TABLE OF CONTENTS

• November 2024 Release
• October 2024 Release
• September 2024 Release
• August 2024 Release
• July 2024 Release
• June 2024 Release
• May 2024 Release
• April 2024 Release
• March 2024 Release
• February 2024 Release
• January 2024 Release

November 2024 Release

New Features and Improvements

Coming Soon: Now Available: Insert link to worksheets in other Excel binders

You have asked, and we listened! You can now quickly add a link in one Excel binder to a worksheet in another Excel binder. Once linked, you can then preview that external binder's worksheet in the current binder's Active add-in.

Right-click on a cell in the current binder and click on Active Workpapers → Add Worksheet Link 

In the add-in panel, select the binder and the worksheet you want to link to.

Once the link has been inserted, clicking on that link will open a preview of the linked worksheet in the add-in panel for an easy, quick reference. You can click on the options on the top left of the preview to navigate to that external binder in Excel or Excel Online.

ATO Integration: Now available for non-ABN entities

We know how much time you've saved using our ATO integration to automatically import BAS lodgements, Integrated Client account and Income Tax account transactions for entities with an ABN. We have now expanded this integration to cater for entities without an ABN, such non-business individual clients. Ensure the client has the correct tax file number (TFN) in our Active Platform before inserting any of the ATO workpapers into a binder (J50/C50/H50).

Note: Due to privacy protection in the Xero Practice Manager API, the client's tax file numbers are not automatically synced across into Active Platform. You will need to update the client's tax file number in Active if you have not already done so.

Preview workpapers in Review mode

While in Review Mode, you can now click on the Excel workpaper in the index to open a preview directly in your browser, allowing you to perform the preview without needing to open Excel. This enhancement will save precious time during the review process and streamline your workflow. Try it out today, and let us know your feedback!

Click on 'Start Review' to enter Review mode:

Click on an Excel workpaper to preview:

The workpaper preview will be displayed in a PDF viewer along with critical information and actions on the top left section.

Additional Firm defaults

Firm administrators take note that we have introduced additional customisation options for firms to standardise their workflows. These include:

1. Binder export default settings: In Workpapers Admin → Firm Preferences, you will find a new button called 'Edit your default binder export options. When you click on this, you can customise the default options for binder exports across your firm.
2. Move 'Import All Columns' option to Settings & Tools: Also in Workpapers Admin → Firm Preferences, you will find a new tickbox called 'Move 'Reimport All Columns' option to the 'Settings and Tools' menu'. When this option is ticked, the Reimport button in the index of a binder will only reimport the balances for the primary column. This is to prevent inadvertently reimporting the balances for previous periods in a binder. You can still reimport all columns via the 'Settings and Tools' menu:
   
   
3. Hide calculated values for Balance Sheet accounts: You can now choose to hide calculated values for Balance Sheet accounts where these are not relevant (eg Percentage of Sales). You can do this via the 'Edit Columns' option for calculated columns:
   
   When ticked, the calculated values will be hidden for Balance Sheet accounts in the index whilst still being visible for Profit & Loss accounts:
   

Improvement to Active - fyi Integration: Copy Documents from fyi

We are thrilled to announce a significant enhancement to the Active-fyi integration! With this highly requested feature, users can now copy documents directly from fyi to Active, moving beyond the traditional hyperlink method. This new functionality allows users to preview documents directly within Active, and these documents will also be included in the binder export pack. Firms can choose to continue using the existing hyperlink method or take advantage of the new document copying option.

To select the option, please go to Admin Centre → Integrations → fyi → Document Linking Options in the configuration settings.

Note:  We've also implemented a security measure for this integration. This means users accessing documents using this integration must exist in both Active and fyi.

Binders:

• 2024 Capital Gains Tax Calculator
• 2024 Loan Repayment Calculator
• 2025 Company Debit Loan Calculator

Love our calculators, but sick and tired of managing separate binders? We've got you covered. The CGT3 CGT Summary, D03 Company Debit Loan Summary and H12 Loan Summary worksheets are now also conveniently available in the Accounts & Tax binder, streamlining your workflow. Additionally, we've enhanced the Company Debit Loan Summary to include a detailed summary by director (borrower), making it easier to analyse and manage your data. Plus, all totals in the summaries now contain Reconciliation Fields, which can be used with the External Linking feature to boost your efficiency.

Worksheets:

NEW G16 Amortisation of Long Term Assets (version 5.24.0)

In response to client feedback, we’ve introduced a new worksheet designed for the amortisation of assets over an extended period (up to 20 years) – perfect for assets such as patents. This addition provides a solution for amortising long-term assets, which previously was limited to a 5-year period in other workpapers like G05 Borrowing Costs. 

G05 Borrowing Costs (version 5.24.6)

This release includes a correction to the number of days used in the formula for calculate borrowing costs write-offs. In the previous version, the first-year calculation was overstated by one day resulting in a minor discrepancy, particularly when the entire cost was written off in the first year. The calculation logic has now been updated to accurately reflect the correct number of days in the first year, ensuring that the total cost write-off aligns precisely with the expected values.

C20 Tax Reconciliation (version 5.24.4)

We have listened to your feedback and have made it possible to easily insert your Tax Reconciliation into your financial statements if you are using our Active Ledger and Reporting product, removing the need for manual data entry and significantly saving time. The system streamlines the import process by detecting table types based on your financial report’s reporting suite. See the September Active Ledger and Reporting Release Notes for more information.

The worksheet has also been updated to remove a bug. In the “Accounting Expenditure subject to R&D Tax Incentive” cells for both the current and prior years, cell protection has been removed. This change allows you to input data without needing to unprotect the worksheet.

G10 Fixed Asset Reconciliation (version 5.24.1)

We've made significant improvements to the G10 Fixed Asset Reconciliation Workpaper to address key issues and enhance functionality. The Gain on Sale now correctly appears as a positive figure within the worksheet, and the Depreciation calculations have been adjusted to account for private use, ensuring accurate reporting. Additionally, the Balance per Ledger amounts are now prefilled from the Trial Balance, even if you are not connected to an Active Ledger & Reporting file. 

H13 Hire Purchase Agreement (version 5.24.6)

This release includes corrections to the variance formulas for the Unexpired Interest disclosure, ensuring they now reference the correct GST-inclusive amounts.

N85 Workcover (version 5.24.0)

Due to the changes in the re-designed N80 Wages worksheet where Directors Salaries are no longer separately identified, this amount can no longer be auto-populated in the N85 Workcover worksheet. To accommodate this change, we have relocated the Directors Salary data to the Adjustments section for manual input.

F20 Livestock (version 5.24.0)

We have implemented updates to enhance accuracy and functionality to F20 Livestock. Named ranges from the deactivated PP04 Livestock have been transferred to this worksheet so that data flows to PP05 Forced Sale Livestock. Additionally, the Average Cost formula has been amended to round values to two decimal places, ensuring consistency with Active Ledger and Reporting values.

C12 Deferred Tax (version 5.24.2)

We have resolved issues to improve the functionality of the C12 Deferred Tax worksheet. The left and right sides of the workpaper now consistently treat assets and liabilities, ensuring accurate deferred tax liability calculations. A new input section has been added to properly account for tax losses and their related deferred tax assets. Additionally, we corrected the variance calculation, which now accurately reconciles the net movement of the taxable/(deductible) temporary difference to temporary differences in the C20 Tax Reconciliation worksheet. 

Detailed Checklists

What you have been waiting for! Our popular detailed Smart Workpapers checklists are now available in Active. As part of this month’s Tools and Calculators rollout, we are introducing specific checklists for Capital Gains Tax (CL3A CGT Checklist Items Detailed) and Company Debit Loans (CL3B Company Debit Loan Checklist Items Detailed and CL3C Debt and Equity Checklist Items Detailed) to help streamline compliance processes. These checklists are designed to ensure all compliance items are thoroughly considered. In the coming months, we will be adding more checklists covering Accounts & Tax, further enhancing your workflow and supporting comprehensive compliance management. Stay tuned for future updates!

New Features and Improvements

Restore Deleted Files

Good news! You now have the ability to restore Active Ledger files that were accidentally deleted. Simply access the Recycle Bin and use the 'Restore' button to recover your data within 365 days. 

Monthly Depreciation Report in Assets Module

Users can now generate a monthly depreciation report directly from the Assets module, providing an easy and detailed view of asset depreciation on a month-by-month basis. This report streamlines tracking and enhances visibility into asset value changes over time.

Account and Report Label Mapping Report

Users can now generate a report displaying all accounts and their associated report labels. To access, go to the Reports tab, select Mapping Report, choose the desired report from the dropdown, and run it to view all accounts linked to relevant report labels. This feature provides a clear overview of account-label associations for easier review and management.

File Level Page Layouts
Users can now customize page layouts specifically at the file level, allowing for greater flexibility and personalization in financial report formatting. Simply navigate to your clients file, select File Settings and then Page Layouts to create a file specific page layout. 

Once created, generate a new financial report and be sure to pick this new layout for your desired statement. 

This improvement supports a more tailored approach to meet each client's unique presentation requirements.

Bug Fixes

• When working on Distributions with % splits, fixed a bug that was causing rounding errors
• When exporting financial reports to Excel, fixed a bug where the ‘Format Report’ option in the add-in was misaligning columns where there were no note references
• Fixed an issue where the Profit and Loss Layout option ‘Subtotal in P&L Only’ in the Financial Statements was not correctly displaying income values in their respective columns

October 2024 Release

Review Workpapers from Financial Statements

We’ve introduced a powerful new feature that allows financial statements to be cross-referenced with relevant workpapers and supporting documents. This enhancement enables reviewers to quickly scan and verify key balances directly from the financial statements, streamlining the approval process. Partners and reviewers can now focus on areas of concern or interest with greater efficiency. Additionally, this feature supports a quick review process, allowing users to preview, review, and verify work completed directly from the Financial Reports. The result is a faster, more transparent, and accurate review workflow.

Simply use the dropdown to link your financials to the binder where your work has been performed and generate a report to see this feature in action.  

Move Ledger Files from One Client to Another

We’re thrilled to introduce a feature that will make managing your datasets even easier. You can now move datasets from one client to another directly within the platform. 

Simply select File Settings > Edit File and select the client you would like to move your data to. This update puts more control in your hands, saving you both time and effort, so you can focus on your core tasks without interruption. 

Conditional Display of Cashflow Line

Based on customer feedback, users can now hide the cashflow line "Cash Generated from Operations" when there are no interest or income tax account balances. This enhancement provides cleaner, more relevant reports by automatically removing unnecessary lines, improving readability and reducing clutter in your financial statements.

Set Brand Colour at Global Level

Users can now set the branding colour at a global level, streamlining the process of applying consistent branding across all reports and documents. Find this setting in your Admin centre, under Global Report Settings. This enhancement ensures that your organization’s visual identity is automatically reflected, saving time and ensuring brand consistency without the need for manual updates.

