System Overview

The Helix Accounting System is a full double-entry accounting platform built for Canadian businesses. It manages:

• Accounts Receivable (AR) - Track money owed to you via invoices
• Accounts Payable (AP) - Track bills you owe to vendors
• General Ledger - Full double-entry bookkeeping with journal entries
• Financial Statements - Balance Sheet, Income Statement, Cash Flow, Retained Earnings
• Fixed Assets - Capital asset tracking with CCA (Canadian Capital Cost Allowance) depreciation
• Bank Accounts & Credit Cards - Monitor balances and reconcile transactions
• Tax Centre - GST/HST returns, T2 corporate tax schedules, CCA schedules
• Financial Ratios - Key metrics for banks and investors

How the Accounting System Works

The system is built on the double-entry accounting principle: every transaction has equal debits and credits. Here's the flow:

1. Chart of Accounts - Your master list of all accounts (assets, liabilities, equity, revenue, expenses)
2. Journal Entries - Record transactions as debits and credits across accounts
3. General Ledger - View all entries for any account over time
4. Trial Balance - Verify all debits equal all credits (your books are balanced)
5. Financial Statements - Generate Balance Sheet, Income Statement, etc.
6. Year-End - Close the fiscal year, which zeros revenue/expense accounts into Retained Earnings

Managing Clients

Clients are the companies or individuals you bill for services.

Adding a New Client

1. Go to Clients page
2. Click + New Client
3. Fill in company name, contact details, and email
4. Set billing cycle (Monthly, Quarterly, Annual, One-Time)
5. Enable Auto-Billing if you want automatic invoice generation

Client Statuses

• Active - Normal billing
• Inactive - No longer a customer
• Suspended - Services suspended (usually due to non-payment)

Auto-Billing

The auto-billing feature allows you to automatically generate and send invoices to clients on a schedule. This is useful for recurring monthly services.

Setting Up Auto-Billing

1. Edit a client and enable Auto-Billing
2. Configure the billing schedule (see options below)
3. Set the default billing amount and description
4. Optionally add additional CC recipients

Billing Schedule Options

Example Configurations

Email Recipients

• Primary Email: Client's contact email (required)
• CC Emails: Up to 3 CC recipients (CC Email, CC Email #2, CC Email #3)
• BCC: All invoices are automatically BCC'd to admin@helixss.ca
• From: Invoices are sent from billing@helixss.ca

Manual Billing

You can trigger billing for a client at any time by clicking the Bill Now button when editing a client with auto-billing enabled.

Billing Templates

For clients with multiple line items, you can set up billing templates:

• Each template has a description, quantity, and unit price
• Templates are used instead of the default billing amount when available
• Multiple templates create multiple line items on the invoice

Billing Log

The system keeps a log of all auto-billing activity including:

• Successful invoice generation
• Failed billing attempts
• Skipped billing (e.g., no amount configured)

Collection Notices

The system automatically sends reminder emails for overdue invoices. Collection settings are configured per client.

How It Works

Every day at 10 AM, the system checks all overdue invoices and sends notices based on each client's settings:

1. First Notice: Sent X days after due date (default: 7 days)
2. Suspension Notice: Sent X days after due date (default: 14 days) - warns of service termination
3. Final Notice: If auto-suspend is enabled, client is suspended after X days (default: 30 days)

Setting Up Collection Policies

1. Edit a client
2. Scroll to Collection Settings
3. Configure:
   • First Notice Days: Days after due date to send reminder (e.g., 1 for strict, 7 for lenient)
   • Suspension Notice Days: Days after due date to warn of suspension
   • Auto-Suspend: Enable to automatically suspend service
   • Suspension Days: Days after due date to auto-suspend

Example: Strict Collection Policy

Admin Notifications

All collection notices are automatically BCC'd to admin@helixss.ca so you're always aware of overdue accounts.

Creating & Sending Invoices

Creating an Invoice

1. Go to Invoices page
2. Click + New Invoice
3. Select the client and bank account for payment
4. Set invoice date and due date
5. Add line items with descriptions, quantities, and prices
6. HST (13%) is calculated automatically
7. Click Save Invoice

Invoice Workflow

• Draft: Invoice is saved but not sent. You can still edit it.
• Sent: Invoice has been emailed to the client. A PDF is attached.
• Overdue: Invoice is past due date and unpaid.
• Paid: Payment has been received and recorded.

