> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.hitaji360.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Accounting Overview

> The Accounting module is the financial heart of Hitaji 360. It keeps a complete, double-entry set of books for your business: every invoice you send, bill…

The Accounting module is the financial heart of Hitaji 360. It keeps a complete, double-entry set of books for your business: every invoice you send, bill you receive, payment you record, and journal you post lands in the general ledger and rolls up into your financial statements automatically.

This page is the big-picture map. If you are brand new, read it first, then work through the setup checklist at the bottom.

**You'll find this at:** `/accounting`

> 📷 *Screenshot: The Accounting dashboard at `/accounting` showing revenue/expense charts and quick actions — to be added.*

***

## What the module does

Hitaji 360 Accounting is a real double-entry bookkeeping system, not a simple cash log. That means:

* Every transaction has at least one **debit** and one matching **credit**, and the two sides always balance.
* Each posting flows through the **general ledger** and updates your **chart of accounts** balances.
* Your **Trial Balance, Profit & Loss, Balance Sheet, Cash Flow,** and **Aged Receivables/Payables** reports are always derived from those postings — you never maintain them by hand.

You do most of your day-to-day work through friendly documents (invoices, bills, expenses, payments). Behind each document, the system writes the correct journal entry for you. Throughout this documentation each feature page includes a **"Behind the scenes"** section that explains, in plain English, exactly which accounts get debited and credited.

***

## The functional areas

The module is organised into six areas. Each tile in the app's **Finance** menu links into one of them.

### 1. Chart of Accounts & setup

The list of accounts your books are built on, plus the one-time setup tools. This is where you start.

* **Chart of Accounts** — `/accounting/accounts`
* **Opening Balances** — `/accounting/opening-balances`
* **Initial Entries** (a guided "day one" checklist) — `/accounting/initial-entries`
* **Import Chart of Accounts** wizard — `/accounting/accounts/import`

### 2. Sales & receivables (money owed to you)

* **Sales Invoices** — `/accounting/invoices`
* **Quotations** — `/accounting/quotations`
* **Credit / Debit Notes** — `/accounting/credit-notes`
* **Debts & Money Lent** — `/accounting/debts`

### 3. Purchases & payables (money you owe)

* **Bills (AP)** — `/accounting/bills`
* **Expense Claims** — `/accounting/expenses`
* **Bank Loans** — `/accounting/loans`

### 4. Banking & money movement

* **Payments** (receipts and payments) — `/accounting/payments`
* **Petty Cash** — `/accounting/petty-cash`
* **Bank Reconciliation** — `/accounting/bank-reconciliation`

### 5. The ledger & period control

* **Journal Entries** — `/accounting/journal-entries`
* **Recurring** transactions — `/accounting/recurring`
* **Periods & Close** — `/accounting/periods`
* **Cost Centers** — `/accounting/cost-centers`
* **Customers & Vendors** (contacts) — `/accounting/contacts`

### 6. Reporting & analysis

* **Financial Reports** hub — `/accounting/reports`
* **Trial Balance, Profit & Loss, Balance Sheet, Account Ledger** and more under `/accounting/reports/...`
* **Org Budgets** — `/accounting/budgets`

***

## One business = one set of books

Hitaji 360 is **multi-business**. Each business you operate keeps its **own, completely separate accounting book**. The accounts, balances, invoices, journals and reports for Business A are never mixed with Business B — even though both live in the same Hitaji 360 account.

Practically, this means:

* Before you create or read anything in Accounting, confirm the **active business** in the business switcher at the top of the app. Everything you do applies to that business's book.
* Switching the active business switches the entire chart of accounts, all balances, and all documents you see.
* A fresh business starts with **empty books** — you must initialise its chart of accounts before you can post anything.

See [Accessing Accounting](/accounting/user/getting-started/accessing-accounting) for how to switch businesses and how permissions work.

***

## What to do first — setup checklist

Work through these in order when you start using Accounting for a business. Each step links to its own detailed page.

1. **Confirm the right business is active.** Use the business switcher. See [Accessing Accounting](/accounting/user/getting-started/accessing-accounting).

2. **Set up your Chart of Accounts.** Initialise the built-in template ("Bootstrap chart") or import your own. See [Chart of Accounts](/accounting/user/getting-started/chart-of-accounts) and the [Chart Import](/accounting/user/getting-started/chart-import) wizard.

3. **Set account defaults** so the debt/receipt shortcuts pre-fill the right accounts. See [Chart of Accounts → Account defaults](/accounting/user/getting-started/chart-of-accounts#account-defaults).

4. **Enter your opening balances** if you are migrating from another system mid-life — cash, bank, outstanding customer invoices, and unpaid vendor bills as of your cutover date. See [Opening Balances](/accounting/user/getting-started/opening-balances).

5. **Review your document numbering.** Invoices, bills, journals and the rest are numbered automatically; understand the format before you send anything. See [Number Series](/accounting/user/getting-started/number-series).

6. **Learn quick search and quick-create** so you can jump to any page or create a contact/item without leaving your current screen. See [Quick Search & Quick Create](/accounting/user/getting-started/quick-search).

After these, you are ready for everyday work: raising invoices, recording bills and expenses, taking payments, and reading your reports.

***

## Related

* [Accessing Accounting](/accounting/user/getting-started/accessing-accounting)
* [Chart of Accounts](/accounting/user/getting-started/chart-of-accounts)
* [Opening Balances](/accounting/user/getting-started/opening-balances)
* [Number Series](/accounting/user/getting-started/number-series)
* [Chart Import](/accounting/user/getting-started/chart-import)
* [Quick Search & Quick Create](/accounting/user/getting-started/quick-search)