Bug Fixes

• We’ve fixed an issue where, in files with multiple Trading Accounts or Divisions, the options were being cut off in the drop-down menu when working in the Accounts screen. This fix ensures that all available options are now fully visible and accessible. 

• We’ve resolved an issue where users encountered errors when posting balancing journals back to MYOB for newly created accounts classified under the ‘Other’ category. Accounts starting with the number 9 and classified as 'Other' will now successfully post back to the source without errors.

September 2024 Release

NOTE We have updated the 'Cash Receipt from Customers - Inventories' category so it now classified as 'Cash Paid to Suppliers and Employees'. We have renamed the category to 'Cash Paid to Suppliers and Employees - Inventories'. This will impact the cashflow reports for any accounts that have used this category.

New Features and Improvements

Ability to import tables from a Binder into Financial Reports

Users can now upload binders with tables, which will be automatically recognized within the import modal. These tables can then be effortlessly integrated into the financials, removing the need for manual data entry and significantly saving time. The system streamlines the import process by detecting table types based on your financial report’s reporting suite. 

Simply select the relevant binder, and the system will identify and import the appropriate tables into your financials.

Once imported, generate your financial statements to see this table now in your reports. 

Improvements to Reporting 

We have made significant improvements to the customisations you can make to your financial reports:

• Users can now introduce an average column into their reports. Simply pick the Avg setting under the dataset name when creating your report columns. On Report generation, you will now see an Average column for the year that you have selected.
• Users can now fully customize Trading Account report pages using enhanced customization options. After selecting the Trading Account or Division Account display settings, the system will automatically generate additional pages in the report template for further customization. 
  
  To tailor these pages, simply select ‘Customise,’ then untick ‘Use Default Settings’ to apply your changes. Generate your report to see these customizations in action. 
• Users can now select the orientation of a page in the report through the customise settings, simply select the Table Orientation desired for your report in the drop down and then generate your report to see the new layout.
• You can select the column layouts for your Trading Account pages to differ from the rest of the financial statements. Once you untick ‘Use Default Settings’ navigate to the Column Layout dropdown and select the desired layout. 
  

Default Depreciation Report Setting 

Users can now set the default depreciation report type directly in the Admin Centre, simplifying and standardizing report generation. To configure this, navigate to Ledger & Reporting Admin Centre > Report Masters, select your desired template, and add a new page for the Depreciation Report. In the Customise screen, choose your preferred report type, then Save and Close the template. 

When you generate a new financial report, it will automatically use the updated template. This enhancement saves time and ensures consistent reporting by allowing you to pre-define the preferred report format. 

Assign Inventory Account to Trading Account (NZ Only)

When setting up a trading account that is noted as Livestock, users are now able to link this to an Inventory account. Simply select the Inventory Account from the drop down during setup.  

Once saved, navigate to the Accounts screen and select the ‘Divisional and Trading Account View’. Using the drop downs, allocate the relevant Inventory accounts to their respective divisions and trading accounts.  

Once set-up, this will append the selected account into the financial statements and create an optional inventory valuation at the end of the Trading Account Profit and Loss page. 

New Features and Improvements

Restore Deleted Binders 

Good news! You now have the ability to restore binders that were accidentally deleted after October 1, 2024. Simply access the Recycle Bin and use the 'Restore' button to recover the binder within 365 days. 

Improvements to processing and reviewing journals

With this update, you can now create and preview journals against an account in the trial balance without navigating away from the trial balance page.

Simply right-click on the account balance you want to create a journal for, and in the appropriate period column, and click 'Add Journal.

A new slideout will be displayed on the page for you to add a new journal against that account.

To review journals that have been added against a specific account, if you have the Adjustments column displayed, simply click on any of the adjustment amounts (in blue font) to view the journals slideout. This will then display all journals that have been added for that account.

Profit Reconciliation Report

Another item that has been highly requested by our users: Profit Reconciliation Report. This report can be used to explain how the accountant has arrived at the final profit or loss amount from the client's amount. Our report includes all journals that relate to a profit or loss account (excluding income tax expense adjustments).

Note: The Profit or Loss amounts in this report are before tax, so these amounts may not match the profit or loss amounts in the Trial Balance.

This report can be accessed from Journals -> Reports -> Profit Reconciliation. If you have the Adjustments column visible, you can click on the adjustment amount for total Profit (in the Profit and Loss view), or the adjustment amount for the Current Earnings system account to view the Profit Reconciliation report.

Note: The new Journals slideout and Profit Reconciliation report are not available for binders connected to Active Ledger & Reporting. We are looking to include this functionality in the future.

Export Trial Balance directly into binder

While working in the Excel binder, you can now directly export any Trial Balance section directly as a worksheet into the binder. Simply right-click anywhere within the Trial Balance and click on 'Export to worksheet':

The worksheet will be inserted towards the start of the binder with a date stamp so that you know when this worksheet was inserted. This export function will take note of the selected filter in the Trial Balance (All/Assets/Liabilities/Equity/Balance Sheet/Profit and Loss) and export accordingly.

You can then add this worksheet as a record into the index via the 'Link to Existing Sheet' option in the 'Add Record' window.

Note: This trial balance worksheet does not update automatically.

Added ability to bulk send invites to users in the Admin Centre

As part of our continuous improvements, we have added improvements to streamline the user management process by adding a ‘bulk send invite’ feature. 

Now from the User’s page in the Admin Centre, you can select multiple users at once by ticking the checkboxes for each user and send an invite to all of them with a single click of the ‘Bulk Send Invite’ button.

Other updates 

Here are the other updates we have released this month:

• Firm administrators can now set firm preferences for account swinging defaults - this will impact new binders only. Navigate to Workpapers Admin -> Preferences to select the preferred behaviour.
• As Xero has a ten-character limit on account numbers, we have now disabled posting journals that include new accounts with account numbers of more than ten characters.
• MYOB accounts are now imported into a binder in numerical order based on the account numbers.

August 2024 Release

New Features and Improvements

Analytical Review

As part of the normal process of preparing the financials for clients, accountants often need to perform a deeper analysis of certain accounts. To assist with this process, we have released several improvements:

1. Default Index Columns

Firm administrators can now create default sets of columns for different binder types. For example, the Accounts and Tax binder can be set to include the variance and percentage of sales calculation columns by default so that the preparers do not need to add these columns each time a binder is created manually. These calculations are useful for identifying accounts that have a substantial variance compared to the previous period.

Navigate to Workpapers Admin -> Binder Settings -> Binder Defaults to create different default column sets for different binder types for the firm.

Note: Any new default column sets will only be displayed in new binders created subsequently.

2. L06 General Ledger Analysis

After identifying accounts where additional work is required to analyse the transactions, try out our new L06 General Ledger Analysis to easily identify the reasons for variances. While similar to our existing L05 General Ledger workpaper, the L06 workpaper also includes the general ledger transaction for the previous period, as well as an easy-to-understand summary table with which you can group transactions to easily compare.

You can choose to insert the new L06 workpaper in the same 'quick-insert' way you would insert the existing L05 workpaper. Firm administrators will need to opt-in for the 'quick-insert' method by navigating to Workpapers Admin -> Firm -> Preferences and ticking the Enable General Ledger Analysis quick insert checkbox.

Quick-insert:

3. Date selector for data imports

Once you have inserted the L06 General Ledger Analysis workpaper, you will notice that it also includes an 'Import Date Range' field in the settings area. With this release, we have introduced the ability to easily customise the date range for which you want to run the data import. Besides the L06 workpaper, we will roll this new feature out to the H50 Integrated Client Account and C50 Income Tax Account workpapers in our next release. Stay tuned! 

Firm-level audit logs

Practice administrators now have access to firm-level audit logs, which track when the following have been created or deleted:

1. Client groups
2. Clients
3. Binders

To access these logs, navigate to Admin Centre -> Firm -> Audit Log.

Note: these events will only be tracked from this release (29 August 2024) onwards.

Workpapers Preferences

Firm administrators, take note: we now have a dedicated page for Workpapers preferences (settings). Navigate to Workpapers Admin -> Manage Firm -> Preferences. As we continue to build out more customisation options for practices, this page will house these preferences.

Index Improvements

When no records are added to the account, the "Add Record" button appears more prominently. If there are recommendations, they will also be displayed here (represented by the 'star' icon).

Manage Reconciliation Fields 

You can now manage your reconciliation fields easily by using the 'Manage Reconciliation Fields' button.
 

Notes & Queries Improvements

We've added a new feature that displays the account name and record name for notes & queries, making it easy for you to see which account/record the note is for. Plus, the edit button is now visible all the time. 

'Clear All Filters' button in Insert Record Template Modal

Users can now utilise the 'Clear All Filters' button to remove all filters when searching for a record. 

Binders:

2025 Activity Statement Workpapers

We have released the Activity Statement worksheets early this year, so you can get started on those July IASs! Along with the expected regular updates, we have also updated the Fuel Tax Credits rate from 05 August 2024 and added new activities in line with the ATO calculator.

What to expect in the future - We understand that entering the GST data manually is frustrating, which is why we continue to work on automating this function. Our developers are working hard to capture the GST data required to populate our worksheets. Once this is available you will see upgraded worksheets, along with a rolling summary and improved navigation. So, stay tuned!

Worksheets:

Personal Rental Property worksheets are scheduled for removal

We would like to inform you that our personal rental property worksheets, 21A and 21B, will be removed at the end of August as part of our continuous improvement. This change is due to the introduction of the upgraded M25 and M26 rental property worksheets, which are now available for all entities and flow through to the B01 Individual Summary. We encourage you to start using M25 and M26 for your rental property reporting needs. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Note: Data will not roll over from the old version to the upgraded version, due to the move from three properties to one per sheet. On occasion we have to make the difficult decision to improve a sheet at the cost of losing fixed data. Please copy your property information into the new worksheet and you can rest assured your data will roll forward seamlessly in the future.

Improvements to Reports

• Draft Watermark

  You can now add Draft watermarks to your financial statements. With this update, you can now clearly label and distinguish draft versions of your reports, ensuring clear communication and avoiding any confusion. Enjoy professional and polished presentations as you confidently share your work, knowing that draft status is clearly indicated with customizable watermarks.

  
  
• New Report filters now allow you to generate reports showing accounts which are NOT allocated to a division and/or trading account. Simply select the relevant filter when setting up your report and click generate to see the filter in effect  
  
• Users are now able to add a ‘Sum’ column which adds all preceding columns in a report. Simply select a ‘Calculation’ column and select Sum to add this to your report 
  
• Users can now select a ‘Quantity’ column in their reports – simple select the Qty option once a dataset is selected  
  
• The Profit and Loss statements now allow users to select from addition Trading Account and Division formats when generating a report  

Content Update

All master template references to 'significant accounting policies' have now been updated to 'material accounting policies' in line with changes to terminology in Australian Accounting Standards.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a bug where Automated Depreciation Journals were not picking up write-off values in a Low Value Pool. Ensure Gain/Loss on Sale Accounts have been assigned to each Asset Group. Then utilise the 'Post Automated Journals' function to post the values back to the dataset. 

