Glossary

Plain-language definitions of the terms SBB uses. Accounting words are defined as they matter to you, not as a textbook would.

A–C

Accrual — a cost you have incurred but not yet paid, recorded in the period you used it. See Adjustments.

Adjustment — an entry that puts a cost or revenue in the right period, or corrects a mistake. See Adjustments.

Aging — how long money has been owed, grouped into bands. Applies to customers who owe you and bills you owe.

Audit trail — the permanent record of who changed what, and when. See Security.

Balance sheet — what you own and what you owe, at a point in time.

Base currency — the currency your reports total in. See Multi-currency.

Basis points (bps) — hundredths of a percent. 100 bps = 1%. Used for payroll rates.

Bill — a supplier invoice you have received. See Bills.

Carrying amount — what an asset is worth in your books after depreciation.

Cash flow — money actually moving, as opposed to profit. A business can be profitable and still run out of cash.

Close — finalising a period so its numbers stop changing. See Month-end close.

Cost price — what you paid for something you sell. Without it you cannot see margin.

Counterparty — the other side of a transaction: who you paid, or who paid you.

Credit limit — the most you will let a customer owe. See Credit book.

D–L

Depreciation — spreading an asset's cost over its useful life. See Assets.

Double-entry — every transaction affecting two accounts, so the books always balance. SBB does this for you.

Explorer — the spreadsheet-style grid for slicing your data. See Reports.

FEFO — first-expired-first-out. Sells the earliest-expiring batch first.

Fixed asset — something you own that earns over years. See Assets.

General Ledger — the complete record of every entry. See Ledger.

Gross vs net — gross is before deductions, net is after. On a payslip, gross is the salary, net is what lands.

Journal — a direct accounting entry, usually a correction or adjustment.

Lot / batch — a specific delivery of stock, tracked with its own expiry. See Inventory.

M–R

Margin — the difference between what you sell for and what it cost you. The number that decides whether volume is worth having.

Money location — any real place money sits. See Balances.

P&L (profit and loss) — income minus expenses over a period. Also called the income statement.

PAYE — income tax withheld from salaries. See Payroll.

Payout rail — the mobile money number or bank account an employee is paid into.

Prepayment — money paid in advance for something you will use later. See Adjustments.

Purchase order (PO) — a record of what you ordered, before it arrives. See Purchase orders.

Reconciliation — proving your records match your bank or wallet statement. See Reconciliation.

Recurring rule — a transaction that repeats on a schedule. See Recurring.

Reorder level — the stock level that triggers a low-stock alert.

ROSCA — rotating savings and credit association. See Susu.

S–Z

Share link — a private URL giving someone a specific view without an account. See Sharing.

Shift — a period at the till with an opening float and a counted close. See POS.

Signal — a mobile money message or receipt captured for conversion into a transaction. See Signals.

Statutory deductions — amounts law requires you to withhold from pay: tax, pension and similar.

Straight-line — depreciating by the same amount each period. See Assets.

Trial balance — a listing of every account's balance, used to check the books balance.

Unrestricted vs restricted funds — NGO terms. Restricted money can only be spent on what the donor specified.

Write-off — formally accepting that a debt will not be paid, or that stock is no longer sellable.