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// ACCOUNTING · FOR FINANCE TEAMS

The operation keeps the books. You keep control.

Manufacturing accounting software with standard costing built in. Orders, receipts, work orders, and shipments post their own journal entries at standard cost, into a ledger that locks when it posts. Written for your controller: how it posts, costs, closes, and ties out, and where its edges are.

Bring Your Controller See the Posting Map

GENERAL LEDGER ON THE EVERYTHING PLAN · FULL QUICKBOOKS REPLACEMENT IN LATE 2026

DW
Journal Entry

JE-2274

Type

Inventory receipt

Date

Sep 22, 2026

Entry Lines

Account Debit Credit
1200 Inventory Asset $5,820.00
2400 GRNI Accrual $6,090.00
5250 Purchase Price Variance $270.00
Totals $6,090.00 $6,090.00

Details

Number
JE-2274
Date
Sep 22, 2026
Type
Inventory receipt
Status
Posted
Description
Inventory Receipt: FAB-3106 (600)
Source Document
Inventory Transaction

History

  1. Created Sep 22, 2:41 PM by Marco Ruiz
  2. Posted Sep 22, 2:41 PM

Full accounting is coming in late 2026. FULL LAUNCH LATE 2026

Painless as a complete replacement for QuickBooks is expected to launch in late 2026. Parts of it are in Painless today, and this page shows how they work, edges included. Until then, keep QuickBooks Online and let Painless push to it.

001 // WHAT CHANGES FOR FINANCE

Month end stops being a reconstruction.

In most shops, the books are rebuilt from paperwork after the month is over. In Painless, the operation posts as it happens, so month end is a review.

Cost of goods sold
THE USUAL WAY A plug at month end, backed into from a physical count.
IN PAINLESS Posted when built-to-order work ships: material at standard, plus any labor and overhead absorbed on the job.
Receipts
THE USUAL WAY Invisible until the vendor's bill shows up.
IN PAINLESS Accrued to GRNI at the dock at the PO price, with the variance from standard split out.
Customer deposits
THE USUAL WAY Tracked in a spreadsheet next to the order.
IN PAINLESS Held in Customer Deposits, a liability, and applied when the invoice is issued.
Invoices
THE USUAL WAY Typed into the accounting system after the truck leaves.
IN PAINLESS Generated from the order and posted to AR the moment they're issued.
Job cost
THE USUAL WAY Estimated after the fact, if at all.
IN PAINLESS Material posts to WIP as stations consume it, and labor and overhead when the work order completes.
Inventory value
THE USUAL WAY Right once a year, after the physical count.
IN PAINLESS Stock at standard, checked against the ledger every night.
002 // THE POSTING MAP

Every operational event, and the entry it writes.

No end-of-day batch and no summary export. Each event posts its own journal entry when it happens, linked to the document that caused it, to the accounts you choose.

EVENT DEBIT CREDIT NOTES
Deposit received 1000 Cash 2150 Customer Deposits ACH waits in 1150 Payments in Transit until it clears.
Goods received on a PO 1200 Inventory at standard · 5250 PPV when unfavorable 2400 GRNI at the PO price · 5250 PPV when favorable Non-inventory lines never touch stock.
Vendor bill matched 2400 GRNI at the receipt's accrual 2000 Accounts Payable at the bill total Any difference posts to 5250 as bill variance.
Material consumed at a station 1210 Work in Process 1200 Inventory at standard Bill-of-materials quantity plus waste, per operation.
Work order completed 1210 Work in Process 5300 Applied Labor · 5350 Applied Overhead Optional. Station-type rates times the minutes worked.
Order shipped 5000 Cost of Goods Sold 1210 Work in Process, or 1200 Inventory for pick-list items Built-to-order cost closes when the unit's full quantity ships.
Invoice issued 1100 AR · 2150 Customer Deposits applied 4000 Sales · 4100 Shipping · 2200 Sales Tax Payable · 1100 AR Revenue posts at invoice, and the tax record locks.
Payment received 1000 Cash · 6100 Processing Fees 1100 AR Card and ACH fees split to their own account when mapped.
Cycle count variance 1200 Inventory or 5150 Adjustments The other Differences inside the item's count tolerance post nothing.
Standard cost changed 1200 Inventory or 5150 Adjustments The other Revalues stock on hand. Who, when, and the old and new cost are recorded.
Credit note applied 4000 Sales · 2200 its share of tax 1100 AR Unapplied credit notes don't touch the ledger.
Bad debt written off 6950 Bad Debt · 2200 tax relieved 1100 AR The tax portion is recorded on the sales tax ledger too.