Sending an Invoice

Click the Send button on a Draft invoice. The system will:

• Generate a professional PDF
• Email it to the client's contact email (and CC email if set)
• Include payment instructions with your bank details

Receipt Management

Receipts track invoices/bills you receive from vendors - money you owe (Accounts Payable).

Adding Receipts

There are three ways to add receipts:

1. Upload (Drag & Drop)

1. Go to Receipts page
2. Drag an image (JPG, PNG) or PDF onto the upload zone
3. AI will automatically extract: vendor name, amount, date, line items
4. Review and correct any missing information
5. Click Approve & Save

2. Email (Drag from Outlook)

1. Drag an email (.eml file) from Outlook onto the upload zone
2. AI analyzes the email and attachments for invoice data
3. Review and approve

3. Automatic Email Polling

The system automatically checks accounting@helixss.ca every 5 minutes:

• New emails are analyzed by AI
• Invoices are extracted and added to pending review
• Non-invoice emails are deleted automatically
• Attachments (PDFs, images) are also processed

Receipt Workflow

AI Confidence Score

Each receipt shows a confidence score indicating how certain the AI is about the extracted data:

• 80-100%: High confidence - likely accurate
• 50-79%: Medium confidence - review recommended
• 0-49%: Low confidence - manual entry needed

Marking Receipts as Paid

1. Go to Receipts → Unpaid tab
2. Click Pay on a receipt
3. Select payment date and method
4. Choose the bank account or credit card used
5. The system automatically:
   • Creates a transaction in the selected account
   • Updates the account balance
   • Creates an expense record

Recurring Expense Matching

When you upload or receive a receipt, the system automatically checks if it matches a recurring expense:

• Matches by vendor name (partial match) and amount (within 5%)
• If matched, shows "Linked to Recurring Expense" in the review modal
• Payment method is pre-filled from the recurring expense settings
• This makes paying subscription receipts faster and more consistent

AI Payment Suggestions

When paying a receipt, you can click Get AI Suggestion to get a recommendation on which account to pay from based on:

• Current bank account balances
• Upcoming recurring expenses
• Credit card due dates and available credit
• Expected income from unpaid invoices

Recurring Expenses

Recurring expenses are scheduled templates for expenses that repeat on a regular basis (subscriptions, rent, utilities, etc.).

Recurring vs. Expenses

Adding a Recurring Expense

1. Go to Recurring page
2. Click + Add Recurring
3. Fill in:
   • Vendor Name: Who you pay (e.g., "Microsoft 365")
   • Amount: How much
   • Frequency: Weekly, Bi-weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, or Annually
   • Next Due Date: When the next payment is due
   • Payment Method: Bank account or credit card
   • Category: For budget tracking

How Auto-Generation Works

Every day at 6 AM, the system:

1. Checks all active recurring expenses
2. For any where Next Date has arrived, creates an Expense record
3. Updates Next Date to the next occurrence

Upcoming Expenses View

The bottom section shows all expected expenses for the next 90 days, helping you plan cash flow.

Receipt Matching

When you receive a receipt (via email or upload) that matches a recurring expense:

• The receipt is automatically linked to the recurring expense
• Payment settings are pre-filled
• Category is inherited from the recurring expense

Recording Payments

When a Client Pays an Invoice

1. Go to Invoices
2. Find the invoice and click Mark Paid
3. Enter the payment date and method (e-Transfer, cheque, etc.)
4. The invoice status changes to Paid

When You Pay a Bill (Receipt)

1. Go to Receipts → Unpaid
2. Click Pay and select your payment method
3. Choose the bank account or credit card
4. Transaction is automatically recorded

Bank Accounts

Track your bank account balances and transactions.

Adding a Bank Account

1. Go to Bank Accounts
2. Click + New Account
3. Enter account name, bank name, account numbers
4. Add Interac e-Transfer email for invoice payment instructions

Balance Tracking

Balances are calculated from all recorded transactions:

• Credits: Deposits, incoming payments
• Debits: Withdrawals, payments made

Bank Reconciliation

Bank reconciliation helps you verify that your system records match your actual bank statements.

