Managing nominal codes

What is a nominal code? 

A Nominal Code (also known as a general ledger code or chart of accounts code) is a unique identifier used within the Found product to categorise and track financial transactions, such as income and expenses. Each code represents a specific account, for example:

• 40010 – Private
• 40000 – Local Authority
• 40200 – Chiropody

These codes form part of a care group's chart of accounts and help ensure consistent and accurate financial reporting.

Found supports two types of nominal codes:

• Care Fee Nominal Codes
• Billable Extra Nominal Codes

How to create nominal codes?

1. Care Fee Nominal Codes

Care fee nominal codes are used to categorise income related to resident care. These codes can be created at a global level and are managed within the Billing Settings. You’ll need full access to the billing module to view or edit this area.

To create a care fee nominal code:

1. Go to Settings & Tools in the sidebar.
2. Select Billing Settings.
3. Click on Care Fee Nominal Codes.
4. Select Create Nominal Code.

The nominal code field is mandatory. The description field is optional but recommended—any text entered here will appear alongside the code in the product to help users understand its purpose more easily. Please note that the combination of the nominal code and description will not be combined when exporting the Nominal Codes. 

2. Billable Extra Nominal Codes

Billable extra nominal codes are used to categorise additional charges a resident may incur within the home, such as taxi journeys, hairdressing, or chiropody. These codes are created at the location level and managed via the Billable Extras table, which is accessed through the Invoices & Accounts dashboard. Full access to the billing module is required to make changes.

To create a billable extra nominal code:

1. Go to Billing in the sidebar.
2. Select Invoices & Accounts.
3. Under the Billable Extras tile, click View All.
4. Click Manage Billable Extras.
5. Select the yellow plus icon to create a new entry.

When creating a billable extra, you must enter the Nominal Code, Name, and Tax Rate—all of which are mandatory. Once created, the billable extra will be available for use at the corresponding location.

How to associate a care fee nominal code with a fee payer?

After creating a care fee nominal code at the global level, you can assign it to a specific fee payer at the resident level.

To do this:

1. Go to the resident’s profile and select the Billing tab.
2. Click on the Fee Payers tab.
3. Select Add Fee Payer and choose either:
   1. Add Private Fee Payer
   2. Add Company Fee Payer
4. As you complete the fee payer setup, you’ll see a Care Fee Nominal Code field—use this to select from the available global nominal codes. Make sure to select the appropriate nominal code. 

How to archive a nominal code?

Once a nominal code has been created, it can be archived if no longer needed. Archiving a nominal code will retain its association with any historical transactions in the Found product. For care fee nominal codes, it will also remain associated to the relevant fee payer. However, archived nominal codes will no longer be available for selection in future billing entries meaning they can’t be associated again. 

How to export the nominal codes?

Once a nominal code has been linked to a transaction, it can be exported at the invoice line item level and imported into your accounting system.

Each transaction line will include its associated nominal code - provided the setup is correct. To include this in your export, ensure the "Nominal Code" field is selected when creating an export template for the Invoice and Credit Notes Line Item table. The nominal codes for both billable extras and care fees will sit under this one column within the export.