Financial Reports

Why Financial Reports?

Reports transform your transaction data into meaningful insights. They answer critical questions:

How much money do we have?
Are we on budget?
Where is money being spent?
Do our books balance?

Regular reporting is essential for board oversight, member transparency, and audit preparation.

Background Report Generation

Viewing a report on screen is instant – reports render immediately when you open them, regardless of size. Background generation applies only to exports: when you download a PDF or export to Excel, BeeKeeper generates the file in the background and shows a progress popup with a Download button when it’s ready. For long-running exports, you can request an email notification so you don’t have to wait on the page. You can continue working while an export generates.

Available Reports

BeeKeeper provides a comprehensive suite of financial reports:

Core Financial Reports

Report	Purpose
Balance Sheet	Shows financial position (assets, liabilities, equity)
Profit & Loss	Shows income and expenses over a period
Trial Balance	Verifies debits equal credits (for troubleshooting)
Budget vs. Actual	Compares approved budget to actual spending by account
General Ledger	Detailed transaction listing by account, showing debits, credits, and running balances
Activity Report	Summarizes income and expense by account for each active program and fundraiser, with a net per activity

Operational Reports

Report	Purpose
Treasurer’s Report	Meeting-ready summary of cash position, receipts, and disbursements formatted for board presentations
Annual Financial Report	CAPTA-format fiscal-year statement of gross receipts and disbursements belonging to the unit
Audit Kit	Compliance dashboard with account summary, reconciliation status, journal entry audit, vendor/1099 summary, and budget compliance
Duplicate Check Numbers	Identifies potential duplicate payments by reference number
Checks Report	Lists checks written from a bank account, showing payee, memo, account, voided status, and cleared date

Vendor & Tax Reports

Report	Purpose
Vendor Payment Summary	Total payments to each vendor over a period
Vendor Payment Detail	Itemized payments to each vendor
1099-NEC Preparation	Identifies vendors requiring 1099-NEC filing ($2,000+ payments)
Workers’ Compensation	Lists vendors requiring workers’ compensation coverage, with amounts paid during the policy year
Form 990-EZ	Tax preparation data (see [Form 990-EZ](form-990-ez.md))

Reference Reports

Report	Purpose
Chart of Accounts	Lists every account with its code, name, description, and type

Balance Sheet

What It Shows

A snapshot of your organization’s financial position at a specific point in time:

Assets: What you own (cash, receivables, investments)
Liabilities: What you owe (credit cards, loans, payables)
Equity: Net worth (assets minus liabilities)

The fundamental equation: Assets = Liabilities + Equity

Balance Sheet accounts (assets, liabilities, and equity) always render as a flat list – they can’t be organized into Account Groups the way Income and Expense accounts can.

Running the Report

Go to Reports
Select Balance Sheet
Choose a Date range using the presets (defaults to This Fiscal Year) – the balance sheet reflects positions through the end of the selected range
The report displays immediately; use the filter at the top to change the period – it updates automatically

Reading the Report

Assets Section

Assets
  Checking Account         $15,000
  Savings Account          $10,000
  Petty Cash                  $200
Total Assets               $25,200

Liabilities Section

Liabilities
  Credit Card                 $500
  Accounts Payable         $1,200
Total Liabilities          $1,700

Equity Section

Equity
  Retained Earnings       $20,000
  Current Year P&L         $3,500
Total Equity              $23,500

Total Liabilities + Equity $25,200

If Total Assets doesn’t equal Total Liabilities + Equity, there’s an error in your books.

When to Use

Monthly board meetings
Year-end financial review
Audit preparation
Transition to new treasurer

Profit & Loss Statement

Also called an “Income Statement,” this shows financial performance over a period.

What It Shows

Income: All revenue received
Expenses: All money spent
Net Income: Income minus expenses (profit or loss)

If you’ve organized your Income and Expense accounts into Account Groups (see [Chart of Accounts](chart-of-accounts)), each section sub-groups its accounts by Account Group, with a subtotal per group, so you can see totals for things like “Spring Auction” or “Administration” at a glance.