Your accounts, not ours.

The numbers above come from the recommended chart for manufacturers. Start from it, import your own chart from CSV, or build it from your QuickBooks chart, then point each event at the account you want.

  • Posting mappings can be set company-wide, per warehouse, per product, or both. The most specific mapping wins.
  • Inventory groups carry their own inventory and COGS accounts, so raw materials and finished goods stay apart.
  • Six account types, with subtypes that place each account on the statements.
  • Recurring and reversing journals, prepaid and fixed-asset schedules with straight-line depreciation, and payroll registers imported from CSV.
ASSETS
  • 1000 Cash
  • 1100 Accounts Receivable
  • 1150 Payments in Transit
  • 1200 Inventory Asset
  • 1210 Work in Process
LIABILITIES & EQUITY
  • 2000 Accounts Payable
  • 2150 Customer Deposits
  • 2200 Sales Tax Payable
  • 2400 GRNI Accrual
  • 3950 Retained Earnings
REVENUE
  • 4000 Sales Revenue
  • 4100 Shipping Revenue
  • 4900 Sales Discounts
COST OF GOODS SOLD
  • 5000 Cost of Goods Sold
  • 5150 Inventory Adjustments
  • 5200 Scrap
  • 5250 Purchase Price Variance
  • 5300 Applied Labor
  • 5350 Applied Overhead

Watch them post. Step order 1847 from order to paid and see each entry, the balances it moves, and the order's P&L as it builds. Illustrative data.

Sales Order
1847
Dealer
Coastal Blinds
Grand Total
$6,754.80
50% Prepay, Net 15

Sep 16, 2026 The dealer pays the 50% deposit. It's held in Customer Deposits, a liability, not booked as revenue.

Journal Entry

JE-2231
Type
Payment received
Date
Sep 16, 2026
Source Document
Payment
Status
Posted
Account Amount
1000 Cash $3,377.40Dr
2150 Customer Deposits $3,377.40Cr
Totals Dr $3,377.40
Cr $3,377.40

Order P&L

Built from this order's entries as they post.

Revenue · Sales and shipping At invoice
Cost of goods sold At shipment
Material at standard As stations consume
Labor absorbed At work order completion
Overhead absorbed At work order completion
Gross profit After invoice

Labor and overhead are absorbed at your station rates. Applied Labor and Applied Overhead offset payroll and overhead expense when those post.

Ledger for SO 1847

Balances from this order's entries. Highlighted rows moved in this step.

Account Balance
Balance sheet
1000 Cash $3,377.40Dr
1100 Accounts Receivable
1200 Inventory Asset
1210 Work in Process
2150 Customer Deposits $3,377.40Cr
2200 Sales Tax Payable
Income statement
4000 Sales Revenue
4100 Shipping Revenue
5000 Cost of Goods Sold
5300 Applied Labor
5350 Applied Overhead
Totals Dr $3,377.40 Cr $3,377.40
003 // STANDARD COSTING

Standard cost, from PO to COGS.

Painless is a standard-cost system. Inventory is valued at standard, and each difference from actual lands in its own account: purchase price variance, inventory adjustments, scrap, and applied labor and overhead.

  1. 01
    SET THE STANDARD

    Each item has a standard cost per stock unit, with its purchase and usage units converted by fixed factors. Change the standard and everything on hand is revalued, with who, when, and the old and new cost on record.

  2. 02
    RECEIVE

    Inventory is debited at standard and GRNI is credited at the PO price. The difference is purchase price variance.

