Quote and invoice
Prepare professional quotations, convert approved quotations where supported and issue organised customer invoices.
Bookkeeping and business records
Business Records & Bookkeeping
Keep complete records. Invoice professionally. Stay ready for accounting and tax.
Use a structured workspace for quotations, invoices, customers, suppliers and day-to-day transaction records, with clear guidance on the documents your business must retain.
My Bookkeeping opens securely through Manager Cloud and uses separate named credentials. Website sign-in does not provide automatic bookkeeping sign-in.
On this page
Overview
A practical way to keep business records organised.
The Bookkeeping Workspace helps businesses move beyond scattered Word files, Excel registers and paper folders. It keeps routine sales, purchasing and payment information in one structured place.
Manage business contacts
Reuse customer and supplier details instead of retyping the same information across separate files.
Record activity
Capture supplier transactions, receipts and payments and maintain a clearer transaction history.
Review balances
Improve visibility of customer and supplier balances and keep records available throughout the year.
Business invoices
Invoices your business creates for its own customers belong in My Bookkeeping.
Our practice invoices
Practice fees and invoices issued to you remain available through the existing Client Centre arrangement.
Important: the workspace is a bookkeeping and administration tool. Access by itself is not a full bookkeeping, accounting, tax, VAT-submission or financial-statement service.
Why move beyond manual Word and Excel records?
Word and Excel are not unlawful. They can, however, become difficult to control as transaction volumes, users and file versions increase.
| Manual Word or Excel process | Structured bookkeeping workspace |
|---|---|
| Separate files and folders | Centralised customer and supplier records |
| Manual invoice numbering | More consistent document numbering |
| Repeated retyping of customer details | Reusable customer and supplier information |
| Formula and version-control risks | Structured transaction workflows |
| Difficult links between invoices and payments | Better visibility of balances and transaction history |
| Documents saved on individual devices | Controlled online access, subject to configured permissions |
| Time-consuming year-end reconstruction | Records available throughout the year |
| Limited audit trail | More consistent transaction history |
| Greater risk of missing information | Guided and standardised data fields |
Software does not eliminate mistakes or guarantee compliance. Record quality still depends on complete, accurate and timely information supplied by the client.
Plans
Choose the access arrangement that applies to you.
Active monthly accounting-plan clients may qualify for complimentary access. Clients without an active monthly accounting plan may request a standalone monthly subscription.
Included with active monthly accounting plans
Eligible clients receive complimentary workspace access after engagement, identity and permission checks. This benefit does not expand the services in the signed engagement letter.
Standalone pricing: all prices are exclusive of 15% VAT. The VAT-inclusive amount is shown on every plan.
Records Essentials
For small businesses moving away from manual quotations and invoices.
R500 / month excl. VAT
R575 per month including 15% VAT
- One business workspace
- One named client user
- Customer and supplier records
- Quotations
- Sales invoices
- Customer balance visibility
- Standard onboarding instructions
- Standard system-access support
Records Plus
For businesses that also want to organise purchases, payments and supplier information.
R750 / month excl. VAT
R862.50 per month including 15% VAT
- Everything in Records Essentials
- Up to two named client users
- Purchase invoices or supplier bills
- Receipts and payment capture
- Customer and supplier balances or statements
- Transaction attachments where supported
- Assisted initial workspace setup
Records Complete
For businesses that want a more complete self-managed bookkeeping record.
R900 / month excl. VAT
R1,035 per month including 15% VAT
- Everything in Records Plus
- Up to three named client users
- Bank-transaction capture
- Bank-reconciliation functionality
- Core reports available in the workspace
- Expanded attachments where supported
- Priority system-access support
Selected plan: None
Standalone plans provide system access only
Unless separately included in a signed engagement, standalone subscriptions exclude:
- Bookkeeping performed by our team
- Monthly accounting processing
- VAT return preparation or submission
- Tax-return services
- Payroll
- Annual financial statements
- Compliance-report preparation
- Client Centre monthly document processing
Features are enabled through verified named-user and business permissions. Where a feature cannot be appropriately restricted, the permitted workflow, user limit, onboarding and support arrangement will be confirmed before activation.
How it works
A clear, verified route into My Bookkeeping.
Access is never created automatically from a public request. Identity, client status, subscription and business permissions are checked first.
Choose your path
Existing users sign in. Monthly accounting clients request complimentary access. Other clients select a standalone plan.
Submit the request
Provide the required business and contact details. Do not submit passwords, bank-login details or supporting documents.
Verification and setup
We verify the applicant, engagement or plan, authorised business and permitted named users before activation.
Use named secure access
Approved users receive separate credentials restricted to their authorised business. Clients are not issued administrator access.
Need new access?
Open the request form below. Submitting it does not activate a plan, create a billing entry or grant immediate access.
Request Bookkeeping Access
Access request details
Fields marked * are required. Do not submit passwords, bank-login details or supporting documents here.