Accessing Reconciliation

1. Go to Reconciliation in the Finance menu
2. Select the bank account to reconcile
3. Optionally filter by date range

Setting Opening Balance

Before reconciling for the first time, set your opening balance:

1. Click Set Opening Balance
2. Enter the balance from your bank statement as of a specific date
3. This creates a starting point for reconciliation

Reconciling Transactions

1. Compare each transaction in the system to your bank statement
2. Check the box next to transactions that appear on your statement
3. The Running Balance column shows the cumulative balance
4. Use Mark Selected as Reconciled for bulk reconciliation

Adding Bank Fees & Adjustments

Bank statements often include transactions not in your system:

1. Click Add Fee/Adjustment
2. Select the transaction type (fee, interest, transfer, adjustment)
3. Enter the amount, date, and description
4. These appear as manual transactions for reconciliation

Balance Summary

The reconciliation page shows:

• Opening Balance: Your starting point
• Total Credits: All incoming funds
• Total Debits: All outgoing funds
• Calculated Balance: Should match your bank statement

Credit Cards

Track credit card charges and payments.

Adding a Credit Card

1. Go to Credit Cards
2. Click + New Card
3. Enter card name, type, last 4 digits, and credit limit

How Balances Work

• Charges: Increase balance (when you pay for receipts with credit card)
• Payments: Decrease balance (when you pay the credit card bill)

Making a Credit Card Payment

1. Click Make Payment on the card
2. Enter payment amount
3. Select which bank account the payment comes from
4. Both the credit card and bank account balances update automatically

Expenses

Track business expenses for reporting and HST claims.

• Expenses are automatically created when you mark receipts as paid
• You can also manually add expenses
• Categorize expenses for better reporting
• Mark whether HST is included for ITC claims

Expenses vs. Recurring Expenses

Understanding the difference:

• Expenses: Actual expense records - one entry per payment. Used for reporting, HST claims, and historical tracking.
• Recurring Expenses: Templates that automatically generate new expense records when they come due. Used for forecasting and automation.

Budget Management

Set spending limits by category and track your actual spending against budgets.

Creating a Budget

1. Go to Budgets in the Finance menu
2. Click + New Budget
3. Select a category (e.g., Utilities, Advertising, Software)
4. Choose budget type: Expense (for costs) or Revenue (for income goals)
5. Select period: Monthly, Quarterly, or Annual
6. Enter the budget amount

Understanding the Budget Dashboard

Use the period selector to view budgets for different time frames:

• Budget: Your target amount for the period
• Actual: How much you've actually spent/earned
• Remaining: How much is left in the budget
• % Used: Visual progress bar showing budget utilization

Budget Status Colors

• Green: Under budget (less than 75% used)
• Orange: Approaching limit (75-100% used)
• Red: Over budget (exceeds 100%)

Cash Flow Forecasting

The cash flow widget on your dashboard provides a forward-looking view of your finances.

Dashboard Cash Flow Widget

The dashboard shows a 30-day summary:

• Current Balance: Total across all bank accounts
• Expected Income: Unpaid invoices that may be collected
• Expected Expenses: Upcoming recurring expenses + credit card minimums
• Projected Balance: Estimated balance in 30 days

What's Included in Forecasts

The system considers:

• Recurring Expenses: All active recurring expenses scheduled within the forecast period
• Credit Card Payments: Minimum payments due based on current balances
• Outstanding Invoices: Unpaid invoices that are expected to be paid

AI Payment Suggestions

When paying receipts, you can get AI-powered recommendations:

1. In the Pay Receipt modal, click Get AI Suggestion
2. The AI analyzes your current balances and upcoming expenses
3. It recommends which account to pay from and explains why
4. Click Use This Account to apply the suggestion

HST Filing

The HST page shows your tax obligations:

• HST Collected: Tax collected on invoices you sent
• HST Paid (ITCs): Tax paid on expenses/receipts
• Net HST: Amount you owe (or are owed) to CRA

Accounts Payable (Bills)

The AP module tracks money you owe to vendors. Instead of just logging expenses after the fact, you can enter bills when you receive them and track payment status.

