Bank rules and automations

The phone subscription, the rent and the account fees come back on the statement every month. A rule recognises them and books them for you. At every import, To Bill also does by itself whatever is certain: exact QR payments, bank charges, returned payments. Everything it does by itself is logged and can be undone in one click.

Before you start

You need the right to manage the accounting to create a rule or change a setting. Rules apply to the lines of imported statements. See Import a bank statement.

Rules

In Accounting › Bank, open the Rules tab.

Each rule shows what it recognises, the account it books to, how many times it has been applied, its status (Active or Paused) and its mode: Automatic or Proposes only.

Create a rule

1. Click New rule (1).

2. Under When a statement line…, choose the direction: Money out, Money in or Both.

3. Enter what recognises the line, at least one of these criteria:

   • Counterparty name contains, for example “Swisscom”. To Bill ignores accents, capitals and legal forms such as “SA”, “AG”, “Sàrl” or “GmbH”.
   • Counterparty IBAN: the surest, since an IBAN belongs to one counterparty only.
   • Text contains, for example “Rent”.
   • Reference contains. If needed, add Amount from and Amount up to, and On the account if you have several bank accounts.

   

4. Under Then…, choose what the rule does:

   • Book to an account: choose the Account, the VAT included if the expense contains VAT, and the Entry text.
   • Link the document named: the rule links the line to the invoice or expense whose number appears in the text or the reference, if the amount matches.

5. Under Options, keep Automatic switched on so that the rule books without asking, or switch it off so that it only proposes. Give it a Name, for example “Phone subscription”.

6. Click Create the rule.

The rule will apply to the next statements. To apply it to lines already imported, open it, then click Apply to open lines.

A rule that is too broad

A rule on the amount alone would book any line: To Bill requires at least a counterparty, an IBAN, a text or a reference. Prefer the IBAN when you know it.

Automatic or proposal

An Automatic rule books a line only if it recognises it with certainty and no invoice or expense is already proposed for that line: an expense recorded with its receipt takes precedence over the rule, so that the cost is not counted twice. Otherwise, the rule only proposes, and you confirm in the statement with OK.

When two rules recognise the same line, the lowest Priority goes first. This setting only appears in Expert mode.

Rules To Bill suggests

When you book a transaction from the same counterparty the same way twice, To Bill suggests turning it into a rule: Create the rule? appears above the statement and in the Rules tab.

• Accept creates the rule and immediately books the matching open lines.
• Edit opens the rule so you can adjust it before accepting it.
• Ignore: it will no longer be suggested for this counterparty and this account.
• Later (stays under Rules): the suggestion waits in the Rules tab.

Edit, pause or delete a rule

Click the rule. Change what needs changing, then click Save. Switch off Rule active to pause it: it no longer proposes or books anything. Delete removes it; what it has already booked stays booked, and can be undone from the Automatic tab.

What To Bill does by itself at import

Open the Automatic tab.

Four switches, all on to begin with:

Switch	What To Bill does
Book safe QR payments	A valid QR reference, a single open invoice, the exact amount to the centime: the payment is recorded at import.
Apply the automatic rules	The rules marked Automatic book the lines they recognise with certainty.
Book bank charges	The charges the bank separates from a transaction go to 6900 Financial expenses, without VAT.
Handle returned payments	When the bank returns an invoice payment, the payment is cancelled on the date of the return and the invoice is open again.

Switch one off to decide for yourself each time: the lines concerned then stay to do, with their suggestion, in To do or Safe matches.

The automatic history

Below the switches, the Automatic history lists everything To Bill has done by itself, line by line: Booked, Proposed or Left, with the reason and the degree of certainty. Filter with All, Booked, Proposed and Left.

To go back on an action, click Undo: the line is back to do and its entries are reversed in the journal. The same history appears in the panel of each line, under Done automatically.

Why a line was left

The history says why To Bill did not book a line: Two rules recognise the line, An invoice or expense is already proposed, The rule only proposes, Match not sure enough, The amount does not settle the invoice exactly… Handle it in the statement. See Reconcile payments.

Legal basis

• An entry is never erased: undoing an action books a reversal entry, and the original stays visible in the journal: Art. 3 GeBüV, the Ordinance on the Keeping and Retention of Accounting Records (German version: fedlex has no English one).
• Payment and transfer charges are excluded from VAT: they give no right to deduct input tax: Art. 21 para. 2 no. 19 let. c VAT Act.