Unlocking New Horizons: A Year in Review

Unlocking New Horizons: A Year in Review



As we bid farewell to 2024, let's celebrate and revisit the key highlights of the year. From adding a new edition to cross-platform enhancements, here’s a roundup of all the feature updates designed to simplify accounting, optimize financial management, and fuel growth. 



Zoho Books brings you a comprehensive set of new features and updates designed to streamline your financial management. 

Fixed Asset Management 

Zoho Books allows you to monitor your fixed assets, automatically calculate depreciation, and manage their sale or write-off when they are fully depreciated or reach the end of their useful life. 

Progress Invoicing 

With progress invoicing, you can create and manage invoices for long-term projects by billing clients in stages rather than in a single payment.

Invoice Management System [India Edition]

The IMS allows you to review the transactions filed by your suppliers in their GSTR-1, GSTR-1A, or IFF. You can choose to accept, reject, or mark the transactions as pending to accurately claim Input Tax Credit (ITC).

TDS Payments [India Edition] 

You can now easily view all your TDS liabilities, and record challan under the TDS module.

GST TDS [India Edition] 

GST TDS allows you to deduct a portion of payments to suppliers, which is then remitted to the tax authorities.

Early Payment Discount [Global, Germany, & UK Editions]

You can offer discounts to customers who pay their invoices before the due date.

Payment Retention

With this feature, you can set a retention percentage for your invoices, automatically withhold a portion of payments, and track retained amounts easily. Once contract terms are fulfilled, you can release or adjust the retained payments with just a few clicks.

Note: This feature is not available for the India and Kenya editions of Zoho Books.

XML Import or Export [Germany Edition] 

You can import e-invoices in XRechnung and ZUGFeRD formats to ensure compliance with the EN 16931 standard. Additionally, invoices can be exported via email in either PDF or XML format.

XML Manager [Mexico Edition] 

You can now directly fetch and import e-invoices in XML format from the SAT Portal to Zoho Books and add them as transactions.

E-Invoicing via PEPPOL [Germany Edition] 

With Zoho Books, you can create, send, and receive e-invoices via the PEPPOL network.

CIS Filing [UK Edition] 

Zoho Books allows you to file your monthly returns directly with HMRC and record the payments.

BACS payments [UK Edition]

You can now generate and export BACS files for your bills. This feature allows businesses to pay multiple vendors directly via BACS without manual entry.

Profit Margin Scheme [UAE & Saudi Arabia Editions] 

The Profit Margin Scheme allows businesses to calculate VAT only on the profit margin, not the full sale price. It applies to businesses selling second-hand goods, used cars, or certain retail items. 

Push E-Invoices to ZATCA’s Fatoora Platform [Saudi Arabia Edition]

Zoho Books enables businesses in Saudi Arabia to effortlessly comply with the new e-invoicing regulations by pushing e-invoices to ZATCA’s Fatoora platform.

Combined Tax Returns [Canada Edition]

Businesses can now generate combined GST/HST-QST returns, in addition to federal GST/HST returns and provincial tax returns such as British Columbia PST, QST, Manitoba RST, and Saskatchewan PST returns.

Smart BillPay [India, Canada & US Editions] 

The BillPay feature simplifies and streamlines the entire accounts payable process by automating everything from vendor onboarding to setting up approval workflows. It makes paying vendors more efficient and hassle-free.

File T4A & T5018 Slips [Canada Edition] 

Easily generate and file your T4A & T5018 slips directly to CRA with Zoho Books.

Revenue Recognition [US, Canada, Mexico, UAE & Saudi Arabia Editions] 

Revenue recognition ensures that businesses report their revenue accurately, reflecting when it is earned rather than when the payment is made.

Manage 1099 & W9 [US Edition] 

With Zoho Books, you can easily collect W-9 forms from contractors, send 1099-NEC and 1099-MISC forms at year-end, and file them directly with the IRS, ensuring full compliance with IRS regulations. 

