Setting up the VAT Report
You can define the VAT Report to determine which Accounts should be included.
To change the report definition of the VAT Report, first select 'Settings' from the File menu and double-click 'Report Settings' in the subsequent list. Then highlight 'VAT Report' in the list on the left-hand side of the 'Report Settings' window and click the [Definition] button. The 'Definition of VAT Report: Browse' window is opened.
The definition above is a standard UK VAT report, using the Chart of Accounts and definitions supplied with FirstOffice. It can be altered to suit your specific requirements: you will need to change it if you have modified the standard Chart of Accounts or imported your own.
Each row in the definitions list represents a line on the VAT Report. Rows can be added, inserted or deleted as necessary. To insert a row, highlight the row above which the new one is to be inserted (by clicking the row number) and press the Return key. To delete a row, highlight it and press the Backspace key.
If you are an existing user of FirstOffice updating to version 4.1 or later, note that the syntax used in the formulae changed in this version. All parameters should now be enclosed in quotation marks. The order of parameters for the VATRESULT, VATBALANCE, VATCREDRESULT and VATDEBRESULT commands has been transposed.
- Row
- Each line of the report is defined on its own numbered row.
- Code
- A code identifying a row that may be used in the definitions of other rows.
- Comment
- A descriptive text that identifies the line in the finished report.
- Definition
- The definition of the row in the report, i.e. which Accounts should be used in calculating the figure to be shown, and the formula of that calculation.
Several commands are available for use by formulae in the Definition field. They are not case sensitive.
- RESULT("Account Code")
- This command returns the net change during the period for the Account specified in the brackets. Some examples of the use of this command are as follows:
- RESULT("100")
- Returns the net change in Account 100 for the specified period.
- RESULT("100:1999")
- Returns the sum of the net changes in Accounts 100 to 1999 for the specified period. The Accounts used are determined using an alpha sort, rather than a numeric one. Thus Account 1000001 will be included in the example range, while Account 200 will not.
- -RESULT("100:1999")
- As the previous example, but the sign of the final figure is changed. This is useful when displaying figures for sales, which are stored as negative figures in FirstOffice. Prefixing the RESULT command with a minus sign will cause sales to be displayed as positive figures.
- RESULT("100+120:1999")
- Takes the net change in Account 100 and adds it to the sum of the net changes in Accounts 120 to 1999.
- CREDRESULT("Account Code")
- This command returns the total credit posting during the report period to the Account specified.
- DEBRESULT("Account Code")
- This command returns the total debit posting during the report period to the Account specified.
- BALANCE("Account Code")
- This command returns the closing balance for the Account specified. It therefore differs from the RESULT command in that balances brought forward from previous periods are taken into account.
- The command can return the sum of the balances of specified Accounts in the same manner as the RESULT command: please refer to the description of the RESULT command above for examples.
- CREDBALANCE("Account Code")
- This command returns the closing credit balance for the Account specified. It therefore differs from the CREDRESULT command in that balances brought forward from previous periods are taken into account.
- DEBBALANCE("Account Code")
- This command returns the closing debit balance for the Account specified. It therefore differs from the DEBRESULT command in that balances brought forward from previous periods are taken into account.
- KEY("Code")
- The value of another VAT Report row can be included in the calculation. The VAT Report row referred to must already have been defined. If not, a zero value is used. Therefore, in the example illustration, the SALT line must appear below the SAL0, SAL1 etc. lines.
- Note that although the KEY command itself is not case sensitive, the reference to another VAT Report row is. Thus, in the example illustration, key("SAL0") and KEY("SAL0") are relevant, but key("sal0") is not.
- VATRESULT("Account Code","VAT Code")
- This command is similar to RESULT, but in calculating the net change during the period for the Account specified, only Transactions with the specified VAT Code are taken in account.
- The reference to the VAT Code is not case sensitive.
- The command can return the sum of the balances of specified Accounts in the same manner as the RESULT command: please refer to the description of the RESULT command above for examples.
- VATBALANCE("Account Code","VAT Code")
- This command returns the closing balance for the Account specified, with only Transactions with the specified VAT Code taken into account. It therefore differs from the VATRESULT command in that balances brought forward from previous periods are taken into account.
- VATCREDRESULT("Account Code","VAT Code")
- This command returns the total credit posting to the Account specified during the period, taking only transactions with the specified VAT Code into account.
- VATDEBRESULT("Account Code","VAT Code")
- This command returns the total debit posting to the Account specified during the period, taking only transactions with the specified VAT Code into account.
The illustration of the VAT Report definition shows examples of the various commands. There are a few things to remember.
As the calculation uses FirstOffice's internal values, balances on e.g. sales Accounts will be shown as negatives, since they normally are in credit. You solve this simply by reversing the sign for all such calculations: an example of this is in the first row in the illustration. The examples also show how to group different Accounts.
The value of a well-structured Chart of Accounts can easily be seen here. If all income related Accounts are found in a consecutive series, totalling them becomes simple.
When you have finished defining the VAT Report, click [Save].
