Books
The list of every set of books in your organization, one per promoter company, with the actions to set up books for a company, open a set or delete one.
Books
A set of books holds the accounts of one legal entity: the promoter company that develops a project. This list shows every set of books in your organization. Use it to set up books for a new promoter company, open a set, or remove one that was created by mistake.
Where to find it
In the sidebar, open the Accounting group and choose Books. The Books breadcrumb on every books page also brings you back here.
You need the View permission on Books to see the list. Without it the page shows "No access" and "You do not have permission to view books. Ask your administrator."
Before you start
To set up books you need a company of the Promoter Entity type, recorded under Masters > Companies. Books can't be kept for any other kind of company.
What you see
The page header reads "One set of books per legal entity (a Promoter Entity company). Setting up books copies the organization's chart of accounts, opens the fiscal year and seeds the voucher numbering series."
Above the grid you have:
- Search: type part of the books name (placeholder "Search books by name"). It matches the books name only, not the company.
- A status filter: Active and inactive (the default), Active only or Inactive only.
The grid columns:
| Column | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Books / company | The books name, which opens the books, with the company name and its GSTIN underneath. |
| Books begin | The date the books begin, with "FY starts <month>" underneath. |
| Fiscal year | The current fiscal year (the one that holds today's date). If none is current, the latest year followed by "(latest)"; "—" when there is none. Underneath: the number of years and the currency. |
| Status | Active in green or Inactive in red. |
| Created | The date the books were set up. |
| Actions | The row's shortcut icons. |
The list is sorted by books name, A to Z, when it opens. Click a column title to sort by it (Actions can't be sorted). When there are no books the grid reads "No books yet".
What you can do
Set up books
Opens the Set up books panel, where you create the books for one promoter company.
The fields:
- Promoter company (required): search the active companies of the Promoter Entity type (placeholder "Search Promoter Entity companies"). Hint: "The legal entity these books belong to. One set of books per company." Leaving it empty shows "Pick the promoter company".
- Books name (optional, up to 150 characters): placeholder "Defaults to the company name". Hint: "Optional; shown in the books switcher." Left empty, the books take the company's name.
- Books begin on (required): starts on 1 April of the current Indian financial year. Hint: "The fiscal year holding this date is opened with 12 monthly periods." Empty shows "Enter a date".
- Fiscal year starts in (required): the month each fiscal year begins; April by default. Hint: "April for the Indian financial year." Empty shows "Choose the month the fiscal year starts".
- Currency (required): a 3-letter code, INR by default, turned to capitals. Anything that isn't exactly three characters shows "Use the 3-letter ISO code, e.g. INR".
A note in the panel explains what happens: "Setting up copies every template group and auto-create ledger, the component mappings, and seeds the eight voucher types (Receipt, Payment, Journal, Contra, Sales, Purchase, Credit Note, Debit Note) with their numbering prefixes."
Click Set up books at the foot of the panel to create them, or Cancel to close the panel.
- Who: anyone with the Create permission on Books. In the default roles that is the Administrator and the Finance Lead. Without the permission the button isn't shown.
- Picking the company also needs the View permission on Companies. Without it the field is greyed out and the panel warns "Picking the company needs the Companies read permission." If you can't view the company-type list, the field's placeholder reads "Search companies" and every active company is offered; the app still refuses a company that isn't a Promoter Entity.
- What happens next: the app copies your organization's chart of accounts into the new books, opens the fiscal year that holds the begin date with 12 monthly periods, and creates the eight voucher types. You see "Books "<name>" set up with <n> ledgers." and the new books' overview opens.
- If it's refused:
- "Books can be set up only for a Promoter Entity company." on the Promoter company field. Change the company's type under Companies, or pick another company.
- "This company already has a set of books." on the same field. Open the existing books instead.
Open
The first icon on each row (tooltip "Open"), or a click on the books name, opens the Books overview.
- Who: anyone who can see this list.
Delete
The bin icon on a row (tooltip "Delete") asks "Delete books?": "<name> and its chart of accounts, fiscal years, voucher types and cost centres will be removed. Books with vouchers or payments cannot be deleted; deactivate them instead." Click Delete to go ahead, or Cancel.
- Who: anyone with the Delete permission on Books. In the default roles that is the Administrator and the Finance Lead. Without it the icon isn't shown.
- What happens next: "Books "<name>" deleted." and the row leaves the list.
- If it's refused: once any voucher or payment has been recorded in the books, the dialog shows "Vouchers or payments exist in these books; deactivate them instead". Use Edit on the Books overview and untick Active instead.
Statuses
- Active: the books take vouchers and automatic postings.
- Inactive: the books keep all their data but refuse new vouchers and postings.
New books start Active. The only way to change the status is the Active tick box under Edit on the Books overview.
Things to know
- One set of books per promoter company. The books belong to the legal entity, not to a project. A promoter that develops several projects keeps all of them in one set of books; cost centres separate the projects inside it.
