BoardSolvency User Manual · Draft 2 · July 2026 Chapter 4 of 13
Part Two — Using BoardSolvency
Chapter 4

Getting Started with BoardSolvency

A plain English guide to logging in, setting up your company, entering your financial data, and understanding what the platform calculates automatically — written for directors who are not accountants.

Directors Accountants
Section 4.1
Logging in and navigating the platform

BoardSolvency is a web-based platform — it runs in your browser and requires no software installation. It is accessible from any computer, tablet, or mobile device with an internet connection. Your data is stored securely and is accessible only to users you authorise.

1
Open your browser and navigate to the platform
Go to boardsolvency.com.au in any modern web browser — Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge. The platform works on all current browsers.
2
Enter your username and password
Your login credentials are provided by your administrator — the person who set up your organisation's BoardSolvency account. If you have forgotten your password, contact your administrator.
Your username is typically your email address. Passwords are case-sensitive.
3
You are taken to the All Businesses screen
After logging in, you see a list of all companies you have access to. If you are a director of multiple companies, each appears here. Click any company name to open its financial data and solvency analysis.

The platform uses a hamburger menu — the three-line icon in the top right corner — to navigate between the main sections. Click it to see all available options.

All Businesses
Returns to the main company list. Use this to switch between companies if you monitor more than one.
3-Year Forecast
Model and stress test future scenarios — what happens to solvency if revenue changes, costs increase, or debt is restructured. See Chapter 7 for full guidance.
Import Data
Upload financial data from Xero, MYOB, or QuickBooks CSV and Excel exports. See Chapter 5 for full import guidance.
Export Data (CSV)
Download the company's raw financial data as a date-stamped CSV file, for use in your own spreadsheets or accounting software.
Export to Excel
Download a formatted P&L, Balance Sheet, and Cash Flow workbook, ready for a board pack or an external advisor meeting.
Logout
Always log out when you have finished your session, particularly on shared or public devices.
Section 4.2
Creating your first company — name, sector, and tax rate

Before entering any financial data, you need to create a company profile in BoardSolvency. This takes less than a minute and requires only two pieces of information up front — everything else can be added afterward.

1
From the All Businesses screen, click + New Business
A short form appears asking for the company's name and sector. Tax rate, ABN, contact details, and everything else can be added afterward from the company's Edit Details page.
2
Enter the company name
Use the full registered company name — for example, Bayside Home & Living Pty Ltd. This appears on all reports and the director audit trail.
3
Select the business sector
Choose from the dropdown — General Business, Construction, Hospitality and Food, Retail Trade, Transport and Logistics, Manufacturing, Professional Services, or Health and Social Care.
4
Click Create Business — the company is created
You are taken directly to the company's three-statement view, with three blank years already set up and ready for you to begin entering financial data.
5
Set the tax rate and any other details from Edit Details
The tax rate defaults to 27.5% (the base rate entity rate for most Australian SMEs) until you change it. Click Edit Details on the company page to set the correct rate, ABN, and contact information. Your accountant can confirm which tax rate applies if you're unsure — 27.5% for base rate entities, 30% for the standard corporate rate.
Section 4.3
Understanding the three-statement layout

The main company screen displays the three financial statements side by side — Income Statement on the left, Balance Sheet in the centre, and Cash Flow Statement on the right. Year tabs at the top allow you to switch between financial years.

Reading the three-statement screen

Income Statement (left) — Enter your revenue, cost of goods sold, and all operating expenses including wages, rent, overheads, depreciation, and interest. Income tax and net income are calculated automatically from the figures you enter.

Balance Sheet (centre) — Enter your assets, liabilities, and equity as at the end of the financial year. Current assets, non-current assets, current liabilities, non-current liabilities, and equity are all shown in their standard accounting categories.

Cash Flow Statement (right) — This is calculated automatically from the Income Statement and Balance Sheet data you have entered. Depreciation, receivables movements, inventory movements, and accounts payable movements are all derived without any manual entry from you. See Section 4.5 for the full list of auto-calculated fields.

Figures shown in green are positive and healthy. Figures shown in red indicate a negative or potentially concerning position — such as a net loss, negative working capital, or mounting ATO obligations. The platform uses colour consistently throughout to help directors identify areas requiring attention at a glance.

Section 4.4
Entering financial data — year by year, oldest first

BoardSolvency works best with three years of financial data — the current year and the two prior years. This allows the platform to calculate year-on-year movements, identify trends, and produce the three-year solvency summary that directors need for board reporting.

Important — always enter years in order, oldest first The cash flow statement auto-calculation chains the beginning cash balance from one year to the next — the ending cash balance of 2023 becomes the beginning cash balance of 2024, and so on. If you enter years out of order, the cash chain will not calculate correctly. Always start with your oldest year and work forward to the current year.

