Multi-Location Accounting Best Practices

AccuArk's accounting system is built with multi-location businesses in mind. Every transaction, account balance, and report can be filtered by location, giving you both a consolidated view and per-location detail. This guide covers how location filtering works and how to get the most out of it.

How Location Filtering Works

A Location dropdown appears on every major accounting form:

• Chart of Accounts
• Account Transactions
• Journal Entry
• Financial Dashboard
• Trial Balance
• Profit & Loss
• Balance Sheet
• AP Aging Report
• AR Aging Report
• Recurring Journals
• Accounting Periods

When you select a specific location, the form displays only the transactions and balances that belong to that location. When you select All Locations, the form aggregates data across every location you have access to.

The “All Locations” Aggregate View

The All Locations view is the default when you open any accounting form. It shows:

• Account balances summed across all locations
• Transaction lists from every location combined
• Report totals that represent the entire business

This is useful for owners, executives, and accountants who need the big picture. However, it can make it harder to spot location-specific issues. If a single store is underperforming, its numbers may be hidden in the aggregate.

Per-Location Views

When you select a specific location from the dropdown, the form filters everything to that single store or branch:

• Account balances reflect only transactions posted to that location
• Transaction lists show only entries for that location
• Reports (Trial Balance, Profit & Loss, Balance Sheet) show only that location's financial data

This is ideal for location managers, regional supervisors, or anyone analyzing a single branch's performance.

Setting Up Location Access for Accountants

AccuArk controls which locations a user can see through the user_location_access table. Each record grants a user access to a specific location with granular permissions. For accounting access, the key column is view_transactions:

• Set view_transactions = 'y' to allow the user to see accounting data for that location
• If a user does not have a user_location_access record for a location, they cannot see its accounting data

To grant an accountant access to all locations:

1. Navigate to Employees > Manage Employees
2. Open the accountant's employee record
3. On the Location Access tab, add each location with View Transactions enabled

The Location dropdown on accounting forms will only show locations the current user has access to. Users with the Super Admin role automatically see all locations.

Strategy for Reconciling Across Locations

When reconciling your books, follow this approach:

1. Start with per-location review — Open the Trial Balance for each location individually. Verify that it balances (total debits equal total credits). If a single location is out of balance, the problem is isolated to that location's transactions.
2. Run Repair Balances per location — If a location's Trial Balance shows a discrepancy, right-click in the Chart of Accounts and select Repair Balances while that location is selected. This recalculates all account balances from the transaction history for that location.
3. Switch to All Locations — After each location balances individually, switch to the All Locations view. The aggregate Trial Balance should also balance. If individual locations balance but the aggregate does not, check for transactions that may have been posted without a location assignment.
4. Review inter-location entries — If your business transfers funds between locations (for example, cash transfers from a branch to headquarters), verify that both sides of the entry exist — one at the sending location and one at the receiving location.

When to Use Per-Location vs All Locations

Tips for Multi-Store Businesses

• Consistent chart of accounts — Use the same account structure across all locations. AccuArk shares a single chart of accounts, so all locations post to the same account numbers. This ensures uniformity in reporting.
• Location-specific descriptions — When creating journal entries, include the location name or code in the description field. This makes it easier to identify entries when viewing the All Locations aggregate.
• Separate bank accounts per location — If each store has its own bank account, create a separate Cash account for each (for example, “Cash — Main Street” and “Cash — Elm Street”). This keeps bank reconciliations clean.
• Regular per-location review — Do not rely solely on the aggregate view. Review each location's financials at least monthly to catch issues early.
• Restrict access appropriately — Location managers should only see their own location's data. Use user_location_access to enforce this. Reserve the All Locations view for owners, controllers, and senior accountants.
• Use the Financial Dashboard — The dashboard's location dropdown gives you a quick snapshot of each location's cash position, outstanding AP/AR, and recent transactions without opening multiple reports.