Getting Started with Bills Management

AccuArk's Bills Management module gives you complete control over vendor bills, payment posting, recurring schedules, and financial reporting. Whether you receive a handful of bills each month or manage hundreds across multiple locations, this module tracks every bill from the moment it arrives to the final payment.

What Bills Management Can Do

The bills module covers the full lifecycle of a vendor bill. Here is everything it includes:

Bill Creation and Editing

Create bills for any vendor, enter the bill amount, set the bill date and due date, attach a reference number, and assign the bill to a location. Each bill is linked to a vendor record so you can see all bills for a specific vendor at a glance. You can edit bill details at any time as long as the bill has not been cancelled.

Vendor Tracking

The vendor filter panel on the Bills Browser lets you select a specific vendor to see only their bills, or choose All Vendors to see everything. Vendors are loaded from your vendor database and display both active and inactive status.

Bill Status Tracking

Every bill has a status that reflects where it stands in the payment cycle. Statuses include New, Unpaid, Paid, Overdue, Cancelled, Due Today, Due Soon, and Overpaid. The system automatically detects overdue bills and updates their status when the due date has passed.

Color-Coded Status Display

The Bills Browser uses a color-coded display system to make bill statuses instantly visible. Each status has a distinct background and text color combination so you can scan your bills list and immediately identify which bills need attention. Color coding can be toggled on or off with a checkbox.

Payment Recording

Record payments against bills using the full-featured Payment Transaction form. Select a payment method, choose the account to post the payment against, enter the amount, and save. The bill's balance updates immediately. You can record multiple payments against a single bill for partial payment scenarios.

Split Payments Across Accounts

When a single payment needs to be distributed across multiple general ledger accounts, the payment form supports split line items. Each split line has its own account, amount, and memo. The total of all splits must equal the payment amount.

Vendor Credits and Refunds

Record credits received from vendors that reduce the amount owed on a bill. Credits and refunds are tracked separately from regular payments so you can see exactly how much was paid versus how much was credited.

Bill Cancellation

Cancel bills that are no longer valid. Cancelling a bill disables further payments and marks the bill with a Cancelled status. This action requires the Cancel Bills permission, which is restricted to management roles by default.

Purchase Order Integration

Bills can be linked to purchase orders. When a bill is created from a purchase order, certain fields are locked to maintain consistency between the PO and the bill. A visual indicator shows when a bill is locked to a transaction.

Recurring Bill Schedules

Set up recurring schedules for bills that repeat on a regular pattern. Choose from nine schedule patterns including monthly on a specific day, weekly, biweekly, quarterly, and more. The system generates a preview of upcoming bills and creates them automatically based on the schedule.

Multi-Location Support

Every bill is assigned to a specific business location. The Bills Browser includes a location filter so you can view bills for a single location or across all locations. Location-based access control ensures users only see bills for locations they have permission to access.

Reporting and Analytics

The Bills Report provides both detailed and summary views of your bills. Filter by vendor, date range, location, and status. The detailed view shows individual bills while the summary view aggregates totals by vendor or other groupings.

Bill Printing

Print bills directly from the bill form for physical record-keeping or mailing. The print output includes all bill details, vendor information, and payment history.

Role-Based Permissions

Access to bills management is controlled by granular permission codes. Separate permissions govern viewing bills, creating and editing bills, cancelling bills, posting payments, managing recurring schedules, and viewing reports. Each permission can be assigned to specific roles, giving you fine-grained control over who can do what.

The Five Bills Screens

Bills Management consists of five main screens that work together:

Recommended Setup Order

Follow these steps to configure bills management before entering your first bill:

1. Vendors — Add your vendor and supplier records under Vendors and Inventory > Vendors
2. Locations — Ensure your business locations are set up under Settings > Locations
3. Chart of Accounts — Set up the general ledger accounts that payments will be posted against
4. Permissions — Verify that the appropriate roles have the bills management permissions assigned
5. Recurring Schedules — Create recurring bill schedules for any vendors that bill you on a regular pattern

Quick-Start Checklist

To create your first bill, you need at minimum:

• At least one vendor record in the system
• At least one business location configured
• The FIN_VIEW_BILLS and FIN_CREATE_BILL permissions assigned to your role

Everything else — recurring schedules, split payments, reports, color coding — can be configured incrementally as your needs grow.

What to Read Next

• Navigating the Bills Browser — Learn how to filter, search, and manage bills from the main browser screen
• Creating a New Bill — Step-by-step guide to entering your first bill
• Understanding Bill Statuses — Learn what each status means and how statuses change automatically
• Recording Payments on a Bill — Record your first payment against a bill