When you first set up the accounting automation, you’ll need to map Plane’s accounting categories to your chart of accounts. Once you’ve set this up, you can use this same mapping system for future month-end closes. This article covers everything you need to know to configure Plane’s accounting automation.

See Accounting automation overview first to get a comprehensive overview of the feature.

This automation integrates with QuickBooks Online and will support more accounting systems in the future. First, you’ll connect QuickBooks Online by going to Company > Apps and clicking “Connect.”

This integration requires the following QBO permissions:

Follow the screen prompts and accept the required permissions.

Once your accounting system is connected, you can map Plane’s accounting categories to your chart of accounts. Go to Accounting > Settings > Mappings.

Visit each tab (i.e., Company, Employee, Contractor, Vendor) to assign accounting categories to your chart of accounts. Only relevant categories can be mapped; for example, you’ll only see categories relevant to US employees if you have them.

Select the account from your chart of accounts for each accounting category to complete the default mapping. Default mappings are used when no rules are defined or relevant to an accounting category. We'll cover mapping rules in the next section.

To quickly assign the same account to multiple accounting categories, select multiple categories and then click “Edit selected.”

You can define department-specific mappings for all contractor, employee, and vendor accounting categories. For example, you may want to map regular earnings for the Sales team to a specific account. To add a rule, click the fork icon. Then, select a department and the appropriate account.

Repeat for as many departments as necessary. Default mapping will be used when a rule isn't relevant or when the employee or contractor hasn't been assigned to a department. Rules can also be mapped using the bulk edit feature.

To enable more flexible reporting in your accounting system, you can organize journal entries by department-based reporting categories. The example below shows how a payroll journal entry references the Sales and Engineering departments.

Go to Accounting > Settings > Other to enable reporting categories. Then, assign a reporting category from your accounting system to every Plane department. Every department should be mapped. Refer to the progress indicator on the top right of the page to see if you’ve completed all the mappings.

Accounting items are automatically prepared when transactions are processed in Plane using your account mappings and reporting categories.

When an account mapping cannot be found, the accounting item can be prepared in one of the following ways:

When a reporting category cannot be found, you must add the missing mapping by returning to the settings. If the employee or contractor was missing a department, update the person's profile with the missing department and revisit the accounting item.

As your business requirements change, you may need to update these settings. Missing mappings will be easily identified in the To prepare tab of accounting items.

If you need help, please contact us at support@plane.com.