Account Simple Online Documentation

Quickstart Guide

Welcome to Account Simple, a lightweight double-entry bookkeeping application built for clarity, control, and speed. This guide will walk you through the essential steps to set up your account and start tracking your finances.

1. Log In

After creating an account, navigate to the login page and enter your credentials. Upon login, you will be taken to the Dashboard.

2. Dashboard Overview

The dashboard includes:

• Status Box: Displays system messages and recent activity.
• Reports: Generate dynamic balance sheets and profit/loss statements.
• Live Financial Snapshot: See your balances, income, and expenses updated in real time.

3. Add Accounts

Navigate to:

Data → Accounts → + Create New Account

Each account must include:

• Name: (e.g., "Chase Checking")
• Type: (Asset, Liability, Revenue, Expense, Equity)
• Sub Type: (Current Asset, Fixed Asset, Operating Expense, Etc...)
• Description: (optional)

Click Create New Account to add it to your data set.

Note: Create all the the accounts you will need for your business. You can always add more later, but it is easier to do it all at once.

Examples include:

• Bank Accounts: Checking, Savings, Credit Card
• Income Accounts: Sales, Service Revenue
• Expense Accounts: Rent, Utilities, Supplies

4. Add Transactions

Navigate to:

Transactions → + Insert Transaction

Each transaction requires:

• Date
• Amount
• Description: (optional)
• Customer: (optional)
• Vendor: (optional)
• Credit Account: (source of funds)
• Debit Account: (destination of funds)
• Optional: Notes, Customer/Vendor, Receipt Upload

Click Insert Transaction to submit the transaction. Account Simple uses the double-entry method, so every transaction affects two accounts.

5. Connect a Bank Account (Premium Users Only)

Navigate to:

Dashboard → Task Pane → + Connect a Bank Account

Follow the prompts to connect your bank account. This feature allows you to import and categorize transactions directly from your bank, making it easier to keep your records up to date.

Once connected, you can view your transactions in the Transactions section. You can also set up rules to automatically categorize imported transactions.

Note: This feature is available for premium users only. If you are not a premium user, you can still manually enter transactions as described in the previous section.

For more information on connecting your bank account, please refer to the Plaid Sync and Transaction Import Rules section.

Note: You can also upload transactions from a CSV file if you prefer not to connect your bank account.

6. View Reports

Navigate to:

Dashboard → + Report Balance Sheet or Report Income Statement

The balance sheet report can be created for any date and can be calculated by Sub Type or Account.

The income statement report can be created for any date range and can be calculated by Sub Type or Account.

Note: The Report Income Statement button uses the start date and end date next to the Gobutton.

Need additonal help?

Contact us by email:

customerservice@accountsimple.online

Dashboard Overview

The dashboard is your central hub for managing your finances. It provides a real-time overview of your financial data and quick access to key features. Here's what you can do on the dashboard:

When information is updated in Account Simple, the dashboard will automatically update to reflect the changes. This includes updates to account balances, transactions, and reports.

1. Status Box

The status box displays system messages, profit and loss for the current year, and your balance status. Use this section to stay updated on your account's status and any pending tasks.

The status box will also show if you have any transactions in the ~NONE system account. This is a temporary holding account for transactions that have not been assigned to a specific account. You can view these transactions and assign them to the appropriate accounts by clicking the link.

2. Reports

Generate dynamic reports directly from the dashboard:

• Balance Sheet: View your assets, liabilities, and equity as of a specific date.
• Profit and Loss: Analyze your income and expenses over a selected date range.

Click the respective buttons to generate these reports and download them as PDFs.

The Balance Sheet report requires you to pick a date. The Profit and Loss report requires you to pick a date range(the input boxes to the left of the go button). The reports will be generated based on the selected date range.

3. Live Financial Snapshot

The live financial snapshot provides an at-a-glance view of your current financial position, including:

• Account Balances: See the balances of your bank accounts, credit cards, and other accounts.
• Income: Track your total income for the current period.
• Expenses: Monitor your total expenses for the current period.

4. Task Pane

Click the blue arrow button at the top left corner of the dashboard to open the task pane. The task pane provides quick access to common actions and features:

Alternatively, press CTRL + ALT + T to open the task pane.