July 2024 Release

New Features and Improvements

Enhancements to Class and BGL Simple Fund 360 Integrations

Based on popular feedback, we have made significant improvements to the data that is imported into our binders from Class and BGL Simple Fund 360. Our integration now imports the headers and ensures all accounts are correctly grouped in a meaningful way and reflects how it looks in Class or BGL.

Here is an example:

A new way to add and preview supporting documents
We have now consolidated all supporting documents related to an account or record into a new document section. You can quickly add supporting document(s) by clicking on the 'add supporting document' button and preview documents(s) by clicking on 'View supporting document'.
 

When there are multiple attachments, you can simply navigate through this list in the new attachments window to preview each one. If you are using our integration with HowNowX or FYI Docs, you will be navigated to the document's location in either software.

J50 BAS Lodgements updates

Our J50 BAS Lodgements workpaper now retrieves the revision indicator from the ATO, which means that the summary section will now display the latest revision (if an activity statement has been revised), which will then flow through to the other relevant workpapers.

Changes to creating binder at client group level

To prevent any accidental creation of binders for client groups (instead of the actual client), there are now only two ways to create one:

1. If a binder has not been created for the client group, click on the grey Workpapers icon in the Home screen for that group to create a group binder.

2. If binders already exist for the client group, then navigate to the Workpapers tab, and ensure the correct client group is selected in the client filter at the top of the screen. Then click on "+ New Binder" to create a binder for that client group.

Repositioning of Record Details button 

We have moved the Record Details button in the index screen to the More Options menu at the end of the row.

Rollover bug fix

Our rollover process now takes into account that certain worksheets in the source Excel binder may not exist in our templates. Where this is the case, the rollover process will now continue with other worksheets and complete the process.

Introducing sticky filters!

We've implemented user-requested improvements so that the filters you set on the client, binder, and ledger screens will be remembered until you clear or update them, saving you time and clicks.

Completed Records/Workpapers: Auto-Revert to "In Progress" on Balance Change
Previously, if the balance amount in a completed workpaper changed, the record status remained unchanged. This update introduces a new behaviour:

• Auto-Revert to In Progress: When the balance amount in a completed workpaper is modified, the status will automatically revert back to "In Progress."

This ensures completed workpapers accurately reflect current balances, prompting users to review and update the workpaper as needed.

Binders:

Trust Binder (incorporated into the Accounts and Tax Binder)   

Introducing a new way to handle your Trust jobs. From basic distributions through to complex streaming, our new and improved worksheets have you covered. No longer get distracted by company-centric worksheets and workflows. Our updates include:

• A Trust specific C20 Tax Reconciliation
• NEW C16 and C18 Distribution (no streaming) worksheets for Discretionary and Fixed Trusts that flow through to an improved TD05 Beneficiary Accounts worksheet.
• TD05 Beneficiary Accounts worksheet that prepopulates with distributions and rolls closing balances to the next year.
• NEW TTR Tax Return Template that summarises all your data into the appropriate tax return labels (applicable only for 2024 onwards).

Worried about applying carried forward losses? The following worksheets are here to assist:

• TD06 50 Percent Stake Test
• TD07 Pattern of Distributions
• TD08 Income Injection Test
• As well as keep track of related family members and entities with the TD10 Test Individual worksheet.

Note: The TD09 Recoupment of Losses worksheet has been deactivated. You are now able to use the C15 Losses worksheet instead.

Unlucky enough to have to apply some streaming to the Trust Income? We have collated the necessary worksheets into their own Trusts with Streaming section in the General tab of the Index.

• TDSS Trust Step by Step Instructions
• TDS Trust Distributions Summary (which also flows through to TD05)
• TD01 Capital Gains Allocation
• TD02 Franked Distributions Allocation
• TD03 Adjusted Section 97 Assessable Income

Worksheets:

Along with the expected updates to 2024 dates and rates, we are releasing not one, not two, but three new worksheets:

NEW D05A Work from Home Deduction (for Individual binders)

Designed to simplify the tracking and management of expenses incurred while working remotely. This comprehensive tool allows you to easily record and categorise various work-from-home expenses such as internet, utilities, office supplies, and more. The worksheet includes automated calculations for total expenses and provides insights into deductible amounts, ensuring accurate and efficient documentation.

NEW K20 QBCC Minimum Financial Requirement

Our new QBCC (Queensland Building and Construction Commission) worksheet is specifically designed to assist with calculating and tracking Net Tangible Assets and other essential financial metrics required by the QBCC. Additionally, it incorporates critical calculations to help manage maximum allowable revenue based on the financial sustainability requirements set by the QBCC. This new worksheet aims to streamline financial reporting and enhance the management of your building business's financial health.

NEW G29 Accumulated Property Cost Base and CGT

We are pleased to introduce our new Accumulated Property Cost Base and CGT worksheet, designed to streamline the tracking of initial purchase expenses and ongoing holding costs. This innovative tool allows you to roll forward costs year by year, ensuring comprehensive and accurate records are maintained effortlessly. When it comes time to sell, this worksheet simplifies the calculation of Capital Gains Tax by providing a detailed summary of all relevant expenses. This enhancement aims to make property financial management more efficient and stress-free, giving you peace of mind during the selling process.

But why stop there? We have also been busy improving some of your most used sheets, with some major upgrades to improve usability and increase efficiency, including the long-awaited…

H11 Chattel Mortgage Schedule and H13 Hire Purchase Schedule

We are proud to announce a significant update to our loan repayment worksheets, now accommodating annual repayments to provide flexibility in managing loan obligations, as well as the ability to deal with irregular and off-off payments. Additionally, we've introduced a new feature that simplifies loan balance reconciliation by enabling you to view total loan balances in a consolidated manner, adding to the traditional split between current and non-current amounts.

M25 Rental Property and M26 Rental Property Summary

The new design simplifies your workflow by consolidating all data for a single property into one comprehensive sheet, replacing the previous three properties per sheet system. The summary worksheet now effectively collates information from all your properties, providing a clear and concise overview. We've streamlined the interface by removing unnecessary monthly clutter and added a tax summary feature to facilitate easy transposing into your tax return. These improvements aim to enhance usability and efficiency in managing your rental properties.

Note: Data will not roll over from the old version to the upgraded version, due to the move from three properties to one per sheet. On occasion we have to make the difficult decision to improve a sheet at the cost of losing fixed data. Please copy your property information into the new worksheet and you can rest assured your data will roll forward seamlessly in the future.

F30 Prepayments

We have now introduced the capability to separate tax and accounting concepts as required, ensuring greater clarity and precision while still reconciling them to your Ledger. The layout has been revamped for a more user-friendly experience, making it easier to navigate and utilise. Additionally, we have integrated the Small Business Entity section into the main worksheet for streamlined access. You can now easily track movements with clear opening and closing balances, enhancing the overall functionality and efficiency of the worksheet.

G05 Borrowing Costs

This enhanced version now accommodates up to 20 loans, providing a robust solution for managing multiple borrowing costs. Additionally, the improved rollover feature allows you to keep track of individual loans efficiently while ensuring that the overall expense and asset are balanced accurately to the ledger. These improvements offer a more comprehensive and user-friendly experience, making the management of your borrowing costs more straightforward and precise.

G15 Blackhole Expenditure (previously G15 Intangibles)

Due to changes in the write-off rules around formation costs, we have converted our Intangibles worksheet to purely deal with blackhole expenditure, providing a more focused and efficient tool for managing these specific capital expenses. This updated version now accommodates up to 20 expense items, ensuring comprehensive tracking and reporting. The worksheet also features our new design, improving usability and readability.

N56 Payroll Tax

The Payroll Tax worksheet has been updated for 2024. This release includes the latest rates and thresholds for all Australian states and territories including calculation of the Mental Health and Wellbeing surcharge and the COVID-19 debt temporary surcharge for Victorian employers. Insert the updated worksheet, select your state, and enter your payroll information. The worksheet will handle the calculations, ensuring you use the correct rates and comply with the latest regulations.

Partnerships

Alongside our improvements to the Trust worksheets, we have added additional worksheets to improve the experience when working on a Partnership:

• C17 Partnership Distributions
• PTR Partnership Tax Return
• A Partnership specific C20 Tax Reconciliation worksheet

B01 Individual Tax Summary (for Individual binders)

The Individual Summary now prominently displays both taxable income and estimated tax payable before adjustments. 

Looking ahead, we're working on expanding this functionality to include tax calculations for various individual types and incorporating our ITR sheets with the Individual ATO pre-fill. Stay tuned for these future developments as we continue to refine our tools.

Coming later this month:

NEW K04 Dividends Calculator (including improvement to C05 Franking Accounts)

We will be releasing our new Dividends Calculator worksheet, designed to enhance the declaration process. Each declaration will now utilise an individual worksheet, which flows seamlessly into a new summary area in the C05 Franking Accounts worksheet. This setup will provide greater control, flexibility, and tracking of declared dividends, including the ability to split declarations by share class if needed. Additionally, the new summary in the C05 Franking Account worksheet will enable easy reconciliation of both declared dividends and dividends payable balances to the ledger, ensuring accurate and efficient financial management.

New Features and Improvements

We have released the following updates:

• New Directors Report Template: now available for use in Reports
• Accounting for private use of Fixed Assets: Users can now view and enter the private use percentage for accounting purposes in the depreciation section of fixed assets. The private use amounts can be viewed in the Accounting Fixed Assets report.

June 2024 Release

New Features and Improvements

Active - HowNow X Integration
We are excited to introduce our latest integration item: Active Workpapers - HowNowX Integration. This Integration allows users to seamlessly search and link documents stored in HowNowX directly within Active Workpapers, thus eliminating the need to switch between applications. Additionally, the Integration enables users to export finished binders directly to HowNow X, bypassing the manual process of downloading and uploading completed binders. This streamlined workflow saves time and minimises the likelihood of errors. 

To learn more about how this works and how to set it up, please refer to this article: How to set up and use Active - HowNow X integration : Business Fitness Help & Support 

Bulk Status Update Feature

This new feature allows you to effortlessly update the status of multiple accounts at once. Say goodbye to repetitive individual updates and hello to a much faster workflow.

Here's how it works:

• Select the accounts you want to update by checking the boxes next to them.
• Click the "Bulk Edit" button.
• Choose the desired status from the available options.

That's it! The statuses of your selected accounts will be updated in a single action, saving you valuable time and effort.

Swinging Accounts

In response to popular demand, we are very pleased to announce that you can now set accounts to swing between different classifications depending on whether the account balance is in negative. 

For example, if the entity has a Directors Loan Account with a credit balance (liability) in 2023, but in the 2024 financial year it has a debit balance (asset), the Directors Loan Account will swing from being a liability in the 2023 financial year to being an asset in the 2024 financial year (see example in the screenshot below). This ensures the account is represented as a positive figure on the page.

