RealBooks Help

Welcome to RealBooks. This guide walks you through every feature so you can manage your business finances with confidence, even if you have never used accounting software before.

Creating your account

1. Go to app.realbooks.online and click Sign Up.
2. Enter your name, email address, and a strong password.
3. Check your email for a verification link and click it.
4. You will be taken to the company setup screen.

Setting up your first business

RealBooks is organized around companies. Each business you own is a separate company with its own invoices, bills, bank accounts, and reports.

1. After verifying your email, click Add Your Business.
2. Enter your business name. This appears on invoices and reports.
3. Choose a theme color. This helps you identify the company when you switch between multiple businesses.
4. Click Create. RealBooks automatically sets up a Chart of Accounts, a default project, and invoice numbering for you.

Navigating the app

The sidebar on the left is your main navigation. It is divided into sections:

• Dashboard - Your financial summary at a glance
• Cash Command - Forward-looking cash planning and runway
• Sales Invoices / Vendor Bills / Expenses - Your day-to-day transactions
• Banking - Your connected bank accounts and transaction feed
• Reports - Financial statements and summaries
• Settings - Your profile, accounting preferences, and team

Switching between companies

1. Click your company name in the top left of the sidebar.
2. A dropdown appears showing all your companies.
3. Click the company you want to switch to.

Each company has its own data. Switching companies changes everything you see in the app.

The Dashboard gives you a real-time snapshot of your business finances. It updates automatically as you add invoices, bills, and bank transactions.

What you see on the Dashboard

• Revenue this month - Total of all invoices issued this month
• Expenses this month - Total of all bills and direct expenses this month
• Profit this month - Revenue minus expenses (your net income)
• Cash on hand - Current balance across all connected bank accounts
• Upcoming items - Invoices about to be due and bills coming up

What is profit?

Profit is the money left over after you subtract all your business expenses from your revenue. If you invoiced $10,000 and spent $6,000 on supplies, labor, and rent, your profit is $4,000. Profit is not the same as cash in your bank account because you may have invoices that have not been paid yet, or bills you have already paid.

If your dashboard shows zero

The dashboard pulls data from the current month. If you just created your account, add a few invoices or connect your bank account and the numbers will populate.

Cash Command shows you how much cash you will have in the future, based on your current bank balance, upcoming bills, expected invoice payments, and any planned owner draws. Think of it as a weather forecast for your bank account.

Understanding the runway chart

The chart shows your projected cash balance day by day over your chosen forecast window. A line that slopes downward means you are spending more than you are bringing in. A danger zone (shown in red) appears when your balance is projected to fall below your minimum threshold.

Setting your forecast window

Use the Quick Select buttons (1 week, 1 month, 3 months, 1 year) to jump to common timeframes. Use the Custom Range slider below the buttons to dial in a specific number of days. These are two separate controls: the buttons are shortcuts, the slider is for fine-tuning.

Planned draws

A planned draw is money you plan to take out of your business for personal use. Recording planned draws lets Cash Command show you how each withdrawal affects your runway.

1. On the Cash Command page, find your business panel.
2. Click Add Draw.
3. Enter the amount and the date you plan to take it.
4. Click Save. The chart updates immediately.

When you actually take the draw, come back and mark it as Executed so your records stay accurate.

Planned expenses

A planned expense is a one-off cost you know is coming but have not yet received a bill for. Examples: a trade show fee, an equipment purchase, a tax payment.

1. Click Add Expense in your business panel.
2. Enter a description, amount, and expected date.
3. Click Save.

Multi-company view

If you own multiple businesses, each appears as its own panel by default. Use the toggle in the top right of the page to switch to the layered line view, which plots all your companies on one chart so you can compare their cash trajectories at a glance.

Connecting bank data

Cash Command is most accurate when your bank accounts are connected. Without a bank connection, the starting balance defaults to zero or any manual balance you have entered. See the Banking section for how to connect your accounts.

