Ambivo Books User Guide
DocsUG-080
Settings and Configuration
Entity, currency, fiscal year, accounting basis, Stripe Connect, Payment PIN
The Settings screen consolidates the entity-level switches and informational cards that govern how Books behaves. Most of what you see is read-only display of choices made at entity-creation time; a few are live controls (Payment PIN, Enable Accounting). This guide walks through each card.
Getting There
- Click Settings in the left sidebar (under the secondary "masters" group)
- The settings page appears with several cards arranged in a grid
Entity Information
Shows:
- Entity Name — The trading name of your company. Set at entity creation; can be edited from the entity edit screen.
- Entity ID — Internal numeric ID. Useful when filing support tickets.
Currency
Shows:
- Base Currency — The currency your reports are presented in (e.g., USD — US Dollar)
- Multi-Currency — Enabled / Disabled badge
The base currency was set when the entity was created and is effectively permanent — see Setting Up Your Company (UG-003). The multi-currency toggle determines whether you can create transactions in non-base currencies. See Multi-Currency (UG-070).
Fiscal Year
Shows:
- Fiscal Year Range — When your fiscal year begins and ends (e.g., January 1 — December 31)
- Current Fiscal Year — Which fiscal year you are currently in (e.g., FY2026)
- Reporting Period — The active reporting period record, with status (open / closed)
The fiscal year start month was set at entity creation and is effectively permanent. The current period and its status are managed automatically as time passes and you close periods.
Regional Settings
Shows:
- Timezone — Inherited from your tenant
- Locale — Set at entity creation (e.g., en_US, en_GB, de_DE). Influences number and date formatting on PDFs.
Accounting
Shows:
- Accounting Basis — Cash or Accrual. Set at creation, cannot be changed.
- Accounting Standard — US GAAP, IFRS, or Other. Set at creation, cannot be changed.
These two are display-only because changing them after the fact would invalidate every prior report. The defaults (Accrual, US GAAP) cover most US small businesses. If you need to change either, the right path is to create a new entity.
See Bookkeeping Concepts (UG-004) → Accrual vs. Cash Basis for what these mean.
Stripe Payments (Connect)
Shows your tenant's Stripe Connect status:
- Connect Account — A status badge: Not Set Up, Pending, Active
- Account ID (when active) — Your Stripe Connect account ID
- Various warnings if onboarding is incomplete or pending Stripe activation
What Stripe Connect enables
When Stripe Connect is Active:
- Send Invoice via Stripe appears on invoices — your customers can pay by card or ACH through a Stripe-hosted page
- Card and ACH payments are deposited into your Stripe balance, then transferred to your bank
- Webhooks update Books in real time when payments land
When Stripe Connect is Not Set Up:
- Send-via-Stripe is hidden
- You can still send invoices manually (export PDF, email yourself)
- Bank Feeds (which use Stripe Financial Connections, a separate product) work either way
Setting up Stripe Connect
This is a tenant-level configuration, not an entity-level one. Contact your tenant administrator to set it up via the Ambivo admin portal. Books shows the status; the configuration itself happens upstream.
Payment Security (Payment PIN)
Shows:
- Payment PIN — Set / Not set badge
- An inline form to set or change the PIN
The Payment PIN is a 4–6 digit code required before each Wise payout. It is separate from your login password, so a hijacked session cannot drain money out of the company.
Setting your PIN
- Enter your login password to verify identity
- Click Verify Password
- Enter the new PIN twice
- Click Set PIN (or Change PIN if one exists)
Changing your PIN
Same flow — re-verify password and choose a new PIN.
Forgot your PIN
The PIN cannot be recovered. Reset by re-verifying your password and choosing a new one.
See Sign Up, Login, and Authentication (UG-002) → Payment PIN for the full security context.
Enable Accounting (Books Enabled)
This card only appears when accounting is disabled on the entity.
If you skipped the chart-of-accounts preset at entity creation, the accounting module is disabled and items like Accounts, Journal Entries, Transactions, and Reports are hidden from the sidebar.
Enabling
- Pick a Chart of Accounts preset: Basic — 7 essential accounts; Standard — 27 common business accounts (recommended); Comprehensive — 80+ accounts for full coverage
- Click Enable Accounting
What Happens Next
- The chosen preset is loaded into your chart of accounts
- The entity is marked books_enabled = true
- The page reloads, sidebar updates, and the previously-hidden menu items appear
This is a one-way action. Once enabled, the menu items stay visible. (You can deactivate accounts you do not need, but the module itself is on for good.)
Application Version
At the bottom of the page, the running build version of the Books application is shown. Useful for support tickets — please mention the version when reporting bugs.
What Is Not on the Settings Page
A few things you might expect to find here but are configured elsewhere:
- Users and roles — Managed in the Ambivo platform admin tools, not Books
- Tax rates — Created and managed under Accounts (or via the API)
- Custom fields — Not yet supported
- Email templates / branding — Tenant-level, not Books-specific
- Stripe Invoicing branding — Configured in the Stripe Dashboard
Common Questions
Why can't I change my fiscal year?
Because it would create stub periods and invalidate prior reports. If the fiscal year on the entity is genuinely wrong, the right path is to create a new entity and migrate.
Why can't I change the accounting basis or standard?
Same reason. They drive how every transaction is interpreted historically; changing them retroactively would change reported numbers in ways that break audits.
My Stripe Connect status says "Onboarding Incomplete"
The Stripe account exists but Stripe needs more information from you (business details, banking info, identity verification). Your tenant administrator started the onboarding but did not finish — they need to complete it from the Stripe dashboard.
My Stripe Connect status says "Pending Activation"
You finished onboarding and Stripe is reviewing. Charges will be enabled once Stripe completes its checks (usually within hours, sometimes a day).
Where do I see my plan / subscription / quota?
The freemium quota system (number of invoices, bills, bank connections) is managed in the Core Ambivo API. Your tenant administrator sees the quotas and current usage in the Ambivo billing area.
My Settings page shows the wrong tenant or company
Make sure you have the right entity selected (entity selector in the top bar). Settings always show the current entity.
How do I add another company / entity?
From the entity selector in the top bar, choose Add Entity. See Setting Up Your Company (UG-003).
Tips and Best Practices
- Set the Payment PIN even if you do not currently send Wise payments. Setup takes a minute; protection is real.
- Verify the entity's currency, fiscal year, and accounting basis on day one. They are the hardest to change later.
- Bookmark the Settings page when you are first setting up — you will visit it several times.
- Note the application version when filing support tickets. It is at the bottom of the page.
- Don't enable accounting until you are ready to use it. If you only need invoicing through the Core API, leaving Books-only features off keeps the UI focused.