Setup guide
The essentials for getting a pub fully set up in ClearBar. Most business owners are up and running in under 15 minutes.
1. Create your account and your pub
Sign up with your email and password, then add your pub's name. If you run more than one site, you can add each one as its own pub and switch between them from the same login.
2. Set your yearly start date
Tell ClearBar when your accounting year starts. This is what lets the app group your till sales and purchase invoices into the right VAT quarter automatically.
3. Add your suppliers
Add each supplier you buy from — stock (wet and dry), rent, overheads, and payroll are all set up as suppliers with their own VAT treatment. Fixed & statutory items such as Business Rates or HMRC PAYE/NI are kept at 0% VAT and out of scope automatically.
4. Enter till sales
Log takings daily on the Enter Daily tab, or in a batch on the Enter Weekly/Period tab if that suits your routine better. ClearBar will warn you before you overwrite a day or period you've already saved.
5. Enter purchase invoices
Record what you've been invoiced by each supplier as the invoices come in, so your P&L and VAT position stay current rather than being reconstructed at quarter end.
6. Reconcile your bank
Each week, match what actually moved through your bank account against till takings, supplier payments, rent, and payroll. This is where discrepancies get caught early, not three months later.
7. Run payroll and petty cash
Enter payroll weekly or monthly using the same quarter-month view as everywhere else, and keep a running petty cash record alongside it.
8. Invite your accountant
Send a connection request to your accountant's email address from your account. Once they accept, they get their own audit page where they mark each entry as verified or queried — they cannot see anything beyond that page.
9. Review your P&L and VAT return
Your profit & loss and VAT return figures build up as you go. Use these as the working figures for your accountant to check and file — ClearBar itself does not file anything or replace their professional sign-off.
10. Keep an eye on your subscription
Your first 30 days are free. After that, ClearBar is £15/month, billed automatically until you cancel. You can cancel at any time from your account.
A reminder on scope: ClearBar is a calculator and a communication tool between you and your accountant, not accounting software or tax advice. Your accountant should always check and submit the final figures. See our Terms & Privacy Policy for the full details.