Scribe Accounts is accessed through a web browser. There are many types of web browsers, but Scribe Accounts works best with Google Chrome. To install Google Chrome, please click on this link.

 

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Setup your Council Profile (Account/Council Profile)

For more details on Council profile go to ▶️ Council Profile

 

• Navigate to menu Setup → Cost Centres. Click on the '+' icon to add a new Cost Centre.
• Type in the name (can be alphanumeric) and 'Add'/'Add & Repeat' as required
• Navigate to menu Setup → Cost Code. Click on '+' icon to add a new Cost Code.
• Enter the Cost Code name and select a Cost Centre that you have just set up from the drop-down menu to allocate it to.
• If you want to you can allocate each Cost Code an Opening Balance (a specific amount carried over from the previous year as opposed to the current year budget).  
• Then allocate the Cost Code a Type. This is required for the Annual Return so that the correct values are shown in the correct boxes. E.g. Cost Code for Precept would need to be allocated 'Precept', Cost Code for Loan Repayments would need to be allocated 'Capital Repayment' and Cost Codes for Staff Cost (Salaries, Pensions, PAYE/NI) would need to be allocated to 'Staff'. Any codes that would be included in Other Payments or Other Receipts can be left as 'Default'.
• If you want to enter the budget as you set up you can, or you can come back to this at another time. The Receipt Budget is for money to be received against the code and the Payment Budget is for money to be spent against the code. A Cost Code can have both a Receipt Budget and a Payment Budget if required, just enter the amount as the budget total. There is also the option to flex the budget by clicking on 'Flexed Budget' which will then allow you to split out the annual budget you have entered above.
• Click Add/Add & Repeat once finished and then repeat for all the other Cost Codes.

Once you have set up all your Cost Centres and Codes it is important that you check the structure as it is much easier to correct before you start entering data. To do this:

• Navigate to menu Summary Reports → Summary Report
• This will show you a breakdown of all the cost centres you have set up with the cost codes beneath them.  If you have entered budget figures it will also show these and give you a total at the end of the report so you can check your total budget is correct.

Additional details ▶️ Cost Centres and ▶️ Cost Codes

 

Setup Bank Accounts and Bank Balances

This needs to be done before you can complete a bank reconciliation.

• Navigate to menu Setup → Bank Balances 
• An account for Petty Cash will already be set up.  If you have petty cash enter your opening balance as at 1st April. If you don’t have petty cash leave blank.
• An account for VAT will also already be set up.  Although it is under Bank Balances it should not be viewed as an amount in a bank - just what the VAT position is as at 1st April.  If you are owed VAT (i.e. you have submitted a claim for a refund of VAT) then you need to enter the figure as a negative amount (enter the amount with a minus in front).
• Then you can set up your bank accounts - click on 'Add Bank' and type in the name and add the opening balance - this will be the final cashbook balance at the end of the previous year (taking into account any unpresented items). Save and repeat as required. The total of the opening balances should equal your total cash position as at the 1st April (and Box 8 of your previous year's Annual Return).

Please see Bank Balance for 1st Year on Scribe for further advice on how to deal with unpresented cheques in the first year of using Scribe.  Additional details ▶️ Bank Balances

 

Restate Last Year

The total of your bank accounts also needs to be entered under Restate Last Year.  

• Navigate to menu Setup → Restate Last Year
• Select Cash at Bank and enter the total of the opening balances of your bank accounts.  This should be equal to your Box 8 figure (but with pence) from your previous year's Annual Return.
• The Annual Return tab allows you to enter the figures from your previous year's Annual Return in order to view it in the prior year column when running the Annual Return in Scribe. Boxes 1-6 and 9-10 can be filled in directly from your figures.

For more information, see ▶️ Restate Last Year

 

Setting up Suppliers and Customers

This is where details of both your suppliers and customers are held.  Set up your regular suppliers and customers here before you start entering transactions.  You can continue to add suppliers and customers throughout the year as required.

• Navigate to menu CRM → Suppliers or Customers
• Click on 'Add Supplier' and enter the details (not all fields have to be completed) and click add.  Repeat as required.
• It is worth noting that for suppliers who charge VAT you must enter their VAT Registration Number so that the VAT report shows this (a requirement for Form 126).

Setting up VAT

Should just be a quick check to confirm all VAT codes that you require are set up.  

• Navigate to menu Setup → VAT
• Check each rate set up to view as required.
• Rate R: Refund (100%) exists for entering the VAT refund.

You are now ready to start entering data (for help on this see Transactions).  In order to build up the year's accounts this must be from the 1st April, regardless of when you started using Scribe.