Choose the correct accounting mode
Confirm whether the client is operating through a Document-Led or Bank-Led Balansix workflow. The choice determines what acts as the primary accounting record and which controls apply.
- Document-Led: invoices/supporting records lead the accounting, with banking activity used for settlement and reconciliation.
- Bank-Led: bank activity is the primary accounting record for a suitable cash-based client workflow.
Do not switch modes casually during a period. If the accounting basis or record-keeping process changes, review the effect on VAT, opening positions and evidence before changing the workflow.
Bank import and reconciliation
Before posting from a bank statement, confirm the correct account and period. Review opening/closing balance information where available, then investigate any gap, overlap or potential duplicate warning before treating the statement coverage as complete.
The reconciliation should agree arithmetically and also be complete. A zero difference does not override an unresolved gap in statement coverage.
Customer and supplier settlements
Use settlement matching to allocate receipts and payments to the underlying customer/supplier items. Balansix supports partial and grouped allocations as well as one-to-many and many-to-one matching.
For Cash Accounting VAT, check the allocation carefully because the settlement can drive the VAT release on the allocated amount.
VAT
Confirm the client's VAT registration and accounting method before preparing VAT-sensitive transactions. Do not apply VAT logic to a non-VAT client merely because the transaction looks similar to a transaction from another entity.
Where an item is uncertain, use the review workflow rather than forcing a VAT code to make the transaction post.
Opening balances
Opening balances should be balanced before becoming the basis of the live ledger. Where a control account requires detail, bring the relevant supporting subledger so future allocations and reconciliation have a proper starting point.
- Debtors
- Creditors
- Accruals
- Prepayments
- Accrued income
- Individual bank balances
Year-end schedules and journals
Use the connected schedule workflow for fixed assets, depreciation, loans, accruals, prepayments and other supported adjustments. Review the schedule before posting the resulting journal. The schedule should remain available as the support for the accounting entry.
Payroll and CIS accounting
Keep recurring payroll accounting and CIS-related activity within the client ledger rather than leaving it as an unexplained year-end adjustment. Review wages, PAYE, National Insurance and related postings against the supporting payroll/CIS information used by the practice.
If the accounting treatment or liability does not agree to the underlying payroll/CIS record, correct the source accounting entry rather than forcing the control balance to agree through an unrelated journal.
Reports and drill-down
Use the Trial Balance, Profit & Loss and Balance Sheet as review surfaces. If a figure looks wrong, drill into account movement and the underlying transactions rather than correcting the report itself. Correct the accounting source so all downstream outputs stay consistent.