This is also particularly useful in ensuring that the Financial Information section of the company tax return workpaper captures the accurate financial position of the company.

You can now choose to swing accounts:

• Swing entire row based on primary column behaviour OR
• Swing each column's balance independently

To learn more about how this works and how to set it up, please refer to our article: How to set up and use account swinging.

NB: If you are connecting a binder to a dataset in Active Ledger & Reporting, the binder will import the account swinging configuration from Active Ledger. Any further changes to the swinging properties will need to be configured in Active Ledger. 

New Features and Improvements

Fixed Assets Improvements

Our team has been busy incorporating your feedback into our Fixed Assets module to cater to various scenarios you may encounter.

Here's what we have delivered in June 2024:

• Ability to record cost on acquisition date: You can now choose to recognise the cost of an asset from the acquisition date instead of from commencement date. Simply tick the 'Recognise from Acquisition' checkbox in the Purchase section of an asset after entering a commencement date.
• Accounting for private use (Gain/loss on sale and depreciation): When an asset involves an element of private use, the automated journals will journal the private use percentage to separate depreciation and gain/loss on sale accounts. This will save you the time in needing to take up a manual adjustment.
• Ability to import un-deducted decline in value: You can now import the un-deducted decline in value for any asset when running the bulk import function.

May 2024 Release

New Features and Improvements

Binder Export Improvements

We've heard your feedback and made significant improvements to the Binder Export process!

Binders can now be exported directly as a single PDF file, eliminating the need for ZIP folders in most cases. This simplifies sharing and storing your binders, making them readily accessible for reference.

ZIP exports will still be used in the following instances: 

• Large Binder Size: For binders exceeding 50MB in total size, a ZIP file will be used for efficient handling.
• Additional Options Selected: If you choose to include supplementary files during export, such as the binder workbook in Excel format or individual supporting documents, a ZIP file will be generated to accommodate these additional resources.

These enhancements give you greater control and efficiency when exporting your Binder information. 

Quick-Add New Row in Excel

You can now easily add a new row to a table while retaining existing formulas. Simply right-click on the last row, go to the ‘Active Workpapers’ option, and click on ‘Insert Row Below’. Or, you can use the keyboard shortcut ‘Ctrl+Alt+i’ to quickly insert a row below the active cell.  

Compare and Reinstate Previous Data Imports
We're excited to announce a powerful new feature that allows you to effortlessly review and reinstate prior import runs. With this update, you can now compare and reinstate past imports whenever necessary, giving you greater control and flexibility over your data management.

To find this feature, navigate to the 'Journals' page in the binder, and navigate to the 'Import Runs' tab. Here you can find all past import runs, and you can choose either to Reinstate or Compare the data. 

Binder Top Banner Makeover: More Room for What Matters!
Have you noticed a change in the binder page? We listened to your feedback and made some improvements to the top banner to enhance your experience.

• What's New?
  
  We've streamlined the banner by consolidating information that was previously spread across multiple rows. This creates a cleaner look and, more importantly, frees up valuable space within the Trial Balance section. Now you can view more accounts at a glance, making it easier to navigate and analyse your financial data. We hope this update makes working with your binders a smoother experience!
  
  

NEW Worksheet:

C35 Professional Firms Profit Allocation

We have listened to your feedback, and we're happy to announce a new worksheet designed to streamline risk assessment for professional firms. This worksheet directly addresses profit allocation practices in accordance with the ATO's PCG 2021/4 guidelines. The worksheet guides you through the three key risk assessment factors outlined in the PCG, ultimately determining your firm's relevant risk zone. This newfound clarity empowers you to make informed decisions regarding profit distribution, ensuring compliance and minimising potential risks.

Worksheet Improvements and Bug Fixes:

G31 Division 7A

Streamlining your Division 7A calculations just got easier! We've revamped our Division 7A worksheet to mirror the Australian Taxation Office's (ATO) own calculator, creating a more intuitive and user-friendly experience. This alignment ensures consistency and clarity when determining your Division 7A obligations. To further enhance your workflow, we've implemented a sleek new design and consolidated all loan details into a single location. These improvements empower you to confidently navigate Division 7A calculations with greater efficiency and accuracy.

FB10 Car Fringe Benefits & FB20 Multi-Car Fringe Benefits

We're pleased to announce that our FBT worksheets, now incorporate support for Electric Vehicles (EVs). This update reflects where eligible EVs are exempt from FBT, but still need to be declared as reportable fringe benefits. Our enhanced worksheets seamlessly handle both scenarios, ensuring accurate calculations and streamlined reporting for companies offering EVs as part of their employee benefits package. Stay compliant and confident in your FBT calculations.

N80 Wages

We've just released an update to our Wages worksheet that includes a helpful new feature. Now, the workpaper will automatically warn you if your total payroll exceeds the minimum threshold (for the lowest state) for registering for payroll tax. This will help you stay on top of your tax obligations and avoid any potential penalties.

M03 Capital Gains

Our popular Capital Gains worksheet is now the go-to for all entity types. Because of this, we have added a new owner split area to easily keep track of assets with multiple owners.

H35 Provisions Tax

We fixed a bug in which the Income Tax Expense from the C20 Tax Reconciliation worksheet was coming in as a negative.

Copy & Paste from Excel into Report Builder

If you have content from Excel that you wish to add to the financial reports in Active Ledger & Reporting, you can now simply copy and paste it in! For example, you can customise the content in the tax reconciliation section of the report, and copy & paste in the tax rec data from Excel.

Automated Tax Calculation in Reports

We have now added a new ‘Applicable Tax Rate’ field in Datasets, which drives the tax calculations in the Reports.

Ability to Customise Column Widths in Report Templates

Due to popular requests, we have released a feature where you can now, at the firm level, customise the width of the columns in your financial reports. Firm administrators can do this by going to Ledger Admin -> Styles and either select an existing style or create a new style. You can now see a new section called 'Standard Column Widths' in which you can choose what the column widths should be in your reports.

April 2024 Release

New Features and Improvements

Checklist Customisation

We heard your feedback and are excited to announce new checklist customisation features in the Admin Centre! Now, as an admin user, you can:

• Build from Scratch: Create new checklists directly within the Admin Centre.
• Edit Default Checklist: Add, modify, and remove default checklist items as needed.
• Bulk Import: Save time by importing entire lists of checklist items from Excel.

To learn more, visit this article How to Customize System Checklists or Create New : Business Fitness Help & Support 

Enhanced Notes and Queries

Now, you can easily add links to documents and attach files directly to your notes and client queries. Plus, you can personalise your notes with different font colours. 

QBO Accounts Receivables/Payable balances data flow to Trade Debtors and Creditors Workpaper

Enhance your workflow efficiency with our latest update. Now, seamlessly import debtor and creditor balances from QuickBooks Online (QBO) straight into the F05 Trade Debtors and H05 Trade Creditors workpapers. Just add either workpaper to a QBO-linked binder and watch as the data auto-populates for you.

NB: Please note that QBO creates distinct ledger accounts for Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable in foreign currencies. While multi-currency support is on our roadmap, the current integration only imports balances in the local currency. When incorporating F05 or H05 into a multi-currency QBO file, only local currency balances will be imported.

Editability of Workpapers after Approval

Our latest functionality empowers users to interact with approved/completed workpapers without compromising the integrity of the work done. Enjoy the flexibility to revisit and engage with your work, maintaining control and precision in your Workpapers experience.

If your firm prefers to enforce a lockdown on approved/completed workpapers, simply navigate to Workpapers Admin -> Firm Details and scroll down to the Options section. There, you can tick the checkbox titled "Lock worksheet after approval". This will prevent anyone from updating worksheets that have been marked as approved.

Binder Updates:

2024 Interim Accounts & Tax Workpapers

Need to complete 2024 Interims or even get started on some 2025 jobs? Good news - our 2024 Interim Accounts & Tax Workpapers have been released. The main updates include:

• Tax Rates – Updated tax rates for 2024 year.
• H39 Provisions - Long Service Leave - Updated superannuation rate for 2025.
• H40 Provisions - Annual Leave - Updated superannuation rate for 2025.
• M35 Sales Trading Account - Updated for 2024 private use rates.

Please keep in mind that any 2024 tax rate or legislation changes between now and the end of the financial year will be reflected in our Accounts & Tax release at the end of June, along with other design updates and improvements.

Compare Datasets

Active Ledger & Reporting users can now compare two datasets in a client file and automatically adjust for any discrepancies. You can find this new feature in the Datasets section of a client file. Select the two datasets you want to compare (ie previous year dataset and the opening balance for the current year dataset) and our comparison tool will suggest the balancing amounts required to balance the two datasets.

Please note, the Balancing Journal generated in this process will only be posted in Active Ledger. It can be marked for export in order to be included in the year-end adjustment journal to be posted back to the accounting file if necessary.

March 2024 Release

New Features

Integration with BGL 360 (Beta)

We're thrilled to announce a long-awaited update that our customers have been asking for a native integration with BGL 360! With this highly anticipated release, you can now connect to BGL 360 from Active Workpapers to pull the Trial balance and General Ledger details.

Note: Due to current API limitations, we are unable to push journals from Active Workpapers into BGL. As we continue to improve this, adjustment journals can be manually raised in BGL to reflect the balance in Active Workpapers. 

Define Standard Chart of Accounts:

We are excited to announce that firms can now define a standard chart of accounts for different entity types at the firm level in Active Workpapers. This means the accounts will be presented in a standardized manner regardless of the accounting software used, such as Xero or MYOB. If you are an Active administrator in your firm, you can configure the chart by going to Workpapers Admin > Standard Chart.

Streamlined Binder and Ledger File Navigation: Say Goodbye to Tab Spam!

We've heard your feedback loud and clear! Clicking on a binder name or ledger file name will now open the binder or ledger file directly within the current window. This eliminates the creation of unnecessary tabs and keeps your workspace clutter-free.

Want to open a binder or ledger file in a new tab? No problem! Simply right-click on the name and select "Open link in new tab."

This change ensures a smoother and more efficient browsing experience for all our users.

Binder Updates

2024 Fringe Benefits Tax

We are excited to announce the release of the latest version of our FBT Workpapers, now with a refreshed design and enhanced functionality to streamline your fringe benefits tax calculations and reporting. With a focus on user experience and efficiency, this update introduces two new worksheets: a specialised worksheet for managing multiple cars and a comprehensive employee summary sheet, each designed to optimise your tax reporting processes.

The first addition, the FB20 Multi-Cars Fringe Benefits worksheet, is specifically designed to accommodate the complexities of calculating FBT for multiple vehicles. This enhancement not only simplifies data entry and calculations but also enriches the reporting capabilities, ensuring a more efficient and comprehensive tax reporting process for businesses managing vehicle fleets.

We have also introduced the FB19 FBT Employee Summary worksheet, designed to provide a holistic view of all employee benefits in one place. This sheet makes it easier than ever to review and analyse the total reportable benefits across your entire workforce. With all employee FBT data consolidated into a single, easy-to-navigate worksheet, you can now ensure no detail is overlooked in your FBT reporting.

