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Finato

How it works

Focused bookkeeping, done by people

No auto-categorization guesswork. A bookkeeper who knows convenience retail keeps your books from your source documents, and every month is reviewed before it reaches you.

A month with Finato

September

  1. 1
  5. 5
  10. 10
  15. 15
  20. 20
  25. 25
  30. 30

  • Daily data in

    Day 1

    POS, back office, bank feeds — every day

  • A question for you

    Day 9

    “Which vendor is this ACH?” — answered in a tap

  • Reviewed and closed

    Day 30

    A second look before the month locks

  • Your report package is ready — web, app and your CPA.

1 · Get set up

We move you over — history and all

Coming from Xero, QuickBooks or Sage? We bring your history across and check the trial balance month by month before you switch. We set up your chart of accounts the way convenience retail owners read their numbers: merchandise, fuel and lottery kept apart.

  • Full history moved, not just opening balances
  • Trial balance checked for every month
  • You switch only once the numbers match

Trial balance check · old system → Finato

Example

Example trial balance comparison between a previous accounting system and Finato
PeriodOld systemDifferenceResult
Jun 20261,284,550.180.00Match
Jul 20261,301,972.400.00Match
Aug 20261,322,108.770.00Match
Sep 20261,339,645.020.00Match
Every migrated line keeps a link to its original record.

2 · Every day

Your bookkeeper posts and reconciles each day

Your back-office reports, fuel deliveries, lottery settlements, vendor invoices and bank lines come in each day. Your bookkeeper posts them, ties the deposits to the bank, and asks you when something doesn’t add up.

  • Sales, fuel, lottery and cash posted from your back office
  • Deposits and card settlements matched to the bank
  • Questions come from a person, while the day is still fresh

Daily close · Northside Fuel #3

Tue, Oct 14

Example daily close

Inside sales

Back-office export

8,412.36Posted

Fuel sales

Forecourt file

14,906.12Posted

Lottery settlement

State weekly report

1,240.00Needs review

Bank deposit

Bank feed

21,871.05Matched

Over / short

Cash count

(12.40)Explained

Question from your bookkeeper

Instant tickets activated (1,300.00) don’t match the settlement (1,240.00). Difference 60.00 — was one pack activated after the cut-off?

4 of 5 reconciled by your bookkeeper · 1 question for you

3 · Every month

Reconciled, reviewed, then closed

At month-end your bookkeeper reconciles fuel against deliveries and invoices, ages your payables and receivables, and books inventory movement and rebates. Then the whole month is reviewed before it’s closed.

  • Fuel matched to delivery tickets and supplier invoices
  • Vendor invoices matched to deliveries and payments
  • Every close reviewed before reports go out

Fuel profit

Northside Fuel & Market LLC · Location 1

For the quarter ended September 30, 2026

Example fuel profit for an example location
LineJul 2026Aug 2026Sep 2026Q3 total
Gallons sold74,32278,10072,842225,264
Fuel sales246,799.06263,355.90234,836.66744,991.62
Fuel purchases227,106.27244,787.64216,229.74688,123.65
Inventory movement612.40(1,186.20)348.90(224.90)
Fuel profit19,080.3919,754.4618,258.0257,092.87
Card fees on fuel sales(5,182.78)(5,530.47)(4,931.57)(15,644.82)
Fuel profit after card fees13,897.6114,223.9913,326.4541,448.05
Margin per gallon25.7¢25.3¢25.1¢25.3¢
Net per gallon after card fees18.7¢18.2¢18.3¢18.4¢
Kept apart from inside sales: gallons, margin per gallon, and what’s left after card fees eat into the pump price.

4 · Your reports

A report package you can actually use

You get the full package for every location: P&L with real margins, fuel profit analysis, fuel reconciliation, category margins, payables and receivables, and an expense review. Your CPA gets a year-end package from the same books.

  • Merchandise, fuel and lottery margins kept separate
  • Unusual expenses and variances flagged and explained
  • Year-end package for your CPA

Inside profit

Northside Fuel & Market LLC · Location 1

For the quarter ended September 30, 2026

Example inside profit for an example location
LineJul 2026Aug 2026Sep 2026Q3 total
Merchandise sales168,778.60177,081.65162,626.70508,486.95
Purchases128,230.20135,681.60125,395.48389,307.28
Inventory movement(1,240.60)815.30(402.75)(828.05)
Tobacco rebates & buydowns(3,730.40)(3,847.25)(3,582.35)(11,160.00)
Cost of goods123,259.20132,649.65121,410.38377,319.23
Merchandise profit45,519.4044,432.0041,216.32131,167.72
Merchandise margin27.0%25.1%25.3%25.8%
Lottery income1,764.601,842.801,668.805,276.20
Merchandise carries its own cost of goods — purchases, inventory movement and rebates — so the margin is real, not blended with fuel.

All month long

Know who you owe and who owes you

Distributor invoices, fuel drafts, card settlements, lottery sweeps, rebate claims and house accounts are all tracked, so you know what’s coming in and going out before it hits the bank.

  • Payables aged by vendor
  • Receivables tracked until the money lands
  • Disputes and missing credits followed up

Payables & receivables

Northside Fuel & Market LLC · Location 1

As of September 30, 2026

Example payables and receivables aging
AccountCurrentOverdueTotalStatus
What you owe
Fuel supplier48,612.40–48,612.40EFT drafts Oct 3
Tobacco distributor18,240.75–18,240.75Due Oct 7
Beer distributor6,418.202,104.608,522.801 invoice not matched to delivery
Grocery wholesaler4,872.35–4,872.35Due Oct 10
Ice & dairy (DSD)1,186.40412.001,598.40Credit memo pending
Equipment service–1,840.001,840.00Disputed — on hold
Total what you owe79,330.104,356.6083,686.70
Owed to you
Card settlements in transit14,286.90–14,286.90Deposits Oct 1–2
State lottery (weekly sweep)2,418.00–2,418.00Net due to you
Tobacco scan-data rebates3,582.353,847.257,429.60Q3 claim submitted
Fleet fuel cards1,964.50–1,964.50Settles in 7 days
House charge accounts640.00597.501,237.501 account past 60 days
Total owed to you22,891.754,444.7527,336.50
Every vendor invoice is matched to its delivery and payment, and money owed to you — card settlements, lottery, rebates, house accounts — is tracked until it lands.

See your own locations in Finato

Send us one month of back-office reports and bank statements. We’ll walk you through the reports on your own numbers, not a demo company.

Book a walkthrough How it works