  3. 03
    BILL

    The bill relieves GRNI. A bill that doesn't match the PO and the receipt, beyond a 1% price tolerance, is held from payment until an admin approves the variance.

  4. 04
    BUILD

    Stations consume material into WIP at standard. When the work order completes, labor and overhead are absorbed at your station-type rates, using clocked crew time where crews clock in.

  5. 05
    SHIP

    WIP closes to cost of goods sold: material at standard plus the labor and overhead absorbed.

  6. 06
    COUNT

    Cycle counts true up physical stock, and the variance posts to Inventory Adjustments.

  7. 07
    TIE OUT

    Every night, a check compares stock value at standard with the inventory accounts on the ledger.

DW
Inventory Item

FAB-3106

Inventory · Buy

Acrylic 60", Navy

Valuation comparison

Current stock · yd

412.0000 yd on hand. Standard is the current valuation policy. Other methods compare the same stock using recorded inbound costs.

Method Cost / yd Stock value Basis
Standard $9.7000 $3996.4000 Current policy
Moving average $10.0434 $4137.8974 What-if
FIFO $10.1500 $4181.8000 What-if
LIFO $9.9362 $4093.7000 What-if

Purchase price variance

Receipt basis

Actual receipt value − standard value at receipt. Positive is unfavorable; negative is favorable. Later invoice price adjustments are separate and are not included here.

Actual receipt value
$12902.0000
Standard at receipt
$12610.0000
Receipt PPV
+$292.0000
Weighted receipt cost / yd
$9.9246
Receipt Qty · yd Actual / unit PPV
GR-1182 600.0000 $10.1500 +$270.0000
GR-1147 400.0000 $9.6200 −$32.0000
GR-1109 300.0000 $9.8800 +$54.0000

The Financials tab on every item: standard next to what-if methods from recorded receipt costs, and purchase price variance by receipt.

WHAT-IF METHODS
Moving average, FIFO, and LIFO are shown next to standard on each item. They're comparisons; standard is what posts.
NEGATIVE STOCK
Low stock never blocks production. Negative quantities are valued at standard, and the next receipt corrects the ledger through PPV.
UNITS OF MEASURE
Buy by the roll, stock by the yard, use by the inch. Value is stock quantity times stock standard, to four decimals.
UNIT MARGIN
Each configured unit shows its price, estimated and posted material cost, and margin.
004 // LEDGER & CONTROLS

Locked when it posts. Checked every night.

The ledger's rules are enforced by the database, not just the screens. Book checks run every night, and whoever creates an entry can't post it.

DOUBLE ENTRY
Every entry must balance before it saves, and the database refuses an unbalanced or empty one. Each line is a debit or a credit, never both.
POSTED MEANS FINAL
Posted entries and their lines can't be updated or deleted. A void needs a reason and writes a dated reversing entry. Both stay on the ledger.
CLOSED MEANS CLOSED
Nothing posts into a closed month. Reopening takes an admin and a written reason, and the earlier close evidence is kept.
ONE ENTRY PER EVENT
Only one live journal entry can exist for each source event, so a retry can't double-post a shipment or a payment.
EVERY ENTRY HAS A SOURCE
Reports drill from the statement to the account, to the journal entry, to the invoice, payment, bill, or work order that created it.
FOUR DECIMALS
Amounts are stored to four decimal places and rounded half-up. Reports show cents; CSV exports keep full precision.
DW
Finance

Accounting

Manage books

Book checks

Run checks

Read-only checks. Missing or pending journals are flagged for review; nothing is repaired or sent to your accounting provider.

1 of 5 checks need review. Open the findings below before closing a period.

  • Journal completeness Review 2 findings

Latest check results

  • Journal completeness · Findings Sep 28, 2026 · 02:00 EDT
  • Customer balances vs. ledger · Passed Sep 28, 2026 · 02:00 EDT
  • Vendor balances vs. ledger · Passed Sep 28, 2026 · 02:00 EDT
  • Inventory value vs. ledger · Passed Sep 28, 2026 · 02:00 EDT
  • Stock counts · Passed Sep 28, 2026 · 02:00 EDT
Review September 2026

Needs attention

Refresh

Bank matching, draft bills, overdue invoices, unposted journals and failed accounting syncs.