The task pane helps you quickly access common actions, such as:

• Connect a Bank Account: Link your bank account with Plaid to import transactions automatically.
• Sync Plaid: Quickly update Account Simple with your latest transactions. This applies to all connected accounts.
• Upload Transactions from CSV: Quickly import transactions from a CSV file to update your records.

The dashboard is designed to provide a streamlined experience, giving you quick access to the tools and information you need to manage your finances effectively.

Transactions Overview

Learn how to add, edit, and manage transactions in Account Simple:

1. Action Panel

The action panel is located at the top of the transactions page. It provides quick access to common actions:

• Insert Transaction: Add a new transaction.
• Insert Account: Add a new account.
• Insert Customer: Add a new customer.
• Insert Vendor: Add a new vendor.

2. Insert Transaction

Navigate to:

Transactions → + Insert Transaction

Each transaction requires:

• Date: The date of the transaction.
• Amount: The transaction amount.
• Description: (optional) A brief description of the transaction.
• Customer: (optional) The customer associated with the transaction.
• Vendor: (optional) The vendor associated with the transaction.
• Credit Account: The account where the funds are coming from.
• Debit Account: The account where the funds are going to.

Click Insert Transaction to save the transaction. Account Simple uses the double-entry method, so every transaction affects two accounts.

Inserting Split Transactions

Split transactions allow you to allocate a single transaction amount across multiple accounts. For example, if you pay a single bill that covers multiple expense categories, you can split the transaction to reflect this.

To insert a split transaction:

• Enter the transaction data like a you would for a normal transaction.
• Assign the credit or debit side of the transaction to the system account ~SPLIT. This is the side of the transaction you will split.
• Two Split rows should drop down below the transaction. If you need more click the Split Transaction button.
• Input the amount and any additonal information for the split row then select the account you want to split the transaction to.
• The specified amount will be applied to the selected account. And the opposite side of the transaction will be automatically sent the the ~SPLIT placeholder account
• All credits and debits must be equal to the total amount of the transaction. Journal completeness is tracked just below the Insert Transaction button.
• Click Insert Transaction to save the split transaction.

Note: Split transactions are useful for accurately categorizing expenses or income that span multiple accounts.

3. Insert Account

Navigate to:

Transactions → + Insert Account

Each account requires:

• Name: (e.g., "Chase Checking")
• Type: (Asset, Liability, Revenue, Expense, Equity)
• Sub Type: (e.g., Current Asset, Fixed Asset, Operating Expense)
• Description: (optional)

Click Create New Account to save the account.

4. Insert Customer

Navigate to:

Transactions → + Insert Customer

Each customer requires:

• First Name: The customer's first name.
• Last Name: The customer's last name.
• Company Name: (optional) The customer's company name.
• Email: (optional) The customer's email address.
• Phone: (optional) The customer's phone number.

Click Create New Customer to save the customer.

Note: that if the setting "Require At Least One Form Of Contact For New Customers" is checked then you must enter either a phone number or an email address.

5. Insert Vendor

Navigate to:

Transactions → + Insert Vendor

Each vendor requires the following fields:

• Company Name: The vendor's company name (required).
• Primary Contact: (optional) The name of the vendor's primary contact person.
• Primary Contact Title: (optional) The title or role of the primary contact (e.g., Manager, CEO).
• Phone: (optional) The vendor's phone number (10 digits).
• Email: (optional) The vendor's email address.
• Website: (optional) The vendor's website URL.
• Address: (optional) The vendor's street address.
• City: (optional) The city where the vendor is located.
• State: (optional) The state where the vendor is located.
• Zip Code: (optional) The vendor's postal code.
• Country: (optional) The country where the vendor is located.

Click Create New Vendor to save the vendor. All required fields must be filled out before submission.

6. Search Transactions

Navigate to:

Transactions → Transaction Table

To search for a transaction:

• Select search criteria that matches the transaction or transactions you are looking for.
• You can search for transaction by date, date range, amount, description, customer, vendor, or account.
• you can further filter your search by clicking the filter icon next to the Enable Deletion button

Transactions show 9 columns of information:

• ID: The unique identifier for the transaction.
• Receipt Indicator: Indicates if a receipt is attached to the transaction.
• Date: The date of the transaction.
• Amount: The transaction amount.
• Description: A brief description of the transaction.
• Customer: The customer associated with the transaction.
• Vendor: The vendor associated with the transaction.
• Credit Account: The account where the funds are coming from.
• Debit Account: The account where the funds are going to.