Running the Report

Go to Reports
Select Profit & Loss
Choose the date range using the Date filter
The report displays immediately; use the filter at the top to change the period – it updates automatically

Common Date Ranges

Period	Use For
Current Month	Monthly review
Current Quarter	Quarterly board meeting
Fiscal Year to Date	Year-over-year tracking
Full Fiscal Year	Annual meeting, audit
Custom Range	Specific event or program

Reading the Report

Income Section

Income
  Membership Dues          $5,000
  Fall Fundraiser         $12,000
  Donations                $2,500
Total Income              $19,500

Expenses Section

Expenses
  Teacher Grants           $8,000
  Student Programs         $3,500
  Events                   $2,000
  Administrative             $500
Total Expenses            $14,000

Bottom Line

Net Income                 $5,500

Positive = surplus (income exceeded expenses) Negative = deficit (expenses exceeded income)

Budget Comparison

The Profit & Loss report shows only Account and Amount columns – it does not include budget comparison. To compare budgeted amounts to actuals, use the Budget vs. Actual report (Budget, Actual, Remaining, % Used) or the Treasurer’s Report (Budget, Actual, Variance).

Closed Years

This report shows a fiscal year’s real income and expenses whether or not the year has been closed with [Close the Books](close-the-books) – closing doesn’t change what’s reported here.

When to Use

Monthly treasurer reports
Budget vs. actual analysis
Event profitability review
Grant reporting

Trial Balance

A trial balance lists all accounts with their debit and credit balances. It’s primarily used to verify your books are balanced.

What It Shows

Every account in your chart of accounts with:

Total debits
Total credits
Net balance

If Total Debits ≠ Total Credits, there’s an error.

Like the Profit & Loss report, the Income and Expense sections sub-group accounts by Account Group (with a subtotal per group) if you’ve set any up; Asset, Liability, and Equity accounts always list flat.

Running the Report

Go to Reports
Select Trial Balance
Choose a Date range using the presets (defaults to This Fiscal Year) – the trial balance is computed as of the end of the selected range
The report displays immediately; use the filter at the top to change the period – it updates automatically

Reading the Report

Account                  Money In   Money Out
Checking Account         $15,000
Savings Account          $10,000
Credit Card                          $500
Membership Income                  $5,000
Office Expenses           $1,500
...
Totals                   $26,500    $26,500

“Money In” corresponds to debits and “Money Out” to credits.

When to Use

Troubleshooting balance sheet errors
Audit preparation
Confirming your books balance before you [close a fiscal year](close-the-books)
Account reconciliation

Most users rarely need this report - it’s a diagnostic tool.

Budget vs. Actual Report

Compares your approved budget to actual income and expenses.

What It Shows

For each budgeted account:

Budget: What you planned
Actual: What actually happened
Remaining: Budget minus actual (plays the role of variance)
% Used: How much of the budget has been spent

When multiple budgets exist for the period, a budget selector also appears so you can choose which budget to compare against. If your accounts are organized into Account Groups, the Income and Expense sections sub-group their line items by group, each with its own Budget/Actual/Remaining/% Used subtotal row.

Running the Report

Go to Reports
Select Budget vs. Actual
Choose the Fiscal Year
The report displays immediately; use the filter at the top to change the period – it updates automatically

Requires an approved budget for the selected fiscal year.

General Ledger

A detailed, account-by-account transaction listing showing debits, credits, and a running balance.

What It Shows

Every transaction posted to the selected account, in date order
Debit and credit amounts for each transaction
A running balance after each transaction, starting from the account’s opening balance
If you’ve closed a fiscal year with [Close the Books](close-the-books), the closing entry itself shows up here on your carry-over equity account, labeled “Year-end close”

Running the Report

Go to Reports
Select General Ledger
Choose an Account and a Date range
The report displays immediately; use the filters at the top to change the account or period – it updates automatically

When to Use

Reviewing all activity in a specific account
Investigating a discrepancy down to the transaction level
Producing a complete general ledger export for an auditor

Activity Report

Summarizes income and expense by account for each active program and fundraiser, with a net amount per activity.

What It Shows

One breakdown per active program or fundraiser, each showing its income and expense accounts and a net (surplus or deficit)
A filter to narrow the list to programs only or fundraisers only

Running the Report

Go to Reports
Select Activity Report
Use the Type filter to show all activities, programs only, or fundraisers only
The report displays immediately; use the filter at the top to change the scope – it updates automatically

When to Use

Reviewing whether a specific fundraiser or program was profitable
Comparing net results across multiple programs or fundraisers
Reporting event-level financial results to the board

Treasurer's Report

A meeting-ready summary designed for board presentations. This report groups your bank and credit accounts individually, with KPI cards up top and a collapsible breakdown per account.