Retainer Invoices [Mexico Edition]

We now support the Retainer Invoices module. You can now easily stamp and submit e-invoices to the SAT portal as well as cancel them directly from within Zoho Books.

E-Accounting [Mexico Edition]

You can submit the Chart of Accounts, Trial Balance, and Journal reports in XML format to meet SAT regulatory requirements. The Account Group Code field has been added to the Accountant and Banking modules, which helps you add the unique identifier provided by SAT and categorize account types.






Charge a Late Fee to Your Customers [US &Global Editions]

A late fee is an extra charge for overdue invoices. You can charge a percentage of your customer's invoice total or a fixed amount and choose to exclude loyal customers.

Apply Tax to Your Purchase Transactions [US Edition]

You can now apply use tax and other applicable taxes to your purchase transactions and track them using the Tax Paid Expense account.

Assign a Company ID to your Customers and Vendors [Global Edition] 

We’ve introduced the Company ID field on the Customers and Vendors creation page to enter your company’s unique identification number.

Apply Transaction Posting Date to Your Transactions [Global, US & Canada Editions] 

The Transaction Posting Date is the date when journal entries for transactions like invoices, bills, payments, receipts, credit notes, and vendor credits are recorded. 



Manage Tax Exemptions and Out-of-Scope Transactions [UK Edition] 

We have introduced the Tax Exemption and Out of Scope options to manage transactions that are either exempt from tax or fall outside the scope of VAT.

Apply TDS Surcharge and Cess to Your Bills [India Edition]

You can now create and apply TDS surcharge and cess to your bills. A surcharge is an additional tax applied to the existing tax, while cess is a tax imposed by the government for a specific purpose.

Apply Tax on Shipping Charge [US Edition] 

You can now associate tax or tax exemption with shipping charges, and the tax will be tracked in the Tax Payable liability account.



Associate TDS at Line-item Level [India Edition] 

You can now associate TDS at the line-item level. We have also introduced Direct Taxes under Settings, where you can select the TDS preference.

Minimized View for Web Tabs

This feature lets you access web tabs from anywhere within the app. In the minimized view, you can navigate between modules while keeping web tabs compact. 

Multi-criteria Workflow 

With this feature, you can now define multiple criteria and associate actions with a single workflow rule.



Alipay Payment Method 

You can now collect payments in CNY globally with Alipay as the payment method. You can also receive payments in various other currencies based on your Stripe account's location.

Klarna Payment Method 

Klarna offers the option to pay immediately, later, or in installments. Even if your customers choose installments or pay later options, Stripe transfers the full payment amount to the recipient right away.





Create Purchase Receives for Service Items

You can create a Purchase Receive for service items and verify if all your services have been fulfilled.

Set Opening Stock for Multiple Warehouses

You can set opening stock for multiple warehouses across different branches when creating or editing item groups with multiple products.

Select Items by Category in Bulk

You can now filter and select items from one or more specific categories when adding items in bulk to sales and purchase transactions.



Form 1099 Vendor Payment Report [US Edition]

Form 1099 is a report used to track payments made to non-employees like freelancers and vendors.

TDS Receivables Summary Report [India Edition]

You can view the total TDS deductions made on invoices, bills of supply, customer debit notes, and credit notes with this report.

Zoho Marketplace Extensions

Must-Have Zoho Books Extensions for 2024: The Best in Every Category!







Introducing the new South Africa edition of Zoho Books. This edition allows you to send and receive VAT-compliant transactions at SARS-approved rates, generate VAT201 and VAT Audit reports for returns, mark items as capital assets, and set standard rates for items and tax treatments for customers and vendors. 




iOS

  • We've redesigned the app with a sleek design and simplified interactions, making your accounting experience smoother than ever! 
  • You can now connect your bank account using Plaid. [US & Canada Editions]
  • Personalize transaction PDFs by customizing color themes, adding bank details, and including your signature for a professional touch.
  • We support adding reporting tags to transactions, customers, and items.
  • You can correct and make adjustments to an invoice that is in the Sent status. [Germany Edition]
  • You can now auto-generate customer or vendor numbers when creating customers or vendors.

