Accounting software in Jordan: a buyer's checklist
Good accounting software does more than record invoices. It keeps a clean audit trail, produces the reports your accountant needs, and follows the tax rules your business must meet. Use this checklist to compare options before you commit.
What the software must record
Every sale and purchase should be recorded with its tax breakdown, and every bank movement should be reconciled to the ledger. Receivables and payables should show ageing, so you can see who owes you money and whom you owe. Closing a period should lock it, so later changes cannot quietly alter the figures your accountant has already reviewed.
Tax and e-invoicing
Businesses registered for sales tax in Jordan issue their invoices through JoFotara, Jordan's national e-invoicing system, under the rules that apply to them. Ask each vendor, in writing, whether the software produces invoices in the format JoFotara requires, whether it is connected to JoFotara, and from which date.
Do not rely on a verbal answer. Both the rules and the connection status change, so write down what the vendor confirms, with the date.
Currencies, branches and companies
- Can you record in JOD and in another currency, with a stored exchange-rate history?
- Can reports split by branch, outlet or cost centre, and still add up to the company total?
- If you run several companies, can one login reach them without mixing their data?
- Can one bill be split across cost centres, such as a shared invoice?
Reports and month-end
- Trial balance, income statement and balance sheet, in both Arabic and English
- Receivables and payables ageing, and a statement for each customer and supplier
- A clear way to drill from a total to the transactions behind it
- A timed month-end: how long does closing take, and what locks a closed period?
Access, approvals and audit
- Roles and permissions for each user, so sales staff cannot change the ledger
- Approval steps for payments above a limit you set
- An audit log that shows who changed what, and when
- Backups, a restore test you can see, and a clear answer on where the data is stored
Moving from your current system
Export the opening balances at a fixed date, reconcile them to the bank and to the customer and supplier ledgers, and start the new system from that date. Keep the old files for queries for as long as your records policy requires. Run both systems side by side for one month-end before you rely on the new one alone.
Where BYTE fits
BYTE puts accounting at the core. Sales and purchases, inventory, HR and payroll, and fixed assets all post to the same ledger, so the numbers in every module agree. It is coming soon. The JoFotara connection is in our plan and is not ready yet, so ask us for its current status before you decide.
For the restaurant side, the restaurant POS checklist covers the e-invoicing questions to put to a POS vendor.
Questions people ask
Can a small business keep using spreadsheets for accounting?
For a very small business with few transactions, possibly. Once you have several bank accounts, stock, payroll or more than one branch, spreadsheets make it hard to prove the numbers agree, and closing the month takes longer.
Should accounting software work in Arabic?
Yes. Screens, documents and reports should work in Arabic and English, because your staff, your auditor and your tax paperwork may use either language.
What should I ask before I switch?
Ask how the opening balances are migrated, what a full export looks like if you leave, and who supports you through the first closing period.
This guide is general information. Tax rules change, so confirm the current requirements with your accountant. Talk to us for a written answer to any question here.