This program is intended to provide double entry bookkeeping and VAT calculations. It covers the basic VAT operations suitable for a small business, including the generation of purchase orders, invoices, credit notes and VAT return forms.
It is probably not suitable for a retail supplier or anyone who requires special cases - such as an exporter or importer or anyone dealing in VAT excempt goods, nor will it be suitable for any non-UK company as it written to deal with UK VAT requirements only.
The program is free, open source and GPL licensed.
VAT stuff
When a VAT registered business sells items, it must record the VAT it charges - known as the Output tax, and which must be paid to the Government. However when items are purchased - it pays VAT to the supplier - known as the Input tax, which can be reclaimed from the Government. The end result is that the business only pays the Government the difference between the two amounts.
This program eases these calculations, it allows you to create invoices and purchases, and it automatically creates transactions to record the VAT amounts. The program then creates VAT return forms when required.
As invoices are created, money has to be transferred between bank, customer, supplier and VAT calculation accounts - so you will find that several accounts are created automatically and are used by the system. Whenever you add a new supplier, or a new customer, an account will be created for them.
Features
Accounts
At the heart of VATStuff are the accounts shown under the 'Accounts' tab.
An account is debited when money is placed into it.
An account is credited when money is taken out.
As money is always moved from one account to another, the debits always equal the credits, and all movements are recorded - this being the essence of double entry bookkeeping.
Under the Accounts tab you can see the accounts, organised into folders. Accounts can be created, listed and their transactions viewed. On listing an account you can create a statement which can be exported to a PDF or CSV file.
Sales
The Sales tab allows you to add customers, to add items you frequently sell (so they are available quickly in drop down lists when you create an invoice), and you can create invoices, and submit received payments which will be set into the appropriate accounts. Invoices can be exported as PDF files suitable for printing or passing directly as files to your customers.
Purchases
Similarly the Purchases tab allows you to add suppliers, items you frequently purchase, and allows you to create purchase orders and then input payments as you receive invoices. Purchase orders can be exported as PDF files suitable for printing or passing directly as files to your suppliers.
There is also a 'quick purchase' facility, suitable for expenses such as meals, in which the purchase order and payment for a single item is input in one step.
Move Money
This tab allows you to move money between accounts - these moves are not involved in the sales, purchases or VAT calculations, but are simply for your convenience - for example if you are transferring money from a reserve account to a current account.
The top 'Move Money' button on the page allows you to set those accounts you wish to debit and credit - and then allows you to implement the move. The rest of the buttons are user-defined, you can create a complex movement, save it to the button, and then easily repeat the move (or a similar one) at a later date.
VAT
This tab includes functions for creating the VAT 100 return form and setting the VAT scheme used and VAT percentage rates.
Reports
Under Reports you can create and print various reports.
Company
Under this tab you set your company name and address.
Admin
This section allows you to create backups of your database - and restore previously created backups. It also allows you to open either a new, or a previously created, database file.
This tab also has the Quit button for closing the program - though it can also be closed from the window frame close symbol at any time.
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