Import open invoices and bills

To import open invoices and bills, upload the outstanding list from your old software on Settings → Import data, check it, and click Import on the Open invoices and Open bills cards. SimpleERP creates one posted document per unpaid bill, keeps its original number and books it against Opening Balance Equity, with no tax.

Why bring dues bill by bill instead of one total?

Bill-wise dues let you collect against the right bill. A single opening balance tells you a customer owes $1,368, but not which invoices are overdue, which are due next week, or which one the customer is disputing.

• Payments land on the right bill. When the customer pays invoice 412, you allocate the receipt to 412 and the others stay open.
• Ageing stays true. Each document keeps its own date and due date, so the debtors ageing report puts it in the right bucket on day one.
• Statements agree with the customer's ledger. They see the same bill numbers you do, so reconciling takes minutes.

Which columns does the import read?

The import reads seven columns. Number, party, date and amount pending are required; the rest are optional. Column names from the usual sources match themselves. Each row must be one invoice or bill: a number that repeats for the same party is reported as a duplicate.

Where does each source keep its open bills?

Each source keeps open bills in a different place; the import page shows the same steps.

Zoho Books exports one row per invoice line. The import groups the rows by invoice number, leaves out paid, void and draft invoices, and takes the pending amount from the Balance column, else the Total, else quantity times price. The card tells you which one it used.

What does SimpleERP create for each row?

Each row becomes one posted sales invoice or purchase bill with a single line, so it behaves like any other unpaid document from the first day.

• One line described as "Balance brought forward" with the source and the original number, quantity 1, price equal to the pending amount.
• No tax on the line, because the tax was charged on the original bill in the old software.
• The line is booked against Opening Balance Equity: an invoice debits the customer and credits Opening Balance Equity; a bill does the reverse.
• The original number is kept. A bill already in SimpleERP for the same party with the same number is skipped, so uploading the same list twice adds nothing. If a different party already uses that number, " (M)" is added to it.
• The due date comes from the file, else from the party's credit days, else it equals the bill date.

How does this fit with the party's opening balance?

The open bills replace the matching part of the party's opening balance, so nothing is counted twice. After posting, SimpleERP reduces each party's opening balance by the total of that party's imported bills.

Say a customer's opening balance is $1,368 and you import open bills totalling $1,140. The check shows "Opening $1,368, open bills $1,140; $228 stays as an opening balance". The customer still owes $1,368 in all. When the bills equal the opening balance, no lump sum remains.

Do imported invoices show up in tax returns?

No. They carry no tax and are booked to Opening Balance Equity, not to sales income. They keep their original dates before your start date, so tax reports for periods from the start date do not include them. A register run over earlier months lists them at zero tax; file those periods from your old software.

How do you record a payment against an imported invoice?

Record it like any other payment. Imported invoices are posted and unpaid, so they appear in the allocation list of the record payment screen.

1. 1

   Open Record payment

   Choose received for a customer or paid for a supplier, then pick the party.

2. 2

   Enter the amount and account

   Add the date, method, the bank or cash account and the transfer reference or cheque number.

3. 3

   Allocate to the bills

   Tick the imported bills the payment settles, or let auto-allocate fill the oldest due first.

4. 4

   Post

   Fully paid bills close, part-paid ones show as partially paid, and anything left stays on account. See partial payments and allocation.

Worked example: Harbor Supply Co.

Suppose Harbor Supply Co. starts its books in SimpleERP on 1 January 2027. In QuickBooks, its customer Northside Retail owes $1,368, of which two invoices are still open.

1. 1

   Start with the customers card

   It posts Northside Retail's $1,368 opening balance, dated 31 December 2026.

2. 2

   Check open invoices

   The card finds two invoices worth $1,140 and notes that $228 stays as an opening balance.

3. 3

   Import

   1412 and 1438 are posted with their own numbers and dates. 1412 shows as overdue in ageing, 1438 as due on 4 January.

4. 4

   Collect

   On 8 January Northside Retail pays $730. The receipt is allocated to 1412, which closes; 1438 stays open.

Who can import open invoices and bills?

Open invoices need the sales invoice manage and approve permissions, and open bills the purchase invoice ones, because the documents are posted on import. Others see "Ask an admin".