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Chimney Top Books

How to use Chimney Top Books

Keep a sole proprietor’s books in about 30 minutes a month: import, categorize, close, report.

What it does

  1. Import CSVs
  2. Categorize
  3. Reconcile and close
  4. Reports
  5. Zip for the accountant

Get started

  1. Sign in with your email

    We email a one-time link. No password.

  2. In Settings, set the business name and books start date

  3. Import last month’s Stripe and Paddle CSVs, then the bank and card CSVs

    Stripe and Paddle first, so bank deposits match their payouts.

  4. Give each uncategorized transaction a category

  5. Reconcile each account, then close the month

  6. Open Reports to see profit, Schedule C and estimated tax

Import bank, card, Stripe and Paddle files

  1. Download a CSV from Stripe, Paddle, your bank or your card

    Stripe: Balances → Export (balance history or payout report). Paddle: Reports → Transactions.

  2. On Import, pick the file type and the account

  3. Choose the file, or paste the CSV text

  4. Tap Preview import and check the counts

    New, match existing, duplicate, closed month, errors.

  5. Dates wrong? Open Column mapping and pick another date format

    Card purchases positive? Tick “Purchases are positive in this file (flip signs)”.

  6. Tap Import to add the new transactions

    Duplicates and closed months are skipped.

Categorize transactions

  1. On Transactions, show Uncategorized only

  2. Pick a category in the row’s list

    A rule is learned for that payee next time.

  3. Leave “Also categorize … same payee” ticked to fix similar rows

  4. Add a cash or manual entry with Add a transaction

  5. Open a payee to edit, split or make a transfer

    Splits must add up to the amount.

  6. Card payments and payouts are transfers, not expenses

Rules

  1. On Rules, add “Description contains” text and a category

  2. Learned rules appear when you change a category

  3. Tap Apply rules to uncategorized transactions

  4. Delete a rule you no longer want

Receipts

  1. On Transactions, show Missing receipts

  2. Open the transaction

  3. Upload a PDF or photo (up to 10 MB)

  4. Change the receipt threshold in Settings

    Default $75. Stripe fees never need one.

Reconcile and close a month

  1. Bank imports are cleared; open a manual entry and tap Mark cleared

  2. On Reconcile & close, enter the statement date and ending balance

  3. Tap Check difference; fix it until it is $0.00

  4. Tap Finish reconciliation

  5. Tap Close for the month

    Uncategorized rows block the close.

  6. To change a closed month, give a reason and reopen it

    The reopen is kept in the activity log.

Reports and exports

  1. On Reports, pick the year and month, quarter or full year

  2. Read profit and loss, then the Schedule C summary by line

    Meals count at 50%. Unmapped accounts are flagged.

  3. Check the quarterly estimated-tax worksheet

    Worksheet, not tax advice. Filing status is in Settings.

  4. Open a category in Expenses to see receipts

  5. Download any report, all transactions or a QuickBooks CSV

  6. Download the year-end package for your accountant

    A year with many receipts comes in parts: download each part.

Give your accountant access

  1. On Team, type their email and pick Accountant (read-only)

  2. They get an invitation by email, sign in with that address and accept it

    Until they accept, they show on Team as invited. They can switch between accounts on the overview.

  3. They see and download everything but change nothing

What the labels mean

needs category
Still in Uncategorized; the month cannot close.
missing
Expense over the threshold with no receipt.
cleared
Seen on the bank or card statement.
reconciled
Agreed to a statement; amount, date and account are locked.
closed
The month is locked.
open
The month can still change.
Learned
A rule made from your category changes.
Read-only note
You are signed in as the accountant.

Common problems

“… is closed. Reopen the month”
Reopen it on Reconcile & close, with a reason, then try again.
Close button is grayed out
Categorize the month’s uncategorized transactions first.
Reconciliation shows a difference
Tick missing cleared rows or fix an amount, then check again.
Imported dates look wrong
Pick another date format in the preview.
Card purchases show as income
Tick “Purchases are positive in this file (flip signs)”.
“Larger than 2 MB”
Export a shorter date range.
“Only USD is supported”
Other currencies are not supported; convert before importing.
Stripe or Paddle payout warning after import
Export a date range that covers whole payouts.

Your data

  1. Export your books from Reports → Downloads

    The year-end zip holds the reports, every transaction, the activity log and every receipt file.

  2. We never connect to your bank or ask for bank passwords

  3. The books are backed up to storage every month

  4. Turn off usage stats: Settings → Privacy

    Untick “Share anonymous usage data”. No amounts or payees are ever sent.

  5. Delete everything: Settings → Delete account

    Owner only. Download the year-end zip first.