Finance

The Finance tab is the running ledger for an individual relation. It shows every financial transaction associated with the person -- flight charges, subscription fees, manual adjustments, credits, and payments -- in chronological order. Use this tab when you need to understand why a person's balance looks a certain way, when you need to add a manual transaction, or when you need to print an account statement.

For organisation-wide financial management across all relations, use the Finance module. The Finance tab on a relation record is specifically for reviewing and managing one person's financial history.

What you see

When you open the Finance tab, the platform displays a ledger with the following columns:

• Date -- the date the transaction was recorded or the date it takes effect
• Category -- the type of transaction (for example, flight, fuel, subscription, manual entry)
• Description -- a text description explaining what the transaction is for
• Debit -- amounts charged to the relation (money owed)
• Credit -- amounts paid by or credited to the relation (money received or adjustments in their favour)

Above the ledger, the platform shows the current balance -- the net result of all debits and credits. This tells you at a glance whether the relation owes money to the organisation, has a credit balance, or is at zero.

Understanding line icons and markers

Depending on the type and status of each transaction, you may see visual indicators on individual lines:

• Finance icon -- a standard manual financial transaction
• Flight icon -- a charge generated from a logged flight
• Fuel icon -- a fuel-related charge
• Document icon -- a transaction that has a supporting document attached
• Future date marker -- indicates that the transaction is dated in the future and has not yet taken effect
• Invoice number -- appears when the transaction has already been included on an invoice. Once a transaction is billed, it is locked and can no longer be edited
• External marker -- indicates the transaction originated from an external source rather than being created within Aerolync

Adding a manual transaction

When you need to record a charge, payment, credit, or adjustment that is not automatically generated by the platform (such as a cash payment, a manual correction, or a special fee), add it as a manual transaction.

Step by step:

1. Open the relation record and navigate to the Finance tab.
2. Click Add.
3. Set the date for the transaction. Use today's date for current transactions. Use a future date if the charge should not take effect until later.
4. Select the category that best describes the transaction.
5. Select the type of transaction (debit or credit).
6. Enter the quantity and price, or enter the net amount directly, depending on how the form is configured for the selected category.
7. Add a description that clearly explains what the transaction is for. Other staff members will rely on this description to understand the ledger.
8. Attach a supporting document if applicable (for example, a receipt, a signed agreement, or an external invoice).
9. Click Save to add the transaction to the ledger.
10. Review the ledger to confirm the transaction appears correctly and the balance has updated.

Editing a manual transaction

Not all transactions can be edited. A transaction is locked and cannot be changed once it has been included on an invoice or is otherwise finalised. If a transaction is still editable:

1. Open the relation record and navigate to the Finance tab.
2. Click on the transaction you want to edit.
3. Make the necessary changes to the date, category, amount, or description.
4. Click Save.

If the transaction is locked, you will need to add a new corrective transaction (a credit to offset an incorrect debit, or vice versa) rather than editing the original.

Printing an account statement

An account statement is a formatted summary of the relation's financial history that you can print or save as a document.

Step by step:

1. Open the relation record and navigate to the Finance tab.
2. Click Print.
3. In the export window, choose the options that apply (date range, format, or other available settings).
4. The platform generates the statement and opens it in a new document window.
5. Print the statement or save it for your records.

Account statements are useful for sharing financial summaries with the relation, for audits, or for internal record-keeping.

Common tasks

Investigate an unexpected balance

1. Open the relation record and navigate to the Finance tab.
2. Review the current balance displayed above the ledger.
3. Scroll through the transaction list to find recent entries.
4. Look for large or unfamiliar debits or credits.
5. Check the description and category of any suspicious lines to understand what generated them.
6. If a line is linked to an invoice (shows an invoice number), the charge came from the billing process.
7. If a line shows a flight or fuel icon, it was generated from aircraft activity. The correction may need to happen in the flight log rather than here.
8. If the issue is a simple data entry error on an editable manual transaction, edit it. Otherwise, add a corrective transaction.

Record a cash payment

1. Open the relation record and navigate to the Finance tab.
2. Click Add.
3. Set the date to the date the payment was received.
4. Select the appropriate category (for example, payment or deposit).
5. Set the type to credit (the relation is paying money to the organisation).
6. Enter the amount.
7. Add a description such as "Cash payment received" with any relevant reference.
8. Attach a receipt if one exists.
9. Click Save.

Add a manual charge

1. Open the relation record and navigate to the Finance tab.
2. Click Add.
3. Set the date.
4. Select the category for the charge.
5. Set the type to debit.
6. Enter the quantity, price, or net amount.
7. Add a clear description of what is being charged and why.
8. Click Save.

Print a statement for a relation

1. Open the relation record and go to the Finance tab.
2. Click Print.
3. Select the date range and any other options.
4. Review the generated statement.
5. Print or save the document.

Determine whether a correction belongs here or elsewhere

Not every financial issue should be fixed on the Finance tab. Use this decision guide:

• If the issue is a manual entry error, correct it here (edit or add a corrective transaction).
• If the issue comes from a flight charge, the correction may belong in the flight log or aircraft module.
• If the issue is related to an invoice, check the Billing tab or the organisation-wide Finance module.
• If the issue affects multiple relations, work in the organisation-wide Finance module rather than correcting each relation individually.

Good practice

• Review the ledger before assuming the balance is wrong. Scroll through recent transactions to understand how the balance was calculated. What looks like an error may be a legitimate charge that has not yet been explained to the relation.
• Write clear descriptions on manual transactions. Other staff members will read these descriptions weeks or months later. "Adjustment" is not helpful. "Credit for overpayment on invoice 2024-0156" is.
• Attach supporting documents when available. Receipts, agreements, and external invoices attached to transactions create an audit trail that protects both the organisation and the relation.
• Use the organisation-wide Finance module for broad questions. The Finance tab on a relation record is for one person. If you are reviewing balances across the organisation, reconciling accounts, or generating financial reports, use Finance instead.
• Do not edit locked transactions. If a transaction has been invoiced, add a corrective entry rather than trying to change the original. This preserves the audit trail.