Module 9 · Advanced · 8 min read

Companies and branches: where one set of books ends

You will be able to: Tell a company from a branch, a warehouse and a cost center; Explain how Zeyto stores the company identity and the branch list; Limit a user to some branches and filter reports by branch.

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A company is a legal entity: it has its own trade licence, its own tax registration number (TRN), its own bank accounts and its own financial statements. A branch is a shop, office or site of that same company. It shares the company's books and TRN, but lets you tag every document with the place it came from.

QuestionCompanyBranch
Own TRN and tax return?YesNo, it shares the company's
Own balance sheet and chart of accounts?YesNo, same books; you filter by branch
ExampleAl Noor Trading LLCThe Deira shop, the Sharjah counter

How Zeyto holds a company

Settings ▸ Company Profile is the identity of your company: display name, TRN (exactly 15 digits if you are VAT-registered), country, Base Currency and Fiscal Start Month. Every record in the database carries a company. Zeyto does not currently have a screen to add a second company or to switch between companies, so if you run two legal entities, keep each one in its own Zeyto installation. That way ledgers, VAT figures and backups never mix.

The Company Profile screen with the legal name, TRN, address and base currency of the company.

Settings, Company Profile: one set of books per company.

Settings, Company Profile: one set of books per company.

How Zeyto holds a branch

  • Settings ▸ Branches (the same screen as Inventory ▸ Warehouses) lists branches, warehouses and racks. A new branch gets a code such as BR-001 and a name.
  • Each branch can have a Default Warehouse. A new document of that branch with no warehouse chosen starts on it.
  • Every document is saved under one branch. If the Branch field is empty, Zeyto uses the first active branch, in code order, that the user may work in.
  • There is no delete. Set a branch to Inactive and it can no longer be chosen on new documents; old documents keep it. Keep at least one branch active or no document can be saved.
  • For branch-wise document numbers, use Settings ▸ Numbering with its Branch field filled in. The Series Prefix on the branch does not drive numbers.
The Branches settings screen listing each branch with its code, name, city and status.

Settings, Branches: each branch inside one company.

Settings, Branches: each branch inside one company.

Limiting people to branches

In Settings ▸ Users & Permissions, open a user and untick All branches, then tick the branches that person may work in. Their documents, POS and reports are limited to those branches. The Admin role is never limited. Reports also carry a Branch filter.

Two shops, one companySunrise Trading has one licence, one TRN and two shops. A Deira cashier sells goods for AED 5,250 including VAT of AED 250. The sale is saved under the Deira branch. The profit and loss report filtered to Deira shows it; the company-wide report shows both shops. The VAT return is still one return, because VAT is registered per taxable person, not per shop.
Watch outDo not use a branch to separate two legal entities. Branches share one chart of accounts and one TRN, so profit, VAT and bank balances would be mixed.
TipThe bank 'Branch' field on the Company Profile bank details is your bank's branch. It is not a Zeyto branch.

Try it in the demo

  1. Open Settings ▸ Company Profile and read the Country, Base Currency and Fiscal Start Month. Do not save any change on the shared demo.
  2. Open Settings ▸ Branches and note the branch codes and the Default Warehouse column.
  3. Open Settings ▸ Users & Permissions, click a user and find Branch limits under Role & access. Close the page without saving.
  4. Open any report in the Reports menu and find its Branch filter.
Open the live demo

Public demo company, sign in as admin / demoAdmin123. Data refreshes nightly.

Key takeaways
  • A company is a legal entity with its own TRN and statements; a branch is a place inside one company.
  • Zeyto has no company switcher: use one installation per legal entity.
  • Branches are never deleted, only set Inactive, and at least one must stay active.
  • Branch limits on a user restrict documents, POS and reports; Admin is never limited.

Check yourself

4 questions on this lesson. Not timed, not the exam, and you can try again. Score 60% or more, and read the lesson, to complete it.

1. Which of these is a separate legal entity with its own TRN and its own financial statements?

2. In Zeyto, a branch has its own separate chart of accounts.

3. A trader has two trade licences with two TRNs. What is the safest way to keep their books apart in Zeyto?

4. Which of these does limiting a user to chosen branches restrict?

Select all that apply.

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Practice questions for this module · Printable study sheet