This guide covers implementation, configuration, daily use and troubleshooting for Small Business Management – Accounting Pro.
Small Business Accounting Pro User Guide and Complete Tutorials
This guide teaches the Pro application by workflow. It explains the meaning of the screens, shows how the operational and ledger records interact, and provides tutorials for sales, payments, recurring billing, expenses, bank imports, reconciliation, customer portal, VAT, reporting and year-end.
1. Work inside the grouped navigation
Pro groups related pages into Customer Hub, Products & Accounts, Ledger & Compliance, Invoice & Get Paid, Recurring Billing, Expenses & Banking, Reporting and Settings & Automation. Use the in-app tabs to move within a workflow and the Back button to return to the exact prior Accounting screen.
| Group | What you do there |
|---|---|
| Customer Hub | Customers, statements, payment follow-up and portal access. |
| Products & Accounts | Products/services, categories and operational income/expense classifications. |
| Ledger & Compliance | Chart of Accounts, mapping, journals, ledger, reports, reconciliation, credit notes, suppliers, VAT pack and locks. |
| Invoice & Get Paid | Quotes, invoices, payments, progress billing and gateway connectors. |
| Recurring Billing | Subscriptions, billing runs, reminders and automated statements. |
| Expenses & Banking | Expenses, receipt capture, bank feeds and categorisation rules. |
| Reporting | Analytics, ageing, Profit & Loss, year-end, budget, VAT and data movement. |
| Settings & Automation | Company, documents, email, currencies, CRM automation, licence, agent access and logs. |
2. Customer and product workflow
The customer record remains the centre of receivables. Pro adds portal access and more automated communication, but the quality of all downstream work still depends on clean master data. Product records can include rich descriptions, categories, income mapping, physical stock fields and AI-assisted content.
Create a complete Pro product
- Open Products & Accounts → Products & Services.
- Create or select the product category.
- Enter code, name, product type and selling price.
- Map the correct income account and tax treatment.
- Use AI Product Assistant to draft short and detailed descriptions, then edit for factual accuracy.
- Optionally use Create Product Image with AI, choose shape/quality and review the saved Media Library image.
- For a physical product, configure stock fields; do not use stock fields for services.
- Save and preview the product in a quote or invoice line.
The product is ready for consistent sales documents, reporting and optional inventory integration.
Add this image immediately after completing or explaining the preceding section.
- Screen to capture: Products & Services → AI copy/image tools for a sample product.
- Required state: Show a generated draft that has not yet been saved.
- Must include: Prompt/context controls, generated short and long description, image preview and review/save actions.
- Redact or avoid: OpenAI API key and any private prompt data.
- Suggested caption: Review and edit AI-generated product content before saving it to the catalogue.
Editor note: replace this complete placeholder with a responsive image and keep the suggested caption as the figure caption.
3. Quotes and version control
Pro quote behaviour follows the same core lifecycle as Free, with version history, public decision and conversion. Treat each revision as a commercial change. Explain price, scope or validity changes in notes and retain the version trail.
Run a controlled quote revision
- Create and send the original quote.
- When the customer requests a change, reopen the quote and create the revised version.
- Adjust only the agreed lines, prices or terms.
- Preview the new public version.
- Send the revised quote and ensure the customer uses the latest link.
- After acceptance, confirm the accepted version before conversion.
The quote history shows the original and revised commercial position, and the invoice is based on the accepted version.
4. Invoices, templates and progress billing
An invoice may be created directly, from a quote, from a subscription billing run or from a progress milestone. Pro lets you choose document templates and supports staged billing. The invoice balance is still controlled by payments and credits.
Create a progress invoice
- Open Progress Invoicing.
- Create the project or milestone schedule linked to the customer and commercial document.
- Define each milestone amount or percentage and its expected date.
- When a milestone is approved, choose Create Progress Invoice.
- Review the generated invoice lines, tax and remaining project balance.
- Send the invoice and update the milestone record according to company procedure.
The customer receives an invoice for the approved stage without billing the full contract twice.
5. Payments, gateways, credits and refunds
Payments may be entered manually or created by a verified gateway connector. Credit Notes / Refunds reduce or reverse customer value using a documented record rather than deleting the original invoice. Always use unique external references for gateway events and bank receipts.
Apply a credit note
- Open Ledger & Compliance → Credit Notes / Refunds.