Android

  • Collect a percentage of the invoice amount or a fixed fee as a late charge when the payment is not made by the due date.
  • You can now cancel or make corrections to sent invoices.
  • We have launched the new South Africa Edition.
  • You can now manually create bank accounts or automatically sync accounts with Zoho Books using Plaid and Yodlee. [US & Canada Editions]
  • Provide discounts to customers who pay their invoices a certain number of days before the due date.

Windows

  • We have now supported the Documents module.
  • You can split and make payments on your invoices.
  • You can now select French and Hindi as your language at the organization level in the app.
  • We have launched the new South Africa and Germany editions.
  • Configure your sender email preferences under settings.
  • You can now format text (bold, italics) within the comments section.


  • We conducted over 50 online webinars in 6 regional languages such as Marathi, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada, covering a wide range of topics and highlighting key features to help users navigate and make the most of Zoho Books.
  • We organized 21 community meetups across 21 cities in India, where users learned about the new updates and features of Zoho Books, along with useful tips and tricks for better usage.





Rochelle Spence

Business Manager, Communications Consulting Group

For nearly a decade, Zoho Books has been an integral part of our business. The integration with our CRM has greatly streamlined our financial processes, providing us with enhanced visibility and efficiency. The customizable features, especially late fee invoicing, have significantly improved our bookkeeping. Zoho Books has truly made managing our finances easier and more effective. 

Naveedh V.V

Make Your Own Perfume

Running a business requires smart accounts management. Zoho Books simplifies everything from invoicing to inventory in one easy, cloud-based platform. Access your data anytime, anywhere!




As we close out this year, we hope you've enjoyed the updates that have enhanced your accounting experience. Thank you for being a part of our journey, and here's to reaching new heights in the year ahead. 







        • Recent Topics

        • Vendor Signatures Needed for Purchase Orders

          Hello everyone, We have a unique requirement that necessitates that Vendors & Suppliers formally acknowledge our Purchase Orders upon receipt. I was hoping that there would be an option to do so in Zoho Books, but that does not appear to be the case.

        • Is there an API to "File a Ticket" in Desk

          Hi, Is there an API to "File a Ticket" in Desk to zoho projects?

        • تغيير عمله الدفع"Change payment currency"

          ما هى طريقه تغيير عمله الدفع "ما هي طريقة تغيير عملة الدفع؟"

        • Store "Sign in with Google/Microsoft/GitHub etc." details

          Quite often now, users are using a sign-in provider like Google or Microsoft to sign into various apps and services. It would be great if Vault could remember which providers you use for each website and sign you in with that provider instead of a username

        • Tip of the Week #72– Assign thread ownership to avoid confusion.

          When teams handle a large volume of emails, managing threads becomes important to stay organized. Without a clear system, duplicate replies, missed follow-ups, or confusion over responsibilities can happen. Thread assignment solves this by designating

        • Unarchive tickets

          How can I manually unarchive tickets?

        • Optimize your Knowledge Base for enhanced accessibility by adding alt tags for images

          Let's learn why alt tags are crucial for your articles. You can add alternative tags (alt tags) and alternative text (alt text) to the images you share on your community forums or when embedding them in articles. Alt tags refer to the HTML attribute,

        • FSM trying again

          have not linked FSM yet to the rest of out Zoho suit. It certainly looks like the apointment and service part is more manageable for our staff. The question is that our engineers multi task examples 1. deliver products to customers not fitted 2. Service

        • Feature Request: Conditional Field Mandatoriness Based on Display Status

          Hello Zoho Creator Team, I would like to suggest an enhancement to improve the flexibility of form validations. Currently, when we need a field to be mandatory only if it's displayed on the form, the only option is to: Set the field as not mandatory in

        • Data Migration Strategies for Moving to a Cloud Solution

          Hi everyone, I’ve been working on moving some of our critical systems, including CRM and project data, to a Zoho cloud solution, and one of the biggest challenges I’ve encountered is data migration. Transferring large volumes of data while keeping it

        • Commerce Order as Invoice instead of Sales Order?

