General Ledger (GL) Report
The GL report is for accounting-minded users (and your accountant). It shows every transaction grouped by account — revenue, expense categories, taxes, fees, equity. Maps directly to what you'd see in QuickBooks or any standard accounting tool.
What it shows
For a date range, every account with:
- Opening balance
- Debits and credits in the period (each as a separate line)
- Net change
- Closing balance
Plus subtotals by account type (revenue, expense, asset, liability).
Standard chart of accounts
HandyBook uses a standard service-business chart of accounts:
Revenue
- Service Revenue
- Product Revenue
- Other Income (tips, late fees)
Cost of Goods Sold
- Materials & Parts
- Sub-contractor Labor
- Direct Labor
Operating Expenses
- Vehicle / Fuel
- Tools & Equipment
- Insurance
- Software / Subscriptions
- Office / Overhead
- Marketing
- Bank/Stripe Fees
Liabilities
- Sales Tax Payable
- Customer Deposits Held
Equity
- Owner's Draws
- Retained Earnings
You can customize accounts to match your accountant's preferences in Settings → Chart of Accounts.
Per-transaction view
Click any account to see every transaction posting:
- Date
- Description (e.g. "Invoice INV-1234, Customer Smith")
- Debit / credit amount
- Source (which job, which customer, which user entered it)
Useful for audit trail and reconciliation.
Export to QuickBooks / Xero
If you're not using the live QB sync, you can export:
- General Journal CSV — formatted for QuickBooks import
- IIF format for older QB Desktop
- Xero CSV for Xero users
Most accountants prefer the live QB sync (no manual import), but export is there if needed.
Period close
Once you've reviewed and trust a period (typically end of month):
- Reports → GL → Close Period
- Locks transactions in that period from being edited
- Forces any corrections to be made via journal entries (proper accounting)
- Can be unlocked by an Owner-level user with audit logging
Trial balance
Companion report: Reports → Trial Balance — list of every account with its current balance, summing to zero (debits = credits). Used to verify books balance before closing.
Year-end view
For tax filing or year-end review:
- Reports → Year End — full P&L and balance sheet for the calendar year
- Plus 1099 vendor summary
- Plus depreciation schedule (if you've set up assets)
Hand to your accountant, ready to use.
Bank reconciliation
If you've connected your bank account:
- Reports → Bank Reconciliation
- Match HandyBook payouts to bank deposits
- Match expenses to bank charges
- Identify gaps (uncategorized transactions)
Helps catch missed expenses or duplicate entries.
FAQ
Do I need to understand accounting to use HandyBook? No — most users never look at the GL. You can run the whole business off the simpler reports. The GL is here for users (or accountants) who want it.
Can my accountant get direct access? Yes — invite them as an Accountant role with read-only access to financial reports. They never see customer-facing things, just the books.
What if my chart of accounts is different from HandyBook's defaults? Customize in Settings → Chart of Accounts. Or use the QB sync, which uses your QB chart of accounts as the source of truth.
Can I produce a Profit & Loss statement? Yes — Reports → P&L is the formatted P&L view. Same data as the GL summarized differently.
Cash basis vs. accrual? Toggle at the top of the report. Most tax-driven users want cash basis; managerial users often want accrual for clearer matching of revenue and expense.