- Select the customer and related invoice.
- Choose the reason and the amount to credit.
- Review tax impact and whether the action is a credit, refund or write-off according to the available workflow.
- Save and inspect the invoice balance and ledger postings.
- Send the appropriate customer document where required.
The original invoice remains in history and the approved credit/refund adjusts the balance transparently.
6. Subscriptions and billing runs
Subscription
A recurring instruction that says who should be billed, what for, how often and when the next invoice is due.
Example: A monthly hosting service billed on the first day of each month.
Billing run
The controlled process that finds due subscriptions and creates the corresponding invoices.
Example: The 1 September run creates September invoices for active subscriptions due that day.
Create and operate a subscription
- Create the customer and recurring product.
- Open Recurring Billing → Subscriptions.
- Set frequency, amount, start date, next billing date and status.
- Review the first due date carefully.
- Run Billing Runs for the due date.
- Inspect generated invoices before sending or relying on automation.
- After each successful cycle, verify the next billing date advanced correctly.
Each due cycle produces one invoice and the subscription remains ready for the next period.
Add this image immediately after completing or explaining the preceding section.
- Screen to capture: Use a two-image composite: one active subscription and the Billing Run result.
- Required state: Show a subscription due on the test date and the invoice generated from it.
- Must include: Customer, product, amount, frequency, next billing date, run status and generated invoice number.
- Redact or avoid: Real customer and payment details.
- Suggested caption: A billing run converts due subscription schedules into ordinary invoices.
Editor note: replace this complete placeholder with a responsive image and keep the suggested caption as the figure caption.
7. Payment reminders and automated statements
Reminder automation should support, not replace, account review. Configure timing, wording, outstanding-only rules and company copies. Before sending a run, review disputed invoices, payment promises and recently received funds.
Run reminders safely
- Open Payment Reminders and review the configured stages.
- Choose the run date and preview eligible invoices.
- Exclude or resolve disputed accounts.
- Send a small test batch first.
- Review delivery logs and customer replies.
- Only then run the full approved batch.
Only valid outstanding accounts receive the correct reminder, with an audit trail of the send.
8. Expenses, recurring expenses and receipt capture
Expense records classify costs. Receipt Capture accelerates data entry from uploaded evidence, while recurring expenses represent predictable costs. Review every generated or captured record before relying on reports or ledger postings.
Capture a receipt and create an expense
- Open Receipt Capture and upload the supported supplier document.
- Review extracted or entered supplier, date, amount and reference.
- Select the correct expense account and tax treatment.
- Create the expense.
- Open the new expense and compare it line by line with the document.
- Correct any misread value before posting or reporting.
The expense and supporting document agree and the classification is appropriate.
9. Bank feeds and categorisation rules
Bank Feeds is a review queue, not an automatic truth source. Imported text may be ambiguous. Match known customer receipts to invoices, known supplier payments to expenses or bills, and use rules only for recurring patterns that are genuinely reliable.
Review an imported bank transaction
- Open Expenses & Banking → Bank Feeds.
- Select an unreviewed row.
- Compare date, amount, description and reference to the bank statement.
- Search candidate invoices, expenses or supplier bills.
- Match the correct record, create a new expense, split the transaction, ignore it with a reason, or leave it for review.
- Mark reviewed only when the treatment is understood.
The bank row has a documented accounting treatment and is ready for reconciliation.
Create a safe categorisation rule
- Choose a transaction with a stable description pattern.
- Select Create Rule from Transaction.
- Use the narrowest reliable keyword or condition.
- Choose the intended category/account.
- Save and test against several historical descriptions.
- Disable or narrow the rule if it catches unrelated transactions.
Future matching descriptions receive a useful suggestion without misclassifying unrelated bank rows.
Add this image immediately after completing or explaining the preceding section.
- Screen to capture: Bank Feed review screen with one matched row and one split transaction.
- Required state: Use sample rows where split allocations equal the original amount.
- Must include: Suggested matches, confidence/context, category/rule selection, split lines and total check.
- Redact or avoid: Real bank account, merchant names and transaction references.
- Suggested caption: Review every suggested match and confirm split totals before posting.
Editor note: replace this complete placeholder with a responsive image and keep the suggested caption as the figure caption.
10. Bank reconciliation
Bank reconciliation
The process of proving that the accounting bank balance agrees with an external bank statement after timing and outstanding items are considered.