          I need a purchase made on my Commerce Site to result in an Invoice for services instead of a Sales Order that will be pushed to Books. My customers don't pay until I after I add some details to their transaction. Can I change the settings to make this

        • How to set different item selling prices for Zoho Commerce and Zoho Books

          Item selling prices for Zoho Commerce and Zoho Books are in sync. If we update the Item selling price in Books, the same will happen in commerce and vice versa. I need a separate commerce selling price for online users and a separate books selling price

        • Time Entry Notifications

          Hi All - I have support staff who place notes of their work in the time entry section of Zoho Desk. Is there a specific workflow or setting I need to enable to have the ticket holder updated via email when an entry is saved?

        • How to report 'Response violation' OR 'Resolution violation'

          Hi, I want to report on SLA Violation Type. I grouped my tickets on this column. It seems I only get 'Response and Resolution Violation' or 'Not Violated'. The former seems to be given to a ticket if only the Response Time was violated. I would expect

        • [Webinar] Automate sales and presales workflows with Writer

          Sales involves sharing a wide range of documents with customers across the presales, sales, and post-sales stages: NDAs, quotes, invoices, sales orders, and delivery paperwork. Generating and managing these documents manually slows down the overall sales

        • Power of Automation :: Quick way to associate your Projects with Zoho CRM

          A custom function is a software code that can be used to automate a process and this allows you to automate a notification, call a webhook, or perform logic immediately after a workflow rule is triggered. This feature helps to automate complex tasks and

        • Date triggering Workflow rule

          I have a function triggered by a workflow rule. The function takes a date and creates a task for that date and fills in a field with the name of the day for that date. It also updates the status field of the record. The workflow rule is set to run whenever

        • Restricting contact creation

          Hi all! I am looking to use Zoho Desk in a part of the business that takes end user enquiries. These are generally single interactions, and not linked to an account name. As Desk is Account centric, has anyone designed a way to manage these incoming emails

        • Import Holiday Calendars

          HI Zoho Is there anyway of importing an online calendar like https://www.calendarlabs.com into the business hours calendars, to speed up setup of holiday calendars. Also could we also request a feature where you can specify a Holiday as hours, i.e it could be that the company is on a 1/2 day due to a holiday or when it is Eid in the UAE and they are only allowed to work restricted hours so we need the calendar to be flexible to allow for this. Regards Jamie

        • Filtering Tickets based on Email headers

          We're starting to get a lot more junk coming into our Zoho Desk, which is then triggering unnecessary email alerts to agents. Once thing we could do to cut this junk in half, is to filter tickets based on email headers. Any email containing the `List-Unsubscribe`

        • Error 550 5.4.1

          I’ve tried sending an email to someone but keep receiving this back. Any help would be greatly appreciated 

        • Billing Management: #2 Fair way of Billing- Prorated Billing

          Hello, From speaking about the traditional ways of billing in the previous post, we are moving into the deep sea of billing. We are now in a zone to break out the most complex yet, I would call it the fairest way of billing, the Prorated Billing. Prorated

        • Has Anyone successfully integrated Zoho and Sage Intact?

          Hey all, We’re evaluating Zoho One + Sage Intacct and I’m trying to connect with anyone who has actually implemented the two together.Specifically, I’d love to know: -- Which functions you kept in Zoho vs. Intacct (e.g., Product Catalog, AR/AP, invoicing,

        • How can I filter a field integration?