An invoice is a bill you send to a customer requesting payment for goods or services. RealBooks tracks the full lifecycle: draft, sent, partially paid, paid, and overdue.

Creating an invoice

1. Click Sales Invoices in the sidebar.
2. Click New Invoice.
3. Select or create a customer.
4. Set the invoice date and payment terms. Payment terms are the number of days the customer has to pay (e.g. Net 30 means due in 30 days).
5. Add line items. Each line has a description, quantity, and rate. The amount calculates automatically.
6. Optionally assign a Chart of Accounts category and project to each line.
7. Click Save as Draft to save without sending, or Send Invoice to email it to the customer.

Invoice statuses

• Draft - Saved but not sent. The customer cannot see it yet.
• Sent - Emailed to the customer. Awaiting payment.
• Overdue - Past the due date with no payment received.
• Partially Paid - Customer has paid some but not all of the balance.
• Paid - Fully paid. Balance is zero.

Marking an invoice as paid

When a customer pays, open the invoice and click Record Payment. Enter the amount received and the date. If the payment came through your connected bank account, you can also match it directly in the Bank Feed.

Recurring invoices

If you bill a customer the same amount on a regular schedule (monthly retainer, weekly service, annual subscription), set up a recurring invoice instead of creating one manually each time.

1. Click Sales Invoices, then Recurring in the top tabs.
2. Click New Recurring Invoice.
3. Set the customer, frequency (weekly, monthly, quarterly, annually), and line items.
4. Set a start date. RealBooks will generate and optionally auto-send the invoice on schedule.
5. Click Save.

Customer statements

A statement is a summary of all invoices and payments for a customer over a time period. It is useful for customers who have multiple open invoices. Go to Reports in the sidebar and select Customer Statements.

A bill is an invoice you receive from a supplier or vendor that you owe money on. Entering bills lets RealBooks track what you owe, when it is due, and how it affects your cash flow.

Entering a bill

1. Click Vendor Bills in the sidebar.
2. Click New Bill.
3. Select or create a vendor.
4. Enter the vendor invoice number (from the bill you received), bill date, and due date.
5. Add line items with descriptions and amounts. Assign each line to a Chart of Accounts category.
6. Click Submit for Approval if you require approval, or Save as Approved if you have approval authority.

Bill approval workflow

If your account is set up with an approval threshold, bills above that amount go into a Pending Approval queue before they can be paid. This prevents unauthorized large payments.

• Bills below the threshold are approved automatically when submitted.
• Bills above the threshold appear under Vendor Bills, then Pending Approval in the sidebar.
• An owner or admin reviews and clicks Approve or Reject.

Uploading bill attachments

You can attach a PDF or image of the vendor invoice to each bill for your records. On the New Bill screen, click Upload and choose the file. RealBooks also has an AI intake feature that can read a bill image and pre-fill the fields for you.

Recurring bills

Set up recurring bills for expenses that repeat on a fixed schedule: rent, software subscriptions, insurance premiums.

1. Click Vendor Bills, then Recurring in the top tabs.
2. Click New Recurring Bill.
3. Select a vendor, amount, frequency, and start date.
4. Choose whether bills auto-approve or require manual approval each cycle.
5. Click Save.

Marking a bill as paid

Open the bill and click Mark as Paid. Enter the payment date. If you paid via your connected bank account, you can also match the bill to a bank transaction in the Bank Feed, which simultaneously marks it paid and categorizes the transaction.

Expenses are costs you pay directly that do not come with a formal vendor bill: a receipt for office supplies, a coffee with a client, a tool purchased at a hardware store. RealBooks tracks these separately from bills so your records are complete.

Adding an expense

1. Click Expenses in the sidebar.
2. Click New Expense.
3. Enter a description, amount, date, and assign it to a Chart of Accounts category.
4. Optionally attach a receipt photo.
5. Click Save.

Why categorize expenses?

