The Accounting module lets you enter your book entries and generate your accounting records. It's designed so that beginners can use the core features without any difficulty, while still supporting more advanced needs.
Below is an overview of the module's main features, along with links to other articles that explain how each one works in more detail.
Springly's accounting tool follows US GAAP standards for nonprofits. It is not a substitute for a certified public accountant (CPA) if your organization has specific needs or requires audited financial statements.
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Exploring the Accounting module
Overview
The Accounting module is with you every step of the way — from your first entries to closing out the accounting period.
Book entries are created through a simplified form — the entry form (expenditure / revenue). You fill in the transaction details, and the software generates the corresponding book entries automatically.
For example:
Additional options are available if you need to go further.
An expenditure or revenue entry generates two types of entries:
- An accrual entry (expense or income), which reflects an impact on the result and an obligation to pay;
- A payment entry, which settles that obligation and records the transaction in a financial account, such as the bank account.
Here are the entries generated by the example above: the expense is highlighted in red, and the payment in blue:
How it works
This simplified entry can be done in several ways:
- Manually, through the expenditure/revenue entry module, accessible from Accounting > Entry;
- Automatically, when a person is added to a form (membership, donation, ticketing, or online shop) — whether they sign up themselves or you add them manually.
In addition to this simplified interface, a journal book entry module is available for more advanced needs. Note that it requires accounting knowledge — don't hesitate to work with a CPA.
Main features
Dashboard
This page, accessible from Accounting > Dashboard, gives you a real-time view of your accounting and finances, including:
- Your available balances by account and sub-category;
- Trends in your expenditures and revenues, as well as your net result;
- Pending actions (bank reconciliation, check deposit, e-wallet).
Entering book entries
Book entries are entered from the Accounting > Entry page. You can always edit or delete entries afterward.
This page also gives you access to deposit slips for generating a bank deposit slip.
Additional modules are available for more specific needs:
- Voluntary Contributions in Kind, which lets you record and value volunteer work;
- Tracking accounts payable and receivable — entries where payment is made at a later date;
- Internal transfers and cash deposit/withdraw entries.
Viewing book entries
Once entered, your book entries feed directly into your accounting records, which you can view at any time and finalize by closing the period.
You can also view your entries using the search module, which lets you filter by date, amount, account, third party, and more.
Banking
Bank reconciliation is done from Accounting > Bank Reconciliation.
It lets you compare the balance on your bank statement with the balance of your pointed book entries.
Closing
At the end of your accounting period, you can complete your closing in just a few clicks. Simply follow the guided steps from Accounting > Closing.
After that, all entries needed to open the next accounting period are generated automatically by the software.
Settings
While it only takes a few minutes, setting up the accounting module is a great opportunity to get familiar with the software's key accounting concepts.
Accounting settings are accessible from Settings > Accounting.
Accrual or cash-basis accounting
If you manage accounts payable and receivable (e.g., membership payments in installments, staggered payments to vendors, closing with pending payments, etc.), you need to enable accrual accounting.
If a simple income and expenditure approach is enough for your organization, you don't need to enable it.
To learn more, see this article.
Accounting periods
This is the time period covered by your annual financial statements. It's typically a 12-month period aligned with the calendar year, though this can vary in some cases.
Importing history or opening balance
If you were using another accounting system before Springly and this is not your first accounting period, you can import your history using the opening balance.
Chart of accounts, bank accounts, petty cash, and third-party accounts
Note: these settings are accessible from Accounting > Configuration.
- You can customize your chart of accounts by adding new accounts or linking them to a sales price.
- Likewise, bank accounts created from the settings page will also generate an accounting account of type 512.
- Third-party accounts are used for your customers and vendors. Note: contacts in your community (e.g., members, donors) are automatically treated as third parties — you don't need to create them manually.
Types of book entries generated (advanced)
Expenditure/revenue entry
When you use the expenditure/revenue entry, the relevant accounts are automatically identified based on the information you provide:
- The nature of the entry: an income account (class 7) for revenue, or an expense account (class 6) for an expenditure;
- The type of third party linked to the entry: 467 (person), 401 (vendor), or 411 (customer). By default, 401 is used for expenditures and 411 for revenue;
- The payment method: 512 if the payment goes directly to your bank account, 511200 for a check pending deposit, 531 for cash, or 517 for an online payment.
Example: purchase of pens in cash for $10
This is an expenditure and the category is "supply purchase", so the debit account will be 602250. Payment is immediate and the account used will be 531000 since we're paying in cash. Finally, the third-party account is 401000, since this is a purchase from a vendor.
Record 1: accrual entry (expenditure)
| Account | Debit | Credit |
| 602250 | $10 | |
| 401000 | $10 |
Record 2: payment entry (cash)
| Account | Debit | Credit |
| 401000 | $10 | |
| 531000 | $10 |
Deferred payment
If you indicate that payment has not been made at the time the entry is recorded, an account payable or receivable is recorded. This means the accrual (expenditure or revenue) has not yet been settled and an amount remains outstanding:
- Account receivable: when the amount is a debit on a third-party account (class 4);
- Account payable: when the amount is a credit on a third-party account.
Payment can be made in installments — multiple records can be created to log successive payments. You can even enter multiple payment due dates in advance.
Revenue from ticketing
When a transaction is recorded, book entries are also generated based on:
- The payment method, as with a standard entry;
- The transaction type: 706 (event), 707 (online shop), 754 (donations), or 756 (memberships).
If the default class 7 accounts don't fit your needs, you can link each price in your ticketing/campaign to a specific account.
Online payments
For a given ticketing campaign, all transactions are grouped by invoice. So if there are 10 sales on a single invoice, you won't see 10 separate book entries — just one. This keeps your accounting clean and avoids generating hundreds of entries.
The software generates a consolidated entry with as many lines as there are ticketing/campaign types. If you offer both memberships and donations, you will see:
- An overall total for sales during the period;
- A membership subtotal;
- A donation subtotal.
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