          Hi,  I have a field integration from CRM "Products" in a form, and I have three product Categories in CRM. I only need to see Products of a category. Thanks for you answers.

        • Adding image in HTML report page

          Hi, I want to know two things: 1. Can anyone advise how to add an image in HTML report. The tagged used is <img> but what path do I mention for the image to be added in the HTML report. 2. Also, I want to know if I am creating an application for the market

        • How to change view of HTML report based on device but always print in A4

          Hello everyone, I am aware that HTML report view can be configured to adjust according to the screen size like Laptop, Tablet and mobile using media queries. But my concern is no matter on which device the reports is opened when printed should always

        • Age Calculation

          I've attempted to calculate the age of someone based on their birthday input by using the formula field. It works but I don't want all those decimals on there. I then tried to use "set variable" after birthday input but I get a field type mismatch, long vs. floating. Any ideas would be wonderful.

        • Search on Custom Field

          We're working on an integration with the Zoho FSM API and are trying to retrieve companies based on a custom field we added to the Companies module. However, we can't find a way to filter or query records using custom fields through the API. We have a

        • Sendmail function / custom action?

          I've setup a function hoping to email various business departments the details of a record once all work in that record is complete so gone about setting up a custom action in such way that each record line on the report has a button to click. Question is how do I actually include data from that record in the email that is sent when the button is clicked? I had thought that since this were being sent per record the email would include the data which had been entered

        • API to post drafts for social media

          I we want to post draft posts to our zoho social account and then approve and schedule them within Zoho social. is this possible with for example: https://apis.zoho.com/social/v2/post TIA Jon

        • Canvas View in Zoho Recruit

          Is it possible or would it be possible to have the new 'Canvas View' in Zoho Recruit?

        • What impactful sales coaching techniques have you used to boost your team's performance?

          I'm curious about the real-world impact of sales coaching on team performance. What specific techniques or strategies have you found most effective in driving consistent improvement and growth in your sales team? Any success stories or lessons learned

        • Adding Taxes to paid consultations in Zoho Bookings

          I created a 'paid' consultation under Zoho Booking and integrated it with payment gateways for online/instant payment before a booking is done. How can I add 'taxes' to the price of consultation? I can add taxes to other Zoho apps (liks Books, Checkout,

        • Zoho Finance Suite - Customer Custom Tabs - Dynamic Link

          Hi Finance Suite team, When creating a Custom Tab for a Client Portal, there is no option to add dynamic parameters. This would be very helpful for adding Zoho Analytics dashboards which can be dynamically filtered through the URL to only show information

        • Possible to bold or indent text in the description field?

          As part of one item, I often have a detailed description that would be much easier to read if there was the ability to have a bulleted list or bold text and the like. Is this possible? My last invoicing software allowed markup in the field so, for example, an asterisk meant a bullet. I haven't been able to find any documentation related to this.  Any information would be appreciated. Thank you.

        • Formatting of Balance Sheet and Profit & Loss Reports

          The default format of the Balance Sheet and P&L Reports are based on the Account Types and then the individual accounts within the Chart of Accounts. These are then ordered alphabetically under these sub-headings and one is unable to re-order these or

        • UK MTD reports concerning turnover and cerash accounting

          Hi I am a sole trader, and I have just started with Zoho Books in order to comply with the new HMRC requirements. I use 'cash basis' - which I understand to mean that income is when the cash comes in (not the invoice date) and expenses are when they are

        • Retainer Invoice.

          Why ZOHO not have facilities to deduct partially advance payment from an invoice.

        • IMAP Server not responding.

          Trying to connect a phone via IMAP and getting "imap.zoho.com not responding." Is the server down, for maintenance or otherwise? I've tried this on two different devices and got the same error on both.

        • Share saved filters between others

          Hi, I am in charge to setup all zoho system in our company. I am preparing saved filters for everybody, but the only one can see its me. How can others see it? Thanks

        • Next Page