Categorizing expenses correctly is important for two reasons. First, it lets your Profit and Loss report show exactly where your money went. Second, many business expenses are tax-deductible, and your accountant needs accurate categories to prepare your taxes correctly.

Mileage tracking

Business mileage is a tax-deductible expense. RealBooks tracks mileage trips so you have a record for tax time.

1. Click Expenses, then Mileage in the sidebar.
2. Click Log Trip.
3. Enter the date, starting point, destination, purpose, and miles driven.
4. Click Save.

RealBooks calculates the deductible value using the current IRS standard mileage rate. Your total mileage deduction appears in your expense reports.

Deduction Scanner

The Deduction Scanner reviews your expenses and bank transactions and flags potential tax deductions you may have missed. Access it from the Expenses page. You can export the results to Excel for your accountant.

The Customers section keeps a record of everyone you invoice. Adding customers upfront makes invoicing faster and gives you a clear view of who owes you money.

Adding a customer

1. Click Customers in the sidebar.
2. Click New Customer.
3. Enter the customer name, email, phone, and address.
4. Set default payment terms (e.g. 30 for Net 30). These pre-fill whenever you create an invoice for this customer.
5. Click Save.

Customer detail page

Click any customer to see their full history: all invoices, outstanding balance, and payment record. This is useful before calling a customer about an overdue invoice.

Customer profitability

Under Reports, Customer Profitability shows you which customers generate the most revenue and margin. This helps you focus on your most valuable relationships.

Vendors are the suppliers, contractors, and service providers you pay. Keeping your vendor list accurate makes bill entry faster and supports 1099 reporting at tax time.

Adding a vendor

1. Click Vendors in the sidebar.
2. Click New Vendor.
3. Enter the vendor name, email, and payment terms.
4. Check 1099 Eligible if this vendor is an individual or unincorporated business you pay for services. This flags them for 1099 reporting.
5. Click Save.

Approving vendors

New vendors start in a Pending status. An owner or admin reviews and approves them before bills can be entered. This prevents unauthorized vendors from being added to your books. To approve a vendor, open their record and click Approve.

1099 reporting

If you pay a contractor, freelancer, or unincorporated business more than $600 in a calendar year for services, you are generally required to file a 1099-NEC with the IRS. RealBooks tracks 1099-eligible payments automatically. At tax time, go to Reports and select 1099 Report to see a summary of what each eligible vendor was paid.

Connecting your bank account is one of the most valuable things you can do in RealBooks. It eliminates manual data entry, keeps your records current, and makes reconciliation much easier.

Connecting a bank account

1. Click Banking, then Overview in the sidebar.
2. Click Connect Bank Account.
3. Search for your bank by name.
4. Log in with your online banking credentials. This is handled securely by Plaid, a bank-connection service used by thousands of financial apps.
5. Select which accounts to connect (checking, savings, credit card).
6. Click Connect. RealBooks imports your recent transactions within a few seconds.

The Bank Feed

The Bank Feed shows every transaction that has come in from your connected accounts. Each transaction needs to be reviewed and categorized so it flows into the right place in your books.

1. Click Banking, then Bank Feed.
2. Click on a transaction.
3. Choose an action: Categorize (assign to a Chart of Accounts category), Match to Invoice (if a customer payment came in), Match to Bill (if you paid a vendor), or Exclude (for non-business transactions).
4. Click Save.

Importing bank transactions via CSV

If your bank is not supported by Plaid, or you want to import historical transactions, use Import Bank CSV.

1. Download a CSV export of your transactions from your bank website.
2. Click Banking, then Import Bank CSV in the sidebar.
3. Upload the file and map the columns (date, description, amount).
4. Select or create the bank account to import into.
5. Click Import. Transactions appear in your Bank Feed for review.

Tax Review

The Tax Review screen filters your bank transactions to show only those that are potential tax deductions. Use it at year-end to make sure nothing has been missed before sending records to your accountant.

Triage

Triage shows all unreviewed transactions in one place so you can process them quickly without switching between accounts.