  • 7 Bank transactions to match
    Review $18,420.55 Oldest Sep 24, 2026
  • 3 Bills needing review
    Review $4,212.00 Oldest Sep 19, 2026
  • 2 Journals awaiting posting
    Review Oldest Sep 26, 2026
  • 4 Overdue customer invoices
    Review $9,880.40 Due since Aug 29, 2026

Updated Sep 28, 2026 · 09:14 EDT · Current balances; bank rows and journals through Sep 28, 2026

Balances

As of Sep 28, 2026
Cash in books
$412K
Posted ledger balance
Customers owe
$286K
$9.9K overdue · open invoices
Bills to pay
$118K
$0 overdue · net of credits
Inventory in books
$641K
Posted ledger balance

Controls

  • Five read-only checks every night: journal completeness, customer balances, vendor balances, and inventory value against the ledger, plus stock integrity.
  • Completeness lists source documents with no journal entry, and every entry still pending. Nothing is posted behind your back to make it pass.
  • Journal entries: the person who creates one can't post it, and the person who posts it can't void it.
  • Bills: whoever entered one can't approve it at or above your threshold. Purchase orders that need approval go to an admin other than the one who submitted them.
  • Bills with a variance, a dispute, or a send-back can't be paid until they're resolved. The only override, for a bill already paid outside Painless, needs a written reason.
  • Invoices, bills, POs, orders, and journal entries keep their own history: who changed what, when, and the values before and after. The log is append-only.

In a company with a single admin, that admin can do both halves of a two-person rule.

005 // CLOSE & REPORTS

A close with evidence. Reports your CPA can use.

Months close in order, with the reviews and reports saved alongside them. Every report reads from posted entries, drills down to the source document, and exports.

Month close

  • Months close in order, after they end. Pending entries, an unbalanced trial balance, or an unclassified account blocks the close.
  • Three reviews, for transactions, reconciliation, and adjustments, each with a dated reference and conclusion.
  • Closing saves a ZIP: trial balance, P&L, balance sheet, the reviews, and bank sign-off coverage.
  • A later change to a closed month flags its sign-off as stale.
  • Bank accounts reconcile to zero against the statement, and the sign-off saves a snapshot that can't be changed.
  • At year end, retained earnings roll forward on their own. There's no closing entry to post.
DW
Finance

Close books

Export FY 2026
All months

September 2026

Sep 01, 2026 – Sep 30, 2026

Open
History & downloads

Reviewing leaves the month open. Closing saves the reviewed reports and prevents new postings dated in this month.

Transactions

Update review

Confirm all activity through month end is recorded. Explain missing documents, cutoff decisions and any exclusions.

Manually reviewed

Activity through Sep 30 recorded; two cutoff notes on file.

Journal entries · 0 pendingFind source transactions

Reconciliation

Update review

Reference dated bank, customer, vendor and inventory workpapers. Explain differences and timing items; identify balances that do not apply.

Manually reviewed

Operating checking reconciled to the Sep 30 statement.

Bank reconciliationsCustomer & vendor balances

Adjustments

Add review

Review depreciation, prepaids, payroll and accruals through month end. Reference the schedules or explain why no adjustments apply.

Supporting review needed

Assets & prepaids

Reports

Posted books through Sep 30, 2026. Supporting reviews establish independent balances and cutoff.

Opening, movement and closing trial balances agree

Trial balance Profit & loss Balance sheet
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
P&L for any period, against a comparison period or in columns by month, quarter, or year. Balance sheet as of any date. Cash flow by the indirect method.
TRIAL BALANCE & GL
Opening, movement, and closing trial balance. GL detail with running balances, the journal list, and a transaction finder by description or amount.
RECEIVABLES & PAYABLES
AR and AP aging, open items as of a past date, and customer statements by PDF or email.
INVENTORY
Current value at standard by item, warehouse, or group, and purchase price variance by item and receipt.
SALES TAX & 1099
A sales tax ledger with a tie-out to Sales Tax Payable, and 1099 vendor payment totals with TIN and W-9 status.
EXPORTS
CSV and PDF for the P&L, balance sheet, and GL detail, trial balance to CSV, a ZIP for each closed month, and a fiscal-year ZIP of annual reports.
006 // QUICKBOOKS ONLINE

Exactly what reaches QuickBooks, and what doesn't yet.