If you need to print the transaction table, you can do so by clicking the Print button at the top right of the table. This will generate a printable version of the transaction table.

7. Edit Transactions

To edit a transaction:

• Select a transaction in the table.
• Click the Edit button to modify the transaction details.
• The edit button will wrap the data in input boxes and allow you to modify it as needed.
• Click Update to apply the changes.

8. Delete Transactions

To delete a transaction:

• Click the Enable Deletion button to enable deletion mode.
• Locate the transaction in the transaction table.
• Click the Delete button next to the transaction.

Deleting a transaction will not remove it permanently from your records. Instead, it will be flagged as deleted and excluded from balance calculations. This allows you to restore it or view its history if needed.

9. Upload Receipts (premium users)

To upload a receipt for a transaction:

• Locate the transaction in the transaction table.
• Click the Upload Receipt button next to the transaction.
• Select the receipt file from your device.
• Click Upload to attach the receipt to the transaction.

Alternatively, drag and drop the receipt file onto the transaction row in the table.

Once uploaded, the receipt will be linked to the transaction and can be viewed or downloaded at any time.

Note: Receipt upload is available for premium users only. If you are not a premium user, you can click the ID of the transaction to copy it and save the receipt file with the ID.

Data Overview

Manage your accounts, customers, vendors and transaction import rules in the Data page:

1. Manage Accounts

Navigate to:

Data → Accounts

To add a new account:

• Click + Create New Account.
• Fill in the required fields:
  • Name: (e.g., "Chase Checking")
  • Type: (Asset, Liability, Revenue, Expense, Equity)
  • Sub Type: (e.g., Current Asset, Fixed Asset, Operating Expense)
  • Description: (optional)
• Click Create New Account to save.

To update an account:

• Locate the account in the list and select it.
• The account details will be displayed in the input boxes.
• Simply make the changes you want to the account and click update.

To delete an account:

• Locate the account in the list.
• Click the Delete button to remove the account.

Note: Deleting an account will set all transactions associated with that account to the ~NONE system account.

2. Manage Customers

Navigate to:

Data → Customers

To add a new customer:

• Click + Create New Customer.
• Fill in the required fields:
  • First Name: The customer's first name.
  • Last Name: The customer's last name.
  • Company Name: (optional) The customer's company name.
  • Email: (optional) The customer's email address.
  • Phone: (optional) The customer's phone number.
• Click Create New Customer to save.

To update a customer:

• Locate the customer in the list and select it.
• The customer details will be displayed in the input boxes.
• Make the necessary changes and click Update.

To delete a customer:

• Locate the customer in the list.
• Click the Delete button to remove the customer.

3. Manage Vendors

Navigate to:

Data → Vendors

To add a new vendor:

• Click + Create New Vendor.
• Fill in the required fields:
  • Company Name: The vendor's company name.
  • Primary Contact: (optional) The vendor's primary contact person.
  • Email: (optional) The vendor's email address.
  • Phone: (optional) The vendor's phone number.
  • Address: (optional) The vendor's address.
• Click Create New Vendor to save.

To update a vendor:

• Locate the vendor in the list and select it.
• The vendor details will be displayed in the input boxes.
• Make the necessary changes and click Update.

To delete a vendor:

• Locate the vendor in the list.
• Click the Delete button to remove the vendor.

4. Manage Transaction Import Rules

Navigate to:

Data → Transaction Import Rules

Transaction import rules allow you to automate the categorization of imported transactions. This helps save time and ensures consistency in your bookkeeping.

Import rules apply to transactions imported via plaid or uploaded via CSV file

Creating a rule is intuitive. Just read the senence and fill in the blanks.

For example: If the transaction is a credit/debit in the selected account and the description contains/matches the phrase (input phrase) then the selected account will be assigned as the credit/debit

To create a new rule:

• Fill in the blanks.
• Check "Omit this transaction" if you would like to remove it from the data set. (This is useful if you are importing transactions from two accounts that interact together. It prevents duplicates.)
• Click Create Rule.

To delete a rule:

• Locate the rule in the list.
• Click the red trash icon to remove the rule.

Using transaction import rules helps you save time by automating transaction categorization and ensuring consistency in your bookkeeping.

