Retail
Accounting software for retail shops
Close each store's day knowing what came in as cash and card, who is on a monthly store account, and what you owe suppliers, without a separate cash book.
In short
SimpleERP is accounting software for retail shops. Counter receipts land in cash or bank per store, customers on a tab get statements, supplier bills feed payables, and the P&L and balance sheet are ready any day.
Illustration: saving invoice INV-2026-0213 moves stock, posts the customer ledger, records tax and updates the dashboard in one step.
An accounting day at Harbour Corner Grocers
At ten at night each Harbour Corner store counts its cash. Marrickville took $4,200 today, about half by card; Newtown took $2,400. Forty families in the neighbourhood buy on a monthly store account and settle in the first week of the month, and the produce and grocery suppliers want paying every fortnight.
The owner's accountant used to rebuild all this from bill books and a cash notebook at month end. In SimpleERP each receipt goes into the cash or bank account it was paid into, store account bills sit in each family's ledger until paid, and the accountant checks numbers rather than typing them.
How do I close the day's cash at each store?
Give each store its own cash account. Counter receipts post to it, card receipts go to the bank account they settle in, and the cash register shows a running balance to match against the drawer count.
- Cash and bank registers with a running balance and a cleared column.
- Day book for the store manager to read through before locking up.
- A journal moves the evening cash into the bank on the day it is deposited.
Illustration of a profit and loss statement for Jan–Jun 2026 with net profit of 4,691, a tax summary and the lock date.
Can I keep store account accounts for regular families?
Add each family on a store account as a customer with Net 30 terms. Their bills go on account through the month, a statement shows every bill and payment with a running balance, and the ageing report shows who has gone past the month.
- A credit limit warns at the counter before a family's store account grows too large.
- Part payments settle the oldest bills first, or the ones you choose.
- Statements print on A4 to hand over with the next delivery.
What does a shop owner check at month end?
The accountant works through a few reports, fixes anything posted under the wrong head with a journal, and sets the lock date.
- P&L by month, with cost of goods sold already posted from each bill.
- Branch filter on sales reports and the tax registers.
- Lock date keeps the closed month from being edited by mistake.
| Ledger account | What posts to it | Month-end check |
|---|---|---|
| Cash, one per store | Counter receipts, expenses paid in cash, deposits | Register balance equals the counted drawer on the last night |
| Bank (card and transfer) | Card settlements, transfers, supplier payments | Tick each settlement against the bank statement by hand |
| Store account customers | Bills on account, receipts | Ageing over 30 days; call before extending credit |
| Supplier payables | Supplier bills, payments and goods sent back | Match each supplier's statement |
| Inventory and cost of goods sold | Bills in, sales out at average cost, counts | Stock list value agrees with the inventory account |
| Rent, power, wages, packing material | Expenses and payroll | Compare with last month; look for a missed bill |
Where do rent, power and the tea bill go?
Record each expense with its category, the account it was paid from and a photo of the receipt. It posts straight to the ledger and appears in the P&L for that store.
- Claims from staff who paid for something themselves, approved in one step.
- Tax on an expense posts to the tax you can reclaim; a supplier invoice with tax is better entered as a bill.
- Journals only for what no document covers, such as a loan repayment.
One system
What it connects to
Bills, receipts, supplier bills and expenses post themselves, so the cash book and P&L are always current.
Retail
Counter invoices paid on the spot, stock by store with a low-stock list, and the day's cash and bank.
See howInvoicing & tax
Tax invoices with VAT, GST or sales tax on every line, numbered by fiscal year and posted in one step.
See howStock management for shops
Shelf and back-room stock per branch, moved by bills, sales, transfers and counts, with a reorder level for each item.
See howPayroll for shop staff
Two shifts, staggered weekly offs, a Christmas bonus and salary advances, paid from one monthly run per store.
See howAccounting
A double-entry ledger with journals, bank registers, statements and a lock date.
See how
Honest limits
What SimpleERP does not do yet
- No bank feeds: bank entries are recorded and reconciled by hand
- No multi-currency; every document is in your base currency
- Tax returns are not filed and e-invoices are not issued from inside the product
- No prices including tax: enter the price before tax and the invoice adds the tax on top
- No automatic card settlement matching; settlements are ticked against the bank statement
- No cash drawer or shift-wise cashier closing report; close each store's cash from its register
Getting started
Start with accounting
Sign up with your email
Name, email and a password. No card for the seven-day trial.
Tell us about the business
Pick your country and, if you are registered, type your tax number. Accounts, tax rates, units, roles and numbering are seeded for that country.
Enter opening balances
Enter each store account family's balance, each supplier's dues and the cash at each store as opening balances on the first of a month.
Run the trial balance
Every posted document is already in the ledger; the trial balance and P&L are ready on any date.
FAQ
Questions, answered
Can I see each store's profit separately?
Sales reports and the tax registers filter by branch, so you see what each store sold. The P&L and balance sheet cover the whole business, because both stores share one set of books.
How do I record that I took cash home from the drawer?
Post it as drawings with a journal from the store's cash account. The cash register then still matches the drawer, and your capital account shows what you took out over the year.
Do I still need an accountant?
For tax returns and income tax, yes. SimpleERP keeps the books and the registers that your accountant files from, and every report exports to CSV for them.
A store account family has not paid for two months. How do I see it?
Open receivables ageing. Their unpaid bills sit in the 31 to 60 or 61 to 90 bucket. Print a statement, or copy the reminder text and send it by message or email yourself.
Related
Keep reading
Retail
Counter invoices paid on the spot, stock by store with a low-stock list, and the day's cash and bank.
Read moreInvoicing & tax
Tax invoices with VAT, GST or sales tax on every line, numbered by fiscal year and posted in one step.
Read morePayroll for shop staff
Two shifts, staggered weekly offs, a Christmas bonus and salary advances, paid from one monthly run per store.
Read more
See how accounting works in SimpleERP for retail
Seven days free. No card. Your first invoice in minutes.