Example: The system balance and statement closing balance both equal 25,430.20, so the difference is zero.
Complete a reconciliation
- Select the bank account and statement period.
- Enter the statement opening and closing balances.
- Review imported and accounting transactions for the period.
- Mark or link the items that appear on the statement.
- Investigate duplicates, missing items and date differences.
- Continue until the reconciliation difference is zero.
- Save the reconciliation statement and export evidence if required.
The saved reconciliation proves the accounting bank balance agrees with the bank statement for the selected period.
Add this image immediately after completing or explaining the preceding section.
- Screen to capture: Bank Reconciliation after all rows are matched and the difference is zero.
- Required state: Use a complete sample statement period.
- Must include: Opening balance, closing balance, cleared total, outstanding items and zero difference.
- Redact or avoid: Real bank account number and balances.
- Suggested caption: A reconciliation is complete only when the statement and Accounting balances agree.
Editor note: replace this complete placeholder with a responsive image and keep the suggested caption as the figure caption.
11. Supplier bills and accounts payable
A supplier bill records an amount owed to a supplier. It differs from a simple paid expense because the obligation may exist before payment. When the supplier is paid, record the payment against the bill so accounts payable and ageing remain accurate.
Capture and pay a supplier bill
- Create or select the supplier.
- Open Supplier Bills / A/P and create the bill.
- Enter supplier invoice number, dates, due date, account lines, tax and total.
- Save and review the payable balance.
- When paid, use Pay Supplier Bill or match the outgoing bank transaction.
- Confirm the payable balance and creditor ageing are updated.
The supplier obligation and later payment are represented separately and transparently.
12. Journals and the General Ledger
Operational workflows can create ledger entries through posting. Manual journals are for approved adjustments that cannot be represented by ordinary invoices, payments, expenses or supplier bills. Every journal must balance: total debits equal total credits.
Post a manual journal
- Open Journal Entries and choose New Journal.
- Enter the journal date, reference and clear explanation.
- Add at least two lines using the approved accounts.
- Enter debit and credit amounts so the totals are equal.
- Review the accounting effect with an authorised person.
- Post the journal.
- Open General Ledger and Trial Balance to verify the result.
The journal is posted, balanced and visible in the correct account movements.
When a posted journal is wrong, use the supported reversal workflow and create the corrected entry. Deleting or silently editing posted accounting history undermines the audit trail.
13. Trial Balance, Balance Sheet and Profit & Loss
| Report | Question it answers | Key check |
|---|---|---|
| Trial Balance | Do all account balances still balance between debits and credits? | Total debits equal total credits. |
| Profit & Loss | What income, expenses and profit/loss occurred in a period? | Correct date range and complete postings. |
| Balance Sheet | What assets, liabilities and equity exist at a date? | Accounting equation and approved opening/carry-forward values. |
Add this image immediately after completing or explaining the preceding section.
- Screen to capture: Create an annotated composite of Journal, General Ledger, Trial Balance, Profit & Loss and Balance Sheet.
- Required state: Use one closed sample month so totals can be compared across reports.
- Must include: Journal reference, account drill-down, balanced Trial Balance and report period.
- Redact or avoid: Real company financial results.
- Suggested caption: Use the ledger reports together to trace postings and review financial position and performance.
Editor note: replace this complete placeholder with a responsive image and keep the suggested caption as the figure caption.
14. Ageing and collections
Debtors ageing groups customer balances by how long they have been outstanding. Creditors ageing does the same for supplier obligations. Use ageing to prioritise collection and payment decisions, but open the underlying invoices or bills before acting.
15. VAT Return Pack
The VAT Return Pack combines period summaries and supporting exports. Review source transactions, tax codes, invoice dates, credits and expenses. Saving a VAT return record documents the review period; it does not replace filing with the relevant authority.
Prepare the first VAT pack
- Open the First VAT Return Walkthrough if this is the first cycle.
- Select the reporting period.
- Review sales/output tax and expense/input tax details.
- Inspect unusual zero, exempt or high-value transactions.
- Resolve ledger or mapping exceptions.
- Export the VAT Return Pack and supporting CSV files.
- Record the reviewed return status according to internal procedure.
The accountant has a traceable summary and supporting transaction files for the period.
Add this image immediately after completing or explaining the preceding section.