Bookkeeping Tasks

Perform essential bookkeeping tasks to keep your financial records accurate and up-to-date:

1. Workflow and Objectives in Account Simple

When working in Account Simple it is important to understand your objectives clearly.

Your primary objective is to balance out your assets, liabilities, and equities.

As long as all transactions in Account Simple have assigned credit and debit accounts, the system will automatically balance your books.

Your secondary objective is to make sure all your physical accounts show the correct balance.

When all the accounts have the correct balances and all the transactions in those accounts are assigned to the correct credit and debit accounts, your books will be accurate.

Errors are not possible when these criteria are met.

Note: Account Simple does not have a formal reconciliation process. It is up to you to make sure all your accounts are correct and to know what you are doing in your business.

Working With Transactions

The transaction is the core of your bookkeeping. Account Simple was designed around the transaction.

Account Simple allows you to search for transactions by date, date range, amount, description, customer, vendor, and account.

There are many ways you can use the transaction table to find the information you need.

Note: When an account is loaded into the transaction table, the total credits and debits will be displayed in the header. The difference will be displayed and the greater side will be indicated.

For more information on how to use the transaction table, please refer to the Transactions Overview section.

Working With Accounts

Accounts are the foundation of your bookkeeping system. Each transaction in Account Simple affects two accounts, ensuring that your books remain balanced.

Accounts are categorized into five main types: Asset, Liability, Equity, Revenue, and Expense. Understanding how these account types interact is crucial for accurate bookkeeping:

• Asset Accounts: Represent resources owned by your business, such as cash, inventory, and equipment. Debits increase asset accounts, while credits decrease them.
• Liability Accounts: Represent obligations your business owes, such as loans or accounts payable. Credits increase liability accounts, while debits decrease them.
• Equity Accounts: Represent the owner's interest in the business. Credits increase equity accounts, while debits decrease them.
• Revenue Accounts: Represent income earned by your business. Credits increase revenue accounts, while debits decrease them.
• Expense Accounts: Represent costs incurred by your business. Debits increase expense accounts, while credits decrease them.

Each account type has many subtypes. Subtypes affect how the account is displayed in reports. For example, a Current Asset will be displayed in the Assets section of the balance sheet report.

When working with accounts, ensure that each transaction is assigned to the correct accounts to maintain accurate financial records. Proper categorization of accounts allows you to generate meaningful reports, such as balance sheets and income statements.

For example, if you purchase office supplies, you would debit the "Office Supplies" expense account and credit the "Cash" asset account. This ensures that your books reflect the reduction in cash and the increase in expenses.

Working With Customers

Customers are an essential part of your bookkeeping process, as they represent the source of your revenue. Properly tracking customer transactions ensures that your income is accurately recorded and categorized.

When recording transactions involving customers, assign a customer to the transaction.

This will allow you to quickly look up customer transactions and generate reports based on customer activity.

Working With Vendors

Vendors are an essential part of your bookkeeping process, as they represent the source of all your money being drained from your pockets. Properly tracking vendor transactions ensures that your expenses are accurately recorded and categorized.

When recording transactions involving vendors, assign a vendor to the transaction.

This will allow you to quickly look up vendor transactions and generate reports based on vendor activity.

Settings

Customize your Account Simple experience by managing application settings:

To open setting click the gear icon in the top right corner of the page.

1. General Settings

• Change Color Scheme:

2. Dashboard Settings

• Open Accounts In New Tab: This when you click on an account link in the dashboard the page will open in a new tab.

3. Company Settings

• Require At Least One Form Of Contact For New Customers: This setting requires you to enter either a phone number or an email address when creating a new customer.
• Invite Users: Invite other users to join your Account Simple account. Enter their email address, set permission level, confirm your password, and click Send Invitation.
• Remove Users: Remove users from your Account Simple account. Select the user from the list and click Revoke Member.
• Manage Subscription: View and manage your subscription plan. Upgrade or downgrade your plan as needed.

4. Account Settings

• Receive Newsletter and Updates: Check the box to receive the newsletter by email.
• My Companies: Shows your companies and any companies you manage. Allows you to select your active company. You must log out and log back in after you change your active company.
• Invitations: Shows any invitations you have received. You can accept or reject the invitation.