Creating a Bill

1. Go to Bills (AP) page
2. Click + New Bill
3. Enter vendor name, bill number, dates, and amounts
4. Optionally assign an expense account from the Chart of Accounts
5. If an expense account is assigned, a journal entry is automatically created

Paying a Bill

1. Click the Pay button on any unpaid bill
2. Enter payment amount, date, and method
3. Select the bank account the payment comes from
4. Partial payments are supported - the bill will show as "Partial" until fully paid

AP Aging

The dashboard shows AP aging in buckets: Current, 1-30 days, 31-60 days, 61-90 days, and 90+ days. This helps you prioritize which bills to pay first.

Chart of Accounts

The Chart of Accounts is the foundation of the accounting system. It's a complete list of every account used to record transactions.

Account Types

Pre-Configured Accounts

The system comes with 67 accounts pre-configured for a Canadian software company. System accounts (marked with a lock icon) cannot be deleted as they are used by automated processes.

Adding a Custom Account

1. Go to Chart of Accounts
2. Click + New Account
3. Choose an account number following the numbering convention (e.g., 6250 for a new expense)
4. Select the account type - the normal balance is set automatically
5. Optionally assign a parent account for grouping

Journal Entries

Journal entries are the core of double-entry accounting. Every financial transaction is recorded as a journal entry with balanced debits and credits.

Creating a Journal Entry

1. Go to Journal Entries
2. Click + New Entry
3. Set the date and description
4. Add lines: select an account and enter either a debit or credit amount
5. The totals must balance (Total Debits = Total Credits) before saving
6. The entry is saved as Draft

Posting an Entry

Draft entries don't affect the General Ledger until posted. Click Post to finalize:

• Posted entries appear in the General Ledger and financial statements
• Posted entries cannot be edited - you must reverse them instead

Reversing an Entry

If you made an error, click Reverse on a posted entry. This creates a new entry with all debits and credits swapped, effectively undoing the original.

Entry Numbers

Entry numbers are auto-generated as JE-YYYYMMDD-NNN (e.g., JE-20260315-001). They are sequential per day.

General Ledger

The General Ledger shows all posted transactions for a specific account, with a running balance.

Viewing the Ledger

1. Go to General Ledger
2. Select an account from the dropdown
3. Optionally filter by date range
4. The ledger shows every debit and credit with a running balance

Reading the Ledger

For debit-normal accounts (Assets, Expenses): debits increase the balance, credits decrease it.

For credit-normal accounts (Liabilities, Equity, Revenue): credits increase the balance, debits decrease it.

Trial Balance

The Trial Balance is a summary of all account balances at a point in time. It verifies that your books are balanced (total debits = total credits).

Generating a Trial Balance

1. Go to Trial Balance
2. Select an "As of" date (defaults to today)
3. Click Generate

The trial balance groups accounts by type and shows the debit or credit balance for each. At the bottom, the totals should match. If they don't, the system shows an "UNBALANCED" warning.

Fixed Assets & Depreciation

Track capital assets (computers, furniture, vehicles, software) and calculate depreciation automatically.

Adding an Asset

1. Go to Fixed Assets
2. Click + New Asset
3. Enter asset details: name, cost, purchase date, useful life
4. Choose a depreciation method:
   • Straight-Line - Equal amount each month over the useful life
   • Declining-Balance - Percentage of remaining book value each period
   • CCA (Capital Cost Allowance) - Canadian tax depreciation with half-year rule in first year
5. Assign GL accounts for the asset, depreciation expense, and accumulated depreciation

Canadian CCA Classes

Running Depreciation

Click Run Depreciation to process a month's depreciation for all active assets. This creates journal entries (Debit Depreciation Expense, Credit Accumulated Depreciation) and updates each asset's net book value.

Disposing an Asset

When you sell or dispose of an asset, click the Dispose button. Enter the disposal date and proceeds. The system calculates the gain or loss and creates the appropriate journal entry.

Fiscal Years

A fiscal year defines the 12-month period for your financial reporting and tax filing.