Cross-Account Scanner

The Cross-Account Scanner (under Banking, Personal) looks for personal transactions that may have a business component, such as a home office payment or a personal car expense that partly relates to business use. Flagged transactions can be claimed as business expenses.

Projects let you track revenue and costs for a specific job, client engagement, or business area. Every company starts with a General and Administrative project for overhead costs.

Creating a project

1. Click Projects in the sidebar.
2. Click New Project.
3. Enter a project name and code (a short identifier like JOB-001 or CLIENT-ALPHA).
4. Click Save.

Assigning transactions to projects

On any invoice line, bill line, or expense, there is a Project field. Select the project to assign that amount. Over time, each project accumulates its own revenue and cost history.

Pipeline

The Pipeline feature lets you add expected income and costs for work that is not yet confirmed. For example, a proposal you have submitted that you expect to win. Pipeline items appear in Cash Command as projected future cash flows, so your runway forecast reflects deals in progress.

1. Open a project.
2. Click Pipeline.
3. Click Add Item.
4. Choose Income (money you expect to receive) or Cost (money you expect to spend).
5. Enter the description, estimated amount, and expected date.
6. Click Save.

Project profitability report

Go to Reports and click Project Profitability to see revenue, costs, and margin for each project side by side.

RealBooks generates standard financial reports automatically from your transactions. You do not need to be an accountant to read them, and the explanations below help you understand what each one means.

Profit and Loss (P&L)

The Profit and Loss report, also called an income statement, shows your revenue, expenses, and resulting profit or loss over a chosen date range. It answers the question: did the business make money?

1. Click Reports, then Profit and Loss.
2. Set a date range (e.g. January 1 to December 31 for a full year).
3. The report shows revenue at the top, expenses below, and net profit or loss at the bottom.

Balance Sheet

The Balance Sheet shows what your business owns (assets), what it owes (liabilities), and the difference (equity) at a single point in time. A healthy business has more assets than liabilities.

• Assets: cash, accounts receivable (money customers owe you), equipment
• Liabilities: accounts payable (money you owe vendors), loans
• Equity: what remains if you paid off all liabilities; this is the owner's stake in the business

AR Aging

Accounts Receivable Aging shows all unpaid customer invoices grouped by how overdue they are (current, 1-30 days, 31-60 days, 61-90 days, over 90 days). Use this to prioritize which customers to follow up with.

AP Aging

Accounts Payable Aging shows all unpaid vendor bills grouped by how overdue they are. Use this to see which bills need to be paid urgently and avoid late fees.

General Ledger

The General Ledger is the complete record of every financial transaction, organized by account. It shows every debit and credit that has flowed through your books. Most small business owners rarely need to look at this, but your accountant uses it to verify that everything is recorded correctly.

Access it via the sidebar under Reports, then General Ledger.

Customer Profitability

Shows revenue and margin by customer so you can identify your most valuable accounts.

1099 Report

Lists all vendors marked as 1099-eligible and the total amount paid to each for the year. Use this at tax time to prepare 1099-NEC forms.

The Chart of Accounts is the master list of every financial category in your business. Every transaction you record is assigned to one of these accounts. RealBooks sets up a standard Chart of Accounts automatically when you create your company.

Account types

• Asset: things the business owns (bank accounts, receivables, equipment)
• Liability: things the business owes (bills payable, loans, credit cards)
• Equity: the owner's interest in the business
• Revenue: income from selling products or services
• Expense: costs of running the business

Adding an account

1. Click Chart of Accounts in the sidebar.
2. Click New Account.
3. Choose the account type and enter a name and account code.
4. Click Save.

Owner Bridge connects your business finances to your personal finances (MyBooks). When you take money out of your business (a draw) or put personal money in (a contribution), Owner Bridge makes sure that flow appears correctly on both sides.

How it works

Without Owner Bridge, a bank transfer from your business account to your personal account is just an unexplained outflow in your business books. Owner Bridge recognizes that transfer as an owner draw and automatically creates matching entries in both your business and personal records.

