> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://www.aiaccountant.com/help/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Bill-by-bill tracking

> What bill-by-bill parties are, when an amount posts on account, and where to allocate against specific bills.

In Tally, a customer or vendor ledger can be maintained **bill by bill**. Every amount against that party is tied to a reference, so your outstanding statement shows which invoice or bill is still open rather than one running balance.

AI Accountant follows that setting. Where it matters is how you enter a transaction.

## On account versus against a bill

| How you enter it                                    | What happens                                                                                   |
| --------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Assign the party ledger from the transactions table | The full amount posts **on account** against that party. It is not matched to a specific bill. |
| Open the transaction at ledger level                | You can allocate against specific bills, add multiple references, and split the entry.         |
| Categorise in bulk                                  | Same as the table. Amounts post on account for bill-by-bill parties.                           |

Posting on account is fine for quick categorisation, and it is often the right answer for an advance or an unidentified receipt. It is the wrong answer when you need your ageing report to close out specific invoices.

## When to open the transaction

Open it at ledger level when you need to:

* allocate bill by bill,
* split one entry across several ledgers, for example a payment with bank charges or TDS,
* assign cost centres line by line, or
* check the bill reconciliation the AI has already done.

## Automatic bill matching

When a statement is extracted, AI Accountant matches payments and receipts against open bills and invoices for that party, taken from Tally or created in AI Accountant. One payment can settle several bills, in which case the entry carries multiple references.

Matching only works if the open bills exist. Sync your company before uploading statements.