Welcome to Joy Pilot! Properly setting up your account is the first crucial step in leveraging our accounting software for your business success. This guide will help you populate your account with the essential details, like trading address, start date, and bank account details, and introduce you to adding more comprehensive information to take full advantage of our features.
Note that not all of the information below is essential to use Joy Pilot. Any heading below marked as *ne mean they are *Not Essential for using Joy Pilot.
Accessing Your Business Info
To begin:
Locate your name at the upper right corner of the main navigation bar on the Joy Pilot dashboard.
Click on the small down arrow next to your name to reveal a dropdown menu.
Select ‘Business Info’ from the list to access the platform where you can enter all your business information.
Populating Company Addresses
Trading Address: Enter the address you want to appear on your invoices. If you are working from home, this will typically be your home address. By default your Trading Address is shown on all the invoices you create using Joy Pilot.
Registered Office: Input the official address registered with Companies House (this is only available for those who trade through a limited company - sole traders will not see this option).
Note: After saving an address, the system may ask if you wish to add other related addresses. This feature is a shortcut allowing you to update all relevant addresses at once. Alternatively, you can update each address field individually as needed.
Business Registration Info
Review pre-populated fields: Your Registered name, trading name, and company number should be filled in from your sign-up data. Verify these for accuracy.
Next Year End: To find this date, go to Companies House, search for your company, and look for "Next Accounts Made Up To." There, you'll find your Next Year End date. Return to Joy Pilot and input this date.
CH Authentication Code (*ne): This is a code you would have received from Companies House. It's stored in an email and acts similarly to a password for accessing your online account with them. Input it here for easy reference.
Next Confirmation Statement Due: This date is available on Companies House under the section Confirmation statement: “Next Statement Date <<date>> due by: <<date>>.” Enter the due by date in JoyPilot.
This data ensures JoyPilot can remind you of filing requirements to avoid penalties.
SIC Code (*ne): This is a four-digit code used to categorize businesses according to their industry sector in the UK. For more information on SIC codes visit [here]
SIC Group: Select the broad industry sector that your business operates within from the drop down list.
SIC Code: Once you've identified your broader industry sector, you can search for the specific SIC code that applies to your business.
Key Dates
Start Trading Date: Specify when you began utilizing your business, which is your first operational day.
Accounting Lock Date: This function locks your records to prevent entry before a certain date. For new businesses, leave this blank initially. After completing your first year, set this to your year-end date to safeguard your records.
Payroll Lock Date: This works just like the the Accounting lock date, except this provides an extra layer of cover for your Payroll transactions (if you use the Payroll module). This function locks your Payroll records to prevent entry before a certain date.
Adding Users (*ne)
If you need to add another director, shareholder, or employee:
Go to the ‘Users’ section.
Click on "Add User" and fill in their details, granting them appropriate access levels as needed.
Delete Account
Caution: The delete account option is a HARD DELETE and irreversible.
Under legal obligations, we are committed to upholding our clients' privacy rights and ensuring that records are not held indefinitely. To provide an added layer of security, the process to delete your account involves an extra step of verification. You'll be asked to explicitly type the word "DELETE" followed by your password. This step is crucial and is designed to make you pause and confirm your decision. Please proceed with this action only if you are absolutely certain, as once you choose to permanently delete your account, the action cannot be reversed, and all your data will be lost permanently. Again, this safeguard is in place to protect your information and comply with privacy regulations.
To proceed, select the "Delete" option.
You’ll be prompted to type "DELETE" and enter your password to confirm. Ensure you wish to permanently delete all account data before doing so.
Officers (*ne)
Different roles explained briefly:
Directors: Manage the company.
Shareholders: Own the company.
Secretary: Handles administrative duties.
For most JoyPilot users, you’ll embody all these roles. Depending on your role, your name should appear accordingly. To add others, ensure they’re first added as users, then return here and select their name from the dropdown. Then input their date of appointment and role accurately.
Note: by adding their names and roles here you are not giving them access. If you wish to provide them with access please see “Users”.
Financial Settings (*ne)
Conversion Mode: If migrating from another software, this setting helps transfer your records seamlessly. Detailed guidance on this process is available here.
Chart of Accounts: Customize your expense categories here. To edit or add a new expense category, navigate to this area and make the necessary adjustments. To understand the role your chart of accounts plays please visit [here].
Adding Your Business Logo (*ne)
To customize invoices and quotes:
Click on the “Upload Logo” button.
Click on the “Add business logo” button at the bottom of the image screen.
Navigate and select your logo file (JPEG, PNG, GIF are supported).
Use the editing tools if needed to adjust how your logo appears.
Save your changes. Your logo will now appear on all invoices and quotes.
Business Tax and VAT Settings
To update tax settings:
Enter your corporation tax and PAYE reference numbers in the ‘Business Tax Settings’.
When updating your 'Business Tax Settings', you'll notice an option for payroll management. Checking this box indicates your interest in utilising JoyPilot for payroll processing within your business. Upon selection, additional details will be requested to tailor the payroll feature to your company's needs. For those seeking comprehensive guidance on setting up and managing payroll through our software, we encourage you to explore our detailed guide [here].
For VAT, go to ‘Current VAT Settings’ and input your VAT registration details. This ensures accurate invoicing and enables VAT reporting.
Additionally, under Historical VAT Settings, you can view a record of your company’s VAT registration history. It's useful for tracking the instances where your company may have registered for VAT, later deregistered, and perhaps reregistered. If your company has only undergone VAT registration once, this section will be empty, indicating a straightforward VAT history.
By keeping these sections updated, you ensure compliance and smooth operation in financial reporting and tax obligations.
Conclusion
By following these steps, you have laid a strong foundation for your account on JoyPilot, enabling you to streamline your accounting processes and focus on growing your business. Remember, our comprehensive guides are here to help you explore and make the best use of JoyPilot’s broad range of features.