2025 Salary Sacrifice

Our latest update also includes Salary Sacrifice Workpapers, engineered to calculate potential savings for employees engaging in salary sacrifice arrangements. This feature is designed to provide clear, concise insights into how salary sacrifice can impact take-home pay and tax liabilities, offering employees a transparent view of the financial benefits of such arrangements.

2024 Tax Planning

Treasury Laws Amendment (Cost of Living - Medicare Levy) Bill 2024 (Stage 3 Tax Cuts) passed both Houses on 27 February 2024 and received Royal Assent 5 March 2024. This change resulted in the Medicare levy low-income threshold for the 2023-2024 income year increasing from $24,276 to $26,000. And the phase out threshold increased from $30,345 to $32,500. For this reason, we have re-released the 2024 Tax Planning starter to take into account the new rates. 

Improvements and Bug Fixes:

Ability to export Asset Reports in PDF and Word formats

Users can now export Asset Reports as PDF files or Word documents.

Mapping Report Available in Reports Tab

Effortlessly visualize the grouping of all source accounts to Active Ledger groups and classifications, enhancing clarity and precision in your financial mapping. Plus, you can now export this insightful report directly into Excel for seamless analysis and sharing. 

February 2024 Release

New Features and Automation

ATO Integration: Integrated Client Account and Income Tax Account

We are excited to announce two more features to our ATO Integration series - Integrated Client Account and Income Tax Account. Simply insert our new H50 Integrated Client Account and C50 Income Tax Account templates into your binder and it will auto-populate with all the relevant ATO transactional data for these accounts. No more logging into the ATO portal to manually retrieve these data. Imagine the time you will save for each job.

Watch the video below to see it in action. 

Learn how to use the H50 Integrated Client Account and C50 Income Tax Account templates here.

Fixed Asset Automation with Active Ledger & Reporting

Introducing our latest feature in Active Workpapers' automation series: Fixed Asset Automation with Active Ledger. If you manage assets in Active Ledger & Reporting, simply insert the improved G10 Fixed Assets Reconciliation workpaper template in Active Workpapers, and watch the automation working its magic - fetching fixed asset data from Active Ledger & Reporting and populating G10! This saves you significant time by eliminating manual data entry and speeding up the reconciliation process.

Watch the video below to see it in action. 

Our comprehensive guide provides step-by-step instructions on how to use the Fixed Assets Automation with Active Ledger & Reporting. Click here

Improved Workpaper Template: G10 Fixed Assets Reconciliation

Based on valuable user feedback, we redesigned the G10 Fixed Asset Reconciliation workpaper template to help you reconcile your Fixed Asset Register and Accounts, regardless of where you maintain the assets balances. 

If you manage the fixed assets outside of Active Ledger and Reporting, simply enter the data manually in the G10 Fixed Assets Reconciliation workpaper.

J50 BAS Lodgements Updates

We have improved our J50 BAS Lodgements worksheet to now prepopulate the last activity statement before the start of the current financial period. For example, in a binder where the period has been set to 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023, the data for the June 2022 Activity statement will also be included and will be brought across to J51 GST Reconciliation and N80 Wages & PAYG to reconcile the opening balances.

Current Year Earnings account in the Trial Balance

We have listened to your feedback and have now included a Current Year Earnings account in the Equity section of the Trial Balance. This system account reflects the net profit of the year, and by including it in the Equity section, it ensures that the total Equity balances with Net Assets in the Balance Sheet.

Improved Document Link functionality

This enhancement empowers users to effortlessly add documents to the 'Notes/Hyperlinks' section in Excel workpapers by right-clicking and selecting the 'Add Document Link' option. Users can either upload a new document directly or link an existing one, enabling seamless cross-referencing of documents in their workpapers. 

When a worksheet does not have linked documents, the "Add Document Link" button prompts users to add a document.

However, if the workpaper has existing documents available, users can select a document from the available list or upload a new one using the 'Add More Documents' button.

Binder Updates

Tax Planning

The latest update to our Tax Planning binder enhances the user experience with a redesigned, more intuitive interface, including easier navigation between worksheets. This update also introduces the ability to compare current and previous period tax data. These improvements, along with our core offerings of optimising tax position strategies and techniques for minimising tax liabilities, solidify Active Workpapers as a comprehensive and user-friendly solution for efficient tax planning and management.

Template Improvements and Bug Fixes

N15 Entertainment

Presenting a preloaded Entertainment template. Now, you can directly import transactions from Xero, which saves time and minimises errors from manual data entry. This template also simplifies the identification of non-deductible amounts, which are seamlessly integrated into the Tax Reconciliation process.

F05 Trade Debtors and H05 Trade Creditors 

The latest update introduces a streamlined design overhaul for both the Trade Creditors and Trade Debtors worksheets, enhancing the user experience with a more user-friendly interface. This update also includes new graphical sections, which provide a visual representation of financial data to aid you in your analytical work. Additionally, "Analytical Insights" have been integrated into both analysis sections, offering deeper, actionable insights into financial standings.

We are excited to release the revamped Provision for Doubtful Debts section, featuring a "Debtors at risk" table that highlights the top 10 'at risk' debtors based on customisable sensitivity settings. These design and feature updates not only enhance the visual and functional aspects of the templates but also incorporate advanced analytics features, significantly improving insights and efficiency in managing monthly workpapers.

N75 Superannuation

Our latest release features a redesigned superannuation template, aimed at improving user navigation and efficiency. Alongside the aesthetic enhancements, we've corrected a previously encountered bug where late payment warnings were not appearing as intended. This update ensures a smoother experience and better compliance with superannuation payment deadlines.

J50 BAS Lodgements

In line with our recent updates across various templates, the BAS Lodgements sheet has also undergone a redesign to ensure consistency and enhance user experience. The sheet also introduces a new feature: a deferred GST column. This addition is designed to provide users with more flexibility and accuracy in managing GST obligations, particularly for those dealing with imported goods and opting for deferred GST schemes.

C25 Group Tax Reconciliation

We're thrilled to introduce our new group tax reconciliation worksheet, developed in response to your valuable feedback. Designed to simplify the task of summarising tax positions across various entities, this tool also efficiently handles trust and partnership distributions among entities. Furthermore, it allows for the inclusion of your tax planning estimates, enabling a comprehensive comparison with the final results.

Company Tax Return

Changed the Closing Stock figure to display as a positive in the Financial Information section, so that it would import into APS Tax correctly.

January 2024 Release

• Balance Sheet Filter
  Added a dedicated "Balance Sheet" filter in the Trial Balance section for easier navigation.
  
  
• Source Logo and 'Last Refresh' Timestamp
  Now displays the source logo and the last refreshed timestamp on the Index page for better visibility.
  
  
  
• Improved 'Record Details' Page
  Now, clicking the 'i' icon next to any record instantly reveals a pop-up window displaying all the information you need. Plus, we've fine-tuned the button layout for a smoother experience.
• Introducing 'Quick Comment'
  Right-click on any account or record and use "Quick Comment" to add comments like "No action required" or "No movement during the period". These comments will then appear below the account/record.
  
  Note: Quick comments are not subject to any approval workflow. If you need a comment that requires formal approval, please use the "Comment" feature within "Add Record."
    
• Export Trial Balance
  You can now export the trial balance from Active Workpapers as a .csv or .xlxs file using the "Export Trial Balance" option under "Settings & Tools."  
  The exported file includes four columns: Account No, Account Name, Debit, and Credit.
   
  

• Office Filter and Column
  "Office" is now available as both a filter and a column in the work paper and ledger listing pages for improved organisation.

• Introducing Document Link functionality
  Now, users can effortlessly link an existing document to any cell in the 'Notes/Hyperlinks' section in Excel worksheets, enabling seamless cross-referencing of documents in their workpapers. 
  
  Once the document has been saved in Active, use the 'Document Link' functionality to cross-reference a document in your Excel worksheets:
  
  

• Add Internal Notes and Client Queries directly from Excel
  Users now have the ability to create internal notes and client queries from the right-click menu when working in the Excel binder. These actions are also now available in the add-in ribbon:

  
  

  

Improvements and Bug Fixes:

• New Page: Financial Excerpt 
  Users are able to create a financial statement page that shows the contents of a single nominated account. Simply add a new 'Financial Excerpt' page when drafting the financial reports, select the required account and generate your financial report:
   

• Hide Page Numbers
  Users now have the ability to remove page numbers when drafting financial reports. Either make this change per individual report to customise the output or adopt this change on a firm level in the Admin centre: 

  
  

  

• New Standard Chart Accounts Header for  'Other Operating Income'
  We have introduced the ability to now group accounts under an ‘Other Operating Income’ header. Once grouped, users can now show the Profit and Loss statement with this new header:
  

• Import All Accounts 

We have introduced the ability to import all accounts from a source system. Import accounts with nil balances to see a full listing of all available accounts when working through your compliance jobs.

• Formula Editor Fixes :
  • Users are now able to hide the total row if the formula output produces a nil/0 result
  • Fixed a bug where the cursor would not pick up standard formula symbols within a financial table
• Admin centre improvements now allow users to view the count of how many times a page template has been linked to a report master template.
   

• Various improvements to Standard Accounts. Users can now:
  • Add varying names to standard headers/accounts based on the entity type.
  • Add the ability to define MASTER matching rules that link to standard accounts and limit rules to entity types.

• Fixed an issue with the column width when exporting financial reports to Word and PDF.
  
• Fixed a bug where, on bulk asset disposal, the balancing journal is being calculated on the prior years WDV.
• Fixed a bug where the filter dates in the report columns changed upon saving.

December 2023 Release

New Features:

We are excited to introduce our new FYI Integration! The Active-FYI Integration allows users to seamlessly search and link documents from FYI directly within Active Workpapers, thus eliminating the need to switch between applications. Additionally, the integration enables users to export finished binders as Zip files directly to FYI, bypassing the manual process of downloading and uploading completed binders. This streamlined workflow saves time and minimises the likelihood of errors.

Watch the video below to see it in action.

Our comprehensive guide provides step-by-step instructions on how to configure and utilise this integration effectively. Click here to access the article. 

Improvements & Bug Fixes

• Improvements to the Excel Import Process
  Exciting news for our users! The Excel Trial Balance import process is now more streamlined than ever. Enjoy an enhanced workflow with improved efficiency and precision. The update prompts users with step-by-step guidance, ensuring a smooth experience, and allows the upload of a predetermined format to guarantee the correct details are imported seamlessly. Click here to read our comprehensive 'how to' article.

  
  

  
• Improvements to the Binder Lockdown Process
  Completed binders can now be securely locked down, preventing users from creating or editing notes and queries within them. This feature is designed to safeguard the contents of your completed binders and ensure that no unauthorized changes can be made once the binder is finalized. 

  
  

  
• Enhanced workflow for binders connected to Active Ledger. When selecting your dataset, the column headers, start dates, and end dates will now be automatically prefilled for your convenience.
  
