> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.theharvest.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Accounting

> Your books, filled in by the gifts you record.

<Note>
  Accounting is a **Ministry plan** feature.
</Note>

## How it fills itself in

Every gift you [record](/giving/recording-a-gift) creates an invoice here automatically. You do not enter a donation twice — once in the CRM, once in the books.

The same is true of a [confirmed event payment](/ministry/events).

## What you get

* Every recorded gift as an invoice, with a receipt number
* Totals your treasurer can reconcile against your payment accounts
* Exports for your accountant or your annual return

## Reconciling

Because Harvest never sees your money, your books are only as complete as your recording.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open your payment accounts">
    PayPal, Revolut, whatever you use.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Compare against your Harvest total">
    Anything in your account but not in Harvest is a gift nobody recorded.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Record the gap">
    It then appears in your books, on your dashboard, and in the member's own statement.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Tip>
  Doing this weekly takes minutes. Doing it in January takes a day and you will have forgotten who half the payments were from.
</Tip>

## What Harvest is not

Harvest keeps the record of what your church received. It is not a full ledger — it does not track your expenses, your payroll or your gift aid claims.

<Note>
  For most small churches, Harvest plus a spreadsheet for expenses is enough. For anything more, export from Harvest into your accounting software.
</Note>


## Related topics

- [Campaigns and statements](/giving/fundraising-and-statements.md)
- [Recording a gift](/giving/recording-a-gift.md)
- [Roles and permissions](/your-church/roles-and-permissions.md)
- [People and contacts](/your-church/people-and-contacts.md)