Keep QuickBooks Online as your book of record and Painless pushes to it, one way. Or close in Painless and keep QuickBooks while you run both. Either way, here's exactly what syncs.

IN PAINLESS IN QUICKBOOKS
Invoice Invoice, on your QuickBooks items
Customer payment Payment, applied to the invoice
Vendor bill Bill
Vendor payment Bill payment
Vendor credit Vendor credit
Inventory, WIP, COGS, and manual journals Journal entry

Invoices and payments sync on both plans. Bills, vendor payments and credits, and journals sync on the Everything plan.

HOW IT WORKS
  • Push each record as it posts, or turn automatic syncing off and push from the queue when you're ready.
  • Deliveries retry on their own. If QuickBooks' answer is unclear, the record waits for review instead of being sent twice.
  • Compare balances checks each mapped account against QuickBooks as of any date, and drafts a pending adjusting entry for the difference.
  • Start from QuickBooks: import its chart, link dealers to its customers and products to its items, and open your books from its trial balance.
DW
Finance

Sync queue

Push all
Waiting to push
5
Failed
1
Synced
1,284
Skipped / exempt
9
Automatic syncing

On: records push to QuickBooks as soon as they post. Off: records collect here and wait until you push them.

Document Status
Invoice 3120 Invoice includes tax, deposits or other postings that are not synced to QuickBooks. Record it in QuickBooks manually; sales tax is reported from Painless. No invoice was sent.
Failed
Exempt
Invoice 3121
Queued
Exempt
Bill 5520
Waiting to push
Exempt
JE-2274 Inventory Receipt: FAB-3106 (600)
Waiting to push
Exempt
JE-2342 WIP Closeout: 1847-1
Waiting to push
Exempt
WHERE IT STOPS TODAY
  • Invoices with sales tax or an applied deposit, and payments that carry a deposit or a processing-fee split, don't push yet. They wait in the queue, like invoice 3120 above (order 1847's, with tax and a deposit), for you to enter in QuickBooks and exempt.
  • Voids and corrections of invoices, bills, and payments already in QuickBooks are flagged for you to correct there.
  • Changes made in QuickBooks don't come back to Painless.
  • Vendors are created new in QuickBooks. Linking to existing QuickBooks vendors isn't available yet.
007 // STRAIGHT ANSWERS

What we don't do yet, and what teams do instead.

Your controller will ask, so here are the answers we'd give on the call.

CURRENCY & BASIS
US dollars and accrual books only. Your tax preparer can convert to cash basis from the accrual reports.
MULTIPLE ENTITIES
Each Painless company is one legal entity, and people can switch between companies. There's no intercompany or consolidation; combine each company's exports.
CLASSES, DEPARTMENTS & BUDGETS
Not today. Map revenue, cost of goods sold, and inventory by warehouse or product to split them into their own accounts.
LIVE BANK FEEDS
Import statements as CSV, OFX, QFX, or QBO files, then match and reconcile them in Painless.
PAYING VENDORS
Pay from your bank as you do today. Payment runs record the payments and clear the bills; Painless doesn't send ACH files or print checks.
LANDED COST
Freight and duty aren't added to inventory value. Code them on the bill to a freight-in account under cost of goods sold.
ACTUAL COSTING
Standard only. Moving average, FIFO, and LIFO are shown on each item as comparisons.
USAGE & EFFICIENCY VARIANCES
Material is relieved at the bill-of-materials quantity, so physical differences show up in cycle counts. Purchase price variance is split out.
POINT-IN-TIME VALUATION
Inventory valuation is current, by item, warehouse, or group. Export it to CSV at month end to keep a snapshot.
TAX DEPRECIATION
Fixed assets use straight-line book depreciation. Keep tax depreciation with your tax preparer.
FINANCE ROLES
Roles are Admin, Member, and Shop. There's no read-only auditor login yet; send your CPA the close ZIP and exports.
SALES TAX FILING
Stripe Tax calculates and records it, and returns are filed through Stripe. Use tax, VAT, and non-US tax stay with your tax advisor.