- Screen to capture: VAT Return Pack after selecting a sample tax period.
- Required state: Show the review summary before export.
- Must include: Period, sales/output tax, purchases/input tax, adjustments, exceptions and export actions.
- Redact or avoid: Real tax number and filing credentials.
- Suggested caption: Review the VAT Return Pack and resolve exceptions before filing or accountant handover.
Editor note: replace this complete placeholder with a responsive image and keep the suggested caption as the figure caption.
16. Budget forecasting
Budget Forecasting combines manual forecast items with relevant invoices and expenses to project twelve months. A budget is a plan, not an accounting transaction. Update assumptions when contracts, costs or timing change and compare the forecast with actual results.
Build a simple forecast
- Add expected recurring income with exact dates and frequency.
- Add expected recurring and once-off expenses.
- Use Push to Budget from selected invoices or expenses where helpful.
- Review the monthly profit/loss table and cash-impact timeline.
- Adjust assumptions rather than changing historical actuals.
- Export the forecast for management review.
The business has a twelve-month view of expected income, costs and monthly surplus/shortfall.
17. Customer portal
Enable portal access only for a verified customer/user link. The portal provides customer-facing access to documents and queries; it is not an administrator screen. When a contact leaves the customer organisation, disable or relink access promptly.
Add this image immediately after completing or explaining the preceding section.
- Screen to capture: Customer-facing portal for a sample customer account.
- Required state: Show at least one invoice, statement and billing query/action.
- Must include: Account summary, document list, status, download/view actions and support/billing route.
- Redact or avoid: Customer login, public tokens and personal contact details.
- Suggested caption: Customers can review their own invoices, statements and billing information without entering WordPress administration.
Editor note: replace this complete placeholder with a responsive image and keep the suggested caption as the figure caption.
18. Accountant Handover Pack and period locking
Prepare accountant handover
- Reconcile bank accounts and review ageing.
- Run Ledger QA and resolve unposted transactions.
- Review Trial Balance, Profit & Loss and Balance Sheet.
- Prepare the VAT pack and supporting exports.
- Open Accountant Handover Pack and export the approved contents.
- After review, lock the completed period to prevent ordinary changes.
The accountant receives consistent source data and the reviewed period is protected.
Add this image immediately after completing or explaining the preceding section.
- Screen to capture: Use a two-image composite: Handover Pack export screen and Period Lock control.
- Required state: Use a completed sample month with all review checks passed.
- Must include: Selected period, included reports/exports, generated pack and lock date/approver.
- Redact or avoid: Real report values and user personal information.
- Suggested caption: Export the reviewed accounting evidence, then lock the completed period against accidental changes.
Editor note: replace this complete placeholder with a responsive image and keep the suggested caption as the figure caption.
19. Daily control checklist
At the end of a working day
- No duplicate payment or gateway warnings remain unresolved.
- New payments are linked to the correct invoices.
- Imported bank rows have not been blindly auto-classified.
- Generated subscription invoices were reviewed.
- Expense documents agree with captured amounts.
- Failed emails and automation logs were inspected.
- The active reporting period and filters are understood before reading totals.
