The articles in our 'Overview of Farmplan Business Cloud' section will cover the basics of using our simple cloud accounting software and provide links to more comprehensive articles on certain features.
Farmplan Business Cloud can be used to record business transactions which form the basis of reporting, VAT returns, accounts and tax returns.
By reading all the articles in this section, even the most novice bookkeeper can use the functions within the software.
Interactive help
While using Farmplan Business Cloud you will have real-time interactive help which can be accessed by clicking on the question mark icon at the top of screen.
Alternatively, clicking on the icon at the bottom right-hand side of your screen will open up a window where you can search for help articles by typing in key words, or send our support team a message if you would like help with something.
Additionally you will receive notifications when potential mistakes are made, so it is important that you check the notifications when you receive them to ensure your data is correct.
Click on the bell to read the new message.
For example:
Click on the green tick to dismiss the specific message or the blue ticks to remove them all.
Setting up your business wizard
When you first create an account you will be asked for some basic information about your business. See Getting Started - Company Owner. The information you provide will set some of the program settings (which can be changed later on if needed). It is important that you answer the questions accurately, as incorrect settings could cause discrepancies with your data.
See Getting Started and Company Settings.
Categories (i.e. nominal codes)
Farmplan Business Cloud is designed specifically for the agricultural market and has a set of pre-set categories which will be customised according to your farming activities. This will quickly create a coding structure, or Chart of Accounts, without you needing to type in each category or even understand how a set of accounts should be laid out. See Farming Activities.
However, of course you can edit them, delete and rearrange them if you want to tweak them once they have been created. Do not worry if you need extra categories that we have not covered as they can also be added manually - there are 9999 slots available. See Categories - Overview and Managing Categories.
Opening balances wizard
Once you have set up your account you will be given the option to use the opening balances wizard. This should be used if you are not a new business and therefore already have assets (such as a bank account, equipment, stocks etc.) Your previous balances should be taken from the trial balance dated the day before you start entering transactions. This should coincide with the start of your next VAT period.
If you are unsure what your opening balances are you may need to talk to your accountant about this.
If your business is VAT registered you should start entering transactions from the start of a new VAT period. If you start to enter transactions part way through a period then the VAT return for that period may not be accurate.
Banking - you will need to set up a link with your bank if you wish to use the automatic bank feed option. If you would rather you can import bank details from a file, and of course there is a manual option if that is not applicable - for example with your petty cash account. The banking options are used for both direct entries - for example direct debits, and for clearing unpaid invoices if applicable.
Bank Rules will help automate the banking process and will save time and ensure that entries are coded accurately.
Invoice entry - Invoices are entered by selecting either Customers or Suppliers from the header bar. There are range of tools and options to help you enter these in the way that suits you best, including the ability to import them from a csv file.
VAT
To calculate your VAT return at the end of the period and submit it to HMRC via MTD go to Reports - VAT.