The data you need for each year comes from your company's annual financial statements — the same documents your accountant prepares for the ATO and for the annual review. If you use Xero, MYOB, or QuickBooks, Chapter 5 explains how to import this data directly rather than entering it manually.

Income Statement — fields to enter
Revenue / SalesTotal revenue for the financial year — from your P&L reportEnter
Cost of Goods SoldDirect costs of producing goods or services soldEnter
Wages & PayrollTotal wages, salaries, and payroll costs for the yearEnter
SuperannuationEmployer superannuation contributionsEnter
Rent & OccupancyPremises rent, rates, and occupancy costsEnter
Other OverheadsAll remaining operating expenses not separately listedEnter
DepreciationAnnual depreciation charge from your P&LEnter
Interest ExpenseLoan interest and finance charges paid during the yearEnter
Income TaxCalculated automatically from Income Before Tax and your tax rateAuto
Net IncomeCalculated automaticallyAuto
Balance Sheet — fields to enter
Cash & EquivalentsBank balances and cash on hand at year endEnter
Debtors / ReceivablesAmounts owed to the company by customers at year endEnter
GST ReceivableGST refund owing from the ATO at year endOptional
Inventory / StockValue of stock on hand at year endEnter
Plant & Equipment (gross)Total cost of plant and equipment before depreciationEnter
Less: Accum. DepreciationTotal accumulated depreciation to dateEnter
Right-of-Use AssetsLeased assets under AASB 16 — if applicableOptional
Accounts PayableAmounts owed to suppliers at year endEnter
GST PayableGST owing to the ATO at year endOptional
ATO ObligationsCalculated automatically from tax provisionsAuto
Short-term LoansLoan repayments due within 12 monthsEnter
Long-term DebtLoans and borrowings due beyond 12 monthsEnter
Equity CapitalShare capital and paid-up capitalEnter
Retained EarningsAccumulated profits retained in the businessEnter
Section 4.5
What the platform calculates automatically — and what requires entry

BoardSolvency is designed on a fundamental principle: a director should never need accounting training to use the platform correctly. Wherever data can be calculated from information already entered, it is calculated automatically. The director's job is to enter the source figures — not to understand the accounting mechanics behind the analysis.

Calculated automatically — no entry required
Auto-calculated fields
  • Gross Income
  • EBIT (Earnings Before Interest and Tax)
  • Income Before Tax
  • Income Tax provision
  • Net Income
  • ATO Obligations (balance sheet)
  • Total Current Assets
  • Total Non-Current Assets
  • Total Assets
  • Total Current Liabilities
  • Total Liabilities
  • Shareholders Equity
  • Working Capital
  • Cash Flow — Depreciation
  • Cash Flow — Receivables movement
  • Cash Flow — Inventory movement
  • Cash Flow — Accounts Payable movement
  • Cash Flow — Beginning Cash (chained from prior year)
  • Net Operating Cash Flow
  • Change in Cash
  • Ending Cash Balance
  • All solvency ratios and indices
Requires entry from your financial statements
Fields to enter
  • Revenue / Sales
  • Cost of Goods Sold
  • Wages & Payroll
  • Superannuation
  • Rent & Occupancy
  • Operating overheads
  • Depreciation
  • Interest Expense
  • Cash & Equivalents
  • Debtors / Receivables
  • Inventory / Stock
  • Plant & Equipment
  • Accumulated Depreciation
  • Accounts Payable
  • Short and Long-term Debt
  • Equity and Retained Earnings
  • Capital Expenditure
  • Debt Repayments
  • Dividends / Drawings
Section 4.6
Saving, backing up, and managing your data

Your data is saved to the BoardSolvency database each time you click Save All Data. It is good practice to save regularly as you enter figures — particularly after completing each financial year's data entry.

💾
Save All Data
Click Save All Data after entering or changing any figures. The platform shows the date and time of your last save in the company header.
📁
Export Data (CSV) or Export to Excel
Use either export option from the menu to download a timestamped copy of your company's data — a plain CSV for your own analysis, or a formatted Excel workbook for a board pack. Do this after each significant data entry session, and keep the download as part of your director audit trail.

A note on data accuracy

BoardSolvency produces analysis that is only as accurate as the data entered. The platform does not connect directly to your accounting system — it relies on the figures you or your accountant provide. Where possible, enter figures directly from your accountant's financial statements rather than from management reports, which may use different classifications or rounding.

If you notice that the ending cash balance on the Cash Flow Statement does not match the cash figure on the Balance Sheet, this usually indicates that the investing or financing figures — Capital Expenditure, Debt Repayment, and Dividends — need adjustment. Your accountant can help identify the correct figures from the source financial statements.

Chapter 5 explains how to import data directly from Xero, MYOB, or QuickBooks — which eliminates manual entry entirely for the fields covered by the import and ensures the figures match your accounting system exactly.

← Chapter 3 · The Sustainable Cashflow Framework