First-Time Setup – Accounting Step by Step

You're done with Vendion onboarding, hardware is installed, menu is entered. Now it's time to set up accounting before you welcome your first guest. This article is your step-by-step checklist.

Time needed: About 30 minutes. Do it with a cup of coffee and your accountant on the phone if you want real-time quality assurance.

Before you start

Have ready:

• Organization number (from Bolagsverket)
• Accountant's contact details
• Info about which accounting program they use (Fortnox, Visma, Björn Lundén)
• List of menu categories (on paper or in your head)
• List of payment methods you'll accept (card, Swish, cash, invoice, gift card)

Step 1: Navigate to the Accounting page

1. Log in to Vendion admin
2. Click Admin in the top-left corner
3. Click Accounting in the sidebar
4. You're now on the Chart of Accounts tab

URL: /admin/bokforing

Step 2: Choose accounting system

At the top, select the system matching what your accountant uses.

Always choose "Manual SIE export" now. It's the best starting point regardless of what you later switch to.

Step 3: Map payment methods to accounts

Scroll to the Payment Methods → Accounts section.

Verify defaults are filled:

If anything's missing → type it in. If something's wrong → change it.

Special cases:

• Accept Amex separately? → Create new payment "Amex" with account 1585 (or keep 1580)
• Use a separate terminal for catering payments? → Create payment "Catering Card" with account 1580
• Invoice foreign companies? → Ask accountant about special account (maybe 1512)

Step 4: Map categories to revenue accounts

Scroll to the Categories → Revenue Accounts section.

Go through each category and set the right account:

Quick rules:

• Food (everything eaten) → 3001, VAT 12%
• Non-alcoholic beverages → 3002, VAT 12%
• Alcohol (beer, wine, spirits, cider) → 3003, VAT 25%
• Merchandise/other 25% → 3004
• Other 12% → 3005

If you don't have time to map everything: at least set the Default Revenue Account to 3001 with 12% VAT. Then food sales work correctly, alcohol you'll fix manually later.

Step 5: Verify VAT accounts

VAT Accounts section. Defaults are almost always right:

Don't touch these unless your accountant explicitly says otherwise.

Step 6: Verify other accounts

Other Accounts section. Check:

• Default revenue account: 3001
• Default payment account: 1580
• Receivables account: 1510
• Gift card liability account: 2421
• Gift card expiry account: 3960
• Rounding account: 3740
• SIE series: Z

Everything usually matches defaults. If you have multiple entities you may want different SIE series per entity (A for one, B for another etc.).

Step 7: Save

Click Save settings at the bottom. You get a green "Saved!" message.

Step 8: Test order

Now let's verify everything works.

1. Open the POS (/staff/pos)
2. Place a test order:
   • 1× a main dish (e.g. 200 SEK)
   • 1× a soda (e.g. 35 SEK)
   • 1× a glass of wine (e.g. 95 SEK)
3. Choose payment: Card
4. Finalize the order

The order is now registered with a control code from the control box.

Step 9: Close the test day's Z-report

1. Go to /admin (not accounting yet)
2. Click "Close Z-report" (or equivalent button)
3. Confirm
4. Wait 2–3 seconds while Vendion builds the voucher

Step 10: Review the voucher

1. Go to Admin → Accounting → Vouchers
2. Open "Z1" (your first Z-report)
3. Check the rows:

Expected output (total 330 SEK):

(Exact öre may vary due to rounding – 3740 can get ±1 öre.)

Match? ✓ → continue to step 11. No match? → back to steps 3–4 and hunt for mapping errors.

Step 11: Test SIE export

1. On the Vouchers tab, click Export SIE
2. A file vendion_bokforing_[restaurantname]_[year].se downloads
3. Open the file in a text editor (Notepad, VS Code etc.)

You should see lines like:

#FLAGGA 0
#FORMAT PC8
#SIETYP 4
#PROGRAM "Vendion POS" "1.0"
#GEN 20260419
#FNAMN "Your Restaurant"
#ORGNR 5593514788
#RAR 0 20260101 20261231
#KPTYP BAS
#KONTO 1580 "Kortfordringar"
#KONTO 3001 "Försäljning mat 12%"
...
#VER "Z" 1 20260419 "Z-rapport #1"
{
  #TRANS 1580 {} 330,00 ""
  #TRANS 3001 {} -178,57 ""
  ...
}

Works? ✓ → you're done with basic setup!

Step 12: Send the test file to your accountant

Before opening for your first guest:

1. Email the SIE file to your accountant
2. Ask them to try importing into Fortnox/Visma (just to verify)
3. If something complains – accountant gives you corrections (e.g. "switch 1580 to 1581 for Swish")
4. Change in Vendion, export again

Step 13 (optional): Enable auto-Z

When you're comfortable with manual Z-reports, enable automation:

1. Admin → Accounting → Chart of Accounts
2. Scroll to Automatic Z-report
3. Enable: On
4. Time: 23:00 (or when you close)
5. Days: All days you're open
6. Auto-export SIE: Your choice (makes it easier for the accountant)
7. Save

Important: Make sure all staff close their orders before the auto-Z time. Otherwise the Z-report is blocked.

Installed! Now what?

Congratulations – your accounting is set up. From now on, Vendion does most of it automatically. Your only responsibilities are:

• Every day: Close Z-report (manual) or let auto-Z do it
• Every month: Export SIE file, send to accountant, count the drawer
• Every quarter/month: Follow up that accountant filed VAT declaration

If something goes wrong

Z-report blocked

Error: "There are old pending orders." → Go to POS and close/void open orders.

SIE import in Fortnox complains

Error: "Unknown account number." → Your accountant has a customized chart. Ask for the right numbers and update in Vendion.

Voucher is unbalanced

Debit ≠ Credit → this should never happen with Vendion. Contact support.

See also

• Overview – Accounting in Vendion — starter
• Chart of Accounts Settings in Admin — deep dive
• SIE File – Export from Vendion — more on SIE
• From Z-Report to Voucher — how the voucher is built

Welcome to the accounting side of restaurateur life. It's actually easier than you'd think.