What It Shows

KPI cards: Money In, Money Out, and Net Change for the selected period, with total cash on hand shown alongside Net Change
Asset Accounts and Liability Accounts sections: one card per balance account (checking, savings, credit cards, etc.), each showing its beginning balance, ending balance, and a receipts/disbursements bar for the period
Collapsible detail: expand any account to see its receipts and disbursements broken out by contra account, and expand any contra-account line to see the individual transactions behind it. If you’ve set up Account Groups, receipts and disbursements are further sub-grouped by Account Group, each with its own subtotal
Budget comparison: when an approved budget covers the selected period, Budget and Variance columns appear alongside Actual amounts in the exported summary

Running the Report

Go to Reports
Select Treasurer’s Report
Choose the date range
The report displays immediately; use the filter at the top to change the period – it updates automatically
Click any account card to expand its receipts and disbursements; click a contra-account line to see its underlying transactions

When to Use

Regular board meetings (monthly or quarterly)
General membership meetings
Any time you need a quick, professional financial overview

Annual Financial Report

A fiscal-year statement of gross receipts and disbursements formatted to match the standard CAPTA (California State PTA) Annual Financial Report form. This report is available on screen, as a PDF, and as an Excel (XLSX) export.

What It Shows

Balance on Hand (from previous year): Cash on hand at the start of the fiscal year
Receipts: Income for the fiscal year, grouped by Account Group, with a total
Disbursements: Expenses for the fiscal year, grouped by Account Group, with a total
Balance on Hand (ending): Beginning balance plus total receipts minus total disbursements

This report covers only amounts belonging to your unit. Pass-through funds your organization collects and remits on behalf of council, district, or state/national PTA (such as per-capita dues) are intentionally excluded, so the ending balance will not tie to your actual bank balance if your organization handles pass-through funds.

Running the Report

Go to Reports
Select Annual Financial Report
Pick the Fiscal Year from the dropdown – the report updates automatically
The report displays immediately on screen; use Download PDF or Export Excel for the file versions

When to Use

Year-end board presentations
Annual compliance review with council, district, or state PTA
Treasurer transition (outgoing treasurer hands off to incoming)
Filing alongside Form 990-EZ
Deciding it’s time to [close the fiscal year](close-the-books) once it’s approved

See [Annual Financial Report](financial-review.md) for a detailed breakdown of each section.

Audit Kit

A compliance dashboard that consolidates the key data points an auditor or audit committee needs to review in one place. Available as a dedicated page in BeeKeeper.

What It Shows

Account Summary: Overview of all accounts and their current balances
Bank Reconciliation: Status of reconciliation for each bank account
Journal Entry Audit: Flags journal entries with missing receipts or missing vendors
Vendor & 1099 Summary: Vendor payment totals and 1099 filing readiness
Budget Compliance: How actual spending compares to the approved budget

When to Use

Internal audit committee reviews
Year-end compliance checks
Preparing for an external audit
Ongoing financial hygiene monitoring

Checks Report

Lists all checks written from a bank account in a selected period, including payee, memo, account, voided status, and cleared date.

Running the Report

Go to Reports
Select Checks Report
Choose a bank account and a date range
The report displays immediately; use the filters at the top to change the account or period – it updates automatically

When to Use

Reviewing check activity for a bank account
Reconciling against a bank statement
Confirming a check cleared and on what date

Vendor Payment Reports

Vendor Payment Summary

Shows total payments to each vendor over a date range. Useful for year-end review and 1099 preparation.

Vendor Payment Detail

Shows itemized payments to each vendor with transaction dates, descriptions, and amounts.

Running Vendor Reports

Go to Reports
Select Vendor Payment Summary or Vendor Payment Detail
Choose the date range
The report displays immediately; use the filter at the top to change the period – it updates automatically

1099-NEC Preparation

Identifies vendors who may need a 1099-NEC form (paid $2,000 or more in a calendar year).

What It Shows

Vendor name and EIN/TIN
Total payments for the calendar year
1099 threshold status ($2,000+)

Running the Report

Go to Reports
Select 1099-NEC Preparation
Choose the Calendar Year
The report displays immediately; use the filter at the top to change the year – it updates automatically

Note: This is a preparation tool. You must still file 1099-NEC forms with the IRS separately.