• Effortlessly transfer your journals from Excel by using the copy-and-paste feature. Simply select the desired cell for journal entry, press the 'ESC' key on your keyboard, and proceed to paste your journal. 
• Improvements to the General Ledger worksheet now include detailed information regarding a Transaction ID and Transaction Type to provide more context for transactions
• Improved workflow when creating a new binder to ensure Binders cannot be created with end dates that precede the start date
• Improved filtering options in the Add Record screen to ensure results are entity specific
• General Ledger workpaper records now feature enhanced convenience during data retrieval. When pulling a workpaper record, users will notice that the transaction type and ID columns are automatically pre-filled with relevant information instead of numerical IDs
• Improved messaging in a binder when a linked Active Ledger dataset has been deleted
• Improved error messaging now provides clear alerts to users regarding incompatibility issues when creating a reconciliation field that includes special characters. The updated messages offer actionable steps to guide users in resolving the error efficiently
• Fixed an issue where formulas in the 2022 C20 Trust Tax Reconciliation are not optimising on opening of the binder. This fix will update the formula when the binder is opened to avoid any #VALUE errors
• Fixed a bug where the manual journals in Xero were coming in with a different date in the general ledger worksheet when the user is working in a different time zone

New binder

Personal Tax Return (applicable to UK clients only)

We are excited to announce the release of our Personal Tax Return binder, designed to streamline and enhance the process of completing personal tax returns in the UK. This binder includes a summary sheet and 14 individual sheets, each designed to facilitate a seamless flow of information back to the summary in line with tax return labels. With a focus on user feedback, this release marks an advancement in simplifying and optimising the process of completing personal tax return workpapers in the UK, by enhancing the overall efficiency, accuracy, and user experience.

Template improvements

J51 GST Reconciliation

In response to valuable user feedback, we're excited to announce future enhancements to the 'J51 GST Reconciliation' template:

• Streamlined Reconciliation Field: To optimise screen real estate, we've reduced the size of the Reconciliation Field and relocated it to the header. This change effectively minimises white space, providing a more focused workspace.
• Enhanced User Guidance: We've listened to your requests for improved usability. Now, you'll find comprehensive instructions thoughtfully integrated throughout the template, ensuring a smoother and more intuitive experience.
• Enhanced Navigation: We've introduced additional buttons to enhance navigation within the template. These new buttons will help you move through the template with greater ease and efficiency.
• Introducing a Sales Sensibility Check: We've added a Sales Check function to help you effortlessly detect variances between ledger balances and ATO lodgements, including the functionality to incorporate GST-free sales. This feature empowers you to maintain precise financial records with confidence.
• Fixed a bug where the Accounting System amount was not being picked up for the September quarter after adding the Xero report.

C20 Tax Reconciliation

• In this release, we've added the functionality to incorporate SBE amounts to adjust the distribution amount accordingly.
• Furthermore, we've enhanced visibility by displaying the income tax expense amount, along with the new option to include dividends paid or distributions that exist in the profit and loss statement.
• We have deactivated previous versions of the template. If you're working on jobs from before 2023, you will still have access to the latest template version with accurate tax rates for that specific year. This update guarantees seamless data transfer from prior years, resolving the previously encountered rollover issues when transitioning from 2022 to 2023.

N80 Entertainment

• Introducing a prefilled Entertainment template. Import Xero transactions directly, saving you time and reducing manual data entry errors. Easily identify non-deductible amounts that automatically flow through to the Tax Reconciliation.

D03 Debit Loan Summary

• Reconciliation fields were added to all totals in the Debit Loan Calculator Summary, in order to enable their detection by other binders using the ‘external links’ function.

M03 Capital Gains

• Fixed a bug where the CGT gain discount was not calculating 50% when the entity type was an Individual.

November 2023 Release

New Features:

Internal notes, client queries, checklist items and navigation improvements in the Index 

With this enhancement, you can create and manage internal notes and client queries directly from the Index, simplifying the process of reviewing existing information or adding new ones. 

Use the Add Internal note option in Index (+) to add internal notes such as To do, File Note, Matter for Manager, Matter for Partner or Review Point* (The review point option appears only if you have the approver access).

Clicking on the Excel record will now open your Excel binder. If your binder is already open, the navigation will take you to the appropriate tab for easy viewing. 

Bulk Insert

We're thrilled to introduce a user-inspired upgrade: the capability to bulk accept recommendations and roll over records within binders. This enhancement is designed to improve efficiency by eliminating the need for individual acceptance of records, saving you precious time. Whether you're setting up a new binder or managing an existing one, this feature seamlessly integrates into your process. 

For new binders, it's part of the setup wizard; for existing ones, simply navigate to Settings & Tools. 

Email Notification

We are delighted to unveil a significant enhancement in Active Workpapers: the introduction of Email Notifications. This latest update empowers you to efficiently communicate binder/job statuses with your team, ensuring a seamless workflow. Whether it's notifying a reviewer about a binder ready for review or simply sharing the binder link with another team member, this feature promotes enhanced connectivity and productivity.

*Please note that these notifications will be dispatched from [email protected]. To guarantee uninterrupted communication, we recommend coordinating with your IT team to whitelist this email address.

Review Mode

We're excited to introduce a redesigned review process based on valuable customer feedback, placing review actions at the forefront of the platform.

Watch our brief video walkthrough of Review mode to see it in action. 

Active Workpapers - Review Mode from Business Fitness on Vimeo.

Improvements & Bug Fixes

• 'Open Record Details' button and optimised record details screen
  We've introduced a dedicated icon for accessing record details in the Index. Simply click on it to open the enhanced record details screen. 
  
  
• Matters Screen Now Renamed to Notes & Queries
  In line with the improvements on the Index screen, the Matters screen is now renamed to the Notes & Queries screen. This screen will house all your internal notes and client queries. 

  
  

  
• Improvements to the Index when working with large columns of data. Using the horizontal scroll, ensure all information is visible as needed when working through your compliance jobs.
  
  
  
• Improved messaging to alert users that Class source connections have limitations when posting journals from Active back to the source.
• Enhanced Client Creation Experience: We've streamlined the process of creating new clients or client groups. Now, when you create a new client or client group, the client screen opens automatically, eliminating the need to search through the client listing to find your newly added client.
• Improved messaging for workpapers that got disconnected from their source file after the workpaper had successfully connected before.
• Fixed an issue with Xero accounts not being classified to the right category when the account type is ‘Direct Costs’. These will now be correctly auto-mapped to 'Cost of Sales'.
• Fixed a bug where merged QBO accounts were not pulling sub-ledger details into the trade debtors workpaper.
• Fixed an issue where formulas in the 2022 C20 Tax Reconciliation are not optimising on opening of the binder. This fix will update the formula when the binder is opened to avoid any #VALUE errors.
• Fixed a bug where flags change their colour in the Index screen upon PDF export of the binder.
• Fixed a bug where the reconciliation box disappears sporadically when linking to Active Ledger Accounts.
• Fixed a bug when creating a binder with a MYOB connection pulling in data for any date range that is not equal to 1 year.

Coming Soon

Deactivation of prior year C20 Tax Reconciliation templates

In November 2023, we will be deactivating previous versions of the C20 Tax Reconciliation template. If you're working on jobs from before 2023, you will still have access to the latest template version with accurate tax rates for that specific year. This update guarantees seamless data transfer from prior years, resolving the previously encountered rollover issues when transitioning from 2022 to 2023.

Improvements to the J51 GST Reconciliation template

In response to valuable user feedback, we're excited to announce future enhancements to the 'J51 BAS Reconciliation' template:

• Streamlined Reconciliation Field: To optimise screen real estate, we've reduced the size of the Reconciliation Field and relocated it to the header. This change effectively minimises white space, providing a more focused workspace.
• Enhanced User Guidance: We've listened to your requests for improved usability. Now, you'll find comprehensive instructions thoughtfully integrated throughout the template, ensuring a smoother and more intuitive experience.
• Enhanced Navigation: We've introduced additional buttons to enhance navigation within the template. These new buttons will help you move through the template with greater ease and efficiency.
• Introducing a Sales Sensibility Check: We've added a Sales Check function to help you effortlessly detect variances between ledger balances and ATO lodgements. This feature empowers you to maintain precise financial records with confidence.

We hope these updates will further streamline your workflow and make your experience with our product even more productive. As always, your feedback is essential in driving continuous improvement, so please don't hesitate to share your thoughts with us.

October 2023 Release

New Features:

Income Tax Automation (Beta)

We are excited to introduce our latest feature in Active Workpapers' automation series: Income Tax Automation (Beta)

The Income Tax Automation (Beta) will work through a series of steps to compare the ledger balance to the worksheet balance and journal the required values of Income Tax Expenses for the period. After the initial automation is completed, it will continue operating in the background and automatically make any necessary adjustments to the journal if there are changes to supporting worksheets or values.

Watch our brief video walkthrough of Income Tax Automation (Beta) to see its capabilities in action.

Active Workpapers - Income tax automation from Business Fitness on Vimeo.

Dive deeper into the feature's functionalities and best practices through our comprehensive guide: User Guide

Note: As this feature is currently in beta, your feedback and insights are invaluable to us. Your experience, suggestions and feedback will play a crucial role in refining and enhancing Income Tax Automation to meet your unique needs.

As with any beta feature, there might be occasional hiccups or issues, and we appreciate your understanding and patience as we work to refine and enhance the feature based on your input.

If you encounter any issues, have questions, or want to share your thoughts, please get in touch with us by clicking the help button and submitting a ticket. Your input is invaluable to us, and we're here to assist you every step of the way.

Improvements to the Loan Repayment Calculator and associated templates:

As discussed last month, a review of our loan-related templates was undertaken to streamline and eliminate any duplicate offerings. 

The summary of template changes are:

* Data from H24 will rollover into H11 or H13 as required.

H11 Chattel Mortgage Schedule

• Now available in 'Accounts and Tax' and 'Connected' starters.

H12 Loan Summary

• Used in the Loan Repayment Calculator starter only.
• Has been split into two summary sections – Chattel Mortgages and Hire Purchases.

H13 Hire Purchase Schedule New

• Created to distinguish between Hire Purchase loans and Chattel Mortgages. 
• Available in the Loan Repayment Calculator and as a standalone in 'Accounts and Tax' and 'Connected' starters.

The recommended workflow for multiple loans is:

• Use the Loan Repayment Calculator starter.
• Add as many H13 Hire Purchase Schedules and/or H11 Chattel Mortgage Schedules as required. 
• Data will automatically be summarised in H12 Loan Summary.

NOTE: If you still wish to utilise any of the templates that are marked for deactivation, download the relevant templates and upload them as worksheets for your firm. Refer to our support article Uploading a new or customised worksheet on how to do this. However, any functionality such as rollovers and data prefill will NO longer operate. 

