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All Swedish businesses — including freelancers and sole proprietors (enskild firma) — are legally required to maintain proper accounting records. Aourly’s bookkeeping feature helps you meet this requirement without needing to be an accounting expert.

Accessing Bookkeeping

Click Bookkeeping in the main sidebar. This opens the bookkeeping page, which serves as the central hub for all your accounting activities.

The Bookkeeping Tabs

The bookkeeping page is organised into five tabs:

Overview

The landing tab shows:
  • Connection status — whether you are connected to an external accounting provider (Fortnox or Visma), and the current connection health.
  • Bookkeeping stats — a summary of your voucher counts and key account balances, giving you a quick picture of your accounting status.

Accounts

The chart of accounts based on the BAS standard (BAS-kontoplanen), which is the Swedish chart of accounts used by virtually all Swedish businesses. Here you can view all your accounts, their numbers, names, and types. See the Accounts and Vouchers guide for details.

Vouchers

A list of all bookkeeping vouchers (verifikationer). Each voucher is an accounting record with debit and credit entries. Aourly creates vouchers automatically when invoices are sent and payments are registered. See the Accounts and Vouchers guide for details.

Financial Years

Manage your accounting periods. A financial year (räkenskapsår) defines the start and end dates for an accounting period. Most sole proprietors use the calendar year (January 1 to December 31), but other periods are possible.

Imports

View and manage SIE4 file imports. If you are migrating from another system, you can import your existing accounting data via SIE4 files. See the SIE4 Import and Export guide for details.

Two Approaches to Bookkeeping

Aourly offers flexibility in how you handle your accounting:

Option 1: Built-In Bookkeeping

Use Aourly as your primary bookkeeping system. Aourly will:
  • Automatically create vouchers when you send invoices.
  • Generate voucher entries for payments.
  • Maintain the BAS chart of accounts.
  • Support SIE4 export for sharing with your accountant or for annual reporting.
This approach is best if you are a freelancer who wants to keep things simple and manage everything in one place.

Option 2: Connect to Fortnox or Visma

If you already use Fortnox or Visma for your accounting, connect Aourly to your existing system. Aourly will:
  • Sync invoices to your accounting provider.
  • Export voucher data automatically.
  • Keep both systems in sync so you do not need to enter data twice.
This approach is best if you have an accountant who works in Fortnox or Visma, or if you need more advanced accounting features. You can set up an integration from the Overview tab. See the Integration Setup guide for step-by-step instructions.

Accounting Methods

Aourly supports two accounting methods, which determine when revenue and expenses are recorded in your books:

Accrual Method (Fakturametoden)

Revenue is recorded when the invoice is sent, and expenses when they are incurred. This is the standard method for larger businesses and is required for companies with annual turnover above 3 million SEK.

Cash Method (Kontantmetoden)

Revenue is recorded when payment is received, and expenses when they are paid. This simpler method is available to sole proprietors with annual turnover under 3 million SEK. Your accounting method affects when transactions appear in your books and how your VAT returns are prepared. If you are unsure which method to use, consult your accountant.

What Aourly Does Automatically

Regardless of which approach you choose, Aourly automates the most common bookkeeping tasks:
  • Invoice vouchers — when you send an invoice, Aourly creates the corresponding accounting entries (debit accounts receivable, credit revenue, credit VAT).
  • Payment vouchers — when you register a payment, the matching entries are created (debit bank account, credit accounts receivable).
  • Credit note vouchers — when you issue a credit note, the original voucher entries are reversed.
This means you do not need to manually enter journal entries for your day-to-day invoicing work.

Getting Started

If you are new to bookkeeping in Aourly:
  1. Decide your approach — built-in or integration with Fortnox/Visma.
  2. Set up your financial year — make sure your current accounting period is defined.
  3. Connect your integration (if applicable) — see the Integration Setup guide.
  4. Link your bank accounts — connect your bank accounts to the correct bookkeeping accounts.
  5. Start invoicing — as you send invoices and register payments, Aourly creates the bookkeeping records.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to use the bookkeeping feature? Swedish law requires all businesses to keep proper records. You can use Aourly, an external system, or hand it off to an accountant — but the records must exist somewhere. Can I use both built-in bookkeeping and an integration? Typically you choose one. The integration sends data to your external provider, so using both would create duplicate records. Who can access bookkeeping? Only the company Owner has access to bookkeeping features. What if I have an accountant? You can export SIE4 files and share them, or give your accountant access to your Fortnox or Visma account where Aourly syncs data. Is Aourly’s bookkeeping sufficient for my annual report? Aourly covers day-to-day transaction bookkeeping for invoices and payments. For year-end closing, annual reports, and tax filings, most freelancers work with an accountant. The SIE4 export makes it easy to share your data.
You do not need to be an accountant to use Aourly’s bookkeeping. The system creates vouchers automatically from your invoices.
If you are unsure whether to use built-in bookkeeping or an integration, start with the integration if you already have a Fortnox or Visma account.
Bookkeeping is a legal requirement for all Swedish businesses. Even sole proprietors (enskild firma) must maintain proper accounting records.