Managing Fiscal Years

• Open - Active year, journal entries can be posted
• Closed - Year-end closing has been run, no more entries allowed

Year-End Closing

At the end of your fiscal year (typically December 31 for calendar-year businesses):

1. Ensure all transactions for the year are entered and posted
2. Run depreciation for any remaining months
3. Review the Income Statement and Balance Sheet for accuracy
4. Go to Fiscal Years and click Close Year
5. The system automatically:
   • Calculates net income (revenue minus expenses)
   • Creates a closing journal entry that zeros all revenue and expense accounts
   • Transfers net income to Retained Earnings (account 3100)
   • Locks the fiscal year to prevent further changes

Financial Statements

Generate professional financial statements ready for banks, investors, or your accountant. All statements can be printed or saved as PDF.

Balance Sheet

Shows your financial position at a specific date: what you own (Assets), what you owe (Liabilities), and your net worth (Equity). The fundamental equation: Assets = Liabilities + Equity.

• Current Assets: Cash, AR, prepaid expenses (accounts 1000-1299)
• Fixed Assets: Equipment, furniture, software minus accumulated depreciation (accounts 1300-1499)
• Current Liabilities: AP, HST payable, short-term debt (accounts 2000-2499)
• Long-Term Liabilities: Loans, lines of credit (accounts 2500-2799)
• Equity: Share capital, retained earnings (accounts 3000-3999)

Income Statement (Profit & Loss)

Shows profitability over a period of time. Also called the Statement of Earnings.

• Revenue (all 4xxx accounts)
• Minus Cost of Goods Sold (5xxx accounts) = Gross Profit
• Minus Operating Expenses (6xxx accounts) = Operating Income
• Plus/Minus Other Income/Expenses (4500+/7xxx) = Income Before Tax
• Minus Income Tax (7600) = Net Income

Includes a bar chart comparing revenue vs expenses.

Statement of Retained Earnings

Shows changes in retained earnings over a period:

• Beginning Retained Earnings
• Plus Net Income from the period
• Minus Dividends/Owner's Draws
• Equals Ending Retained Earnings

Statement of Cash Flows

Shows how cash moved during a period, using the indirect method:

• Operating Activities: Net income adjusted for non-cash items (depreciation) and changes in working capital (AR, AP)
• Investing Activities: Purchase/sale of fixed assets
• Financing Activities: Loans, equity changes, dividends

How to Generate

1. Go to Financial Statements
2. Select the statement type
3. Set the date range (Balance Sheet only needs "As Of" date)
4. Click Generate
5. Click Print / PDF to save or print

Financial Ratios

Key financial ratios help you understand the health of your business and are often requested by banks and investors.

Liquidity Ratios

Profitability Ratios

Leverage Ratios

Ratios are color-coded: Green = Healthy, Yellow = Caution, Red = Concerning. A radar chart visualizes all ratios at a glance.

Tax Centre (CRA)

The Tax Centre generates Canadian tax preparation reports. These provide the numbers you need to enter into your tax software or give to your accountant.

GST/HST Return

Generates data matching the CRA GST/HST return form:

• Line 101: Total revenue for the period
• Line 105: HST collected on sales (from account 2100)
• Line 108: Input Tax Credits - HST paid on purchases (from account 1150)
• Line 112: Net Tax (Line 105 - Line 108)
• Line 113: Amount owing or refund

T2 Corporate Tax Schedules

Generates helper data organized by T2 schedule number:

• Schedule 1: Net Income Reconciliation - starts with book income, adds back non-deductible amounts (50% of meals & entertainment, accounting depreciation), deducts CCA claimed
• Schedule 8: CCA (Capital Cost Allowance) schedule by class
• Schedule 100: Balance Sheet data
• Schedule 125: Income Statement data
• Schedule 141: General financial information

Tax Estimates

The system estimates your corporate taxes using current rates:

CCA Schedule

Shows capital cost allowance by class including opening UCC, additions, disposals, half-year rule adjustments, CCA claimed, and closing UCC. This data feeds directly into T2 Schedule 8.

Reports

Accounts Receivable Report

Shows all unpaid invoices and how many days overdue they are.

Monthly Revenue Report

Shows revenue by month including:

• Total revenue
• HST collected
• Number of invoices

Need Help?

Contact your system administrator or email admin@helixss.ca for support.