Workers' Compensation Report

Lists vendors marked as requiring workers’ compensation coverage, along with amounts paid to them during the policy year (January 5 to January 5), plus their coverage document status and expiration date.

Running the Report

Go to Reports
Select Workers’ Compensation
Choose the Coverage Year – the policy-year date range is fixed automatically
The report displays immediately; use the filter at the top to change the year – it updates automatically

When to Use

Confirming vendors who require workers’ compensation coverage have a current, unexpired document on file
Reviewing total payments to covered vendors during the policy year

Duplicate Check Numbers Report

Identifies journal entries with duplicate reference numbers, which may indicate duplicate payments.

Running the Report

Go to Reports
Select Duplicate Check Numbers
Review any flagged duplicates and investigate

Chart of Accounts

A complete listing of every account in your chart of accounts with its code, name, description, and type. Within the Income and Expense sections, accounts sub-group by Account Group (if you’ve set any up), matching the By Group view on the Chart of Accounts page.

Running the Report

Go to Reports
Select Chart of Accounts
Use the filters to narrow by account type or archived status, or search by code or name

When to Use

Reference while categorizing transactions
Reviewing your overall account structure
Sharing your chart of accounts with a new treasurer or an auditor

Exporting Reports

Reports are viewed on screen and can be exported as PDF or Excel. The on-screen (HTML) view is print-friendly, so you can print directly from your browser for quick sharing.

PDF

Fixed format document
Professional appearance
Ideal for board packets and archives
Use the Download PDF button

Excel (XLSX)

Editable spreadsheet
Add your own analysis
Create charts and graphs
Use the Export Excel button

How to Export

Open the report
Click Download PDF or Export Excel
A progress popup appears while the file is generated in the background
When it’s ready, download the file from the popup

For long-running exports you can request an email notification when the file is ready.

Closing a Fiscal Year

Once a year is finished and its numbers are approved, you can lock it so nothing in it can be changed later. See [Close the Books](close-the-books) for the readiness checklist, the closing entry, and how to reopen a year if needed. Reports keep showing a closed year’s real numbers – closing only protects the year from future edits.

Report Best Practices

Run Reports Consistently

Same reports each month
Same date ranges
Build trends over time

Keep Archives

Export and save key reports
Monthly P&L and balance sheet minimum
Store securely for audit

Share Appropriately

Board gets full reports
Members get summary versions
Protect detailed transaction data

Review for Accuracy

Before presenting, verify:

[ ] Date ranges are correct
[ ] All transactions are categorized
[ ] Balances match bank statements
[ ] No unusual entries

Tips by User Role

Treasurers

Run reports before each board meeting
Compare to prior periods
Explain significant variances
Keep monthly archives

Board Members

Request reports in advance
Ask questions about variances
Compare to budget regularly
Ensure fiscal responsibility

Auditors

Request full fiscal year reports
Need trial balance for verification
May want transaction-level detail
Verify against bank statements

Date Range Filtering

All date-based reports support flexible date range filtering with common presets:

This Month / Last Month
This Quarter / Last Quarter
This Fiscal Year / Last Fiscal Year
Custom date range

Limitations

Reports show posted transactions only (not pending imported transactions)
Date ranges limited to your organization’s data
Budget vs. Actual requires an approved budget
1099-NEC Preparation requires vendor EIN data to be complete
Custom report layouts not supported

Common Questions

Why doesn’t my balance sheet balance? Usually a transaction wasn’t recorded correctly. Run a trial balance to identify the discrepancy.

Can I see multiple years on one report? Not currently. Run separate reports and compare manually or in Excel.

Why are some accounts missing from reports? Accounts with zero balance may be hidden. Some reports show only accounts with activity.

How do I report on a specific event? Use the Activity Report to see income, expense, and net for a specific program or fundraiser. For other reports, filter by date range and the accounts associated with that event – consistent account naming helps.

Can I customize report columns? Export to Excel and modify as needed. In-app customization not available.

Are reports real-time? Reports reflect all saved transactions. If you just entered something, it’s included. Viewing a report on screen is always instant – only PDF and Excel exports are generated in the background, and you can request an email when a long export finishes.

What happens to reports once a fiscal year is closed? Nothing changes. [Closing a year](close-the-books) locks it against future edits, but every report – Profit & Loss, Trial Balance, Budget vs. Actual, Annual Financial Report, Form 990-EZ – keeps showing that year’s real numbers. The General Ledger and Balance Sheet additionally show the closing entry itself.