Items

SimplBooks software uses two types of items: service items and inventory items. Items are not required if you are selling services and do not need inventory management. If you sell different types of services, it is advisable to use items to track their sales revenue separately in different accounts. 

New items can be added in two ways:
1. By adding them one by one through Warehouse -> Items -> New Item.
2. By importing the necessary data from a CSV file. You can read more about importing in the Items import guide.

When creating codes for articles, you might want to establish a unified logic. A number combination is the simplest option for sorting the list. Think about how many items you will need and choose an appropriate number combination. For example, if you expect fewer than 100 items, choose a range like 01-99. If you need more, go for a range like 0001-9999. Zeros are added at the start to ensure all item codes have the same length, making them easier to track visually. When selecting items for registration, you can search by both code and name, so there’s no need to memorize the codes.

Service items

  1. Code – must always be unique. The article code must not contain spaces, slashes, underscores, commas, or quotation marks (these can cause issues during import/export). The maximum length for a code is 20 characters; for e-invoices, the excess ends of longer codes will be truncated.
  2. Name – by default, the article name is displayed in the primary language of the environment.
  3. Add (edit) translation – by clicking this link, you can enter a translation for the name (in the active languages of the environment). This is necessary if you are creating sales invoices in other languages. *
  4. Description – additional information about the article can be added here; this field is not mandatory. If filled in, it will appear on the invoice, and you should consider adding a translation if needed.
  5. Item type – for service articles, the radio button on the right side must be selected.
  6. Unit – a mandatory field (e.g., pcs, roll, hour, etc.). Add a translation if necessary.
  7. Default amount on invoice – if filled, this quantity will be pre-filled when selecting the article for an invoice (can be changed). This field can be left empty.
  8. Sales revenue account – if you are using the same article for sales to both Estonian and foreign clients, leave the account field empty. In this case, the sales revenue account will be taken from the VAT type settings (or if not VAT-liable, from the automatic entry settings). The revenue account specified on the article card will be considered the primary revenue account, ignoring the VAT type’s revenue account.
  9. Cost account – when using articles for expense invoices, the appropriate expense account must be specified here.

    *If you want to create invoices in other languages available in the environment, translations must also be added (name, description, unit).

  1. Price includes VAT – this is marked if you want to set the sales price for the article inclusive of VAT. If the article price is specified with VAT, it is recommended to issue sales invoices also with VAT included. Otherwise, due to rounding and calculation differences, minor discrepancies in the final amounts may occur.
  2. Sales price calculation – for services, always select the option “fixed final sum”.
  3. Unit sales price – if a specific service is always sold at a fixed price (e.g., an hourly rate for services), set the price here. This field is optional. If filled, the price can still be overwritten on the sales invoice if needed.
  4. VAT type – this field is not mandatory. You can use it if a specific VAT type must always be associated with the article.
  5. Adjust view – by clicking this button, you can rearrange the panels on the article card and hide certain fields. This setup is user-specific.
Warehouse items

  1. Code – must always be unique. The article code must not contain spaces, slashes, underscores, commas, or quotation marks (these can cause issues during import/export). The maximum code length is 20 characters; for e-invoices, the ends of longer codes will be truncated.
  2. EAN – optional field. In Estonia, barcodes with 13 digits are mainly used, while 8-digit barcodes are less common. The article code and EAN must not overlap.
  3. Name – by default, the article name is displayed in the primary language of the environment.
  4. Add (edit) translation – by clicking this link, you can enter a translation for the name (for active languages in the environment). This is necessary if you are creating sales invoices in other languages. *
  5. Description – additional information about the article can be added here; this field is optional. If filled, it will appear on the invoice, and you should consider adding a translation as well.
  6. Article type – for inventory articles, the button on the left side must be selected.
  7. Unit – a mandatory field (e.g., pcs, roll, hour, etc.). Add a translation if necessary.
  8. Default quantity on invoice – if filled, this quantity will automatically appear when selecting the article on an invoice (can be modified). This field can be left empty.
  9. Sales revenue account – if you are using the same article for sales to both Estonian and foreign clients, it is better to leave this field empty. By default, the sales revenue account will be taken from the VAT type settings (or from automatic entry settings if you are not VAT-liable). The revenue account specified on the article card will be considered the primary account, ignoring the VAT type revenue account.
  10. Inventory account – must be specified, especially useful if the article is always purchased into one warehouse. The inventory account can be changed on the purchase invoice if necessary.

    *If you want to create invoices in other languages available in the environment, translations must also be added (name, description, unit).

  1. Price includes VAT – indicated when you want to set a sales price for the item that includes VAT. If the item’s price is set with VAT included, it is recommended to enter sales invoices with VAT as well. Otherwise, small differences in total amounts may arise due to rounding and calculations.
  2. Unit purchase price – if filled in, it will be used when entering purchase orders/invoices. The product’s purchase price from the purchase invoice will be used as the basis for the item’s cost price.
  3. Sales price calculation – options include markup percentage or a fixed price. When using markup, enter the percentage numerically only, without the % symbol.

4. VAT type – not mandatory. You can use it if a specific VAT type must always be associated with the item.
5. Adjust view – by clicking this button, you can adjust the layout of the item card panels and hide certain fields. The configuration is user-specific.

AdviceIf the purchase price is specified, but the sales price calculation is set to “undefined,” the purchase price will be used as the sales price. Therefore, always ensure that the sales price calculation is selected.
If you have any additional questions, write to us at support@simplbooks.ee

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