Company Information holds who your company is: its trading name and address, how to reach it, its legal name and legal address, its tax registration numbers, the month its fiscal year starts, and the income tax form it files. The address and contact details print at the top of your invoices, statements, cheques and letters, and the fiscal year decides where "this year" starts in every report.
Opening Company Information
- Company ▸ Company Information…
- Edit ▸ Preferences, category Company Information, then Company Information
From the menu it opens over the Home Page, and Esc takes you back to the Home Page. From Preferences it opens on top of Preferences, and Esc goes back there.
Only an administrator can change it. Anyone else sees the fields greyed out, with Only an administrator can change the company information. under the title, and no OK button.
The fields
Contact information
These print on your documents.
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Company Name | The name you trade under, as customers know you. Required. |
| Street | The street address. |
| City | City or town. |
| Province / State | Province (or state). |
| Postal Code | Postal code (or ZIP code). |
| Country | Country. |
| Phone | Main phone number. |
| Alternate Phone | A second number. |
| Fax | Fax number, if you have one. |
| The company e-mail address. Must be a valid address. | |
| Web Site | Your website. |
Legal information
For your legal name and registered address when they differ from how you trade.
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Legal Name | The name registered with the government, for example 1234567 Ontario Inc. |
| Street, City, Province / State, Postal Code, Country | The legal (registered) address. |
| Same as the company address | Copies the company address above into the legal address. |
Company identification
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Business Number (BN) | Your nine-digit federal business number. |
| Tax registration name | The name of your main sales tax registration as it should print, for example GST/HST No. |
| Registration number | That registration number, for example 123456789 RT0001. |
| Second tax name | A second registration, for example QST No. |
| Registration number | Its number. |
What prints on your documents: forms from File ▸ Print Forms show one tax number under your company name: the tax number of the document's own location when it has one; otherwise the first tax registration here; otherwise your Business Number. Printed invoices show the first tax registration name and number. A number made only of zeros or dashes is treated as a placeholder and not printed.
Report information
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| First month of the fiscal year | The month your fiscal year starts. Reports that show "this fiscal year", the Company Snapshot and year-end all start from it. |
| Income Tax Form Used | The return your business files: T2 — Corporation, T1 / T2125 — Sole proprietorship, T5013 — Partnership, T3 — Trust, or for a US company Form 1120, Form 1120S, Form 1065, Form 1040 Schedule C or Form 990; or Other / None. |
| Company Type | The kind of business: Retail, Wholesale / Distribution, Manufacturing, Construction / Contractor, Professional Services, Restaurant / Food Service, Non-profit or Other. |
Change your company information
- Choose Company ▸ Company Information….
- Change the fields you need.
- Click OK. You see Company information saved. and the window closes.
Click Cancel to close without saving.
The fiscal year change takes effect in SeroBooks at once: reports and statements opened after you save start the year from the new month.
Messages you may see
| Message | What to do |
|---|---|
| Enter the company name. | Company Name is empty. Enter it. |
| That email address is not valid. | Correct the e-mail address, or leave it empty. |
| Choose the first month of the fiscal year. | Choose a month. |
| Only an administrator can change the company information. | Your role cannot change it. Ask an administrator. |
Permissions
Changing Company Information needs an Admin or Manager role, or a role with access to the business settings. A role that includes the Dashboard can open the window and read it. See Roles and permissions explained.
Tips
- Check the company address, phone and tax registration before you print your first invoice; customers will read them on every document.
- Change the first month of the fiscal year only at the start of a year, or with your accountant: every "this fiscal year" figure moves with it.
- The Business Number also prints on forms when there is no tax registration to show.
Common problems
My invoice still shows the old address. The address comes from the location the invoice belongs to. If you have several locations, change that location's address in Business and location settings.
The GST/HST number does not print. Check that Registration number is filled in and is not only zeros or dashes. A tax number set on the location itself prints instead of the company's.
I cannot change anything — the fields are grey. Your role is not an administrator's. Ask an administrator to make the change or to give your role access.