20. Troubleshooting Pro workflows
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Trial Balance does not balance | Damaged/manual data, incomplete migration or posting issue | Stop period close, run Ledger QA and inspect journals and imported opening balances. |
| Invoice appears twice after gateway callback | Connector reused no unique reference or idempotency was bypassed | Do not delete blindly; identify the verified payment and correct through approved records. |
| Bank rule categorises wrong transactions | Keyword is too broad | Disable the rule, correct affected rows and create a narrower condition. |
| Subscription did not invoice | Inactive status, next billing date or run date mismatch | Open the subscription and billing-run log. |
| Customer portal empty | User is not linked to the customer or access disabled | Review portal mapping and test as the customer. |
| Accounting Agent cannot see a setting | The role is intentionally restricted | Use an authorised Accounting Manager for settings/automation tasks. |
21. Pro screen-by-screen quick reference
| Screen | Open it when you need to… | Do not use it to… |
|---|---|---|
| Customer Portal | Enable/disable customer front-end access and review billing queries. | Give customers WordPress administration access. |
| Ledger QA | Find missing mappings and unposted source records. | Force a Trial Balance to balance without investigating. |
| Journal Entries | Record approved accounting adjustments. | Recreate ordinary sales, payments or expenses that have dedicated workflows. |
| General Ledger | Trace account movements. | Edit source transactions. |
| Trial Balance | Review period/account balances and equality. | Measure cash alone. |
| Balance Sheet | Review assets, liabilities and equity at a date. | Read period income without the P&L. |
| Bank Reconciliation | Prove the bank account against a statement. | Import the bank CSV; use Bank Feeds first. |
| Credit Notes / Refunds | Reduce/reverse customer value transparently. | Delete the original invoice. |
| Supplier Bills / A/P | Record amounts owed before payment. | Record already-paid minor expenses when the simple expense workflow is appropriate. |
| VAT Return Pack | Prepare review summaries and support exports. | Assume the return is legally filed automatically. |
| Audit Trail & Period Locking | Review actions and protect completed periods. | Hide or erase historic changes. |
| Subscriptions | Define recurring obligations. | Generate all invoices manually each month. |
| Billing Runs | Generate invoices due from subscriptions. | Change customer master data. |
| Receipt Capture | Turn evidence into a reviewed expense. | Accept AI/extracted values without checking. |
| Import / Migration Wizard | Bring controlled CSV data into the system. | Repeatedly import the same live file. |
22. Split bank transactions
A bank row may represent more than one accounting purpose, for example a payment that includes bank fees or a combined supplier payment. Use the split workflow so the imported row remains one bank event while its accounting treatment is divided into approved components. The split parts should add back to the original bank amount.
Split a transaction
- Open the imported bank row and choose Split.
- Add the first component, category or matching record and amount.
- Add additional components for the remaining amount.
- Confirm the sum of all parts equals the bank row exactly.
- Save and inspect each created/matched record.
- Complete reconciliation only after the split is correct.
The single bank statement row is fully allocated without inventing extra bank transactions.
23. Recurring expenses tutorial
Set up a monthly software expense
- Create the Software Subscriptions expense account if needed.
- Open the recurring-expense facility and add the supplier, amount, tax, account and monthly frequency.
- Set the start and next occurrence dates.
- Enable only after reviewing the first expected occurrence.
- When generated, compare the expense with the supplier invoice or bank debit.
- Update or stop the schedule when the contract changes.
The predictable cost appears once per due period and remains supported by actual supplier evidence.
24. Import Wizard practical controls
| Stage | User task | Control |
|---|---|---|
| Template | Download the exact record template. | Do not invent column names. |
| Preparation | Clean dates, numbers, required codes and references. | Keep original source file unchanged. |
| Preview | Review accepted, rejected and warning rows. | Do not commit while mapping is ambiguous. |
| Commit | Import the approved batch. | Record batch ID and totals. |
| Verification | Compare counts/totals to source. | Open sample records and relevant reports. |
| Undo | Use supported batch undo if required. | Do not undo after dependent live transactions without review. |
25. Worked Pro month-end example
- Review customer ageing and follow up overdue invoices.
- Review supplier bills and creditor ageing for upcoming payments.
- Import the final bank CSV period and resolve every material row.
- Complete bank reconciliation to zero difference.
- Run Ledger QA and post approved operating transactions.
- Review Trial Balance, Profit & Loss and Balance Sheet.
- Prepare VAT Return Pack and investigate exceptions.
- Export Accountant Handover Pack.
- Obtain approval and lock the period.
26. Understanding reports together
No single report tells the whole story. A profitable Profit & Loss can coexist with poor cash collection. A healthy bank balance can include money owed to suppliers or tax authorities. Use Analytics for trends, Ageing for outstanding accounts, Profit & Loss for period performance, Balance Sheet for position, Trial Balance for ledger control and Bank Reconciliation for cash evidence.
27. Data correction decision table
| Problem | Preferred correction |
|---|---|
| Draft document wrong | Edit before issue. |
| Issued invoice wrong but no payment | Use approved void/reissue or credit/reinvoice policy. |
| Payment linked to wrong invoice | Correct/reallocate through supported workflow; retain reference evidence. |
| Posted journal wrong | Reverse and post corrected journal. |
| Bank row matched incorrectly | Unmatch/unreconcile through supported controls, then rematch. |
| Expense category wrong | Correct source expense before period lock or use approved adjustment after lock. |
| Closed period requires change | Use authorised reopen or next-period adjustment according to policy. |