Plaid Sync (Premium Users)

Automatically sync your bank transactions using Plaid integration:

1. Connect Your Bank Account

To connect your bank account to Account Simple:

• Open the task pane and select Connect a Bank Account.
• Follow the prompts to securely log in to your bank.
• Authorize Plaid and Account Simple to access your transaction data.

Once connected, transactions will be imported automatically into the Transactions section.

If you have set up transaction import rules, they will be applied to the imported transactions.

2. Benefits of Plaid Sync

Using Plaid Sync helps you:

• Save time by automating transaction imports.
• Reduce errors by eliminating manual data entry.
• Keep your financial records up-to-date in real time.

Note: Plaid Sync is available for premium users only.

Upload Transactions from CSV (Premium Users)

Import transactions from a CSV file to quickly update your records:

1. Prepare Your CSV File

Your CSV file should include the following columns:

• Date: The date of the transaction.
• Amount: The transaction amount. (The amount can be positive or negative.)
• Description: A brief description of the transaction.

2. Upload Your CSV File

To upload your CSV file:

• Open the task pane and select Upload transactions from a CSV file.
• Click Browse... to select your CSV file from your device.
• Select an account to upload for.
• Click Upload to upload the transactions.

If you have set up transaction import rules, they will be applied to the imported transactions.

3. Benefits of CSV Upload

Using CSV upload helps you:

• Easily import large batches of transactions.
• Simplify data entry and reduce errors.
• Quickly update your financial records.

Note: CSV upload is available for premium users only.

Transaction Import Rules (Premium Users)

Set up rules to automatically categorize imported transactions:

1. Create a New Rule

Navigate to:

Data → Transaction Import Rules

Steps to create a rule:

• Click Create Rule.
• Define the criteria for the rule (e.g., description, amount).
• Assign the appropriate category or account for matching transactions.
• Click Save to store the rule.

2. Delete Existing Rules

Navigate to:

Data → Transaction Import Rules

Steps to delete a rule:

• Locate the rule in the list.
• Click the red trash icon to remove the rule.

Note: Once a rule is deleted, it cannot be recovered. You will need to create a new rule if needed.

3. Benefits of Import Rules

Using transaction import rules helps you:

• Save Time: Automate transaction categorization and reduce manual effort.
• Ensure Consistency: Apply the same logic to similar transactions for accurate bookkeeping.
• Focus on Analysis: Spend less time on data entry and more time analyzing your financial data.
• Eliminate Duplicates: Omit duplicate transactions when importing from multiple accounts.

4. Example Use Case

Suppose you frequently send payments to "Magic Hay Co" from your checking account. You can create a rule to automatically categorize these transactions:

• If: The transaction is a credit in the Checking Account and the description contains "Magic Hay Co".
• Then: Assign the Magic Hay Expense account as the debit account.

This rule ensures that all payments to "Magic Hay Co" are consistently categorized as Magic Hay Expense.

Receipt Upload and Storage (Premium Users)

Keep your records organized by uploading and storing receipts for your transactions. Receipts can be attached to transactions to provide additional documentation and improve record-keeping accuracy.

1. Upload Receipts

Navigate to:

Transactions → Transaction Table

Steps to upload a receipt:

• Locate the transaction in the transaction table.
• Click the Upload Receipt button in the "Receipt" column for the transaction.
• Select the receipt file from your device (supported formats: JPG, PNG, PDF).
• Click Upload to attach the receipt to the transaction.

Note: You can also drag and drop the receipt file directly onto the transaction row in the table to upload it.

2. View and Manage Receipts

Navigate to:

Transactions → Transaction Table

Steps to view or manage receipts:

• Locate the transaction with the attached receipt in the transaction table.
• Click the View Receipt button in the "Receipt" column to open the receipt in a new tab or download it.
• Click the Delete Receipt button to remove the receipt if it is no longer needed.

Note: Deleting a receipt will not affect the transaction itself, but the receipt will no longer be available for reference.

3. Benefits of Receipt Storage

Storing receipts helps you:

• Maintain Accurate Records: Attach receipts to transactions for tax purposes and audits.
• Verify Transactions: Easily verify the details of a transaction using the attached receipt.
• Stay Organized: Keep your bookkeeping paperless and well-documented.

Receipts are securely stored and can be accessed at any time from the transaction table.