Setting up Owner Bridge

1. Click Owner Bridge in the sidebar.
2. Click Link to MyBooks.
3. Select which business accounts are connected to your personal accounts.
4. Set your ownership percentage (usually 100% for a sole owner).
5. Click Save.

Once connected, transfers between your business and personal accounts are recognized automatically and do not require manual entry on either side.

MyBooks is the personal finance side of RealBooks. It tracks your personal income, expenses, and accounts separately from your business, but connected to it through Owner Bridge.

Enabling MyBooks

1. Click the Switch button at the top of the sidebar to enter Personal Mode.
2. The first time, you will be asked to create a PIN. This PIN protects your personal data if someone else uses your device.
3. Enter and confirm your PIN. You will use it each time you switch to Personal Mode.

Adding personal accounts

1. In Personal Mode, click Banking, then Overview.
2. Click Add Account.
3. Enter a name (e.g. Chase Checking), account type, and current balance.
4. Click Save.

Tracking personal income

1. Click Income in the sidebar.
2. Click New Income Entry.
3. Enter a description, amount, date, and source (e.g. Salary, Freelance, Dividend).
4. Click Save.

Tracking personal expenses

1. Click Expenses in the sidebar.
2. Click New Expense.
3. Enter a description, amount, date, and category (e.g. Housing, Groceries, Transportation).
4. Click Save.

Personal Cash Command

Cash Command in Personal Mode works the same way as in Business Mode, but for your personal finances. It shows your personal runway based on your income, expenses, and planned personal expenses.

Sharing MyBooks access

You can grant another person read or read/write access to your MyBooks data. This is useful for a spouse or financial advisor who needs visibility into your personal finances.

1. In Personal Mode, click Access under the Banking section.
2. Click Invite Person.
3. Enter their email address and choose Read or Read/Write access.
4. Click Send Invite. They will receive an email with a link to accept.

Messages is where you communicate with your CRP (accountant). Every conversation is tied to a specific company and topic, so nothing gets lost in email.

Starting a new message thread

1. Click Messages in the sidebar.
2. Click New Message.
3. Select the company this message is about.
4. Write your message and click Send.

Responding to a message

1. Click Messages in the sidebar.
2. Click on the thread you want to reply to.
3. Type your reply at the bottom and click Send.

Approval requests

If your accountant sends an approval request for a bill, you will see it in Messages with an Approve or Reject button. Review the bill details and click your choice. Your response is recorded and the bill status updates automatically.

Message settings

To change which company is the default when you compose a new message:

1. Click the gear icon next to the Messages heading in the sidebar.
2. Choose your preferred default context.
3. Click Save, or Cancel to go back without changing anything.

My Profile

Update your name, email address, and password. Go to Settings, then My Profile.

Home Office

If you work from home, you may be eligible for a home office deduction. Go to Settings, then Home Office to record your office square footage and home details. RealBooks uses this to calculate the deductible portion of your home expenses.

Accounting Settings

Configure your fiscal year, invoice numbering, bill approval thresholds, and default payment terms. Go to Settings, then Accounting. These settings affect all transactions for this company.

Team Members

Add employees or partners who need access to your RealBooks company.

1. Go to Settings, then Team Members.
2. Click Invite Team Member.
3. Enter their email and choose a role: Owner (full access), Admin (full access except billing), Bookkeeper (transactions only), or View Only.
4. Click Send Invite.

Company Templates

Save invoice and bill templates for work you do repeatedly. Go to Settings, then Company Templates to create and manage them.

OneLens

OneLens controls how your business and personal finances sync through Owner Bridge. Go to Settings, then OneLens to configure mirroring preferences.

Payment Methods

Record the payment methods your business uses (bank account, credit card, check). These appear as options when recording payments against invoices and bills. Go to Settings, then Accounting to manage payment methods.

You do not need to know accounting to use RealBooks, but these terms come up often.