the invoice.
For payments not linked to invoices:
1. Go to **Accounting** → **Payments** → **New Payment**
2. Enter payment details
3. Link to customer or other entity
4. Save
Record payment method:
* Cash
* Check
* Bank Transfer
* Credit Card
* PayPal
* Other
### Payment Reconciliation
Reconcile payments with bank statements:
Upload bank statement (CSV or OFX format) to import transactions.
Match imported transactions with recorded payments. System suggests matches based on amount and date.
Mark transactions as reconciled. Unmatched transactions can be investigated or recorded as new payments/expenses.
## Products and Services
### Creating Products
Go to **Accounting** → **Products** → **New Product**.
Fill in product information:
* **Name** - Product or service name
* **Description** - Detailed description
* **SKU** - Stock keeping unit (optional)
* **Price** - Unit price
* **Tax Rate** - Default tax rate
* **Category** - Product category
* **Unit** - Unit of measure (hour, item, etc.)
* **Image** - Product image (optional)
Control who can see the product:
* **Public** - Visible in shop
* **Members Only** - Only logged-in members
* **Private** - Not shown in shop
Save the product. It's now available when creating invoices or in your shop.
### Using Products in Invoices
When creating invoices, you can:
* Search products by name or SKU
* Add products with one click
* Prices and tax rates auto-fill
* Update quantities as needed
* Products appear in shop (if visibility allows)
## Bank Accounts
### Adding Bank Accounts
Go to **Accounting** → **Bank Accounts** → **New Account**.
Provide bank account information:
* **Account Name** - Descriptive name
* **Bank Name** - Bank institution
* **Account Number** - Last 4 digits (for security)
* **Account Type** - Checking, Savings, etc.
* **Opening Balance** - Starting balance
* **Currency** - Account currency
Mark as default account if this is your primary account. Default account is used for new transactions.
### Bank Transactions
Track transactions for each account:
* **Deposits** - Money coming in
* **Withdrawals** - Money going out
* **Transfers** - Between accounts
* **Reconciliation** - Match with bank statements
## Quotes and Estimates
### Creating Quotes
Go to **Accounting** → **Quotes** → **New Quote**.
Similar to invoices:
1. Select customer
2. Add line items
3. Set validity period
4. Add terms and conditions
5. Save quote
Send quote to customer via email. They receive a professional PDF.
When customer accepts:
1. Open the quote
2. Click **Convert to Invoice**
3. Quote items copy to invoice
4. Complete invoice and send
## Credit Notes
### Issuing Credit Notes
Go to **Accounting** → **Credit Notes** → **New Credit Note**.
Optionally link to original invoice. This helps track refunds and adjustments.
Specify:
* Reason for credit
* Amount to credit
* Items being credited
* Reference number
Credit can be:
* Applied to future invoices
* Refunded to customer
* Left as account credit
## Financial Reports
Financial reports are available in the Accounting module. Access them from **Accounting** → **Reports** tab.
### Available Reports
Generate comprehensive financial reports with customizable formats:
Income vs expenses over a period. Shows net profit or loss.
Assets, liabilities, and equity at a point in time.
Money in vs money out. Track cash position.
Outstanding invoices grouped by age. Identify overdue payments.
Expenses by category, vendor, or time period.
Sales by product, customer, or time period.
### Generating Reports
Go to **Accounting** → **Reports** tab from the accounting navigation.
Choose the financial report you need from available options.
Select the time period for the report:
* This month
* Last month
* This quarter
* This year
* Custom range
Filter by:
* Customer
* Product category
* Account
* Status
* Other criteria
Click **Generate** to create the report. View online or export to PDF/CSV.
Financial reports are separate from the incident reporting system in the main Reports module. Financial reports are accessed through the Accounting module's Reports tab.
## Dashboard Overview
The accounting dashboard provides a quick overview:
* **Total Revenue** - Sum of all paid invoices
* **Total Expenses** - Sum of all expenses
* **Net Income** - Revenue minus expenses
* **Outstanding Invoices** - Unpaid invoice amounts
* **Recent Activity** - Latest invoices, expenses, and payments
## Best Practices
Configure all settings before creating transactions. This ensures consistency and accurate reporting.
Create products for common items. This speeds up invoice creation and ensures consistent pricing.
Enter expenses as soon as possible. Attach receipts immediately to avoid losing them.
Reconcile bank accounts monthly. This catches errors and ensures accuracy.
Generate and review financial reports monthly. This helps identify trends and issues early.
## Troubleshooting
* Check invoice settings for numbering format
* Verify next number is correct
* Manually adjust if needed
* Contact support if pattern is incorrect
* Verify tax rates in settings
* Check if tax is applied correctly on line items
* Ensure tax rates match your location
* Review tax configuration
* Check date filters
* Verify you're in the correct organization
* Search by customer or invoice number
* Check if transaction was deleted or archived
## Related Documentation
* [Organization Overview](/organization/overview) - Learn about organization features
* [Shop](/organization/shop) - Sell products through your shop
* [Settings](/organization/settings) - Configure accounting settings
* [Analytics](/organization/analytics) - Financial analytics and insights