Template Improvements and Bug Fixes:

C05 Dividends Paid and Franking Accounts

• Under the franking account closing balance, new fields have been added which calculate the maximum franked dividend and maximum dividend payable based on the company’s retained profits.

D01 Motor Vehicle Expenses

• Registration and insurance row has been split into separate expense items.

J05 Annual BAS

• Based on user feedback, J05 has been re-instated.

F20 Livestock

• Rounding has been adopted when calculating the average cost of livestock.

M03 Capital Gains

• The entity type requirement in the checklist has been removed and included in the main section of the template.
• The formula calculating discounted capital gain has been updated to include individual taxpayers.

M40 Car FBT

• The formula which notifies whether the log book is out of date has been amended in accordance with the required retention period.

N75 Superannuation

• The tolerance variance used to determine the reconciliation status has been amended from 2% to 0%.
• The opening balance reference has been updated to allow for manual entries.

Improvements and Bug Fixes:

• Enhanced User Interface for Handling Large Consolidated Datasets:

  Experience a streamlined interface for effortlessly managing extensive consolidated datasets. With our latest update, each data line now displays its corresponding source and entity information, providing you with complete transparency. Gain a comprehensive overview of your entity and dataset information on a single screen while navigating through large consolidated datasets. Moreover, easily sort datasets by choosing between Tree View or Flat View for added convenience.

  
  

  

  
  

• Improvements to Dataset Creation:
  We've refined the process of creating datasets with improved messaging. Now, users will receive alerts when attempting to create sources that already exist, ensuring a smoother and more efficient workflow. 

  
  

  
  In addition, we have improved the import process to ensure leading spaces in account codes and names are removed on upload
  
  
• You can now delete your saved report files as you work through your Reports module.

  
  

  
• We have fixed a bug in the journal screen where formulas and negative quantity values were not being recognised.
• Fixed a bug where an accounting policy name was changed in the Admin centre but this was not being reflected in the Financial Reports.
• Fixed a bug in the trial balance report where the column names did not align with the data within the respective columns.
  

September 2023 Release

New Features:

Binder Setup Wizard

Introducing a user-friendly set-up wizard based on customer feedback, streamlining the binder creation process in Active Workpapers. Say goodbye to confusion as the guided wizard seamlessly walks you through binder creation and data setup, ensuring a smooth transition and empowering you to maximize your productivity.

Watch the video below to see the Setup Wizard in action. 

Active Workpapers Binder Setup Wizard (updated) from Business Fitness on Vimeo.

Integration with Class (Beta)

We're thrilled to announce a long-awaited update that our customers have been asking for a native integration with Class! With this highly anticipated release, you can now connect to Class from Active Workpapers to pull the Trial balance and General Ledger details.

Note: When connecting to Class, due to current API limitations, we are unable to push journals from Active Workpapers into Class. As we continue to improve this, adjustment journals can be manually raised in Class to reflect the balance in Active Workpapers.

Index User Experience Improvements - Phase 2

We're excited to introduce Phase 2 of our Index screen redesign, driven by valuable customer feedback! This update improves navigation by introducing intuitive tabs and easy-to-use binder infographics, allowing you to effortlessly gauge the status of your binder at a glance. 

• Improved Navigation
  Experience instant access to your essential information the moment you open your binder, thanks to our enhanced tab layout. With this update, you can effortlessly toggle between the General and Trial Balance tabs, enabling you to concentrate on your binder's specific areas. 

  
  

  

• Binder Infographics
  Introducing a visual enhancement that puts actionable insights front and centre in your binder. Now, at the top of your binder, along with the binder status, you can effortlessly view infographics highlighting Outstanding Records and Unreconciled Records. With just a click, you can instantly navigate to these outstanding issues for a seamless and efficient workflow.
  
  

• Settings & Tools button
  All the fields and tools that were formerly on the 'Home' screen will now be centralised under the 'Settings & Tools' button, providing convenient and easy access to these resources.

• Improved supporting document visuals
  We've improved the way supporting documents are displayed, making it easy to see how many documents are linked to a record right on the Index page. When there are multiple documents present, we've also added a dropdown option that allows you to effortlessly preview these attached documents directly from the index.

  
  

  

Improvements and Bug Fixes:

• Based on Feedback, we have renamed the 'Review Centre' to ‘QA Centre’. The QA centre is a handy end-of-job sanity check tool where you can ensure comprehensive file completion by reviewing any outstanding items.
  
  
  
• We have listened to your feedback! You can now export your completed binders straight from the web. Use the Export PDF button in the QA Centre to download a zip folder of all your completed work to store in your third-party document management system.
  
  
  
• Improvements to the accounts screen to allow for easy custom header creation and account grouping. Use the right-click menu to create additional custom headers and groupings to organise client data. 
  
  
• Improvements to the general ledger view now let you see more details for any journals posted within Active. Using the right-click menu in your Index screen, see all account breakdown details as well as any adjustment journals posted without having to navigate away from this screen. 

• Added a mechanism to stop unrelated named ranges from being created when worksheets have been copied between binders.
• Improvements made to lags in syncing when working in the Excel Add-In task pane.
• Fixed a bug where binders would show an ‘already activated’ message on opening. This fix allows users to continue with the work.
• Added a fix to stop users from approving a record with outstanding matters.
• Fixed an error where bank accounts were not aligned in chronological order, incorrectly showing as unreconciled in the Index.
• Fixed a bug when importing a trial balance where duplicate accounts exist.
• Improved error warning when a journal pending export does not have an account ID. The new error now gives the user prompts to help troubleshoot and solve the issue.
• Fixed a bug in QBO when exporting journals back to the source to ensure journal dates in QBO align with Active. All journals from Active will be pushed back into QBO with the year-end as the journal date.

Binders and Templates

2023 Capital Gains Tax binder:

• Enhanced C28 SBE Aggregated Turnover with updated external hyperlinks.
• Introduced an additional row and associated summary total row for Adjustments to Consideration received in the J30 GST Margin Scheme.

2024 Company Debit Loan binder

• Updated the D08 UPE Repayment Calculator to align with 2024 benchmark interest rates.
• Improved the G31 Division 7A Calculator by:
  • Added a drop-down box for selecting the loan security.
  • Introduced an auto-calculate cell for Loan Remaining term.
  • Updated to reflect 2024 benchmark interest rates.

Content Improvements and Bug Fixes:

L05 General Ledger

• We have introduced an automatic import feature for GST amounts, making it easier than ever to manage your GST-related data.
• We have removed text wrap from the Contact Name column, enhancing the readability and presentation of your General Ledger.
• We have updated the reconciliation status to show "Reconcile" if there are amounts in the debit or credit columns and the balance is nil. 
• We have unlocked the General Notes cells.

C05 Franking Account

We have added additional line above the tax rate in dividends paid section to select whether company is a base rate entity.

FB10 Car FBT

We have included a journal for employee contribution including GST, to be able to eliminate the FBT component.

N75 Superannuation

We have introduced a new column (G) labelled 'Adjustments' within the template. This addition allows you to account for salary sacrifice arrangements, providing you with a more comprehensive and accurate analysis of your data.

N80 Wages

Fixed bug where the Wages Expense was not being picked up in the reconciliation field. 

Introducing future improvements to the Loan Repayment Calculator

We are currently in the process of reviewing our collection of loan-related templates to streamline and eliminate any duplicate offerings. We anticipate unveiling the updated suite by the end of October 2023.

The summary of template changes are:

H12 Loan Summary

• Split into two summary sections – Chattel mortgage and Hire Purchase.
• Reconciliation fields on totals can be used as “external links”.

H13 Hire Purchase Schedule New

• Created to distinguish between Hire Purchase loans and Chattel Mortgages. 
• Will be available in the Loan Repayment Calculator and as a standalone in Accounts and Tax.

The recommended workflow for multiple loans is:

• Use the Loan Repayment Calculator binder
• Add as many H13 Hire Purchase Schedules or H11 Chattel Mortgage Schedules as required
• Data will automatically be summarised in H12 Loan Summary
• The totals contain reconciliation fields that can be used as 'external links' in other binders.

New Features:

Improved Cashflow Work Area

Experience a more streamlined cashflow statement preparation process with our latest update. Our enhanced cashflow work area now offers a dynamic column view, allowing you to effortlessly make and track the impact of changes without needing to generate reports. Plus, you can customize labels, headings, and cashflow categories for a tailored presentation in your financials.

Improvements to the Asset Module

• Our latest import options make it a breeze to auto-balance your general asset pool when bulk-loading assets. 

  
  

  

• Introducing the 'Post Automated Journals' button within the Assets area for seamless posting directly from the Assets interface, eliminating the need to access the dataset separately.
   
• You can now post automated disposal journals through the 'Post Automated Journals' button. Set up the accounts for cost, depreciation and disposal within the asset group settings to post values to the right accounts. 

  
  

  

• In the Full Summary report, taxation columns now feature grey highlighted cells for better clarity. All Assets reports now include fixed headers to ensure you never lose track of your data while scrolling. Additionally, we've added expand/collapse all options to Asset reports, and your ordering preferences in the assets list view will now be remembered from session to session, providing a more personalized and efficient workflow. 

  
  

  

Export to CSV/Excel

You can now export into Excel or CSV directly from the Accounts screen. Our export feature allows you to generate CSV/Excel files that include account balances, but also any relevant groupings, making data management more comprehensive and convenient. 

Improvements and Bug Fixes:

• You can now leverage the capability to reference accounting note disclosures in your financial reports directly to the relevant accounting standards. Upon completion, you can effortlessly generate an export that provides a handy compilation of all referenced note disclosures for your convenience.
  
  
  
• Improved wording to alert users when creating multiple Excel data sources when data is coming from the same system. This will help avoid duplicating of datasets 

  
  

  

• We have enhanced the alert messaging system for generating financial reports to promptly notify users of discrepancies found in the Statement of Retained Earnings 

  
  

  

• Fixed a bug where copying and pasting text fields into the report editor was causing errors in downloading a report into a Word/Excel/PDF format
• Fixed a bug when posting journals that include negative quantity values that would cause the journal to clear out
• Fixed a bug where the recommendations in the Accounts screen would disappear and require refreshing the screen to bring them back
• Resolved a bug to enhance the viewing experience on the Accounts screen, where longer lines of text were not properly concatenated

Improvements and Bug Fixes:

Improved Client Screen

We're excited to announce an enhanced Client screen layout designed to provide users with a comprehensive view of all client-related information. Now, at a glance, you can access key details such as client group, entity types, and trading name (where applicable).
Note: Please note that the office column will be visible only if you are using a multi-office setup and have permission to access more than one office.

• In the Active Platform, we've made a modification to hide the underlying Excel binder file from both search queries and the document tabs. This alteration is aimed at preventing inadvertent deletion of the underlying Excel binder file by users. Additionally, it will streamline the document view by excluding the binder Excel file from search results when users search for source documents, resulting in a more organized and efficient user experience.
• When marking up and commenting on source documents using the PDF Editor, the commenter's name will now automatically match the current user. In the comment history, you'll see the respective user names of those who left comments accurately reflected.
• In the binder listing view, the ‘show completed’ button works as expected.