- Postings follow the project's promoter. Bookings, demands and commissions find their books through the project's promoter company. Until that company has books, they are refused with "The project's promoter company has no books yet. Set them up under Books first.", and the project's Ready to sell and collect? card shows "<Promoter> keeps no books yet; set them up under Accounting > Books".
- Setting up books doesn't create ledgers for bank accounts saved earlier. If the promoter's collection, RERA separate, operative or GST bank accounts were recorded before the books existed, use Sync bank ledgers on the Project overview afterwards; one click creates every missing ledger for the four accounts. Accounts of those kinds saved after the books exist get their ledger straight away, as long as the books are active.
- Company, begin date, fiscal-year start and currency are fixed once the books exist. Choose them carefully. Only the name and the active status can change later.
- The begin date doesn't stop earlier entries. A voucher dated before the begin date is accepted as long as an open fiscal year covers the date.
- Deleting is only for mistakes. As soon as anything has been posted, deactivate the books instead so their history stays intact.
- No History button here. Changes to books are recorded in the Audit log under Settings, where they appear as Books.
- Your organization can rename the grid's column titles, so your screen may use different words.
Related
Related
- Books overviewScreen
The home page of one set of books: its company and settings, counts, fiscal years, and shortcuts to the chart of accounts, vouchers, reports and opening balances, with the actions to rename, deactivate or delete the books.
- Fiscal yearsScreen
The fiscal years of a set of books with their 12 monthly periods: lock or unlock a month, open the next year, and close or reopen a year at year end.
- Voucher typesScreen
The voucher numbering series of a set of books, one per kind of voucher: add a series, or change its prefix, suffix, digits and whether it restarts each fiscal year.
- Chart of accounts: GroupsScreen
The reporting groups of the chosen set of books as a tree under the five classes (asset, liability, equity, income, expense); add your own groups and delete empty ones.
- Organization templates (Chart templates)Screen
Your organization's master chart of accounts, from which every new set of books is copied: group templates, ledger templates and the default ledger per charge component.
- CompaniesScreen
The master list of legal entities you deal with: promoter entities, channel partners, vendors and contractors, with search, filters and shortcuts to open, edit or delete a company.
- Project overviewScreen
A project's home page: its details, site, land, RERA registration, inventory summary, whether it is ready to sell and collect, where its money stands across its RERA accounts, and the setup checklist.
- Audit logScreen
The organization-wide change log: every create, change and delete, every sign-in (including refused ones), sign-out and downloaded file, with who did it, when, from where and what changed.
- Books, the active books switcher and cost centresConcept
A set of books is the ledger of one promoter company: every posting for a project lands in its promoter's books, every accounting screen works on the one set chosen in the Books switcher, and cost centres inside the books (usually one per project with a child per tower) let the ledger and reports be cut by project.
- Promoter entityConcept
The company developing a project; every project must name one, and its books and bank accounts are where the project's demands, receipts and payouts are posted.
- Fiscal years, periods, locks, opening balances and the year-end closeConcept
Each set of books runs in fiscal years of twelve monthly periods; a voucher can post only into an open year and an unlocked period, opening balances carry each ledger's balance into a year, the year-end close moves income and expense into Profit & Loss Account by a closing journal and writes the next year's openings, and a monthly balance cache is kept as a cross-check.
- Project readiness and the RERA gateConcept
A project is ready to sell and collect once it has a promoter entity with books, the collection, RERA separate and operative bank accounts with their ledgers, and, when the organization requires it, a RERA registration whose validity covers today; bookings and allottee purchases wait for all of it, estimates only for RERA.
- Set up the books for a promoter companyHow-to
Create the set of books a promoter company keeps, mirror its projects as cost centres, check the voucher numbering series and the component mappings, and connect the project's bank accounts to their ledgers so demands, receipts and payouts can be posted.
- Books cannot be deleted: vouchers or payments exist in themTroubleshooting
The Delete books dialog refuses because the books already hold vouchers or payments; deactivate the books instead so their history stays intact.
- LedgersScreen
Every ledger of the chosen set of books, as a grouped tree or a flat list, with the actions to add ledgers and party ledgers, edit or retire them, and open a ledger's report.
- Component mappingsScreen
Which ledger each charge component posts to in the chosen set of books (a main ledger, an optional second tax ledger, an optional cost centre and, for sale and tenant charges, the revenue treatment and contract liability ledger), and the action to copy template additions into the books.
- VouchersScreen
Every voucher in the chosen set of books (drafts, posted, reversed and cancelled), with filters and the menu to start a new voucher.
- Ledger reportScreen
The ledger of one account between two dates: opening balance, every posting with a running balance, and closing balance, with CSV export.
- Project setup wizardScreen
Set up a project step by step, from the land and RERA details and bank accounts to towers, society, members, offers, amenities, parking, stages and pricing; each step saves as you go.
- Book <unit> for <name> (booking wizard)Screen
The three-step wizard that turns an approved estimate into a booking: review exactly what was approved, add co-applicants and their shares, set the booking date and book the unit.