> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.ardoiseeduc.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Configuring your school's accounting

> A step-by-step guide for the founder: modules, financial year, accounting mappings and validation.

<Note>This page concerns Ardoise School in the OHADA scope, subject to enabled modules and permissions. School, school accounting and payroll are not offered in Austria. Check local requirements; CountryConfig does not certify compliance.</Note>

This page guides the **founder** or the **administrator** through the initial accounting setup. Configuration is reached from **Finance → Configuration** and **Finance → Chart of accounts**.

## 1. Enable the accounting modules

Ardoise is modular: enable only what your school needs.

| Module | Enable if… |
| - | - |
| Core accounting | Always on, cannot be disabled |
| Fixed assets | You own equipment/buildings to capitalise |
| Depreciation | You want Ardoise to calculate and post the charges (requires Fixed assets) |
| Stock / inventory | You run a canteen or a valued stock |
| Management accounting | You want to track costs by activity |
| Cost centres | You allocate those costs by cycle or department (requires Management accounting) |
| Off-balance-sheet commitments | You have deposits/guarantees to declare |
| Budgets | You track a forecast budget |
| Bank reconciliation | You reconcile your bank statements |

<Note>
  Some modules **require** another: depreciation assumes fixed assets, and cost centres assume
  management accounting. An inconsistent activation is refused, with the exact reason.
</Note>

<Warning>
  **No entry is generated for a disabled module.** This is not merely a hidden screen:
  the operation is refused, with a message naming the module to enable. That is deliberate - an
  accounting entry is not deleted, it is reversed, so an entry posted for a module the school had
  deliberately disabled would cost it a permanent correction in its journal.
</Warning>

<Note>
  Disabling a module does not disable the accounting framework itself: it removes the corresponding
  operational feature, nothing else.
</Note>

## 2. Choose the accounting system

Depending on the size of your school, choose:

* **Normal system**: revenue is recognised progressively (e.g. tuition paid in advance is spread across the year).
* **Minimal treasury system**: revenue is recognised on collection.

<Warning>
  The choice of system can have regulatory consequences depending on your country and your size. Have it validated by your accountant.
</Warning>

## 3. Configure the financial year and its periods

Define your **accounting year** (the reference year) then its **periods** (monthly, for example). See [Financial years and periods](/en/comptabilite/exercices-periodes).

## 4. Review the chart of accounts

Open **Chart of accounts** and check that the accounts you will need are **active**. Do use the search by class or by label.

## 5. Configure the accounting mappings

This is the key step: you associate each of the school's **activities** with the **account** that reflects it. You do not have to remember any numbers - you pick an account from the list.

Here are the typical mappings to check:

| Business concept | What it represents |
| - | - |
| Tuition revenue | Tuition fees |
| Canteen / bookshop revenue | Canteen and bookshop sales |
| Cash desk | Cash receipts |
| Bank | Bank receipts and payments |
| Electronic money | Mobile Money (MTN MoMo, Moov Flooz) |
| Deferred revenue | Tuition paid in advance (normal system) |
| Supplier payables | What you owe suppliers |
| Staff costs | Salaries |

<Note>
  These examples are **illustrative**. The exact account depends on your accounting policy; your accountant can help you determine it.
</Note>

## 6. Configure the social contribution rates

In the configuration, enter the **contribution rates** (employee share and employer share) and the income tax applicable in your country, if they differ from the default values.

## 7. Configure fixed assets (if enabled)

Create **asset categories** (furniture, IT equipment, vehicles and so on) with a useful
life. Each asset recorded is then depreciated over that life, **on demand**: the charge is
run period by period, which leaves you in control of when the entry lands in a financial year.

<Note>
  Asset categories, recording a fixed asset and running a depreciation charge
  are available to the **accountant**, the **director** and the **founder**.
</Note>

## 8. Check the permissions

The accounting configuration (modules, mappings, rates, chart of accounts) and fixed assets are available to the **founder**, the **director** and the **accountant**. Teaching staff, pupils and parents have no access to them.

<Note>
  One deliberate exception: **off-balance-sheet commitments** (deposits, guarantees) stay reserved for the **founder** and the **director**. A commitment binds the school to a third party - that is a management decision, not a bookkeeping entry.
</Note>

## 9. Validate the configuration

Use the built-in validation (see [Financial statements](/en/comptabilite/etats-financiers)) to detect anything missing: an unconfigured account, a balance sheet that does not balance, and so on.

## 10. Generate a test statement

Generate a first test **financial statement** to check that everything is consistent before the first real closing.

<Warning>
  Always have your first closing and your filings validated by a qualified accounting professional.
</Warning>


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