The only thing that sucks hard is the ability to customise invoice layouts, similar to your complaints in your blog. You need to be able to code HTML and CSS to edit the underlying theme that is applied to the template. I’m sure many would say “big deal” but I not interested in learning HTML just to modify an invoice layout. I guess its back to Google to find a developer who has experience with Saasu themes.

Thanks for taking the time to look at all of these packages.

Cheers
Gavin

BDM WorkflowMax

Re the ABN info, I see a lot of uncertainty in this area all the time amongst customers and I think it’s because their foreign buyers and local retail buyers often don’t have ABN’s that they may trick themselves into thinking they don’t need to collect any info. That’s why the ATO has the fallback address/contact info option to my understanding. The link you pointed out says that I just noticed “Address or ABN”. That said we go to Legislation or ATO specs for certainty in our approach with the design and development of Saasu.

Thanks for the followup

Thanks for reading and for your comments.

Firstly, my notion of the recipient’s ABN being required on a valid tax invoice over $1000 is not correct. If you look at http://www.ato.gov.au/businesses/content.asp?doc=/content/50913.htm&page=1#P47_2884 (the “tax invoice” link in the post) it says

“A valid tax invoice for taxable sales that total $1,000 or more must contain: …
# the ABN of the supplier
# the name of the recipient
# the address or ABN of the recipient”

I’m surely not going to argue the point and your example of a retail purchase is a very good one. I’d be tempted to argue that the hypothetical retailers haven’t issued a Tax Invoice that complies. Anyway, that’s trivial. It is, however, important for me that you can at least optionally add the recipient’s ABN to the Invoice.

I’d like to see more sample data in the sample file. It would make it easier for newcomers to see what a work-in-progress looks like, particularly what you’d see on the dashboard as far as aging receivables and suppliers goes.

You do make a valid point about Saasu being for perhaps larger businesses. I think I do need to be aware that the bulk of the market seeking out accounting solutions are generally as you describe, with inventories, payrolls and CRM issues to deal with. In that light my needs are more a blend of business and personal accounting in the rather unique manner of being a sole-trader, with no employees and no inventory.

I’d be really interested to know if my particular needs are indeed and edge case or if there is a “silent majority” out there who want this. It could also be that I need to adopt a more accountantly (your new word for the day) approach to my book keeping and accounting. I’m certainly no Bean-Counting Messiah. oh, no. Not by a long-shot.

cheers
Ewen

Yes you won’t see much on the dashboard without having any data. You can have a sample file, new customers get them fyi in AUS but not yet in NZ. Also Saasu has merge field to display customer ABN on tax invoices so we do cover that. I don’t agree with your tax view but I can’t correct you (not being a tax advisor). I will say this. When I personally buy something for more than $1,000 from Target or Kmart they won’t make me give them an ABN but as a business owner I can ask them to put my ABN on their tax Invoice.

Lastly we are about transaction automation, inventory, payroll predominantly so we tend to get more attention as business get larger or have multiple sales channels and outlets to deal with. So its a bit like comparing an Apple to two Oranges. But as a customer that’s not relevant to you specifically so I totally appreciate your view.

Great reading

cheers
Ewen

Please let me know whether you’d rather see updates in the post or should I post updates as a comment here.

Pretty much everything you want is already on our to-do list. Some things will be coming sooner than others.

Cheers.
Philip

Head of Design, Xero

Corneliu – did you take a look at Xero? I’d like to hear your thoughts on it