Something missing from this list? Bring it to the call. We'd rather answer it before you sign than after.

008 // CUTOVER

Start the books without re-keying history.

Pick a cutover date, open the books from a trial balance you trust, and keep QuickBooks running beside Painless as long as you want.

Opening balances

One opening entry at your cutover date, built from Painless's own AR, AP, GRNI, deposits, and inventory at standard, or from your QuickBooks trial balance.

Imports

An opening trial balance from CSV into empty books, your chart of accounts, and summarized payroll registers.

Parallel run

Compare balances checks each mapped account against QuickBooks as of any date while you run both.

Pause and resume

Pause the books and pick up later with one true-up entry, or a backfill of the gap.

Open invoices and bills from your old system come in as opening balances, not as individual documents. Our team maps your chart and posting accounts with you during implementation.

How implementation works
009 // FAQ

Questions finance teams ask

Does Painless support standard costing?

Yes. Standard costing is how Painless values inventory. Each item has a standard cost per stock unit. Receipts post purchase price variance, and production can absorb labor and overhead at your standard rates. Moving average, FIFO, and LIFO are shown on each item for comparison; standard is what posts.

How does Painless handle work in process?

Material posts to Work in Process at standard as stations consume it. When the work order completes, labor and overhead are absorbed into WIP if you use absorption. When built-to-order work ships, its WIP closes to cost of goods sold.

How are customer deposits accounted for?

A deposit posts to Customer Deposits, a liability, not to revenue. When the invoice is issued, the deposit is applied against it and revenue posts at the full amount.

Can a posted journal entry be changed?

No. The database rejects edits and deletes of posted entries and their lines. To correct one, void it with a reason: Painless posts a dated reversing entry, and both stay on the ledger. Only pending entries can be edited.

How do we correct a month that's already closed?

Post the correction in the current open month, or have an admin reopen the month with a written reason. The earlier close evidence is kept, and a later change to a closed month flags its sign-off as stale.

What happens if an entry can't post?

The business action still completes, so a shipment or invoice is never stuck behind accounting setup. The nightly completeness check lists source documents without a journal entry so they can be resolved before the month closes. Nothing is posted automatically to make the check pass.

Can Painless replace QuickBooks?

Not completely, yet. Full accounting, Painless as a complete replacement for QuickBooks, is expected to launch in late 2026. Parts of it work today on the Everything plan, and this page shows how they post, cost, and close. Until launch, keep QuickBooks Online and have Painless push to it one way; this page lists exactly what syncs and what doesn't yet.

Who can post, approve, and close?

Admins and members can create journal entries, but the person who creates one can't post it, and the person who posts it can't void it. Bill approval, payment runs, bank reconciliation, and closing a month are admin-only, and the person who entered a bill can't approve it at or above your threshold. A company with a single admin is exempt from the two-person rules.

Can our CPA work from Painless?

Yes. The P&L, balance sheet, and GL detail export to CSV and PDF, the trial balance exports to CSV, the cash flow statement prints, and every closed month has a ZIP with its reports and reviews.

Which plan includes the general ledger?

The Everything plan: the general ledger, bills and AP, banking, financial reports, and the full QuickBooks sync. Invoicing, payments, AR, and QuickBooks sync for invoices and payments are in both plans.

FURTHER READING The re-keying tax: six operating principles for configurable manufacturers

// FOR FINANCE TEAMS

Bring your controller. Bring the hard questions.

Send us your chart of accounts and a few standard costs. We'll show your controller where each entry lands and how your month closes, and answer anything on this page against your own numbers.

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