July 2023 Release

New Features:

Index User Experience Improvements - Phase 1

We've heard your feedback and are thrilled to announce the below-listed Index user experience improvements available in your Active Workpapers! 

Account Classification 

Navigate through your trial balance with ease, using our tab system to swiftly switch between account classes. 

Easy Access To Filters & Settings

The highlighted filters and settings are now easily accessible.

Visual Improvements

We have also introduced an improved look and feel of the status icons across your binder. Always know where your work is up to with clearer status icons to help you navigate through your workflow. 

Improved Display of Balances

We have improved the view of credit accounts by now showing these within brackets. Ensure easy identification between debits and credits when working through your Index.

With this update, you can expect a more intuitive and user-friendly experience, allowing you to effortlessly access and manage your information, setting the stage for even more exciting enhancements in the upcoming phases. 

Improvements to Record and Document Adding

We have listened to your feedback and have introduced a simpler way to add records and documents into your Index. Utilise our new Add Record modal to drag and drop multiple supporting documents and PDFs into your binder with minimal clicking.

Improved Sheet Navigation

Have all key information and documentation presented in one screen when working in your Excel binder with our new Record screen. Save time now with the new record screen which will now tie into the worksheet tab you’re working in and bring you all related information and supporting documentation in one screen to minimise navigating between different panes and tabs.

Expanding the ATO Integration to bring in Fuel Tax Credit Information

We have listened to your feedback! You can now use our ATO Integration to pull more data into your BAS Lodgements workpaper with Fuel Tax Credits data now pre-populating into your worksheets along with the data you are already accustomed to.

• Learn how to set up your ATO connection here.
• Learn how to use the 'J50 BAS Lodgements' template here.

Import Prior Year from Smart Workpapers

Expanding our Import Prior Year function, users can now rollover their Smart Workpapers files into Active Workpapers binders.

Read the knowledge article to learn more: How do I use the 'Import Prior Year' functionality?

New Content

In response to the recent tax legislation amendment (where small businesses are now eligible to claim a 'bonus' tax deduction equal to 20% of qualifying expenditure), we have released two templates to assist with your 30 June 2023 preparation. 

1. C40 Technology Investment Boost
2. C45 Skills and Training Boost

These two templates then prefill the relevant eligible deductions areas in the ‘C20 Tax Reconciliation’ worksheet.

Improvements and Bug Fixes:

• Improved error handling where a balance cannot be found in a calculation
• Improved error handling when there is an error on binder checkout
• Fixed a bug in the matters screen to avoid infinite load time
  
• Fixed a bug where archived or unused accounts were being incorrectly incorporated within worksheet calculations
• Fixed a bug that causes errors in the review centre when bulk editing matters
• Fixed a bug that cleared all recommendations within an account group when one recommendation had been declined
• Fixed an issue where the Outstanding Issues table looses data when changes are made in the Review Centre
• C05 Dividends & Franking Account Template- Added monthly PAYG instalments fields
• C05 Dividends & Franking Account Template - Added running balance column to keep track of running franking credit balance
• Fixed a bug in C05 Dividends & Franking Account Template so that tax payments are now prefilling as credit transactions

June 2023 Release

New Features:

Wages automation

Introducing Wages automation - one of the first in our automation series. Add the 'N80 Wages' worksheet into your Index which will initiate the extraction of pertinent data from your client's accounting file and the ATO lodged data. Our behind-the-scenes automation diligently identifies all wage accounts and seamlessly incorporates them into the reconciliation process, relieving you of concerns about overlooking essential accounts. Say farewell to the anxiety of missing key accounts as this feature takes care of it effortlessly.

Watch the Wages Automation in action here.

Or read the 'how to' article here.

Import Prior Year

Ready to kick off your jobs for 2023? Introducing the "Import Prior Year" feature, which lets you import data from the previous year's Active Workpaper binder! With this function, effortlessly set up your new year binder in seconds, saving valuable time and effort. Retain your content and settings while upgrading to the latest version, ensuring continuity and utilising compliant, consistent templates. 

Read the knowledge article to learn more: How do I use the 'Import Prior Year' functionality?

Improved General Ledger functionality

We hope that you have been enjoying our new 'GL Detail' template that prepopulates and reconciles the balance for you. You can now quickly add the same template when viewing the data from the Index. 

We have also added the journal type when viewing the general ledger of an account.

Basic mathematical formulae in journals

We are pleased to introduce basic equation support in accounting journals, aimed at saving time and reducing human error in mathematical calculations. This update saves time by eliminating the need for manual calculations while ensuring accuracy and reliability.

Note: This great functionality is also available in Active Ledger.

PDF annotation

This release introduces improvements to the PDF document editing feature by adding annotation capabilities, allowing you to highlight, underline, add notes, and draw shapes directly on the PDF document.

New Content:

In the previous month, we shared exciting news about our template redesign project. This month, we're thrilled to continue the journey by bringing you more of your favourites. We genuinely appreciate all the feedback you've provided so far, and we encourage you to keep it coming!

• C05 Franking Accounts
• F05 Trade Debtors
• F10 Bank
• H05 Trade Creditors
• N75 Superannuation - upgraded to include the superannuation liability ('H08 Superannuation Liability' will be deactivated)

Improvements and Bug Fixes:

• Added an error warning detailing the issue if there is a date range discrepancy between an Active Ledger dataset and a Column when selecting data.
• In the Review Centre, when a workpaper record uses a different tolerance than the binder tolerance it will be displayed in the Tolerances grid. It is no longer considered a "Warning", it is green and considered information instead.
• Fixed a bug where you weren't being directed to your user profile when selecting 'Profile' from the user dropdown. 
• Added an option to recommend/exclude worksheet records based on if the account is a header.
• You can now select to enable or disable editing of the ABN Branch number field when selecting XPM locks. The correct value saves if it was changed.
• Improved the process of raising and editing journals when working in a binder.
• Fixed a bug where a binder with no source, but which still has workpaper records/matters/documents could not be exported. 

New Features:

Customising cashflow labels

We are excited to introduce a new feature that allows you to have complete control over your cashflow statement customisation. With this update, you now have the ability to create and customise cashflow categories, cashflow lines, and reconciliations according to your specific needs. Enjoy flexibility and control as you manage your cashflow with ease.

Trial Balance page

This allows you to generate financial reports with your clients' trial balance integrated into the reports. By adding a new page and selecting the Trial Balance format, you can seamlessly export the trial balance data into your preferred financial report format. This feature streamlines the reporting process, enhances accuracy, and eliminates the need for manual data entry or reconciliation. 

Primary production

The latest update introduces a new feature for automated primary production journals. You now have the ability to disable these journals, allowing you to configure accounts without having the automation feature active. This is particularly helpful when dealing with finalised balances from previous years that require no further modifications.

Improvements:

• When using Mozilla Firefox, users will now see the same ordered listing of entity types as shown in other browsers when editing a client/client group.
• Dataset Trial Balance report now sorts correctly by class as a default in all views and can be custom sorted by clicking on custom headers.

May 2023 Release

New Integrations:

ATO

We are excited to announce our integration with the ATO. Simply insert our new J50 BAS Lodgements template into your binder and it will auto-populate with all the relevant BAS data lodged for the period. No more logging into the ATO portal to manually enter data into worksheets. Then sit back and let your data flow through to other relevant worksheets such as Wages, Provision for Income Tax and our new GST Reconciliation. Imagine the time you will save!

Learn how to set up your ATO connection here.

Learn how to use the 'J50 BAS Lodgements' template here.

Active Workpapers + QBO Integration

Say goodbye to the hassle of importing your QBO Trial Balance via an Excel import. We are releasing our direct connection with QuickBooks Online. Now, effortlessly connect and load your source data straight from QBO into your binders, saving you valuable time and effort. 

But that's not all, you can now effortlessly raise journals in Active and seamlessly push them back into your client's QBO file. Streamline your workflow and eliminate unnecessary steps with our intuitive and efficient tools.

*Stay tuned for SMSF connections coming soon.

New Features:

Export Active Workpapers to PDF

We've added the ability to effortlessly download binders and all related support documentation as a convenient PDF zip file. Now, you can easily save and store everything you need in your firm's document manager for quick and organised access. Simply download a comprehensive PDF zip file containing the Index, worksheets, and associated supporting documents, ensuring that nothing is left behind. Experience a new level of convenience and efficiency as you say goodbye to scattered files and welcome a seamless, all-in-one solution. 

To access the export functionality, open your binder in desktop Excel. In the Workpapers task pane, click on the PDF Export button on the Home screen. The button can also be found in the Review Centre.

Note: You will need our Active Documents module to access this feature.

New Content:

We've listened to your feedback and incorporated valuable improvements into our templates. With enhanced usability and intuitive interfaces, you'll find navigating and utilising these templates a breeze. What sets our templates apart is the automation we're integrating. Say goodbye to tedious data entry and hello to automated precision.

New templates:

• J50 - BAS Lodgements
• J51 - GST Reconciliation
• C12 - Deferred Tax

Upgraded templates:

• C20 - Tax Reconciliation
• H35 - Provisions - Tax
• N80 - Wages
• L05 - General Ledger Detail

Stay tuned for regular releases of our improved templated redesign - and please provide feedback using the feedback button within the above templates.

Improvements and Bug Fixes:

• Firms can now deactivate the Business Fitness worksheet templates in the Admin Centre and prioritise their firm templates.
• Intuitive login experience when working in the desktop Excel binder.
• Users can now see their tolerance levels against each record/account in the Index sheet in their binder.

• Various content improvements including:
  • changing the wording in worksheets from 'Go to Index' to 'Show Record'
  • updated content in formulas to fix an error on importing of custom templates
  • updated display of reconciliation fields when working in a dual pane view
  • improved view of record links in worksheets

New Feature:

Bulk Asset Disposal 

Rev up your asset disposal process with our latest feature: Bulk Disposal! Say goodbye to the tedious task of individually disposing of assets in our Assets module. Now, with just a few clicks, you can swiftly select and dispose of assets by asset group, streamlining the entire process. Don't waste any more time on manual asset disposal - try out our Bulk Dispose functionality today!  

Learn how to do this here.

Bug Fix:

• Fixed an issue where the accounts screen would fail to load if the user had previously selected the balance preview for a now-deleted dataset.

New Feature:

Tax Agents field

Admins are now able to assign Tax Agent numbers. This functionality is part of our ATO integration release in Active Workpapers (see above).

Learn how to do this here.

Bug Fixes and Improvements:

• Our improved redesign ensures that every interaction feels natural and user-friendly. With a clean and modern interface, you'll have no trouble finding your way around. Seamlessly retrace your steps, revisit previous tasks, and effortlessly jump between different sections of your client.

• The client screen now displays all clients. Previously this was limited to 50 clients.
• Fixed an issue where users couldn't edit an Office or Team while creating a new user in the system.