Verification first: access is issued only after identity, client-status, subscription and permission checks are complete.
Documents
Every business transaction needs a record.
Sufficient records support the amounts in accounts and tax returns, explain the nature and business purpose of transactions, support financial statements and tax declarations, and provide an audit trail from source document to accounting entry and payment.
Every payment made by a business should be supported by an appropriate source document.
A bank statement or proof of payment shows that money moved. It does not necessarily establish what was purchased, the business purpose or whether VAT may be deducted.
Examples of supporting documents
- Valid tax invoices
- Supplier invoices
- Receipts and till slips
- Quotations and purchase orders
- Contracts and service agreements
- Delivery notes
- Loan and finance agreements
- Lease agreements
- Proof of payment
- Bank statements
- Credit and debit notes
- Correspondence explaining unusual transactions
Monthly documents and the Client Centre
Active monthly accounting-plan clients
Submit supporting documents every month through the secure Client Centre.
- Do not upload duplicate quotations or invoices fully captured in the workspace where our team has authorised access.
- Still submit bank statements, receipts, contracts, finance and lease documents, external schedules, support for unusual payments and anything else requested.
- Entering data does not remove the duty to retain the original source document.
Standalone bookkeeping subscribers
System access does not automatically include monthly accounting or Client Centre monthly document processing.
- You remain responsible for record completeness and retention.
- Bookkeeping review, tax submissions and financial reporting require a separate signed engagement.
- Keep source documents even when transaction details are entered in the workspace.
Missing documents delay accounting and compliance work
A bank-description line is not always enough to complete an accounting entry or confirm the correct VAT treatment. Missing documents lead to follow-up enquiries and can delay bookkeeping, reconciliations, VAT work, financial statements, management reports, compliance reports and responses to SARS. Document submission does not, by itself, guarantee completion by a particular date.
Tax records are generally retained for at least five years, subject to the applicable tax Act and circumstances requiring longer retention. Company records may be subject to seven-year or other applicable requirements. The correct period depends on the record and the law that applies.
Help
Guidance, answers and official sources.
Preparing for the direction of VAT modernisation
SARS’s VAT Modernisation programme describes a proposed Digital VAT Model involving e-Invoicing, an interoperability framework, e-Reporting and more structured, near-real-time VAT transaction data. The model is expected to progress through consultation and phased implementation.
This does not mean every business is currently compelled to use e-Invoicing or e-Reporting. The workspace is not represented as certified or approved by SARS for a future Digital VAT Model.
Frequently asked questions
Is the bookkeeping workspace free?
It is complimentary for verified clients with an active Candid Accountants monthly accounting plan. Other clients may request a standalone monthly access plan.
Who qualifies for complimentary access?
Clients with a current active monthly accounting engagement, subject to registration, access terms, appropriate permissions and continued eligibility.
Can I use it only for quotations and invoices?
Yes. Records Essentials is designed for clients who mainly need customer and supplier records, quotations and sales invoices. The setup is confirmed before activation.
Must I keep original supporting documents?
Yes. Entering a transaction does not replace the original source document. Retain records in an accessible, reliable form for the applicable period.
Must I upload invoices created in My Bookkeeping?
Monthly accounting clients generally do not need to upload duplicate invoices or quotations fully captured in the workspace, provided Candid Accountants has authorised access.
Which documents must I upload monthly?
Submit records not already available in the workspace, including bank statements, receipts, contracts, finance or lease documents, external schedules, support for unusual payments and other requested records.
Can I claim VAT using only proof of payment?
Proof of payment alone does not necessarily establish an input-tax deduction. The applicable documentary and substantive requirements must be met, commonly including a valid tax invoice or permitted alternative proof.
Does a standalone plan include bookkeeping by your team?
No. It provides system access only. Professional bookkeeping, VAT, tax, payroll, financial-statement and related services require a separate signed engagement.
Can employees receive separate access?
Yes, within the verified user limit for the selected plan. Each authorised person uses unique named credentials. Shared credentials and administrator access are not issued to clients.
What happens when a plan or subscription ends?
Access may be revoked when eligibility, the engagement or subscription ends. Arrange record exports and retention before termination so required records remain accessible.
Is the system approved for future SARS e-Invoicing?
No such approval is claimed. SARS’s proposed Digital VAT Model continues to develop through consultation and phased implementation.
What should I do if I am unsure about a transaction?
Contact us before making or committing to it so the documents, business purpose and potential tax treatment can be considered.
Does the workspace satisfy every statutory retention requirement?
No blanket guarantee is made. Clients remain responsible for complete records in an acceptable and accessible form. Offshore electronic storage may require SARS authorisation or an appropriate accessible South African copy, depending on the circumstances.
Official references
Use these authoritative sources for current detail. This page summarises general principles and is not advice on specific facts.
Ready to continue?
Existing users can sign in now. New users can request verified access without submitting passwords or financial documents.