> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.plane.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Accounting automation
> Turn payroll, payments, and Plane invoices into journal entries in your accounting system.
Accounting automation closes the loop between paying people and recording it in your books. Every payroll, payment, and Plane invoice becomes an accounting item. Plane maps each line of that item to your chart of accounts, and you review and export the results as journal entries to your accounting system. Once your mappings are set up, most items arrive ready to approve, and your month-end close becomes a review rather than data entry.
## How it works
Every transaction Plane processes becomes one or more accounting items. Your mappings give each line an account. When you prepare items, Plane combines them into journal entries, and when you export, it posts those entries to your accounting system.
A few terms come up throughout these pages.
* **Accounting item**—one transaction, usually for one person. Each worker's payroll item, each payment, and each Plane invoice becomes its own accounting item, so attributes like worker type and department can decide which accounts it uses. When a charge is refunded, Plane replaces its payment items with one item covering the whole charge and its refunds.
* **Line**—one amount within an item, such as regular earnings, an employer tax, or the funds Plane debited from your bank. Each line is a debit or a credit.
* **Mapping**—the rule that decides which account a line posts to. See [Account mappings](/product/accounting-mappings).
* **Journal entry**—what Plane exports. A journal entry combines the items paid by one funding charge into balanced, summarized lines. See [Journal entries and exports](/product/journal-entries).
## Getting started
1. [Connect your accounting system](/product/connecting-accounting). Plane exports to QuickBooks Online today.
2. [Set up your account mappings](/product/accounting-mappings).
3. Review and export your first month, as described below.
## Month-end close
Accounting items move through three tabs in **Accounting > Prepare**. Use **Previous** and **Next** to move between months.
New items appear here as soon as the transaction is processed. Check that each line has the right account, fix anything unmapped, and prepare the item. An item can't be prepared until every line has an account and its debits equal its credits.
Prepared items are combined into journal entries you can preview. If something needs to change, move the item back to **To prepare**, fix it, and prepare it again.
When the journal entries look right, export them. Plane posts each one to QuickBooks Online, and the items move to **Exported**. Exported items can't be changed in Plane.
## Who can use accounting automation
Admins and members with the **Accountant** role can configure mappings and prepare and export accounting items. See [Members and roles](/product/members-and-roles).
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