There are a few important foundation blocks for the accounting process in Ranger.

1. Accounting “basis” - “Cash” vs. “Charge”
2. For “Cash” accounts, payment is expected when service is delivered (e.g., like buying an oil filter at Walmart)
3. For “Charge” accounts, payment is expected after an invoice/statement has been submitted to a customer. For example, payment for a job follows sending of an invoice/statement to a customer, or after entering job completion data on a motor club web site
4. The accounting basis for a customer is configured in “Accounts”
5. “Invoice Review” - the process in Ranger to “Finalize Pricing”, make adjustments to invoices (such as terms), and/or recognizing bad debt
6. The Invoice review process should happen as frequently as practical, particularly to “Finalize Pricing”
7. It is recommended that the Invoice Review process be conducted at least daily, or at the conclusion of each shift while events are still current
8. Keep in mind that a frequent process will also improve system performance - minimizing the need to recover, synthesize, and display extensive amounts of information
9. “Finalize Pricing” - an explicit decision/action that locks down pricing on an Invoice
10. There is flexibility within Ranger (controlled by user permissions) to adjust or correct the charges on an invoice during or after the completion of a job
11. “Finalize pricing” is a required decision/action that prevents further changes to the charges/pricing on an invoice.
12. “Closed” invoices - a status of an invoice that reports when receipts are equal to the balance due (Note: “Closed” is a mathematical result, not a decision/action like “Finalize Pricing”)
13. For “Cash” accounts, invoices will typically become “Closed” when a job is complete because payments for the job have been received
14. For “Charge” accounts, invoices will typically become “Closed” some time after a job is complete - e.g., when a check has been received and applied to an invoice
15. For both “Cash” and “Charge” accounts it may be required to “Write-off” bad debt in order for an invoice to become “Closed”
16. “Finished” payments - an explicit decision/action that locks down the application of payments to invoices for “Charge” accounts
17. Receipts from “Charge” accounts will often cover multiple Invoices
18. Payments can be initially applied to invoices and saved
    1. Enables resolution of any questions as to which invoices the customer is paying
    2. Creates flexibility to resolve any uncertainties as to whether any adjustments are appropriate - e.g., terms or negotiated discounts
19. Payments can only be applied to invoices after the decision has been made to “Finalize Pricing” on the invoice
20. The decision that the application of a payment is correct is enacted in the decision/action “Finished” and no further changes to adjustments or allocations can be made to an invoice in Ranger
21. Statements - can be generated to list/summarize (by customer) invoices where there is a remaining balance due from “Charge” customers
22. Statements are optional in that individual invoices can be sent to “Charge” customer as jobs are completed
23. Statements are recommended if account-level (off-invoice) commercial arrangements will be used
24. Transmittal to QuickBooks - is initiated from QuickBooks and will trigger the import of all Invoices and payments from Ranger based on criteria:
25. “Cash” accounts: the decision has been made to “Finalize Pricing”, and the Invoice is “Closed” (Could also mean that a decision has been made to “Write-Off” an amount outstanding - i.e., declare as bad debt)
26. “Charge” accounts: the decision has been made to “Finalize Pricing”, and the Invoice is “Closed” - where reaching the “Closed” status will include
    1. Any appropriate adjustments have been determined/entered - including terms, negotiated discounts, credits and allowances, and bad debt
    2. The payment application process is approved - a decision/action has been enacted by “Finished” - locking down the allocations to invoices
27. For all customers, reporting in Ranger provides filters to look at Invoices from multiple vantage points, for example:
28. “Cash” vs. “Charge” accounts
29. Invoices where pricing has been finalized, or not, or both
30. Invoices that are “Open”, “Closed”, or both