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End-to-End Finance Operations with Excel

THE EXCEL MC

From Entry-Level Finance Tasks to Financial Reporting (Using Excel)

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    What You Will Learn

    • What a finance department does

    • Accounts Payable vs Accounts Receivable

    • Purchase Ledger vs Sales Ledger

    • Cash flow basics

    • Month-end process overview

    Excel Element

    • Basic ledger structure

    • Understanding columns used in finance spreadsheets

    • Structuring financial data properly

    Template

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    Finance Concepts

    • What an invoice is

     

    Invoicing (Sales Ledger) refers to the process of raising invoices to customers for goods or services provided and recording the amounts owed to the business.

    ​

    The Sales Ledger tracks all customer invoices, payments received, and outstanding balances, helping a business monitor income, manage cash flow, and follow up on unpaid debts.

    ​​​

    • Invoice number structure

    • VAT basics

    • Payment terms (30 days, 60 days, 90 Days)

    • Due dates

    • Customer accounts

    Excel Skills

    • Creating an invoice template

    • Auto-calculating VAT

    • Basic formatting

    • Calculating totals

    • Name Ranges

    • Using SUM formulas

    • IF formulas

    • VLOOKUP formulas

    • NESTED IFS & VLOOKUP

    • Data Validation and drop down (Yes, No for VAT)

    • Formatting currency correctly

    Practical Task

    Build a Sales Invoice Template in Excel including:

    • Company details

    • Customer details

    • Invoice number

    • Description of service

    • Net amount

    • VAT calculation (20%)

    • Gross total

    • Payment terms

    • Due date formula

    Template
    ֎
    Training Manual How to Create the Invoice Template (Step-by-Step)

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    Finance Concepts

    Purchase Ledger (Accounts Payable) refers to the process of recording and managing supplier invoices that the business needs to pay.

    ​

    It tracks what the company owes, monitors payment due dates, and ensures suppliers are paid accurately and on time, helping maintain good supplier relationships and control cash flow.

    ​​

    • Supplier invoices

    • Recording purchase invoices

    • Matching invoices to purchase orders

    • Tracking outstanding payments

    • Understanding liabilities

    Excel Skills

    • Creating a Purchase Ledger spreadsheet

    • Adding invoice dates

    • Calculating due dates

    • Tracking paid vs unpaid invoices

    • Using IF formulas for status

    Practical Spreadsheet Template

    Columns include:

    ​

    • Supplier Name

    • Invoice Number

    • Invoice Date

    • Due Date (calculated)

    • Net

    • VAT

    • Gross

    • Paid? (Yes/No)

    • Status (Outstanding/Overdue)

     

    Learners create formulas to automatically identify overdue invoices.

    Template

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    Finance Concepts

    • What a bank reconciliation is

    ​

    Bank Reconciliation is the process of comparing a company’s internal cash records with its bank statement to ensure they match.

    ​

    It helps identify missing transactions, errors, or timing differences, ensuring accurate financial records and proper cash control.

    ​

    • What a bank reconciliation is

    • Matching ledger to bank statement

    • Identifying differences

    • Outstanding payments

    • Deposits in transit

    Excel Skills

    • Matching lists (XLOOKUP Up vs. VLOOKUP vs. INDEX MATCH) What fits you best?

    • Using conditional formatting

    • Using IF statements

    • Using SUMIF, totalling what reconciles and what does not reconcile

    • Highlighting unmatched transactions

    • Creating a reconciliation summary (Basic Dashboard)

    Practical Spreadsheet Template

    • Bank statement tab

    • Cashbook tab

    • Reconciliation tab

    • Difference calculation

    • Conditional formatting to flag mismatches

    Template

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    Finance Concepts

    Credit Control (Accounts Receivable) is the process of managing and collecting money owed by customers.

    ​

    It involves monitoring outstanding invoices, following up on overdue payments, and ensuring cash is received on time to maintain healthy cash flow and reduce bad debts.

    ​​

    • Chasing outstanding invoices

    • Aged debt reports

    • Customer payment behaviour

    • Managing cash flow

    • Credit terms

    Excel Skills

    • Calculating days overdue

    • Using TODAY() function

    • Creating ageing buckets (0-30, 31-60, 60+ days)

    • Conditional formatting to highlight high-risk debtors

    Practical Template

    Columns include:

    ​

    • Customer

    • Invoice Number

    • Invoice Date

    • Due Date

    • Amount

    • Days Overdue (calculated)

    • Age Category (formula driven)

     

    Learners build an automated Aged Debtors Report.

    Template

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    Finance Concepts

    Profit and Loss Statement (P&L) is a financial report that shows a company’s income, expenses, and profit or loss over a specific period.

    ​

    It helps assess business performance by showing whether the company is making a profit or incurring a loss.

    ​​

    • Revenue

    • Cost of Sales

    • Gross Profit

    • Expenses

    • Net Profit

    Understanding the Flow

    Sales → Costs → Profit → Expenses → Net Result

    Excel Skills

    • Using SUMIF / SUMIFS

    • Structuring a P&L format

    • Monthly breakdown

    • Calculating margins (%)

    Practical Template

    Create a P&L spreadsheet including:

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    • Revenue section

    • Direct costs

    • Gross profit formula

    • Overheads

    • Net profit formula

    • Margin %

    Template

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    Finance Concepts

    Financial Reporting is the process of preparing and presenting financial information about a business’s performance and position.

    ​

    It includes reports such as the Profit and Loss Statement, Balance Sheet, and Cash Flow Statement, helping management and stakeholders make informed decisions.

    ​​

    • Monthly reporting

    • Variance analysis

    • Budget vs Actual

    • Forecasting basics

    • Management reporting

    Excel Skills

    • Variance calculations

    • Percentage difference formulas

    • PivotTables for reporting

    • Creating summary dashboards

    • Chart creation

    Practical Template

    Create:

    • Budget vs Actual report

    • Variance column

    • Percentage variance

    • Summary dashboard with charts

    Template

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    Template Pack

    Each learner receives:

    ​

    ✔ Sales Invoice Template
    ✔ Purchase Ledger Tracker
    ✔ Bank Reconciliation Template
    ✔ Credit Control / Aged Debtors Template
    ✔ Profit & Loss Template
    ✔ Budget vs Actual Reporting Template
    ✔ Finance Dashboard Template

     

    All fully formula-built but also with a “blank practice version.”

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    Lte's Get You Prepared

    Final session includes:

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    • Explaining finance workflow in interviews

    • Key finance terminology

    • Common interview questions

    • How to explain Excel tasks confidently

    • Talking through reconciliations

    • Explaining aged debtor reports

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    Please Enter Your Details below & Upload Your Spreadsheet

    Next Steps

    • Enter your personal details

    • Save your spreadsheet under your first and surname if you have not already

    • Upload your spreadsheet below using "Upload Spreadsheet"

    • Your trainer will email or WhatsApp your results within 48 working hours, along with guidance to support you in any areas where improvement is needed.

    Upload

Videos & Templates for Starter Finance

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