Accounting and the payroll journal

Sahora turns each approved payroll into a journal entry for your books. This guide shows how to map the entry to your chart of accounts and where to download it, including the files for QuickBooks Online and Xero.

Before you start

• Owner / Management users and payroll officers can set the accounts. The two export options are changed only by an Owner / Management user.
• Finance and the payroll side can download journal entries.

Map the postings to your accounts

1. Open Company setup and choose Accounting.
2. For each Posting (for example Salaries and Wages (Dr) or SSS Contributions Payable (Cr)), type the Account code and the Account name from your chart of accounts.
3. Click Save accounts. You see "Accounts saved."

Postings you give the same account are combined into one line in the entry.

Export options

On the same card, an Owner / Management user can set:

• Journal reference prefix: the start of each entry's reference (QuickBooks JournalNo, Xero Narration), followed by the pay date. Up to 10 letters, digits, - or _.
• Xero tax rate name on journal lines: it must exist in your Xero account.

Download one payroll's entry

1. Open Payroll, choose the pay period and open the approved payroll.
2. Under the register, find Journal entry: and click Excel or CSV.
3. Paid plans Click QuickBooks Online or Xero for a file ready to import into that software.
4. Paid plans Under By cost center, download the entry with expenses split by cost center and payables as one line.

Download several payrolls as one entry

1. Open Reports and choose Journal entry.
2. Choose the dates. The approved payrolls paid within them are combined into one entry dated the last day.
3. Paid plans To split expenses, choose cost center, department or branch.
4. Download the file you need.

Downloading from the report also marks each payroll in it as exported.

What can go wrong

• "The journal entry doesn't balance (...), so it can't be exported." Sahora won't make a file when debits and credits differ. Check the payroll's lines and your account mapping in Company setup → Accounting, or contact Sahora support.
• "Account codes are up to 30 characters, names up to 120." Shorten the code or name.
• "Accounts saved, but only the company owner can change the export options." The accounts were saved; ask your Owner / Management user to change the prefix or Xero tax rate.
• On the Free Plan, the QuickBooks Online and Xero links are replaced by an upgrade notice. See Pricing.

Good to know

• Held salaries are credited to their own posting, Held Salaries Payable (final pay), until they are released (see Holding a salary).
• For payout itself, see Payout and the journal entry.